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.

I was given an ARC by Random House and Ballantine Books in exchange for my honest review.

This book starts out a bit slow, but not in a boring way. The story opens with a shocking detail with no context, then jumps back in time and slowly builds as Erin and Mark take a honeymoon trip to Bora Bora, where they find something in the water that will change their lives forever. The story unspools as they try to make sense of what they’ve found, ultimately bringing you to the opening of the book. This was a fun read, and kept me guessing as I read. I did not predict the outcome as soon as I usually do, and the diversions thrown in were good for keeping my mind turning as I tried to solve the puzzle.

This was a gripping page turner of a thriller! At first I thought this was going to be like a typical couple gets caught in some unsavory business but eventually works their way out type of novel but I was completely wrong. I was kept guessing until the end and that ending surprised me. Thanks to #netgalley for the opportunity to read this galley of #somethinginthewater

This book is a fun read with interesting, well drawn characters and an interesting premise. So many events in this book are either impossible or implausible that this novel is really a comedy. Suffice to say that Erin and Mark, the couple central to the plot, would have never made it to the airport at Bora Bora much less spirited diamonds and bundles of cash through customs.

As the book opens, Erin and her fiancee, Mark, are enjoying a luxurious week end in an inn. They live in London. Erin is a documentary film maker embarking on a short film featuring three people who are soon to be released from jail after serving sentences. Mark is a banker. This book is comedic and many events are either completely implausible or impossible.

They decide to economize somewhat on their wedding in order to afford flying first class to Bora Bora for a two week honeymoon., even though Mark has lost his job and they don't have much money. The action really begins when they depart Bora Bora in a hotel boat for a bit of scuba diving - on their own. That any hotel would lend a boat to a guest to go on a solo scuba dive without an instructor sets the stage for many other eye rolling events.

Anyway, as they are returning from the scuba dive, miles from anywhere in the Pacific Ocean, they find a briefcase full of valuables. Without spoiling the fun, although they make every conceivable blunder that would have insured they never made it to the Bora Bora airport, they skip through customs with all the loot. They open secret bank accounts and on and on.

Erin, who swears she will not place herself or Mark in danger, does so constantly. Although her motives are pure, well pure-ish anyway, she is the dumbest thing on two feet while managing to outwit clever criminals? Good fun.

Thank You Random House - Ballantine and Netgalley for offering a free e-book copy for me to review! I really enjoyed this book overall. The main character, Erin, was a little annoying as she just kept making stupid decisions, although I enjoyed the premise that one bad decision can lead to more and bigger bad decisions. LOVED the setting of Bora-Bora! Definitely kept me wanting to see how it all ended!

Gripping beginning and a shocking end. You can’t put this book down. If this is just the debut for Catherine Steadman, then I can not wait to see what comes next!

When this book came across my desk for review, the first thing that caught my eye was that the author was also an actress, most notably an actress in Downton Abbey.

I’m always intrigued by people with dual talents. Being an actress is difficult enough but then you add author in the mix and it seems almost impossible so when I see things like this that aren’t memoirs or autobiographies etc, I am always curious to see how the author’s talents translate from big screen to pages.

SOMETHING IN THE WATER stood out besides the fact that Steadman is an actress though…..it’s set in Bora Bora. I was instantly intrigued. It’s an island paradise. A place most certainly on my bucket list and for many people, a trip of a lifetime. Having a thriller set in paradise sounds delectable and like something I would want to read!

Erin and Mark seem to have it all: he’s a successful banker, she’s a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough; they’re young and in love, about to embark on their dream honeymoon to Bora Bora. But when, after a blissful day of scuba diving, they discover a mysterious bag filled with incalculable riches, their subsequent choices trigger a sequence of events that will change their lives–and their marriage–forever (summary from Goodreads).

This book is marketed to fans of Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, and Shari Lapena. All authors I haven’t read before–so I didn’t have any expectations to gage my reading experience with, however, I would say this is up there with other domestic thrillers such as GONE GIRL. Paula Hawkins wrote THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN and while I have yet to read that one, I know enough of the story to say that fans of that book will likely enjoy this one.

From the get go, I was uneasy with the characters. We meet Erin digging a grave to bury a body. The opening is brilliant. I was hooked right away and wanted to know—‘how did we get here? How did we get from romantic honeymoon to burying a dead body?’

I loved how the intro kind of left of there and then took us back to the ‘beginning’. I mean it’s not every day that a professional woman is out somewhere digging a body, the reader instantly wants to know what happened. I was immediately on edge and wary of the characters. I wasn’t sure that I could trust any of them–or if I even wanted to.

This whole feeling carried on throughout the novel and I loved that about this book. I kept saying over and over as I was reading ‘NOOOOOO what are you thinking?!’. Now normally that would bother me about a character but in this case it was very realistic. I mean don’t we always hope that we will avoid temptation when it’s out right in front of our faces, but yet there is something inside us that just can’t walk away and say no? I thought this book portrayed a very realistic response to human temptation.

While I didn’t always like Erin or trust her and I never liked or even trusted Mark–the whole novel was believable and interesting. The relationship between Mark and Erin was clearly a shit show from the word go. I personally felt like she trusted him way more than she should from the beginning. He seemed a little too slick and had too many ready answers. He just seemed too extra and I thought she should have seen through some of his facade but I also think that’s what kept me reading. Again, it was like a train wreck that I just couldn’t turn my eyes from. As I said before, there were many ‘what are you thinking’ moments for me in this book which propelled the story forward.

For me personally I think this was a great read. I often would put myself in Erin’s shoes and would do the ‘what would I do if I were in her place’ game and I loved that. Sometimes I didn’t like my answers to that question which I loved. I love books that make you want to imagine yourself as the protagonist even if you don’t trust them or even like them and that’s what this book did for me.

Intriguing read and full of lots of compelling angles!

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: Something In The Water by Catherine Steadman

Kindle Edition, 336 pages
Expected publication: June 5th 2018 by Ballantine Books (first published 2018)
ASIN B075HYDH8B
Review copy provided by: Publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

This book counts toward: NA

Hosted by: NA
Books for Challenge Completed: NA
Recommendation: 4 out of 5

Genre: mystery, crime, thriller

Memorable lines/quotes:

I completely enjoyed this author’s debut novel. This book grabs you right in the beginning as Erin is digging a grave. But why? Erin and Mark seem to be a typical happy couple. Satisfied with their career path, much in love and anticipating their wedding and exotic honeymoon. But all is not as it appears. When Mark loses his job right before the wedding their worries begin. On their honeymoon, they find something in the water. They face the ethical question of what should be done with it. This find begins many events in their lives. There are many twists and turns in the story. I’m looking forward to reading more from this talented new author!

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.

Erin is a documentary filmmaker and Mark is a banker who loses his job days before the big day. They live in a very nice home and decide to go through with their planned wedding as well as the honeymoon despite the fact that they could make wiser financial decisions under the circumstances.

Once in their dreamy Bora-Bora honeymoon, they find "something in the water" that could resolve all their money troubles but may also end up putting their lives in danger.

The book opens up with an engaging scene where Erin is digging a grave to bury a body. Then the timeline moves back into the past and describes the events that led up to that moment.

I liked the characters but at some points I was frustrated by their decisions. It is true that the factors such as motivation and opportunity were present for Erin and Mark to behave the way they did, but still.

Overall, the novel was engaging and the author kept the plot moving forward. I recommend it to readers of thrillers and contemporary fiction.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley

It is impossible to believe that this is Catherine Steadman's debut novel. She has truly hit the mark with this suspenseful, and compelling psychological thriller. It is a masterfully written mystery that keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end with an unexpected and satisfying twist.

Steadman has written this delightfully macabre tail from the first person point-of-view, which works out perfectly for the reader to enter the mind of a gutsy, if somewhat naive and flawed, documentary filmmaker. We see the plot unfold solely from Erin's perspective and have no desire to know more than she knows until it is time. We love seeing what she does with the information she gets, the fears and paranoia she experiences, and the miscues that get thrown her (and our) way. We watch, eyes half covered, as Erin, our protagonist, declines many chances to take the safe way out of a risky and potentially lethal opportunity in order to strike it rich in support of her new husband down on his luck. We understand her promises to demure, promises meant when they are made, but ultimately impossible for her to keep as she impulsively projects herself deeper and deeper into the gamble. And why do we know this so well and believe it to be true? Because Steadman has so flawlessly made Erin come alive on the page in a way usually reserved for authors with many more books behind them. I rarely find a debut author with such skill and insight. 

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read this wonderful thriller through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This book is insane...in a good way! A very unique storyline with great characters that you won’t want to put down!!!

This was very ok. The main character, Erin, seemed to have a death wish for the entire novel - she made every wrong decision one could make given her circumstances. The characters were generally unlikable and one-dimensional.

However, the plot did have you on the edge of your seat and made you want to read on. The ending fell a bit flat as well. Overall, this did not stack up to other, more reputable, thrillers that I have read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had a really hard time rating this one.... do you ever have books where you get so frustrated with the characters that you just want to scream? Well.. this is definitely one where I was super frustrated and wanted to throw my kindle at times lol.

Erin and Mark are a newly married couple that don't have the best honest relationship. I noticed that Erin and Mark both have been keeping secrets from one another. Erin is trusting Mark a little more then she should despite all the red flags. But, Erin isn't so innocent either and has been keeping just as much from her husband Mark. Seems like a disaster waiting to happen..eeek!

Erin is a filmmaker who has an interest in the world of crime. She begins a filming project about three people who are being released from prison. The documentary examines closely the lives of these three individuals and starts out as a project but ends up taking a sinister turn. While on their honeymoon, Mark and Erin find a mysterious black bag in the ocean. Let's just say... the items in the bag are not in the least bit innocent. This of course.... adds intense moments and leads to a show of an ending.

I had some issues with this book which is why I only gave it three stars. One, my god was this book slow up until 50 percent for me. I felt like nothing was happening and I was struggling to complete chapter after chapter. Finally it picked up half way through! I felt that some of the events that transpired from Mark and Erin's decisions were just too unbelievable. I felt that it would be almost impossible to get away with some of the things that Mark and Erin got away with. Too much security etc currently.

I feel like this was an overall average thriller for me with a decent ending :).

3 stars

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for an advanced arc in exchange for my honest review.

Published to GR: 5/23/18
Publication date: 6/5/18

Wow, I finished Something in the Water in less then 24 hours because I couldn't put it down! If I had written my review before I finished, I would have given it 5 stars, but as I was nearing the end my rating changed.
The first chapter of the book the main character Erin describes digging a grave for her husband Mark who has died. Other then the details of how to dig the hole and how deep, we don't know how Mark died but one can only assume it was murder. We spend most of the book leading up to the very last few chapter's when we find out exactly how it happened, and what role if any Erin played in his demise. What I enjoyed is that the story really grabbed my attention. It's one of those books where with each chapter you think you've figured out what happens then realize you really have no idea. I feel like the author really had the perfect story, then the twist I was waiting for wasn't all that surprising after all. Over all I did enjoy the book, and would recommend it to anyone who likes a little suspense.

I did receive this book from Netgalley. The premise was fascinating. I enjoyed thinking about what I would do given that “free gift” that of course never was a free gift. Good descriptive characters and plot. The ending did go off the deep end, and the wife was too naive but I still enjoyed it and definitely recommend it.

Erin, a documentary film writer, is working on her first solo documentary project, she is engaged to a charming and handsome banker, and everything seems to be coming together perfectly. Erin and her fiancé Mark decide to celebrate by traveling to Bora Bora for an extravagant and romantic honeymoon getaway. During a scuba diving expedition, Erin and Mark find something in the water. They decide to keep what they discovered a secret, but their decision leads to some dangerous and potentially deadly consequences ...what they found wasn't theirs to take and someone wants it back.

Something in the Water begins with our main character, Erin, explaining to the reader how difficult it is to dig a grave. The novel then resets to several weeks prior to the incident in order to explain how our character came to be in this predicament. Erin begins to describe her seemingly perfect life, with the seemingly perfect man...that is until her perfect life begins to collapse.
One of the main reasons I didn't give this novel 4 stars was due to the first half of the book. After the action packed initial chapter, the novel kind of levels off and there is quite a bit of exposition in which Erin fills the reader in on a lot of backstory. I will say, thankfully, that the plot does pick back up and the last half of the novel is much more exciting. Overall the writing was good and the novel was interesting but the plot didn't really offer anything new or fresh in terms of the thriller/suspense genre. This was definitely not a page turner for me but I still found it to be an enjoyable read

I enjoyed This book, even though the main character had me wanting to smack her upside the head.
The ending had a few loose ends that I thight could’ve been tidied up - like the Tall Man. Who was he? Anyone significant? How was he involved in the crashed plane? What did Holli do that was so horrible? How did the documentary with Eddie turn out?
There were lots of things that seemed to be leading up to something that just kind of ended abruptly with no conclusion.
Other than that the story was enjoyable!!
3.5 stars.

LOVED this story of Erin and Mark, and their very dark honeymoon. This young couple, so "in love" with each other, get married and discover a secret that changes the course of their marriage and ultimately, their lives. Erin narrates the book, and keeps her readers on the edge of their seats as the story unfolds. A bad decision is made, followed by a flood of subsequent bad decisions.

I read this story in record time - couldn't wait to discover what would happen. I was at first uncomfortable with the very end, but after considering each aspect of the story, found that, though I might have tweaked it a little, the ending fit with the message that story conveyed.

I highly recommend this book for readers who love short chapters, and a lot of psychological action!

This book was very good! A page turner at its best and I loved the suspense! When you think of a honeymoon you think romance and for this couple Eric and Mark they are about to set sail off to an unexpected trip filled with twist and turns! Highly recommend this book!!!