The book begins powerfully with a step-by-step account of digging a grave. The reader is immediately driven to learn why an intelligent well-spoken woman would be frantically excavating a hole in the dead of night. The story then goes back to brighter days in the narrator's life when she and her partner appear to have the world by the tail. Initial appearances, however, are deceiving. This power couple are not quite as successful as appearances would suggest and the story is driven by the need to get on firmer financial footing. Like many such stories set in the glitter of contemporary London, there is an underlying corruption that permeates the entire story. I prefer not to spend much time with such flawed individuals driven by greed and the need to keep up appearances. With no real moral imperative, this story left me unmoved and anxious to leave this crew behind.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman.

Erin and Mark a newly wed couple on their honeymoon, is faced with a decision of a lifetime when finding actual treasure on their honeymoon in Bora Bora. Hard up for cash, it's an opportunity that it really hard to pass up, but sometimes things really are too good to be true.

Simple premise, lots of promise, but in the end, meh. I was overall underwhelmed at the turn of events this story took. I felt like the main story got watered down by the smaller side stories, it didn't gel and it all felt a bit sloppy.

This truly has been my summer of suspense novels! I just cannot get enough of them and summer seems like the perfect time to read some things a bit on the darker side.

Something in the Water is about a couple, Erin and Mark. They get married and go on the ideal honeymoon to Bora Bora. However, while they’re enjoying some time out diving in the ocean, they come across tons of papers floating in the water, a plane crash and then a bag. The contents of the bag are what starts the couple down a dark, unknown path.

This book was so fun to read. I don’t know how the author managed to do it, but the entire time I was reading I felt like something ominous was lurking just outside of my reach. As a reader, you spend a lot of time in Erin’s head and sometimes you can see things that she isn’t quite catching, but at the same time you don’t know for sure what it means either. You know something is going to happen, and things feel dark, but it’s all overlaid by this lovely marriage and Erin’s job as a documentary film maker.

I couldn’t put this book down and spent an entire busy weekend reading in the quiet moments, sneaking a few paragraphs in where ever I could because I just wanted to know what happens!

But that is where a star is lost for me. Slight spoiler ahead!

I didn’t feel like I got as many answers as I would have liked. I was still left wondering at the end why it all started, what was the initial thing that set this all in motion and where did it all go wrong? Maybe it’s better that we don’t know since it doesn’t necessarily fit into the story, but I just felt like I needed a few more answers.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing – Ballantine & NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

One of those thrillers where you want to ask the protagonists: Why did you do that? You want to say: If you had only made a different decision. You want to tell them: You brought it on yourself. But you can't, so you read compulsively to the end, just to end the suspense. Loved this chilling thriller.

Ugh. I couldn't bring myself to finish this mess of a story. I was enjoying it until I got to the grossly cliché mysterious black bag filled with smuggled diamonds, a ton of money, and a burner phone. Seriously. Come on. Reese Witherspoon gave this novel the nod; I will no longer listen to her literary suggestions!

Great psychological suspense! You will not be able to stop reading till the last page! Highly recommended!

This is a tough one to review for me. When I saw that Something In The Water was Reese Witherspoon’s June book pick, I decided to move it up on my TBR. I mean, if Reese picked it, then you read it, am I right?

The book opens with one of the main characters digging a grave to bury a body. I was immediately captivated by this and wanted to know more. Why did he die? How did she get to this point in her life? What’s in the water? The story is then told in the past and reveals the events leading up to this moment in time. I personally love this type of timeline in books! As the story went on, I felt like it started to lose some of its momentum. It wasn’t until about halfway through the book that it started to pick up and held my interest again.

The two main characters in the story acted on greed and made me frustrated at times. There were moments when I wanted to physically shake the character and ask, “Why would you do that?!” I tried to imagine what I would do in their situation and felt like some of their actions were reasonable, but at times it seemed unrealistic that they would get away with so much.

Overall this was a decent debut that kept me engaged but it wasn’t what I had hoped it to be. I felt like the plot could do without some of the unnecessary details, but I think there is a lot of potential for this author. I still believe that this will be a highly talked about book for many readers this summer! I look forward to seeing what Catherine Steadman writes next.

Thank you NetGalley, Catherine Steadman, and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read Something In The Water. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.

SOMETHING IN THE WATER is a compulsively readable thriller that circles the globe, jetting from the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the members-only clubs of London as newlyweds Mark and Erin Roberts try to outrun a chilling discovery.

The tone of the book is set from the very first page. It is darkly humorous, satisfyingly smart, and mysterious. Author Catherine Steadman is clearly wondrously adept at trudging through the mundane while also keeping the mystery rolling. However, things slow down fast. The first third of the novel, it must be said, drags. It is almost exclusively exposition, and at times, it drags. But the payoff of the last two-thirds of the novel make those pages of relationship and world building worth it.

Our heroine, Erin, is a wannabe-documentarian. She is smart, witty, and likeable – which is a very good thing, because if she was any less likeable, she would be tiresome and frustrating. Many female characters in thrillers are written as shrill, reckless, and incompetent. Erin is the driving force of the novel, and the reader is on her side implicitly. It takes so little time to begin cheering for her (even when we first meet her, burying a body), that it is easy to be swept up in her (mis)adventures and decisions.

As the stakes grow ever higher, Erin and Mark are forced to make difficult decisions while also balancing their new marriage.

This is a brilliant first novel from Steadman. She never sacrifices details for pacing or tone. The book is clever from start to finish – to the point where it occasionally is tripped up in its own cleverness, as the Roberts can spend pages chatting about their decisions. Though it may be realistic, there are certain places within the writing that it could be tightened up. But ultimately, SOMETHING IN THE WATER was a downright joyous ride – an adrenaline junkie’s dream.

Wow! What a story! I received a copy from NetGalley and this is my honest review. Wow! I could not put this book down. The story and characters were so compelling. Just when I thought I had it figured out, another twist was revealed. Loved It!

Compulsive and gripping - from the very first chapter! This is one you will stay up most of the night to finish. Steadman has written a tautly-woven, beautifully paced novel that reminds us all, some things are, indeed, too good to be true.

We’ve all had days when we’ve wished for a miracle—some totally unlikely turn of events that changes everything for the better. But in Something in the Water by author Catherine Steadman, a couple learns that the miracle they wished for doesn’t necessarily make everything better....

Review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

This is a thriller about a couple who find themselves in financial distress weeks before their wedding and the decisions they make afterwards will have life-changing consequences. The book opens with a scene where one of the characters is digging a grave to bury a body! What, aren't you on your honeymoon? All throughout make you stop and wonder...what would I do. A good pool read or beach read! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC for my honest review.

What a great summer read. This book pulled me in immediately...trying to figure out what was in the water. The adventure and suspense was the perfect backdrop for a beach read. Characters were well developed and many twists and turns. My favorite was the jail connection. Excellent--will recommend!!

This book was terrific.Erin, who makes documentaries is married to Mark who just lost his job. They get married anyway and go to Bora, Bora on their honeymoon. While scuba diving they find something in the water, hence the title of the book. For me, this book was a true page turner and with a major twist at the end of the book which I never saw coming. But when Erin puts it all together at the end of the book, it all makes sense, No spoilers here. Just read the book. I received this book from netgalley as an ARC for an honest review and I highly recommend this book if you like psycholical thrillers with surprise endings!!!

4.5 Stars

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book description sucked me in and I couldn't wait to get to the "aha" moment. When it's revealed, the story takes a 180 turn and you are on an intense, white-knuckle, roller coaster ride. I found myself quietly "yelling" at the characters , "cmon, really?"

Erin and Matthew are on their honeymoon, and the author takes great care with the description and detail, as if you are seeing this in a reel in your head. Their trip is blindsided by something they find and are faced with a decision that will change them forever.

I want to keep this spoiler free because this story is worth the read. I could not put this down because I had to know how it ended, and I wanted to give this 5 stars because I'm still asking the question, "what would you do?" , but I wanted a little more at the end.

This book was actually a bit of a dud for me. The concept was interesting: two characters on their beautiful tropical honeymoon discover something mysterious in the water that could impact their lives forever. Unfortunately, this one just didn't hold up.

I found the character actions generally annoying (and their choices, at times, completely unbelievable) and the relationships with Erin's documentary subjects somewhat absurd. The plot became more and more far-fetched as the book progressed. I was put off by the unnecessarily long grave-digging description on the first page (which I know really drew a lot of people in, so maybe it was just me!), and I felt that was a big indicator about the direction this book would go. There was so much emphasis on the main character's tendency to research that didn't translate well to the page. Instead, I just found myself reading pages of explanations on things like grave-digging and gun use that ultimately bogged down the action.

The first third or so of the book seemed to have a lot of potential. Unfortunately, by the end I found that the most intense moments really happened early (and, quite honestly, the only part that stuck with me later was the scene with the sharks!). Perhaps if I read fewer thrillers this would have held my attention better, but unfortunately I just found myself comparing it to other books and wishing it had taken a different direction.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this book in exchange for honest feedback!

This book is so good! I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes one of 2018's best sellers. Mark and Erin are on a luxury honeymoon in Bora Bora when they discover something in the water. The newly married couple must decide whether to speak out or hide what they found. Mark lost his job right before the wedding and Erin is self-employed so they have a difficult choice.

Great mystery with an early spoiler thrown in early in the book. Loved it! Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC,

The start of this book immediately roped me in - it begins with Erin burying her husband's body and ruminating about how difficult a grave is to dig. After that we flash back to the weeks leading up to the wedding to discover how they went from newlyweds to this.

Overall it's an interesting story - on their honeymoon they discover something in the water while on the way back from a day of scuba diving. One thing leads to another and another and the story keeps unraveling. For the most part it kept my attention but I feel there was a bit TOO MUCH detail in the novel from time to time and I felt myself losing interest at some points.

It's a good read for those that like twists and turns!

Sometimes you just have to save yourself!!! My favorite line in the whole book. This book is amazing. It is so suspenseful. Please write more now!!!! New favorite author!

Catherine Steadman grabs your attention through the eyes of Erin, a documentary film-maker who is following the lives of three imprisoned individuals as they near their release dates. She is also intensely in love with the handsome and highly successfuly Mark and they cheerfully near their very carefully (and very expensive) wedding date. But Mark loses his job, devastating him and forcing some changes to their plans. Erin steadily continues her work and support of her husband and agrees to cutting back where necessary.....all she really wants is to become Mrs. Mark Roberts....the rest they can figure out together.
An unexpected windfall of a sort ('dirty' money, diamonds, a usb and a handgun) are found by the two while out boating one day and coincidence keeps bringing the bag back to them, though they truly did try to turn it in! Mark's unraveling at his job loss and inability to find another suitable position make keeping the find seem a fine idea. So the Roberts start figuring out how to leave the island (Bora Bora - their honeymoon destination) safely and covering the tracks of their existance through erasing security tapes and nabbing their information as they flee. In between all of this scheming, Erin continues to meet with her film subjects and finds all of them unique and interesting. But its when she meets Eddie Bishop, a mobster convicted of laundering money and the two form an unlikely bond based on mutual need: Eddie's need to regain the trust lost with his daughter, and Erin's need for guidance and the plot gets decidedly thicker. This book was impossible to put down and I actually found myself feeling anxious during Erin's final experiences. Highly recommend and would love to read more from the author!