Cover Image: Something in the Water

Something in the Water

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Loved this good. Great premise, carefully drawn characters. So much fun. Interesting little twist at the end!

Was this review helpful?

Loved this book. I get why it was picked by Reese Witherspoon for her book club. Loved the jail characters

Was this review helpful?

I thought this one was just ok. It had a lot of potential, but seemed to drag on too long. The main couple, you could just tell there was something not quite right about them. Interesting ending!

Was this review helpful?

2.5 stars! It started interestingly enough but after the first pages, it all went downhill. The main character is a complete idiot, no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and her husband is a regular guy, completely flat as a character, except when he decides it’s ok to call his wife “stupid”, which he does every time they have an argument. While we can all agree that she is very, very stupid, it’s absolutely not ok to call your partner that, and that attitude it’s very normalized in the story, which makes me wonder if the author truly thinks that you can do that in an argument with your partner.
The writing was the one thing that made me rate this with 2.5 stars instead of 1, although please, please avoid going into every single detail of every single thing! This book could’ve easily been 100-150 pages shorter if it weren’t because the author needed to describe every.tiny.thing. However, this is the first book by her, so maybe next time she’ll fix that, so we can focus on her good writing without other distractions.

Was this review helpful?

Great read! I sensed her husband secretly sucked but did not see the end coming. This was a fairly fast paced . I needed to know what happened at the end. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Was this review helpful?

This book was hard to get through, primarily because I didn't like any of the characters; I think even stronger than that; I disliked the characters. The plot was good, but hard to keep going when the characters are so un-intelligent.

Was this review helpful?

Erin, a promising documentary film producer, and Mark, an accomplished investment banker, find Something in the Water during their honeymoon in Bora Bora. A bag filled with cash, diamonds, a mobile phone and a USB card, which haunts them and changes their lives forever. They attempt to turn the bag in at their hotel, but it mysteriously returns to their room. Should they keep the contents? Will whoever lost the bag be returning for it? Will they look for Erin & Mark to recover the items? As they search for information about the bag and decide how to handle the treasure, they begin to have secrets from each other and lies become necessary to cover up their secrets. How much can Erin trust the man she married? Or is that her downfall, trusting Mark at all?

This novel has a slow, steady build, with much information on how to bury a body, how to clean a gun, and how to stage a missing person report. Erin is a researcher, looks into every topic, and explains it throughly for the reader as well. She is very developed as a character, but we don't get much of a glimpse of Mark and his personality. I enjoyed the book and the learning opportunities, but there is much that could be scaled down to make this a more intense thriller. The writing was beautiful, making me feel like I was in Bora Bora or London, depending on the setting. Overall, it is a good read from a debut author.

Was this review helpful?

I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this at the moment. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!

Was this review helpful?

I should have listened when a friend said "you're not going to like it". I should have trusted. The whole thing was ridiculous and convoluted. I never liked a single character in it so their fates were of little consequence to me. It starts off very strong, very interesting & catchy first chapter. Then of course, Erin & Mark find "something in the water" on their honeymoon but it takes A LOOOOONNNNNGGG time to get there, like halfway through the book. Then after that it gets a little more interesting, but very little. Also remember, you don't like any of these people so you're not ever rooting for them, not even once. I don't recommend this book, unless you're looking for something that you never have to think about and which requires no real commitment from you to read. I do think the author has promise, but I will read reviews before reading anything from them again.

Was this review helpful?

Another top notch thriller. This book has 2 newlyweds find something extraordinary in the water and with it comes many choices. This shows how greed, and human nature can skew your perception. I loved that every turn seemed to put another choice in front them. I kept thinking I had it figured out then went back and forth. I was so engaged in this book in devoured it. I found myself still thinking about it afterward and what would happen if any one of their choices went the other way.

Was this review helpful?

Something in the Water was an intense and suspenseful novel! Erin and her husband Mark travel to Bora Bora for their honeymoon. There they discover something in the water while out scuba diving. This changes Erin and Mark as they deal with the aftermath of their discovery. They become a part of something secretive and dangerous whether they want to or not. Everything changes in their lives and between them. I just wanted to tell them to “leave it alone” but the story went on and the characters didn’t listen to me! The story is told from Erin’s viewpoint as she goes about her days doing her work and her interactions with Mark. The story is told in an enjoyable way of Erin’s thoughts telling the story.

Was this review helpful?

What an awesome crazy literary ride!! Who wouldn't love to be in Erin and Mark's place? Both ... successful. Both ... young. Both... happy & in love. They are planning a wedding and looking forward to an amazing honeymoon in Bora Bora! Perfect.
Well...
That is until Mark comes home to tell Erin that he lost his job and they'll have to cut corners on the wedding arrangements. Ok, well when you're madly in love nothing else matters right?
Well...
Wedding complete. Honeymoon underway. Marriage saved. In a perfectly splendid day, scuba diving is in order! I feel the warmth of the sun on my face as I read. Then...
"Thunk...thunk...thunk..." what is that noise? They are in the middle of the ocean? What has washed up? Erin and Mark decide to take their "find" back to hotel and think about what to do later.
Except...what's inside that "find", will forever change the course of their lives. What will they do? Who is to be trusted? Who is lying? You will no doubt read rapidly to get to the answers to those niggling questions!
Woohoo! 5 STARS!!!

Was this review helpful?

This was a fast-paced, heart-pounding read. If life hadn't interrupted, I probably would have read it in one sitting. The protagonist is bumbling, yet well-intentioned and she keeps making glaringly obvious mistakes throughout the novel which serves to keep the reader interested.

Was this review helpful?

A British couple make a disturbing discovery while scuba diving in Bora Bora on their honeymoon and their lives are never the same.

This was fast-paced and interesting with a nice twist at the end and excellent character development. It made me ask myself what I would do in a similar situation. Recommended to all fans of suspense.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Ballantine Books and Catherine Steadman for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

Catherine Steadman is someone to watch, as far as I'm concerned after reading Something in the Water. This book had me REELING. I couldn't put it down! I'm definitely a fan -- can't wait to see what she comes out with next!

Was this review helpful?

Nope. Stories can be good books without foul language. If you feel the need to use foul language, at least use it when the characters are mad or scared. Not just in everyday conversation. If you think this is how people talk all the time then you need to widen your circle of friends.

Was this review helpful?

Clever, thrilling, keeps you on the edge of your seat! Sometimes thrillers tend to all have the same storyline and you can guess the ending, not this one!! Highly recommend

Was this review helpful?

Something in the Water was a book that I started on 2 different occasions. WoW is all I can say and I should have just read through the first part of the book because once you are about a 1/4 of the way through you need a seat belt for the fantastic ride this wonderful debut novel takes you on.

Erin is a filmmaker who interviews convicted prisoners and makes a documentary on their lives and stories. This is an interesting and intriguing aspect to this novel and creates a diversion throughout the book. It also helps to build the characters and character development. Erin is creative and definitely a fly by the seat of her pants girl. She will often take risks and is spontaneous. Mark is a financial advisor and is vastly different than Erin. He is intelligent, guarded, and plans everything. Erin and Mark work well together as a couple and balance their lives together. They head to Bora Bora for the perfect honeymoon with great food, sun, and a little scuba diving. Erin has to first overcome her fear of scuba diving but once she agrees to go the story begins to unfold.

There was a storm that hit the areas around the island and Erin and Mark have to travel further away to their dive destination. Once there, their whole life is never the same again. There is Something in the Water! So many decisions are made and so many different paths unfold. Erin and Mark make totally different decisions that go down different paths. I found myself questioning what I would do in their circumstance and which path I would choose. I absolutely loved this book and will probably reread it. Thanks for the great book and opportunity to review it Netgalley.

Was this review helpful?

In my opinion, this novel was a straight-up mess. I'm surprised that Reese Witherspoon chose this for her book club - not sure she read it first. The plot was pretty generic and very predictable. The main character made stupid choices over and over again - which aggravated me and resulted in me not caring at all what happened to her. This is suspense writing at its worst: lazy and boring.

Was this review helpful?

A thrilling page-turner as Catherine Steadman builds the suspense and intrigue with twists and turns that leave you guessing and wanting to read more.

Was this review helpful?