Thank you Grand Central Publishing for a Netgalley copy of The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding to review. The perfect addition to your summer thriller TBR.

This story is told in two POVs and it is done really well. Lee is a woman down on her luck and living in her car when she hears Hazel crying and then struggling in the water. She saves her and starts planning with her to help her leave her abusive marriage. The story has so many twists, you definitely will not want to put it down. Definitely one of my favourites by Robyn Harding though that is getting harder to judge because they are all so so good. An auto buy author that just keeps getting better and better.

This is exactly how I like my thrillers; twisty and making me rethink my suspicions. I never knew who to trust and what the agenda was. I over thought this one, more than once.

I listened to the audio for parts of it too and it was as done very well. The cast was fabulous and made the characters come to life.

We LOVE a fantastic Canadian author, and Robyn Harding is exactly THAT! This book--wow. This book is one of those books where you're just continuously looking over your own shoulder while reading. Sometimes a chill would run down my spine and it's because of the incredible writing of Robyn Harding!

This book is so good! Get a copy today and you won't be disappointed!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy!!!

So… this was my first book by Robyn Harding and groan…. that groaning is the sound of my TBR getting ever heavier from adding Harding’s backlist to it cause I LOVED this one!!! 🤩🤩

Seriously I have had SUCH a good run of luck with books recently. A psychological thriller with clever twists layered through, I was hooked from get go. Told in multiple POV, I was invested in both Lee and Hazel and how their lives were intertwining. I mean, cripes!!! 😳😳

It had a very neatly wrapped up ending, which I felt was quite fitting, and ultimately cemented the overall core of the story - friendship 🖤🖤

I can’t say much more without risking spoilers so I’m just gonna say - READ THIS BOOK!! You wont be disappointed 😄🖤

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Robyn Harding for the e-ARC and massive thanks as always to Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for having me on board to help promote.

THE DROWNING WOMAN
Robyn Harding

In THE DROWNING WOMAN, we are following Lee Gulliver. Lee is living on the streets, sleeping in her car, and showering at the gym. She has a job but it’s not enough for her to get on her feet, it’s just enough to get by.

One day while Lee is sleeping in her car steps from the ocean and she sees a woman jump into the ocean. She saves THE DROWNING WOMAN and they become friends.

One day THE DROWNING WOMAN asks Lee to help her disappear. The book unfolds from there.

There is not a lot of story here. The audiobook feels beefier than it is because it revisits the same time period from different perspectives.

I think this is done under the premise of giving left-out information and filling in the gaps. But it’s unnecessary and felt like a rehashing of information already surmised. It read like a piece of folded gum.

No matter how you fold it, it’s still just one piece of gum.

Not only is the story weak and half-baked, but unfortunately, the writing itself leaves a lot to be desired. So much is lacking in the writing that it worsened my enjoyment of the book.

The combination of these two leaves me thinking twice about Harding and her books.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook and the opportunity to provide feedback!

THE DROWNING WOMAN…⭐️⭐️

4.5 stars! An addictive and fast-paced domestic thriller that is a perfect popcorn read for the summer! It definitely lived up to the hype and I will absolutely read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the copy!

This book has me hooked within the first paragraph. Thrillers and spooky are my jam! And this did not disappoint! I did guess the twist, but, still very much enjoyed it. Will definitely be recommending to patrons.

Robyn Harding has done it again. Her books always keep me on the edge of my seat. The twists and the way the characters intertwined were amazingly executed. This is her best novel yet!

I could not put down "The Drowning Woman!" Despite a slightly predictable plot, the pacing of the story keeps moving along and you just have to know what is going to happen next.

This is the first book by Robyn Harding that I have read and I will definitely be adding her to my list of authors to follow. Thank you #netgalley for this arc. I thoroughly enjoyed this plot. It was new and interesting with great twists. The way Harding describes Lee’s life on the street is vivid and raw. Hazel is also a very interesting character with a unique experience. This was a great thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat til the end.

I’m oh so satisfied. Robyn Harding’s latest thriller, "The Drowning Woman," sure did entertain me.

It’s pretty clear from the get-go that when Lee saves Hazel from drowning, good deed or not, it won’t turn out well for Lee. Soon, she’s caught up in Hazel’s scheme to disappear, sacrificing her own well-being to help her new friend escape an abusive husband.

It’s a dangerous mess that Lee finds herself in – a mess of lies, manipulation, double crosses, and murder – but it’s a lot of fun to watch it unfold on the page. The twists don’t ever stop coming, and Harding pulled me so deeply into the story that I never wanted to come up for air.

There’s some shoddy police work and questionable legal maneuvers; also a few minor loose ends that I wish weren’t nagging me. I’ve decided to let it all go, though – I enjoyed the ride too much to allow my book joy to be tempered.

I had the pleasure of both reading an early digital copy from NetGalley and listening to a gifted audiobook from Novel Suspects. I recommend either format but do want to mention that the dual narration by Brittany Wilkerson and Henriette Zoutomou is top-notch.


My sincerest appreciation to Robyn Harding, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for the digital review copy; also to Novel Suspects for a free audiobook copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

a "dark and wild ride of redemption, betrayal, and friendship" following a homeless woman fleeing a dangerous past—and the wealthy society wife she saves from drowning

dark and twisty thriller

This may be my favorite book from Robyn Harding. The Drowning Woman was a fast paced bingeable read full of twists and turns. Highly recommend adding to your TBR.

Lee made some bad choices trying to keep her restaurant alive during the pandemic and is now paying the consequences. Living in her car on the streets of Seattle, she finds herself completely unsettled after she’s robbed one night. Now with no identity, she’s found a place to park in a rich enclave, but when she saves a woman from drowning, things get really interesting. Hazel, the drowning woman, did not want to be saved!! As she takes Lee a bit under her wings and starts to share her story with her, Lee thinks she’s found a friend. When Lee meets a man at work, she is quickly smitten and is soon in a relationship . She now has two people in her corner, but can they be trusted? As Hazel tells Lee more about her abusive marriage and asks Lee to help her escape, Lee jumps on board, but all is not what it seems! Once again Harding takes us on a thrill ride of a trip journey making it hard to put this one down for even a minute. Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

The Drowning Woman was the first book I've read by this author. Let me just say it won't be my last. I was given this book by Net Galley to provide an honest review. The story starts out with a homeless woman parked on a beach. She sees a woman go into the water, and she seems to be struggling. Lee, the homeless woman jumps in to save the drowning woman. Hazel is livid that Lee stopped her from drowning. She tells Lee she wanted to die. The two women soon form a friendship. But both women have secrets. Neither one trusts the other to share these secrets. There are so many twists, turns and surprises that I couldn't put this book down. Just when you think you have it all figured out the author throws another curveball. If you love thrillers with lots of twists along the way, I highly recommend this book. You won't be disappointed. Its a real page turner.

This was a great book that once I started i could not put it down. Lee Guliiver is on the run and homeless living out of her Toyota Corolla. She has her purse stolen which contained all of her money and identification. She sees this lady Hazel who is drowning and rescues her. The lady is in an abusive relationship and forms a bond with Lee. Lee works at a diner and falls for a customer who happens to be connected with Hazel. The outcome of the novel is great for Lee. She is a chef who owned a restaurant but lost the restaurant because of Covid. She moves out of country and starts life over. Eventually she meets back up with Hazel. This book is a page turner and full of twists and turns.

I enjoyed the alternating POV between the two main characters. There were definitely sufficient twists and turns (some I saw coming, some that blindsided me). There were parts a little slow and parts a little fast and it had its moments that were a bit too out there but it was a page turner nonetheless.

The Drowning Woman was giving The Last Flight by Julie Clark vibes (which I loved).

Rounding up from 3.5 because I couldn’t put it down.

I started reading this book on the beach and it was a bit ominous but also made the perfect spot for a photo op when this impressive storm rolled in. I’ve never experienced a storm that brought the ocean so high it covered the entire beach quite quickly and then was over thirty minutes later.

This was such a strong thriller, definitely my favourite by this author so far. It hooked me fairly quick but then I didn’t want to put it down. Especially when it switched POVs. This one had some great twists and a solid ending.

Don’t be like me and let this sit on your kindle for months. Pick it up the next time you’re craving a thriller!

Thank you to @netgalley and @grandcentralpub for the advanced copy in exchange for this honest review.

I really enjoyed this! Both of the main character's motives were questionable but I was mostly ok with it. One is a woman who recently moved across the country with nothing to avoid a man she owes a lot of money, and the other is a woman stuck in an abusive relationship and feels like there's no way out. Definitely look into trigger warnings if you are senstive to anything mental health related! My biggest issue is that I HATED one of the main characters because all she did was lie and expected it to not come back to bite her? Ok. Otherwise, I really enjoyed following these characters as their lives intertwined and their dark secrets came to light. I haven't read anything by Robyn Harding before but I'm excited to read a few of her backlist novels that have been on my radar for a long time!

The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding is truly unputdownable and one of my top 3 books read this year! Put this on top of your to be read pile now, trust me! Lee Gulliver owned a restaurant in New York and it was doing well. She had investors to help her open it and one in particular was a bit shady. None of that mattered because the restaurant was open and gaining popularity each week. No one could've seen the pandemic coming and the impact it would have on many businesses, especially restaurants. Lee lost everything and had to leave town as her investors weren't happy that their investment had gone dry.

Lee headed to Seattle in an old banged up Toyota and she had everything she owned inside the car. She was now estranged from her sister as she blamed her for her boyfriend's indiscretions. Lee wanted to put distance between her life in New York and Seattle. She didn't want to be tracked down by that one dangerous investor. Lee never thought she would end up living in her car, but she had next to no money. She slept in her car and kept a knife by her side while she slept. One night Lee is sleeping in a parking lot and 2 men approach her car and bang on her windows. They're junkies looking for money for their next fix. One of them breaks the passenger window and grabs Lee's bag, but then he reaches in and grabs her purse on the floor. As they wrestle for it, he is too strong and he gets away with Lee's wallet, ID's, and the little money she had.

Lee has a job working the late shift at a diner. The owner pays her in cash and Lee likes it that way. She gets a meal at the end of her shift which is also helpful. Lee is scared because she's not safe in a car with a broken window. She must wait until pay day to get enough money to get it fixed. Lee decides to drive further north to sleep where it's more upscale and the beach is close by. As she's sleeping Lee is awakened by a noise. It sounds like someone crying. As Lee gets out of her car and heads towards the beach path she sees a woman going into the water in her clothes. Lee watches her as she goes further and further and eventually she goes underwater. When she doesn't come back up, Lee rushes into the water to pull her out. Lee dives under where she saw the woman go under but she's not there. As she continues to swim and dive she finds her and pulls her up and gets her out of the water. The water was so cold that both women are freezing.

When the woman comes to she is angry that Lee saved her. She tells Lee she's in a terrible marriage where her husband abuses her and treats her like a slave. He's a well known criminal defense lawyer so no one would believe her. He made her sign a contract agreeing to be his slave and she must follow the rules or be punished. The woman's name is Hazel and she lives in a huge house up on the cliff overlooking the beach. Lee thinks her life can't be that bad because at least she has a bed to sleep in, food to eat, and the safety of a house. It turns out Hazel also gets beaten by her husband if she doesn't follow his rules. She can only leave the house to go for a morning jog, to go to the gym for 2 hours, and to the grocery store. The main reason Hazel agreed to marry him was so that her mother with dementia would be well cared for in a good nursing home.

As Hazel and Lee see each other most mornings they start to become friends. Lee comes back to this parking area to sleep because no one else is here and she feels safe. Even after her window is fixed, it's a hard spot to pass up. Lee meets a man while working at the diner. She's instantly attracted to him and he to her. Lee looks forward to him coming in. As she chats with him she finds out his name is Jesse and that he's a trainer at the gym. They agree to go out for a drink after Lee's shift one night. Things go well, but Lee is sick from being in the cold water to rescue Hazel. Hazel brought her cold medicine and chicken soup, but she's not a lot better when she and Jesse go for drinks. Jesse brings Lee home and she's so groggy from the alcohol and cold meds he puts her in his bed and he sleeps on the sofa. Is Jesse really this nice or does he want something?

When Hazel sees Lee a couple days later she tells her that she has to leave her husband as it's getting worse. She shows Lee the bruises on her back. She tells Lee that she has a friend who can get her a fake ID and passport and she offers to do the same for Lee. Is Hazel a real friend or does she want something from Lee? As things escalate, Lee doesn't know who to trust and Hazel seems to be in danger. Why has Jesse changed so much? What's he up to? Is Hazel's husband really as bad as she says? Things get out of control and Lee has to make some hard decisions. Why does Hazel's husband know so much about her? Will their plan work? Will Hazel and Lee find a way to be safe? You'll have to read The Drowning Woman to find out the answers! I read this book in one day and enjoyed every minute! I rate The Drowning Woman 5 stars and give it my highest recommendation. It is one of the best thrillers I've read this year so don't hesitate to read it! I'd like to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy of The Drowning Woman in exchange for a fair review. #TheDrowningWoman