This book was good...mostly. I have to admit, I struggled at first. I honestly thought that this was going to be a tale of obsessive love or something, with how powerful he was and how wimpy-seeming she was. Then they made their discovery, and bam! It was so much more than that.

I gave the book 4 stars. I liked the writing style, but it took me a little while to get into the story. The beginning was shaky; the middle was good; the ending was strong. I want there to be a sequel, starring Eddie and Erin and the favor she owes, all while dodging the police detective Andy, and seeing Holli come to justice again. There is definitely enough wiggle room for a sequel, so let's get on it!...please.

My favorite character was Eddie. He reminds me of a stereotypical mobster, but one on a show more like Castle, rather than The Sopranos. I liked how levelheaded Alexa was. I'm still not sure how I felt about Holli; kind of creeped out, maybe. I'll let you form your own judgements about Mark and Erin. All in all, if you don't like the beginning, keep going. I did, and I have zero regrets.

The very first sentence grabs your attention, and it never lets go throughout the rest if the book. This is an exceptional debut psychological thriller from Catherine Steadman.

Erin and Mark are planning a dream wedding and honeymoon. Although they have to adjust their plans slightly, everything seems to be going pretty good. Two young lovers having the time of their lives. That is until they make a dreadful discovery in the middle of the ocean while out on an excursion. This discovery, and their actions surrounding it, will forever change their lives.

Just when they thought everything was back to normal, the loose ends from the honeymoon tied up and in the past, strange coincidences begin popping up that put Erin and Mark on edge again. They are once again fearful for their lives.

Erin is working on a documentary centered around three inmates that are scheduled to be released from prison soon. One of these inmates seems to take a creepy interest in Erin's personal life. This keeps the tension high with anticipation of what might happen next. The tension in this subplot is ratcheted to the next level around 30% into the book. Later on in the book, the two plotlines suddenly begin to weave together. Erin and Mark have to remain vigilant and aware of everyone and everything around them, and Erin finds an unlikely partner in crime.

Erin begins to question everything they are doing. She even questions her husband's integrity, and she has second thoughts at every turn. One bad decision after another will ultimately lead to self-destruction, and Erin and Mark seem to meet instructions at every turn, leading g tons shocking conclusion that will make you question everything in your life.

I received this as a free ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounding up to 4.0 because of the thrilling first 3/4 of the book. Erin is burying her husband Mark, I mean literally burying her husband in the dirt in the opening of this book. The rest of the book leads us to just how exactly that happened. We are given a masterful story by Catherine Steadman that in my opinion with the last few chapters unravels a bit. There are too many loose ends and questions unanswered in my mind by the time I get to the end. At that point, I had really lost my patience with Erin and her husband. Throughout the begin I felt that this could be a huge 5 star book, the writing flowed so well you would not realize you how much time you had just spent reading. Where the book fails, I think, is in the unwinding of the plot, the author did not make it believable enough for me. I would still recommend to anyone who likes suspenseful reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a chance to read and give an honest review

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman is her debut novel and she does an amazing job, one would never guess it's her first novel. It started off a little slow and I questioned whether or not, if I should keep going but I am so glad I did. She was getting us ready for what was about to happen!! Bora Bora sounds amazing! A place I want to visit. At 30%, I could not put the book down. Holy cow! Her descriptives are right on. Sucks you right into the book and it's like your in the pacific sea with them! Highly recommend this book!! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this complimentary book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Loved this book! The opening was fantastic. I enjoyed Erin and Mark's journey to their wedding and ultimately to their honeymoon where everything changes after they hear "thunk, thunk" and then find something in the water. It was fascinating to read about the choices they made after finding something in the water and wondering what would happen next. There were many twists and turns and I really enjoyed how Erin's documentary fit right into the story line. I had my suspicions about the end but kept trying to figure out why. What a wonderful read; I cannot believe this is her debut novel. Thank you Netgalley and Random House for an ARC copy.

This book tells you the end first and then jumps into the past to tell you how things got there. So, have you ever wondered how long it takes to dig a grave? That is where we start this thriller. Erin is digging a grave and mulling over how much time she has to do it. This book was crazy and while I found some of it to be unbelievable I still couldn’t put the book down. I liked Erin immediately and despite the times she made some completely ridiculous choices, I still rooted for her. Mark was a little off though and I wish that aspect of his character had been a little bit more fleshed out. This book kept me hooked from the very first line and if you like thrillers this one is worth checking out!

Catherine Steadman has written a great first novel. The characters are fully fleshed out. The plot moved along at just the right pace and kept me Interested right up to the surprising conclusion. The story is believable, it could have happened to anyone.

The book opens with Erin Locke digging a grave. She gives the reader a stream of consciousness about grave digging and almost at the end of the chapter we learn the identity of the dead body. The next chapter is three months earlier and the story is then told in a linear fashion. The book was so interesting I actually forgot who Erin was burying.

Erin is happy with her life. She has a rewarding profession making documentaries and her relationship with her boyfriend makes her happier than she ever thought possible. When Mark suggests they get married they start planning the wedding and the honeymoon. Neither of them has been to Bora Bora. They like the idea of warm weather, the ocean, semi seclusion and a five star hotel. They had no idea how this trip would change their lives

I received an ARC from NetGalley. I am happy to voluntarily write this review. #Something in the Water#NetGalley.

In this new novel by Catherine Steadman, the protagonist begins the narration by describing what a difficult time she is having trying to bury her husband with just a shovel. Erin, a documentary filmmaker, is married to Mark, an investment banker. After the burial prologue, the story goes back to explaining the life of the narrator and her husband. The couple was planning their wedding and honeymoon. It was supposed to be a first-class affair with a deluxe class honeymoon in Bora Bora.

The expensive wedding gets downgraded when Mark loses his job. The couple decides to continue with their trip to Bora Bora, down to two weeks, from three.
Even though there is a beautiful home waiting for the couple when they return, they begin to make questionable decisions based on money. The relationship takes a quick turn, and the reader must buckle up for a brush with criminals, police, and
mysterious people who are following Erin. She never seems to doubt her actions because she wants the life she expected to have and is determined to get it, no matter what she has to do. The key to destruction here is the money. Erin followed the money.

Thank you, NetGalley and Ballantine for this E-arc.

Riveting. Surprising. Ending is a good segue to a sequel. Who is in that plane in the bottom of the Pacific? What happens after the attack by Holli and accomplice? Do Erin and baby leave London? Does more intrigue occur into why Mark did what he did?

SOMETHING IN THE WATER is a mystery where a young couple, on their honeymoon, find something in the water that changes their lives. Even though the ending was no surprise, the story raised a lot of questions as to just what one WOULD do in the same situation. Pretty interesting characters made this a pretty interesting read. #SomethingInTheWater#NetGalley

It sure makes you think. What would you do? I know we all like to think we would do the right thing but would we?

This story was good! I won't bother going into plot summaries there are enough out there already. So many decisions were made by the narrator that had me cringing. But I don't think they were stupid decisions, risky definitely. Once you cross a line and get away with it it's maybe that much easier to cross it again?

Were some things unbelievable? Sure, but it's a story and it was so entertaining!

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for a free copy in exchange for a review. This did not influence my opinion or rating.

A very strong debut that grabs you quickly, but then changes to a much slower pace until the momentum builds to its clever conclusion. This story leaves you asking the question “what if” or “what would I do” if there was no one else that knows. Erin was a frustrating character and had me shaking my head more than once saying no, or not a good idea, but somehow she doesn’t lose her balance throughout. The storyline did have an unbelievable feel with technology these days, but it still had me engrossed. I did wish for a more dramatic ending, but all in all it was a well written read.

The one thing I liked about this book was it's title - "Something in the Water" is kind of cute and witty.
Other than that, the protagonist was too dumb to live, yet live she did, although she could have died numerous times from her disasterous decisions and for just being stupid.
The begining was intriguing, burying her husband' s body with surprising calmness (no spoiler, it is spelled out from the begining).
The honeymoon destination was interesting and exciting. I enjoyed reading it, even though I thought there was something fishy about Mark and both of them keeping unnecessary secrets from each other.
But after they found "something in the water", they kept making one bad decision after another getting into ridiculously unbelievable situations and having so many convenient circumstances to move the plot along that I just kept reading to see how it would end.

This was an impressive debut thriller! What a great opening -- it grabbed me from the very first chapter. It is not a spoiler to say that the book opens with Erin burying her dead husband in the middle of the woods somewhere. The story then jumps backward to several months earlier. How did they go from blissfully planning their wedding to a burying a dead body in the woods??! I am normally annoyed by characters that repeatedly make poor choices, but in this case their decisions helped ramp up the tension until I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next! I really enjoyed it.

4 shocking stars to Something in the Water! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Erin films documentaries, and her new husband, Mark, is an investment banker. They fly to the honeymoon of a lifetime to Bora Bora. Everything is tropical and picture-perfect, until they find <i>something in the water</i> while scuba diving. Dun dun dun.

Erin and Mark have to decide if they will tell the truth or keep a secret. Either way, danger potentially awaits...

This book starts out with a bombshell when Erin and Mark find something in the water...The next chunk of the book is slower-building until you get towards the last third, where the tension builds and my heartrate soared.

I loved Erin and Mark and was completely intrigued by their relationship dynamic how they balanced each other out. They each struggle with what decision to make and how to make the decision together as a couple.

The side characters who are prisoners Erin is filming in her documentary added a secondary story that I found enthralling.

I found Something in the Water both thrilling and engaging. The premise was fresh, and the writing was taut. Overall, I was wondering “what if” and wondering what I would do if I had been in Mark and Erin’s shoes.

Thank you to Caroline Steadman, Random House/Ballantine, and Netgalley for the ARC. Something in the Water will be released on June 5, 2018.

Great first book! I was hooked from the beginning. I liked knowing she was burying her husband and couldn’t wait to see how it played out. It was a quick read that I didn’t want to put down. Look forward to more books from her.

This is a can’t put down thrill ride from the very first page. Erin and Mark’s honeymoon takes a twist when they discover a mysterious bag with hefty contents. The choices they make from then on determine their fate.
I loved Erin’s voice through the novel, her thoughts and reasoning were relatable and drew me further in to the story. I’d highly recommend this book to mystery and suspense fans.

This story starts at the end. A grave is being dug. We know who is digging it and who is getting buried. The question is why? We’ll need to go back a few months in order to find out. We meet Erin and Mark who are excitedly planning their wedding. A few things need to be prioritized after Mark loses his job, however the honeymoon is still a wonderful 2 weeks in Bora Bora. Everything is going great until they make a startling discovery during a scuba dive. Unsure of what to do about what they’ve found, they make a life changing decision which leads them to cut their trip short and go home. Once at home they find themselves second guessing what they’ve decided and they both become increasingly paranoid about everything, including each other. They know the decision they’ve made was life altering, but it may have also put their lives at risk. They realize they need to correct their mistake if it’s not too late.

This is a great debut from this author. The beginning was a little slow to start. I would definitely recommend it though because about 1/4 way through I couldn’t put it down. It’s a very well written thriller and a different style than a lot of other thrillers I’ve read lately, which was a nice change. It seems like so many books now are written from different characters’ perspectives which almost seems like a cop out. It was refreshing to read from just Erin’s point of view. The ending was a good twist and satisfying, not too hard to predict but somehow still surprising.

Something in the Water was so well-written, well-crafted, well-plotted that it was hard to believe it's a debut novel. Most of the characters were deeply flawed yet entirely believable. Don't we all have in our lives Winners who are silly and shallow alongside Losers with depth and courage? The pacing of the suspense was just right for me: One shock after another, yes -- but doled out so each was credible.

Other reviewers have faulted the narrator (a bride-to-be who is preoccupied with her filmmaking projects, wedding planning and then the honeymoon) for her unrealistic behavioral choices. And yet she tells us, early and often, that she doesn't read people well and doesn't pay attention.

The settings were fun, from the gritty to the glamorous, and rendered with clear-eyed realism rather than condescension or awe.

This is a very satisfying thriller.

3.5 Stars rounded up

This is a fun, fast-paced debut thriller that grabbed me from the first sentence! It starts off with the narrator burying a body, leaving the rest of the book to explain how she got there. Dramatic opening, no?

How well do we really know the people in our lives? The story follows Erin and Mark, newlyweds who seem like the perfect couple with a happy, trusting relationship despite some serious red flags and newfound financial struggles. While scuba diving on their honeymoon in Bora Bora, they stumble across something remarkable, which threatens to change their entire lives and test their marriage. It really begs the question of the reader, "What would you do???" The characters are well-developed, though throughout the majority of the book I wanted to shake them! This is definitely a story that will keep you shouting "no!!!!" and "don't do that!!!" and "OH COME ON!!!" at the characters, and I found it to be a tad predictable towards the end, but it was a very entertaining, addictive read.


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.