EHH. That's my reaction after I finished reading the last paragraph in the book. I'm really mixed on my feelings towards this book.

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman is about Erin, a documentary filmmaker, and her husband Mark, a banker, who gets laid off. The couple goes on their honeymoon and finds "something in the water." They decide to keep it and a spur of events occurs because of that decision.
The story begins with Erin burying her husband's body in the first chapter. So it should come as no surprise what happens in the end.

It shouldn't be a surprise what they found in the water. It's actually a big cliche, 'cause of course, what else do people in fictional stories find in the water and gets them in trouble. To be honest, I loved the premise of the plot and I really wish they didn't just find a bag of money. Don't get me wrong, this book was still very much an entertaining read, but it was a disappointment. The whole book was a huge cliche, and I laugh at the stupidity of the characters. They do a lot of things that seems laughable and not what a typical person would do? At times, the book drags because the author feels the need to go in depth about trivial things. Cliche and information overload, I can deal with that.

However, my biggest peeve about this book is the way the author throws in some many different side plots into the story and tries to connect it. It's one thing to throw in side plots, but it's another to not connect it back to the larger picture. If you read the last page of the book, you'll understand my frustration. What does that have to do with what they found in the water or anything about the main plot??? Absolutely nothing. That was an absolute horrible ending. Author could've concluded with something about what happened to the plane or the police discovering the bodies. But nope, there is never an conclusion about the main plot than what you already know from the first chapter. Body is buried. But there is no talk about who those people in the plane are or anything to tie the loose ends.

Overall, besides the cliche and plot holes, I did enjoy the book. It was fast-paced, easy read. I would recommend giving the book a try.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Oh my goodness, what a page turner. I see why Reece picked this one for her book club. Recommending this one to my friends.

Wow! What a page turner! I cringed throughout, shook my head continuously, fussed out loud at the characters, and never stopped thinking about what I would do in the same situation. There are so many layers and twists in the story that I won't dare risk giving it all away by summarizing the book. Just know that it grabs you at page one and holds you tightly right up to the thrilling conclusion. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this awesome novel with me!

This was a good book in that it grabs your attention from the beginning, however I was disappointed in the ending. It left a lot unexplained. I thought it was very unbelievable, that an everyday women would do all the things Erin did by herself. Ok read, but not one of my favorites.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - loved the way it started; that first scene making you wonder how we ended up there and kept me intrigued to find out what happened. The book kept me guessing almost until the end (a few chapters before the end I had it figured out) and certainly held my attention.

“Something in the water” grabs the reader's attention immediately, as ‘gorgeous’ Erin, newlywed, is digging a grave for her husband of three months.
The timeline then shifts to the three months prior and the events leading to Erin, a documentary filmmaker, going from her honeymoon to burying her groom.

The book is very easy to read. It is an ok pool/beach romance/mystery/thriller novella.
Erin is the narrator and only her point of view is presented.

I personally did not find any of the characters attaching. Erin fluctuates from being well achieved, well connected filmmaker, a computer wiz, to doing multiple very very stupid things. Her husband, Mark also changes personality and behavior, oscillating between a high financial achiever to a slime.
At the time they get married they have been together four years. One would argue that you know your partner pretty well after four years but….both keep hiding facts, lies and omissions to each other.
Somehow, bad decision after bad decision, in very magical circumstances, the whole story turns out perfectly for Erin.
The writing was fluid, with almost no editing required … so I carry on reading even though i kept thinking how stupid the whole scenario was.

This is actress turned writer Catherine Steadman debut novel.
Thank you so much to Random House Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: 6/5/18

Mark and Erin have what appears to be a perfect life; madly in love, together four years and proud owners of a beautiful home. Their upcoming lavish wedding and three-week honeymoon at a five-star resort in Bora Bora will be the icing on the cake, right? Cracks begin to appear when Mark, a previously successful London investment banker loses his job and can't find another. Meanwhile, Erin's career as a documentary film-maker is on the upswing. She has secured funding for a documentary following three prisoners who are due for release. One of the prisoners, Eddie, is an old-style London gangster who is a legend. Erin's interviews with the charming and charismatic Eddie will just about guarantee success for the project. The couple agrees to downscale the wedding and shorten the honeymoon, not without some rancor coming to the surface. The honeymoon is idyllic until they are scuba diving and find "something in the water," something that will lead to a terrible decision, followed by more bad decisions and reckless behavior. Erin, in particular, begins to rely on Eddie, still in prison, for advice and help.

I am not going to say much more about the plot because Something in the Water is so plot-driven. Steadman does not neglect character development in the pursuit of the plot, however. All of the characters, from Mark to Eddie, and the two other prisoners featured in the documentary, to family and friends are well fleshed-out. However, Erin is the first-person narrator, and we get to know her the best. Something in the Water is an extraordinary debut novel with a prologue that grabbed me from the first sentences. There was a loose end or two at the end, but perhaps they could have no answers.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. I look forward to more of Catherine Steadman's work in the future. The opinions are my own.

Infertility plagued this couple for a long time and Mark had recently, surprisingly lost his affluent job. What they needed was a tropical getaway to renew and refresh themselves and their marriage. It seemed like a perfect plan, although the place was a bit more remote than Erin was comfortable with. But Mark always loved remote places; she felt safe with her handsome husband, even though he had been depressed and impatient recently.
Then while out on a boat on a beautiful day, Mark sees something in the water...and it changes everything.

A honeymoon gets much more interesting and diabolical when something is found in the water...
This book reads fast. You will be wanting to turn the pages to find out what happens next. There is beautiful description that will bring Bora Bora so close realization you yourself feel more relaxed. The same goes for the times of suspense, dread and terror. I found myself having to look over my shoulder for a slight break to know what was happening in the book wasn’t happening to me. The chapters have titles that further your want to turn the pages. This has been missing in a lot of books for me recently. The sub plot is also interesting and adds to the main plot in mystery and intrigue. It actually changed my mind when I thought I had pieced it all together. I was wrong. One gripe I have is that during the Switzerland part the protagonist mentions one of her worries and this in fact is what happens and this kind of spoiled it for me especially when I got to the end. It was enjoyable however throughout. Also, I read books to escape. To escape work, the kids and politics. If I wanted any opinion about politics there are many books for that purpose alone. Why take a chance at offending half your audience no matter your opinion?

While I'll readily admit that there were several passages that got my heart racing, paging through hurriedly to see what the outcomes would be- this was actually a huge letdown. I can't believe it was selected for Reese Witherspoon's book club. All through out when I wondered why Erin's background, friendship's, or motivations weren't fleshed out, I kept reading, allowing the author (especially the author of a thriller) the benefit of the doubt, that there must be some reason to leaving reveals for the end.

But alas, there was no great reveal to make sense of it all.

The opening scene is Erin rather doggedly burying her recently deceased husband. That alone raised enough questions to speed through the next several chapters, but each chapter opened up more and more possible plot lines, and ending up following not a single one through to a resolute ending.

The book flashes back to the weeks before Erin & Mark's wedding (just a few months before Mark's demise), where Mark loses his job, and they agree to make cuts to the extravagance of their wedding, but maintain a 2-week honeymoon in Bora Bora. It's there where their idyllic life takes an unexpected turn. It's also there where the possibilities for the story are opened up and carried out sporadically and without much thought as to what value Erin or Mark's actions will have in their getting themselves out of a precarious situation.

This was not believable, in the least. Erin says over and over again how thankful she is for the internet which allows her to figure out various things like, international customs laws, how to best fire a gun, and also how to research for documentaries she makes but seem to play no part into her personality except when she has her scheduled interviews with criminals. The circumstances are far too convenient.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Let me start off by saying I am not usually a big fan of books in this genre but I've been on a kick with this type for a month or two now and this one's synopsis piqued my interest. I am so glad I requested this book. It was fantastic! The introduction starts off with the main character, Erin, describing how hard it is to dig a grave. You then read it's for her husband! The story then goes back three months to their honeymoon and what happened there. Needless to say, I was hooked. I tore through this book in no time and it had me on the edge of my seat the entire way.
This is Catherine Steadman's first novel and I will definitely be looking forward to reading more of her work.

Something in the Water is a good mystery and I would give it a solid four stars. I really enjoyed the beginning and it sets the right tone for a good beach read. It takes a little bit of a turn after the honeymoon and there were parts that really frustrated me in the book. I felt the characters made really obvious bad choices that were only made for the sake of the story. The end also didn't clear things up for me. I felt it was loosely tied together and I wasn't convinced. Overall I did enjoy the book and wanted to keep reading and would recommend as long as the reader is fine getting frustrated with not being able to slap the main character! :-) I received a copy through Net Galley.

I received this as an ARC from #NetGalley. This book had me guessing. I had no idea how it would end. The couple, Erin and Mark, find something on their honeymoon that would be best left alone. But that is not in our nature. The ultimate question is how well do we know the ones we love

Erin and Mark are on the verge of marrying when he suddenly loses his job. Financial worry leads Erin to agree with Mark's suggestions about downsizing wedding plans, including a shorter honeymoon in Bora Bora. Despite the job setback, the couple seems to be weathering the storm and find themselves enjoying their honeymoon immensely. Erin even overcomes her fear of diving, and she and Mark embark on a dive together. Unfortunately, they dove into a deep mess in the waters off Bora Bora. A mess involving a downed plane and a bag of items that will change their lives. The question is whether the change will be for the good, and so starts a game that may not be apparent to either of them. Is Mark concerned that Erin's documentary on soon-to-be released prisoners will expose them to unwanted scrutiny? Is Erin recklessly steaming ahead to solve mysteries connected to their underwater find? The reader might think she knows the outcome after the initial chapter, but Catherine Steadman cleverly keeps her guessing to the very end. More importantly, Steadman challenges the reader to question how she might act and react if confronted with the an unexpected discovery and its life-altering impact.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of SOMETHING IN THE WATER in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This is your next great summer thriller! You look at this blurb and maybe you think its been done before. The psychological thriller where a couple is caught in a web of lies. Twists and turns and things unexpected. It has been done, but not quite like this one. I found this crazy story uniquely appealing. The setting was unlike any others I have read. It intermingled mystery with everyday life in such a believable way that you could almost see yourself falling into Erin's shoes.

A lot of the thrillers out there have to do with extreme mental health, serious substance abuse, etc. This one was refreshingly different. These are normal people in normal circumstances who encounter things that toss them into a trying and difficult situation that turns their lives upside down. It was relatable and realistic and had me on the edge of my seat literally gasping out loud. I really enjoyed this one and am super excited to read future releases from Steadman. What a home run debut this was. Beautifully done!

Great story with a lot of suspense, however, gave it 4 stars because wasn't impressed with the ending.

Quick read, a lot of moving pieces. I thought something more was happening all along but there wasn’t.

Free read courtesy of Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A page turner, kept me guessing right up to the last few chapters. What would you do if you found something, did they make the right decision? - this book will make for great discussions in book clubs.

Something in the Water opens with a woman digging a grave and making darn sure she does it right. Erin, who narrates this thriller is one of those people who collects facts, loves to google for information, and is one smart cookie. I love her even though I wonder why she is burying her husband.

We go back to the beginning when Erin meets Mark, her husband, an investment banking wunderkind who is handsome, funny, smart, and all kinds of perfect. They fall in love, they marry, they honeymoon, and on the honeymoon, they discover a plot device that has powered many a thriller, found money! Of course, found money always belongs to somebody bad, otherwise it would suck as a plot device. It does, but there’s more to this plot than one device and the suspense is real. After all, some bad guys looking for their money does not exactly explain why the person she’s burying is her husband.



It’s a challenge when books start at the end. Can the author weave enough suspense into the story? Will knowing the end make the foreshadowing too obvious? Will we care about the character? Luckily for us, Catherine Steadman met every challenge. If this were bowling, she would have given us nine strikes and a spare.

Of course, you want to know what the spare is. Mark earned his burial and Erin gave us her explanation of how that came to be and it rings true in the context of male fragility and toxic masculinity, but I wonder if her own temptation when she, for a moment, has sole control of the money, is not a better explanation? Mark is a less compelling character than Erin, actually less compelling that the people she interviews for her job as a documentarian. He’s a bit too perfect, but then who isn’t in the honeymoon stage.

I loved this book. I loved Erin. She’s feisty, smart, and resourceful. She’s a bit starry-eyed in love, but that does not make her a fool. I love the wit, the zest with which Steadman writes. I even love the chapter titles. Not puns, not allusions, not clever, but just exactly perfect for the chapter. I can look back at the titles and know exactly what happened and see the arc of the story.

People are always looking for the next Gillian Flynn and the next Ruth Ware, but I am looking for the next Catherine Steadman, preferably by Catherine Steadman who I have learned since reading this book is a successful, talented actress which is absolutely too much talent per square inch for planetary stability.

I received an e-galley of Something in the Water from the publisher through NetGalley.

Something in the Water at Ballantine | Penguin Random House

Catherine Steadman on Twitter

Erin and her husband, Mark, are on the honeymoon trip to dream of: They’re staying in a luxury bungalow at the Four Seasons in Bora Bora for two weeks, having flown first class from England, and they’re enjoying all the perks they can imagine. It’s perfect and beautiful.

And just five days in, they go scuba diving and find a wrecked airplane, and a locked duffel bag. Should they leave it there? Hand it over to hotel security? To police? Or just cut their way in out of sheer curiosity and discover something that could make a huge difference in their lives?

Because when they return home, it’s to the reality that Mark has lost his plush job as an investment banker and finding a new job isn’t going so well. And while Erin has satisfying work as a documentary filmmaker, she’s not established, and she can’t support them in their very comfortable home and lifestyle.

So they make choices that lead them, one by one, down a path of fear, paranoia, distrust and danger. And their lives will never be the same.

This is Catherine Steadman’s first novel. She’s an actress (and, yes, I’d seen her on “Downton Abbey”), and now she’s a published author, one many readers should enjoy. I turned pages eagerly to see how everything came together (because at the very beginning she lets readers know at least one important piece of the ending), but I also soaked up her descriptions of places and people. Erin has never flown first class and enjoyed such a luxurious, decadent vacation, and most readers probably haven’t, either; Steadman walks us through the whole process so deliciously that I felt vicariously upgraded. Armchair traveling here is in high style. We also get a feel for a life of crime, as Erin interviews some inmates she is basing a documentary on.

All in all, a fine addition to the genre, and a good beach read.