This book starts off with a bang that grasps the reader from the word “Go”. Compelling, super twisty plot and just fun, fast reading altogether. It’s a look at human nature that one can’t help thinking, “what would I do if faced with the same circumstances?” If you’re looking for a book that truly entertains the reader, full of twists and turns, this may be the suspenseful gem for which you’re looking.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #Ballantine Books of Penguin Random House for providing me with this enjoyable suspense.

This book pulled me in right from the first scene. At the same time, I kind of wish it hadn’t started with a spoiler for what was to come. Also, I kept waiting for something to be revealed about the protagonists childhood. I wonder if that was a storyline that got edited out?
Regardless, I thourally enjoyed this book and stayed up way past my bedtime reading it.

3.5/5 stars. I enjoyed the story but was left with more questions than answers at the end of the book. It was a slow paced book with a quicker ending.

In the first chapter of this book, you find out that a very particular someone is dead. Then the following chapters tell the story of how it got to that point. I loved that there was almost no predictability to the plot. At 80% of the book, I was still unsure of where it was going! And I feel that's a very rare characteristic in books these days!

There were a few moments when I wanted to reach into the book and strangle the main character. Erin does lots of things that make you want to yell "WTF??? Are you Stupid??" I'm not sure that any actual human would've made the decisions she did, but then again, I've never been (and hope to never be) in her situation.

I'd definitely recommend this read. Very captivating and fresh!

Something in the Water was such an amazing read! I will be purchasing copies to give to my fellow thriller readers. Catherine did a great job developing characters as well as a captivating page turner.

This was ok for me. I liked the premise. Though it did keep me on my toes after a certain point (after “it” happened) I felt like the story was very long winded. There were a lot of details and back story that didn’t feel necessary. That being said, the twist towards the end was a true surprise and totally caught me off guard. I love a good unexpected twist! While I didn’t love this book, I did like it and would read this author again.

This book begins with someone telling us how to dig a grave. Right off the bat, you know someone is going to die and it's not accidental.

Then the story starts at the beginning of this couple's relationship. I found myself rooting for this couple all along the way until after the honeymoon. Then I definitely changed my mind. Of course, it went back and forth for a while. I couldn't figure out who was the actual bad guy.

There were many suspects and this was definitely a gripping read. Towards the end my pulse was racing, I couldn't read the book fast enough. And then the spiel about the Glock? Come on, get with the book. HA!!!

Excellent read. I will definitely be looking for more from this author.

Thanks to Random House Ballantine and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

This book was a delicious, addictive read! What would happen if your honeymoon turned into your worst nightmare? This thriller takes the a couple on their idyllic honeymoon in Bora Bora, and turns their lives completely upside down when they discover something floating in the water. This discovery leads you on an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride, and I will say that the ending was surprising. Did I want more? Yes! I truly hope there is more from this author in the future!

Have you ever wondered how long it takes to dig a grave? Right off the bat, Catherine Steadman sucks you into her suspenseful thriller, Something in the Water, and brilliantly answers this question.


And the story goes...


Erin, a documentary filmmaker, is working on a film following the lives of several inmates who are about to be released from prison, including an alleged mob boss with considerable ties to the seedy underworld. Mark is an investment banker who was downsized from his job right before he and Erin were about to be married. Despite the demands from her documentary and Mark hunting for a new job, they decide to take a once in a lifetime honeymoon to Bora Bora. While scuba diving off a remote island, Mark and Erin come across something in the water that could change their lives drastically, but setting off a butterfly effect that could cost each of them their lives.
This twisty, turning tale hit the shelves on June 5th and is definitely one to grab! Trust me, you won't want to miss what happens!


Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Ballantine Books for the advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review!!


#somethinginthewater #netgalley

Something In The Water starts with a whopper of a chapter. Newlywed Erin asks us how long it takes to dig a grave. She knows - she's digging her husbands. Wait. What? Yep. Can you say "hooked"?

Erin then walks us back into the not-so-distant-past and into her relationship with her fiance, Mark. When, on their honeymoon, the discovery of a bag full of illicit goodies leads them into some serious ethical and moral grey areas, the pair hatches an elaborate and dangerous plan to keep what they've found. Throw in some extra characters, a terrorism investigation, and a little more shadiness to muddy the waters, and Something In The Water is a pretty refreshing twist on the genre.

Catherine Steadman is a gifted writer. Her characters, including those on the periphery, are well well fleshed out, flaws and all. Erin, our protagonist, made me want to strangle her. Seriously - how can one person make such reckless decisions and still end up ... wait, no. That's a spoiler! But, I love these kinds of characters, so I felt pretty comfy reading Erin's voice and spent my time groaning aloud, laughing and shaking my head.

The ending, even though you've spent time kinda guessing, is still a bit of a surprise. You may even be left feeling like you probably missed something. You didn't, because it wasn't there. And because of that, it felt a little flat to me - but I'm jaded when it comes to my thrillers :)

All in all, Something In The Water is a quick, easy, enjoyable read. I would say it straddles a line between contemporary fiction and psychological thriller, so fans of either shouldn't be disappointed.

Book was a decent read but had a lot of really unrealistic and overly dramatic scenes. It just didn’t seem real to me. It was entertaining but definitely not one of my favorites.

I was given an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. This book was so very well written. It captivated me the entire time!

I think this is one of the best psychological thrillers I've read in years. Without giving anything away I will say I felt very anxious or stressed while reading so if you ask me that's the sign of a well written story. I was truly invested in the story until the very end.
Great summer read!

This was an amazing book! Full of twists and turns. A newly married couple finds something on their honeymoon that quickly spirals out of control. Very suspenseful. Will be watching for her next book!

I really enjoyed this book, it was a propulsive thriller that kept me turning the pages and wondering what would happen next. I would have loved a little bit more insight into Mark and why he behaved the way he did, as well as Holli, but I found Erin to be a sympathetic protagonist and would love to read more by this author.

Choices and consequences are the theme of Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman. When a couple on their honeymoon finds something valuable in the waters of Bora Bora, their choice to bring it home starts an avalanche of consequences they were not prepared for. This book will leave you thinking "What would I have done??" Excellent thriller!

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. I was really excited for this one- especially once I heard it was Reese Witherspoon’s pick for her book club.
This book starts out great with a great premise and then quickly falls apart once we discover the “something” in the water. The story requires an incredible amount of suspension of disbelief. I have a hard time believing that Erin and Mark would actually behave in any of the ways they do. Also, they are so unlikeable it’s impossible to care what happens to them. It says a lot when the most likeable character in this book is an incarcerated murderer. Skip it.

Erin thinks she has found her true love. Little does she know that her honeymoon will be a turning point.
This is a good read. The characters are very believable. I would definitely recommend it.

Between a 3 and 3.5 star rating.

Something in the Water is Catherine Steadman's first novel. And for her first, I felt it was good. She starts the book off with a bang and a sneak peak into what the ending is. Enough of a sneak peak to make you want to bite, but not to where the ending is spoiled.

You have Erin and Mark who are in love and about to get married and go on the honeymoon of a lifetime. But Then Mark loses his job and that stressor drives all future decisions they make - both good and bad. The storyline is strong and enjoyable, at times a little slow and muddled down, but that bite at the beginning is enough of a pull to wade through the slow part to find out what happens. And while the storyline is slow at times, it's intriguing enough to spark conversation. I put the book down several times to talk with my husband about the story and see if he would make the same decisions the characters did. It's interesting. Some of the characters will make you want to pull your hair out in frustration. But it's Erin's naivety that makes her believable, albeit frustrating yet you want to root for her good decision or bad. And while the story is an intriguing one, I felt the ending left more questions than answers, which is why my rating is a little lower. I feel the author could have wrapped up the loose ends a little better while still maintaining a wickedly deceptive ending. Having said that I would still recommend this book, and I look forward to reading future books from this author.

My thanks to Catherine Steadman and Ballentine Books at Random House Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read this book and write this review with many mixed feelings. Erin and Mark meet, fall in love and marry. During all this, Mark, who has a high powered, money-making job, loses his job and becomes despondent about never finding another job. Erin is a film maker, whose current project about prison inmates and their life changes right before and right after their release from incarceration, is interesting, and she loves her job, but she does not make nearly as money as Mark. When he loses his job, Mark begins to question everything he is and believes in. The couple are forced to cut back on their elaborate wedding and honeymoon to save some cash. Marl worries about how they will ever afford their life style if he never finds a job, though Erin remains optimistic about how things will turn out. Thus, they forge ahead with their somewhat elaborate and expensive wedding plans, because, as Erin points out, they have saved the money for the whole wedding thing and she is sure Mark will find a job soon. During their honeymoon in Bora Bora, they find something interesting while diving off the island coast. This find changes the entire trajectory of their lives, as well as impacting in many different ways on their relationship. The book goes through a myriad of twists and turns as the couple grope with the find and its impact while trying to work it all out in the context of their relationship.

I found the book interesting. I did not always like Erin, as she sometimes seemed flighty, making decisions and acting without good, solid thought and/or discussion and sometimes seemed like she did not really know what was what in the real world. I also did not like the way she did not tell important things to Mark on several occasions, as I think doing this is rather important in a marriage, if it is to be a good one and one that lasts. Mark, for his part, also kept thins to himself that he should have shared with Erin. In fact, Mark came across, at many points as bossy and/or domineering as well as stuck on himself because of his high- powered job and the money he earned. There was an awful lot of deception and non-communication of important facts in their relationship, which led to some interesting and different conclusions. I found the ending interesting and, after reading the story through, not terribly surprising or unbelievable, as the story kind of led right up to it. The author also did do a good job of characterization throughout, and I felt I knew both Erin and mark well enough. Of course, though there were other less important characters who did lay significant roles in the tale, she focused mainly on Erin and Mark, but this is their story and they were the people involved in everything. The book was likewise written okay, but I thought the author jumped around a lot and sometimes spent an inordinate amount of time and effort on descriptions, which dragged. All in all, the book did hold my attention from the start, though not always as well as at other times. I do wish the author had written the prologue a little more vaguely, not naming who Erin was burying, as it got me started wondering about the ending, and was almost too much of a clue. I think most readers who enjoy a good mystery will enjoy this one, though some may be turned off by how slowly it moves along with the long and many descriptions. Still, if you keep with it, as I did, you will enjoy it and find it worth the time and effort. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.