I picked up this book a few nights ago, and within pages I was completely absorbed in the story. I love a good domestic thriller, and this one kept me on my toes, and kept my mind reeling. I had so many idea's, and so many theories about what happened to Zena.

Undertow was so wonderfully written, you can't resist the pull it has on you, constantly begging you to read it. I found myself setting an alarm to wake up before my kids, so I could get some quiet reading time before they woke up.

I really enjoyed Carmen's character, and I admired the fact she was strong, and no-nonsense. And the ending, oh my gosh, I love that it didn't end like a majority of domestic thrillers do. It was such a pleasure to read and review.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

My thoughts: This is one of those books that I have to admit, the cover totally drew me in...isn't it just mesmerizing? Luckily, the story itself was gripping and addicting and kept my interest - I would have been quite bummed if it didn't work out!

I do have to say, I had a hard time connecting to the main character, Carmen, but once I got a little further into the book, I got over that. I found myself totally engaged. I wanted to know as much as Carmen did about what really happened and found myself just as suspicious of Tom as Carmen soon became.

All the characters in this novel were so real - they may not always be likeable, but they were true to life. They had their flaws and their relationships felt real and complicated - isn't that what family life is all about in the real world? This added such a true ring to the story, giving it that true-to-life feeling. After all, this is a complicated family system we are following here, so having the family dynamics to mirror that really added to the already heavy tension.

This is much more a character-driven story than action-driven and with all the twists and turns it takes as Carmen makes her discoveries, it has that chilling, disturbing quality to it. It really gets under your skin so that you become as desperate as Carmen is to get to the bottom of what really happened to Zena.

I ended up really enjoying this book and found myself guessing as to what was going to happen all the way until the very end. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what comes next from this author - as a debut novel, this one was quite good!

Undertow was a very well written psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.
Carmen is the new wife of Tom who has been married once before. There were some things in Tom's background that he informed Carmen about but did he tell her everything?
Undertow will take you on a journey of love, hate, anger, fear, resentment and so much more.
I gave it three stars only because I felt the ending was a bit rushed.

I’ve been fascinated lately with stories about people who are deeply betrayed by the people they thought they knew. Undertow by Elizabeth Heathcote sets the scene for a woman who realizes her husband might be a killer. How much more betrayed can you get?

This tries to be a twisty turny thriller leading you in one direction, then jolting you into another, leaving you not certain who to believe. The overall story was well thought out and in the end, all the pieces came together well, but the overall feeling I got from this was rather unimpressive. Nothing wowed me, nothing was all that new. It seemed like it was over detailed in the wrong places and fell flat in others, the pacing felt off and everything seemed a little one dimensional to me, just words on a page that didn’t really jump out at me, but rather just monotonously recited facts from one scene to the next and often avoided going any deeper, much like the characters did in their own conversations.

I can’t say I really liked any of the characters. Carmen was a contradiction for me, she always said one thing and did another. Her insecurities and lack of self worth made it hard for me to find her inspiring. I understand her questioning and loyalty but I feel like her marriage happened super quick and while it was full of a lot of lies, they never seemed particularly happy or close even before everything started to come out, which made it hard for me to empathize with her situation and not want to knock some sense into her for some of her naive and gullible actions.

It wasn’t until the end that I actually enjoyed this, so I’m glad I pushed through and kept reading. The payoff was worth the wait and I didn’t totally sort it all out ahead of time so that was also redeeming. But for me, it was a rather messy and disconnected journey getting there.

Elizabeth Heathcote’s UNDERTOW is a quick, compelling read. I couldn’t put it down and I flew through it in no time at all!

I appreciated that the protagonist was proactive in uncovering the truth rather than just taking on a “poor me”/helpless perspective. She was not whiny or needy but spoke her mind and didn’t just blindly accept what she was being told once she had reason to question things. Let’s hear it for a main character who doesn’t cry or drink at every turn when faced with challenging situations! This tends to be one of my major pet peeves with how female characters can be written, at times.

Even though I connected the dots and figured out the truth behind Zena’s death before it was revealed, this did not detract from my enjoyment of the book.

That being said, are you kidding me with that ending and key decisions that were made?! I can’t say that I agree with or approve of this ending, at all. There were a few major criminal events that she just let go that I think she clearly should have handled in an entirely different call-every-badge-wielding-law-enforcement-person-you-can-think-of sort of way! No doubt, book clubs will be emphatically debating this one!

Fellow book nerds who have read this one: What did you think of the ending? I’d love for you to leave a comment and share your spoiler-free thoughts!

Carmen is newly married Tom who has three kids with ex-wife Laura. Before Tom met Carmen, he had an affair with another woman Zena while he was married to Laura. Carmen a free-lance journalist while going through Tom's old laptop discovers that Zena died under mysterious circumstances with suspicion falling on Tom. Due to lack of any evidence though Zena’s death was declared as accidental drowning. Through her investigative skills though Carmen discovers discrepancies in Tom’s explanation of that night. Was Tom capable of such a heinous crime with his kids around and if he did commit it was Carmen really safe with him?

I did like the concept of the book but the execution of the story didn’t actually work for me. I found the book very slow and didn’t really warm up to Carmen. I did not expect the ending so I would give it an extra ½ star for that. I am sure other people might enjoy the book but it was not for me.

Many thanks to Harlequin & NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

Undertow is a fantastic debut novel and I think many readers will become instantly hooked to the story line. It is after all, one that I haven't seen much in terms of psychological thrillers that I have been reading as of late, so it certainly stood out to me as a reader! Even better? The author has the unique ability to transport her readers into the story. I honestly felt like I was walking hand in hand with Carmen throughout the whole thing.

With that, this is a fantastic psychological thriller that kept me on my toes from beginning to end. The characters take a bit of getting used to but it doesn't take away from the overall enjoyment of this twisted read! Highly recommended! I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next!

For most of the book, it felt like we were simply building to the end. It kinda dragged from chapter to chapter. The big "reveal" wasn't so far of a stretch since it was laid out from the beginning. The protagonist's curiosity would drive me crazy - first she had to know the truth, then she was content to wait a few chapters before she started digging again. It was a likeable read, just not a home run.

4/5 Stars!!
This was my first time reading Elizabeth Heathcote's work. And I am very happy with Undertow. It's got a dark feel to it, there's drama and there's suspense -though one that isn't as razor-sharp as I wished it would be.

The books follows the story of a happily-married couple, Carmen and Tom. However, the narration slowly converts to Carmen's curiosity about her husband's ex-girlfriend's skeptical death. She therefore dives into an adventure to seek the truth about Zena, the woman who came before her, while taking unimaginable risks and preparing to lie to those around her in order to find out the truth. How did Zena die? Can she trusts her friends? Can she trust this new family that she married into? Are her endeavors leading her directly to what she desires or right into plain danger itself? Will the truth set her free or destroy her?

There is no doubt that Heathcote's writing is captivating and thrilling.
In Undertow, the suspense might not hit you instantly but it features gradually as it's described vividly throughout the story in a way it'll give you vertigo.
In the beginning, you might think you know the truth, because of the presence of too much focus on early facts and clues that could lead to a certain theory, but the twist that the author created is so shocking I couldn't bring myself to absorb it.

As I have mentioned, this thriller isn't a violent or a disturbing one. But the characters can be very relatable, especially Carmen's. I loved Carmen. She's strong and vulnerable, she lacks confidence but doesn't often let it show, although she's ready to do anything to satisfy her demands. Also, I appreciate that the author forges powerful subjects that matter like family relationships, what it takes to tear them down or strengthen them even more.

This read is perfect for fans of thrillers like Paris' The Breakdown and Delaney's The Girl Before. If you enjoyed those, Undertow will be the perfect addition.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harlequin for providing me with an advanced reading copy of Undertow in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book started off with a bang and kept me interested all the way through. About halfway through I was confident I had it all figured out but the last pages proved otherwise. Thought the characters were all very relatable. I'll be interested to see what else comes from this author.

Whispers of the classic Rebecca whisper through this tangled and twisted story. Carmen knows that her husband Tom loves her, just as she knows she can never really compare to the fiery Zena, Tom’s former mistress, the woman who destroyed his first marriage. Like Rebecca, Zena drowned, and like Rebecca, Zena had a dark and disturbing side. In death, she looms large over Carmen and Tom’s life. Carmen only knows what Tom has told her about his dead mistress, but when Carmen stumbles across evidence that Tom has not told her the whole truth, she begins to wonder why. Is uncovering the truth worth the havoc it is sure to wreak? Or does Carmen’s life depend on it? I loved this book and its Gothic undertones. Plan on putting everything else on hold once you start this book