This description sounded great. I just had to read it . But sadly it didn’t live up to my expectations. It just didn’t bring to the table that it had described.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: July 9, 2020

Life gets a little crazy across the water...

PLOT SUMMARY:
Liz and Adam have recently married after a whirlwind courtship. Settling down temporarily in a remote cottage near a river, Liz begins to heal after a traumatic episode at work. With Adam away each day at work, Liz has lots of time to spy on her neighbours across the river...especially Dee and her gorgeous baby Ruby. When Dee and Ruby go missing, Liz is afraid something sinister may have happened? But can she be trusted? Or is she suffering from too much stress? What really happened that fateful night?

PROS and CONS:
I really like the setting in Across The Water. The remote, dangerous location of the cottage adds a suspenseful element to the story. Liz’s obsession with her neighbours also sets the scene for some tense moments.

The flow of the story was a little difficult however. There are a lot of dates, days, and times to keep straight, as well as the switching of POV’s between Liz, Dee and Erica. I really like how it switched between the three women in order to flesh out the story, but I must admit to finding the multiple dates and times hard to follow. As such, it took me a little while to get into the story.

Having said that, I enjoyed the dark, menacing tone that infiltrated this book, where everyone is a suspect and you wonder if anyone is ever truly safe.

YES or NO:
It’s a MAYBE - seasoned thriller lovers will have no problem working things out, but for those new to the genre, you’ll enjoy it!

3 Stars

Liz and her husband, Adam, lives in Pearl Bay temporarily in order to sell the house there. However, Adam needs to commute to Sydney daily to sell his father's business. While Liz spends most of her time alone, she met Erica and Delilah, her neighbours. Though there's no friendship connection among of them, when Delilah and her baby are missing, it really pushes Liz to dig further, especially after she saw Erica and Delilah had an argument, after Delilah came to her house unexpectedly late at night.
The storyline is pretty flat, there are a couple of things that I can predict where this story will go. It's an Ok read, but for me the plot is too bland.

"The Woman in the Window meets The Hand that Rocked the Cradle" says the description, so I immediately requested it. I really liked The Woman in the Window, therefore I thought this was going to be an interesting story. Moreover, the description also points out that the book "explores the darker side of motherhood, the pressure to conform, and how women's choices shape their fate", which called even more my attention.

Nevertheless, I'm disappointed. It wasn't at all what I was expecting. I couldn't connect with the characters, because I felt like something was missing. I understand we can't know everything about them, but I think we must know enough to get us intrigued. And that's what was missing.

Anyway, the fact that this books was just OK for me doesn't mean you won't enjoy it. This is just my opinion, as a reader and nothing more. I'm not expert, so please, if you're curious, go on and give it a try.

Thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

When I read that it could be compared to The Woman in the Window, I knew I needed to read this book.

Liz Dawson and her husband have moved into a remote home with few neighbors, except the ones across the creek. With a break from work, after an incident, Liz finds herself watching the activity in the homes across the creek to pass the time. She is drawn to the mother and child in the middle house. When the mother and child disappear, everyone assumes Dee, the mother has leapt to her death taking the baby with her. Liz just can’t shake the feeling that there is more to the story.

This book was a little difficult for me to get into in the beginning, but it picks up once Dee disappears.

The author does a great job giving each character a voice and distinct personality. The chapters were each devoted to a single character, whether its Dee, Liz or the neighbor lady, giving just a taste of their story at a time. No one in this book was free from suspicion. The complexity of the characters make this a thriller to be read.

A dark, compelling story with twisted, complex characters! This novel hooked me from the first page and I raced through it.

Thanks to ingrid Alexander, Harper Collins and Netgalley for the ARC. This had a slow beginning but the story ramped up from th 50% mark. It was difficult to champion any of the characters as they were seemingly equally unpleasant with few redeeming features. The problem with some thrillers is its fairly easy to determine the likely murderer and sometimes its good to get it wrong which didnt happen here unfortunately.

This book started slow but I enjoyed the characters and the plot and once I really got into it I couldn't put this one down.
Dee and her baby go missing. It is a suspected murder-suicide. Everyone knows Dee never wanted children.
Liz risks its all to uncover truths with all these surrounding twists.
Overall, I liked this one.

Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

#AcrossTheWater #NetGalley
It was so good, I hooked with it.

When Dee and her baby go missing, last seen by the murky waters of Oyster Creek, it is a suspected murder-suicide. After all, it’s no secret that Dee Waters never wanted children. She wasn’t coping with the baby. Everyone in the town believes she leapt to her death, taking her child with her. Everyone except Liz.
Wrestling with her own demons, Liz risks everything to uncover a truth that becomes more complex with every twist. Of all people, Liz knows that just because someone is a reluctant mother, it doesn’t mean they don’t love their child. And it doesn’t mean they’re capable of murder... does it?
I loved the characters and plot whereas narration was a bit slow in the starting.
Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for giving me an advanced copy.

One star is for books I did not finish. Two stars is for books I did not enjoy reading such as this one. I wasn't warming to either of the main characters, nor to the suspicions about Dee's past, Zac being weird yet over-friendly? Nope, not for me.