The Drowning Woman
by Robyn Harding
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Pub Date 13 Jun 2023 | Archive Date Not set

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Description
Lee Gulliver never thought she’d find herself living on the streets—no one ever does—but when her restaurant fails, and she falls deeper into debt, she leaves her old life behind with nothing but her clothes and her Toyota Corolla. In Seattle, she parks in a secluded spot by the beach to lay low and plan her next move—until early one morning, she sees a sobbing woman throw herself into the ocean. Lee hauls the woman back to the surface, but instead of appreciation, she is met with fury. The drowning woman, Hazel, tells her that she wanted to die, that she’s trapped in a toxic, abusive marriage, that she’s a prisoner in her own home. Lee has thwarted her one chance to escape her life.
Out of options, Hazel retreats to her gilded cage, and Lee thinks she’s seen the last of her, until her unexpected return the next morning. Bonded by disparate but difficult circumstances, the women soon strike up a close and unlikely friendship. And then one day, Hazel makes a shocking request: she wants Lee to help her disappear. It’ll be easy, Hazel assures her, but Lee soon learns that nothing is as it seems, and that Hazel may not be the friend Lee thought she was.
Advance Praise
"Robyn Harding is an expert at slowly building creeping dread." –Kate Moretti, New York Times bestselling author
'This edge-of-your-seat thriller combines wildly intricate plot twists and turns with complex, carefully developed characters — and reading it made me wonder if there’s anything Robyn Harding can’t pull off! I had no idea where I was headed, but knew I definitely wanted to be on this propulsive, suspenseful, often shocking ride that explores the ways in which we betray ourselves and others — and just how far we’ll go for redemption.'
— Marissa Stapley, New York Times-bestselling author of Lucky
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781538726761 |
PRICE | $28.00 (USD) |
PAGES | 336 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews

Talk about a Russian doll of lies, deceit, betrayals and madness, this book ticks all the check boxes of a thrill ride you don’t want to miss!
Lee had it all, her own restaurant, the high life, security, and then -like lots of business- Covid happened and her restaurant shuts down. Just like that she has become homeless and living in her car. Parked out in a well to do neighborhood by the beach, Lee is awoken to crying and gets out to investigate. What she finds is a well off woman that is drowning. Lee reacts and rushes in to save her life. Saving Hazel turns out to be one of the worst decisions she could make.
Hazel explains about her abusive husband and how she just needs to disappear like Lee has done and asks Lee to help her. Thinking Lee has finally found a friend, she agrees to help Hazel, but things start getting dicey. Is Hazel really her friend? Is there more to this escape plan than Hazel has shard with Lee? How much danger are they truly in?
This thriller takes off with a bang and shoots you ever toward the dark and twisted ending you won’t see coming. This novel set to be released in June of 2023 should be on every thrill lovers radar to scoop up and dive into!
A huge thank you to #NetGalley, #GrandCentralPublishing, and the amazingly talented author #RobynHarding for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.
My full review will be available on all my social media platforms, blog sites and retail upon release day.

OW- this is how a thriller needs to be done.
I went into this book totally blind- I am so glad I did because it takes you on such a wild ride. I love multiple povs in books but what I love even more is when you think you are only getting one characters point of view for the whole book and then you get sucker punched with a new character one. This happened in this one and I loved not knowing when one would end and the new would begin.
This book was very current, in that hardships that have arisen since the pandemic were part of the story, but they were done so well it wasn't hard or uncomfortable for me to read about, it was actually comforting at times.
Many thrillers make the female main characters seen simple minded or weak and this book did the opposite, it shows how strong the bond can be and the author did such a good job on all of the character development.
I found some of the storyline to be a bit farfetched at times but that is why I love the genre, to read about crazy stuff happening that is so far removed from my own reality.
Harding really knocked it out of the park with this one and this needs to be on everybody's summer radar next year.

This was too relatable. As someone who has been homeless and living in a car, while employed full-time, in case you were assuming otherwise, I know all too well the struggles with finding a safe place to park, or a place to shower. I was unable to put the book down because I had to know how this would work out for Lee. Naturally I had instant distrust for Jesse, because I have been there and the whole thing with the car behind her work was gross and uncool.
Anyway, I was enthralled. This was amazing,

Believe all the hype around this book!🤩
Once again, Robyn Harding hits it out of the ballpark!
Lees’ career was flourishing as a respected chef, opening a high-end, fancy-schmancy eatery! Sure, she needed a little seed money to get things rolling. She found it from someone a teensy bit sketchy, but has no worries that she’ll pay off the loan in no time at all.
And she would have if not for one small hiccup…Covid. Lees’ dream turned into a nightmare overnight. With no way to pay off her loans she fears for her life, running as fast and far as she could.
Now Lee finds herself living out of her car scraping pennies together, desperately hoping to one day save enough for a roof over her head.
Asleep in her car/home, she wakes one morning to the sobs of a young woman. Lee quickly rushes to save her from drowning in the ocean.
But how could she know this selfless act would seriously alter the course of of her life?
How, you ask?
Because this woman she just rescued has dark secrets of her own and poor Lee just dropped herself smack in the middle of the drama!
I could not, would not put this book down! I couldn’t decide who had something to hide? Who could I trust? Will everyone survive to the epilogue?
I even had one jaw dropping moment!😱
I’ve loved every book I’ve read from this hugely talented author! And this was definitely one of my favorites! Already counting the days…weeks…months till her next release!
A buddy read with Susanne.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing