This book starts off with a bang. The narrator is burying her husband in a shallow grave, and we know it’s going to take the entire book to find out why. But that’s okay. Great beginning. And then it begins to lag. So much unnecessary filler material , right down to details of tasting potential dinners for an exquisite wedding they can’t afford, then canceling the venue. I began to realize I didn’t like these people or the book. And it just got worse. Unbelievable situations with unrealistic decisions. Contrived moments of pseudo suspense. Stupid choices. Eventually I understood why the husband was dead. These people were too ridiculous to survive. Something in the water sounded more like an excuse for what was wrong with them, and the ending reinforced that. A real disappointment.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I read a majority of this book on the final leg of a road trip, and I was bummed when we got home because it meant I couldn’t read more.

Mark my words, this book will be a movie. It was SO good. I loved every bit. So much, that I immediately bought a copy for my mom to read on an upcoming trip, and a copy for a friend as a gift. Everyone should read this one!

I hope there is more from this author.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had some little trouble getting into this, but once the couple goes on honeymoon it really picks up and you don't want to put it down! Great debut novel from this author, highly recommend.

I saw this book listed on social media all over the place.  I had never heard of the author,  which I later learned was due to the fact that this is her first book, but there was a lot of hype going on so I knew I wanted to check it out. When I saw it available for review on NetGalley, I immediately requested, and thereafter received it.

Today's post is about Something in the Water: A Novel by Catherine Steadman. Right from the very first chapter, we know something bad has happened.  Truth be told, the opening to this book was one of the most compelling that I've read in sometime and definitely a great way to start things off.

After the big opening, readers go back in time and learn how Erin, the narrator of the story and documentary filmmaker, met Mark and how they fell in love. Mark is an investment banker who is currently Erin's fiancé.  We start out just a few weeks before Erin and Mark's wedding, which also happens to be the beginning of Erin's work on her film involving prisoners who are reintegrating into society after their release following incarceration.
Once they are happily married, the newlyweds head to their honeymoon in Bora Bora. Erin and Mark are having a fantastic time in this tropical paradise until...

....and then the mystery of the book....

thunk, thunk - there is “something” in the water that will cause this couple's lives to be altered. From this point on the tension is crazy amped-up and we see a chain of twisting and turning heart-pounding events begin to happen in rapid succession.  The series of tiny decisions that could lead Erin and Mark on different paths each step of the way was very well-written by the author. I honestly found myself unsure at each step as to what I would do in this situation, which choice I would make. Would I follow the same path that Erin and Mark did? What would I do, if I was in their shoes? What is the ethical thing to do in this situation?

Because I don't write spoilers, I have to stay this is about all I can share with you, just know that you will become engaged in this book right from the beginning, and you will love the ride this book takes you on! Without being overly descriptive and wordy, Ms. Steadman is able to clearly paint an amazing image of everything we see without being too heavy on the words or over-descriptive. I can't even believe this was Ms. Steadman's first novel, and I can't wait to see what's next!

I was provided with a complimentary electronic advanced reader copy through Net Galley in exchange for my post.  I was not required to post a positive review, but have chosen to do so because this book was great! Thank you!

While scuba diving on their honeymoon in Bora Bora, Erin and Mark find something floating in the water. Up until their discovery, the relationship between Erin and Mark had me intrigued...then they found what they found and the plot became steadily less and less plausible and the characters became less and less likable.

I can't recommend this one.

So great! I was worried this would be the same type of thriller that's being pumped out over and over again, but this was so much fun! Loved all the twists and turns.

Really enjoyed this story and found myself a bit frustrated with the naiveté. of the may character. I liked the way she was able to come through to the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of the book. I loved this thriller! It was very fast paced and I loved the exotic location of the honeymoon in Bora Bora. I also loved the rich B plot of this novel. I was very excited to see this on Reese Witherspoon’s book club list. I also think it would make an excellent movie!

What starts out as a perfect marriage for Erin and Mike is changed when they find a package on their honeymoon. As they discuss what they should do with the package and its content, the first cracks in their relationship begin to appear. They return home determined to live their lives as normal as possible. What should have secured their future together soon becomes a point of contention between them and a chasm develops between them. They both make decisions on their own without letting the other one aware of what's going on. When it appears that their house has been robbed, Erin decides to take matters into her own hands. As the story progresses there are times I questioned Erin's thought process as her decisions seem somewhat reckless and potentially dangerous. The big twist at the end of the book was definitely a surprise. Thank-you to Net Galley, Ballantine Books and Catherine Steadman for the ARC you provided for a honest review. Great first book for Ms Steadman, I anxiously await Book #2.

First, I want to thank Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this Arc. I firt heard of "Something in the Water" by Catherine Steadman on Reese Witherspoon's book club and I could not wait to read it. Everywhere I looked, it was being hailed as the next big psychological thriller. I had to admit I was a bit apprehensive on whether or not this debut novel truly held up to all of the hype. The book focuses on a pair of newlyweds who literally find something in the water while scuba diving. And finding that something just might change the course of their lives forever.

Overall, this book was fast paced and enjoyable. It was a little predictable at times but that did not take away from how good it was. I mean that first chapter alone! Ohmygosh! I will definitely be sure to check out more of Catherine's work in the future!

I had read so many good things about this book and was looking forward to an edge-of-my seat story. Unfortunately, though it started out suspenseful, it never really progressed beyond that. Would I give the author another try in the future? I would. She has amazing ideas, but was just missing the follow through necessary to take this story where it should have gone.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book.
To be honest I had started this book but it wasn't holding my interest. I put it down to read another that I had on hold at my local library. I picked this back up and about 1/3 of the way in the storyline really started in an interesting direction which made it hard to put down.
I love the twists and turns along with how the author just really nailed the good/bad in everyone.
I will be looking for another book by this author.

I received this book as an ARC fom NetGalley for an honest review. This is a very enjoyable and interesting book. The story starts with Erin, a recent bride, burying her new husband! The story then backtracks to explain how the story line developed. We follow the newlyweds on their honeymoon as they uncover a very dangerous and lucrative discovery. The book is exciting with many twists and turns and characters that are all suspicious and questionable. I liked reading about all the characters and trying to decide which ones should be trusted. This is Catherine Steadman’s first novel and I certainly hope she will write more.

I really enjoyed this suspense novel from a first time author. My enjoyment was enhanced by the author's own narration of the audiobook. She is also an actress, so it makes sense that she could make her book come to life. The book, told from the point of view of Erin, opens with her digging a shallow grave. We know who is dead and the rest of the book tells us why.

Erin is a documentary film maker and her new husband Mark is an investment banker. Erin is making a documentary about three prisoners who are about to be released. Holli is rebellious and participated in a riot. Alexa, a former lawyer, was convicted of a mercy killing. Eddie is a crime boss. Erin's involvement with criminals leads to complications in her life. However, these complications pale in comparison to events that take over the lives of Erin and Mark after they discover something in the water while scuba diving off the coast of Bora Bora while on their honeymoon. To say more would spoil the book, but you can never be sure who you can trust, or whose help you might need.

Sometimes the book had a little too much description of wedding plans, scenery and sharks, but overall the book was well-paced and suspenseful. Erin was not one of those ubiquitous unreliable narrators and she had intelligence and wit. The book kept me engaged and I didn't want to skim it (and that is rare for me when reading thrillers). I would read more by this author.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

3.5 stars

This book had a really interesting premise, and started off with a bang ... but it lagged, badly, in the middle. I think Steadman will develop better pacing as she goes along.

AWESOME mystery! I really enjoyed this book, felt compelled to keep following the plot, with many twists and turns. An ordinary couple, faced with an unexpected, life changing choice. Astonishing, gripping and unanticipated sequence of event. Thank you NetGalley for the reader edition, all opinions are my own.

Real attention-grabber of a beginning: Our heroine is digging a grave! For her husband! Whaaat?!

And it goes on downhill from there. After the first few descriptive pages of digging the grave and the work and intricacies involved, Ms Steadman just didn't know when to stop. She kept on and on, describing it over and over, in more and more jarring, then boring, detail. For a whole chapter. Nothing but digging a grave. I get it, it's hard work. It's gross having to deal with a dead body. But a whole chapter on that one subject? Overkill.

Finally we get to the plot of the book itself. All the action and events leading up to the burial in the first chapter. I didn't for a second believe her quick romance, love-at-first-sight with Mark. Her heroine never came off as entirely likable. And his definitely didn't. In fact, I never did care for his character, which made it hard to get through the romantic bits between the two of them.


It does have a 'surprise' ending sort of. But I read a lot of books in this genre and it was obvious almost from the start what kind of trickery was going on here, so when the big reveal happened, it was like Yeah, yeah, figured as much. Lets move along now.


There are SO many twists and turns and double-takes and red-herrings and plot changes it will make your head spin trying to separate the important stuff from the fluff. And there was a lot of fluff that didn't add much of anything to the overall story. It's very hard to write a review of the plot with giving anything away so I will leave you with this: I made it to Chapter 9 before throwing up my hands and going to the last chapter in the book. I had no trouble figuring out what was going on, what had happened and why, and was positively gleeful that I had guessed correctly way back in Chapter 4.

I’m so not happy with this book.

First chapter: A+. We know Erin is burying a body. She’s pretty entertaining as she does so and I cannot wait to hear what happened.

Then we move back a month. And as Erin tells her story we have to listen to every single random thought that goes through her head 24/7 for an entire month. Every. Single. Thought.

Meanwhile the author weaves this overly complicated plot that she has no way to resolve and so SHE DOESN’T. Is that a spoiler? No, it’s a warning. The reader seriously does not know what happened, how anything came to be, who people were, where things came from. NOTHING.

It took me almost three months to get through this book because nothing was really happening, and so when it finally started picking up at the very end there was even MORE disappointment when I realized there were no answers, no explanations!

I’m just so MAD. There’s a great outline here of a great thriller, and instead we get… nothing. A waste of time.

Mark and Erin are in Bora Bora on their honeymoon after a romantic wedding and engagement. While there they make a discovery in the water that requires them to make life changing decisions to avoid danger. Soon the plan backfires and they are in danger.
From the beginning of the book with Erin digging Mark's grave I was captivated. This is a outstanding psychological thriller and I was unable to put this book down. I loved it. The author does a wonderful job of subterfuge among the characters and the plot contains many hidden twists and turns to the reader which are reveled later on in the book.

The author is Catherine Steadman who played Mabel Lane Fox on Downton Abbey. This is her first novel. A outstanding debut ! I would definitely recommend it. Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my personal opinion.

A unique twist with an English flavor. A couple finds some valuables and decides to keep them. Then the fun begins. Enjoy!