Ruth Ware can do no wrong in my eyes. Another intriguing, gripping novel focused on Lo Blackwell after The Womanin Cabin 10. I was thrilled to dive into the first follow-up in Ruth's collection of thrillers. Revisiting a character that made me love the genre, and Ruth's writing, was a gift. It's an easy reread for me, and just another feather in Ruth's cap for my nomination of queen of the thriller.

I loved the first book in this series. It really set me on my love of Ruth Ware's books. I enjoyed this book, but with the large time that has passed since the first book was released, there was so much that I had forgotten from the characters and plot of the first book. This book tries to catch you up, but honestly, there were huge holes in my memory for major plot points. Maybe I read too many mysteries and they all start to jumble, who knows? But once I got my footing, I enjoyed this book. The characters were vibrant, and the descriptions of the scenery were gorgeous. I liked this book. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had recently read the first one again.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

4.5 hearts

I always enjoy a Ruth Ware mystery thriller. The Woman in Suite 11 is a follow up on the Lo Blacklock character 10 years after the time in The Woman in Cabin 10. It's better if you have read the first book but not absolutely necessary.

In the interim, Lo has married Judah and they have two boys, living in New York City. She wrote a book on her experiences which provided some income while her boys were young. Now just as she is ready to get back to work, she has an invitation to a new exclusive hotel opening in Switzerland. She hopes to get an interview with the reclusive owner of the financial group Marcus Leidmann It will also be a treat for her and an opportunity to visit her mother in the UK as well.

When Lo arrives, there are many of those who were on the ill-fated cruise with her, including an ex-boyfriend. When she is summoned to Suite 11, she thinks it is for an interview of Marcus or to set things with his secretary. But no, it Marcus' mistress in a life or death situation.

The following emotional tidal wave for Lo, with helping a woman in an abusive situation, putting herself at risk and the danger that follows. Luckily she has good support from family and friends, even though she felt isolated. There are some crazy twists. Every time Lo says,"F*****ck" when she figures out she is in trouble, which made me laugh. Lo does bend the rules quite a bit but it's understandable though not legal.

Thank you @gallerybooks #partner for the gifted copy of this book!

Just finished The Woman in Suite 11 and WHEW — what a twisty ride!

I decided to re-read The Woman in Cabin 10 before diving into this one and I’m so glad I did. It was great getting reacquainted with Lo and the characters, and I have to say — I really enjoyed Lo even more this time around. She’s grown up, less reckless, and more sharp and savvy, though she’s still got that slightly naive and somewhat questionable decision making capabilities. I didn’t care though because it is what I find endearing about her and why I root for her!

After taking a break from work to start a family (her husband is an actual gem, by the way), Lo’s ready to jump back into investigative journalism — and what better way to start than hopping a plane for a high-stakes interview? Because why not?! From the moment she boards, surprising things start happening, and let’s just say… past trauma and present danger collide in a way that kept me completely invested.

Is every twist totally believable? Nope. Did I care? Not even a little bit. 😂 I was here for the drama, the surprises, the shady characters, and those classic Ruth Ware red herrings. And OMG — that last line. Ruth really knows how to deliver a closing zinger that leaves you grinning, just like in the first book.

If you loved Cabin 10, you’ll have fun with this one too. It’s twisty, bingeable, and exactly the kind of unputdownable mystery you expect from Ruth Ware. I was so happy to see these characters again and already can’t wait to see what she cooks up next!

10 years after The Woman in Cabin 10, The Woman in Suite 11 reintroduces Lo Blacklock, now a married mother of two, who has transitioned from her magazine job to freelance journalism. Despite her contented family life, Lo misses the thrill of her past adventures. When presented with an opportunity to attend the grand opening of an exclusive Swiss hotel owned by the elusive billionaire Marcus Leidmann, she seizes it, especially since her former magazine requests an interview with the reclusive owner. From the onset of her journey, mysterious events begin to unfold, setting the stage for another suspenseful narrative.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Scout Press/Gallery for this digital e-arc.*

Thank you Gallery Books for the gifted digital ARC.

I really, really loved The Woman in Cabin 10 when I read it years ago, but it pains me to say the sequel really missed the mark for me. I felt like it was incredibly predictable, and considering the absolute *hell* Lo endured in the first book, she acted like a complete idiot this time around... like painfully so. Especially as a mother.

Dennis (@scaredstraightreads) referred to this as the sequel no one asked for and I know it's kinda mean (and TBH also hilarious) but it is spot on about this one. The first book was so good and this one was just kind of meh.

Alas, I'll still continue to read everything Ruth Ware writes.

While I didn't really like the Woman in Cabin 10 that much, I really enjoyed this sequel. Lo is trying to get back to work after being a mother to two boys and the covid shut down. When she gets an invitation as a journalist, she hops a plane hoping to get her career back on track. But all the people at this event are people on the boat with her. What is going on? Then Carrie shows herself and they are off to try to get away from her abusive boyfriend. Will Carrie bring Lo down again??

LOVED. This was just the book I needed. Fast paced, cleverly plotted, a bit of fancy sophistication.... Ruth Ware absolutely nailed it. Could not put the book down. It was the perfect follow-up to the first installment, and if I may say, a step above. God, she even made me fall in love with Carrie! I have not idea what I can follow this read up with. It's certainly the perfect beach read, but honestly, read it on a plane, read it in bed... just do yourself a favor and enjoy the ride as much as I did. This one was great.

3 sequel stars

We first meet Lo Blacklock in “The Woman in Cabin 10,” and she narrowly escapes a luxury cruise adventure. Ten years have elapsed, and now she’s married with two children and living in New York. Has she matured?

Lo is eager to get back into the travel writing business, but the landscape has changed considerably with time and the pandemic. Out of the blue, she receives an invitation to the grand opening of a luxury Swiss hotel. The descriptions of the Lake Geneva hotel made me want to visit! Lo is also trying to get an interview with the elusive CEO, Marcus Leidmann.

Of course, with a Ruth Ware novel, you have to expect suspense and probably murder. We are teased with a few snippets that alert us to future events, and I was flipping the pages to see how it all played out.

Some familiar characters from the first book pop up in this one, and it’s a bit of a wild ride for a while! I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as Cabin 10, but I was curious to read this new entry with a familiar character.

I will be watching the Netflix show for “The Woman in Cabin 10” that’s coming out soon.

This was a solid sequel to THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10, one of the first thrillers I ever read! It was also one of the books that sparked my love for thrillers in general. The story follows Lo Blacklock as she tries to recover her journalism career after giving it up to be a stay at home during the pandemic.

Ruth Ware’s writing is always so entertaining and hooks me every time. There were just a few things holding this book back from being a five star read. I felt like all the Covid references hit a little too close to home, but that’s just a personal preference. I don’t really like my fiction books to talk about the pandemic all too much, even though it’s hard not to acknowledge all the changes it brought to modern life. I also thought Lo was way too trusting of Carrie. I just couldn’t imagine making the choice she did to help her after not hearing from her in ten years.

All that being said, this was such a suspenseful story and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen! I was glad to find out what happened to Lo after the wild events that happened in the first book!

Ruth Ware has been my favorite thriller author since I read The Woman in Cabin 10 nearly eight years ago. That book is still among my top three favorites by her, so I was excited to learn it would have a sequel: The Woman in Suite 11.

It’s ten years after the horrors that happened on the Aurora, and Lo Blacklock has moved on with her life. She and her husband Judah now live in New York City with their two young sons. Lo wrote a bestselling memoir, Dark Waters, but has otherwise not really worked in years. So when she gets an invitation to the opening of a luxury hotel in Switzerland, she hopes it could help jump-start her return to travel journalism. But she’s not the only guest there who was also on the Aurora, and it seems that her past has finally caught up with her…

What I Liked:
- Returning to the characters of The Woman in Cabin 10. It would probably help to refresh your memory on the many players from that novel! But it was fun to return to so many people then and seeing how they resurface now.
- Getting to see how Lo was affected and has changed since. People can chance a lot in a decade, and it’s certainly true of Lo. We get to see how she’s still dealing with the psychological impact of the earlier events, but also how she’s settled into motherhood. She’s not the same unreliable narrator as before!
- Women helping women. For all her sketchiness and faults, Carrie is still in some ways a victim, so it’s no wonder that Lo wants to help her. It may not be her best choice, but she feels it’s the right one in order to protect Carrie from an evil man.

What Didn’t Work for Me:
- The Woman in Suite 11 goes in a few different directions, sometimes feeling more scattered than it should. I wish it had been a bit more focused and scary.
- Some things don’t feel fully resolved by the end. The piece of paper from Ben? The mushroom soup? Lo’s role in getting to England? The conclusions of the investigation? I wanted more answers.

Final Thoughts
As much as I loved its predecessor, The Woman in Suite 11 doesn’t hit quite the same way. I still enjoyed this novel and some parts were quite exciting; I did race through the whole book. But this was a rather different sort of thriller. It’s less edge-of-your-seat and more looking-over-your-shoulder-so-you-don’t-get-caught. Ruth Ware fans will likely appreciate it, but it’s not as gripping as her usual work. Regardless, it was fun to catch up with these characters, and I look forward to the upcoming movie adaptation of The Woman in Cabin 10.

I wasn’t sure Lo Blackstock needed a sequel, but I was here for it! A creative way to bring back characters without rehashing everything in the past. An interesting storyline, made more interesting by these characters.

This is a follow up of Ruth Ware’s book Woman in Cabin 1o, with the character Lo Blacklock. Needless to say, I did not read the first book, but enjoyed this as a standalone.
It was not a story that I was expecting from this author. It did hold my interest to keep on reading with some unexpected twists.and I was intrigued with the mystery that revoked around these characters. I have to admit I did not figure it out at all.
Thank you Ruth Ware, NetGalley and Scout Press for giving me the chance of reading that ARC.

The Woman in Suite 11 is a follow-up ten years in the making. The story begins with Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10, published in 2016. If you have not read that book, I suggest you do before reading this one.

Ten years have passed since Lo Blacklock’s ordeal aboard the Aurora cruise ship. Since that time she’s gotten married, had kids, and been a stay at home mom during Covid. She gets an invitation to a showing of an elite hotel owned by the Liedmann group and thinks this is a great chance to get back on the horse. She travels to Europe for the showing and finds herself face-to-face with several people who had been aboard the Aurora with her all those years ago. What is going on?

I read The Woman in Cabin 10 when it came out and enjoyed it but I definitely did not remember all the details. The author did a good job reminding the reader of many of them but I still felt confused in the beginning when I couldn’t remember what had happened. This book was a fast-paced yet irritating thriller. I am not sure why Lo would think anything would be different and why she made some of the choices that she did.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the author, the publisher; and Netgalley.

I remember reading the Woman in Cabin 10 when it came out years ago and really enjoying it. But then I felt like I was done with the characters and the story. I hadn’t given them any more thought until I heard about this sequel. I read a detailed recap, which refreshed my memory and then I dove in. Overall, the book was just fine. After reading the recap, I was able to keep my bearings being thrown back into this world, I didn’t feel lost at all. However, I just feel like this sequel wasn’t needed. It was a bit redundant and made me want to reach through the pages and shake the MC! I would have much preferred a new, original story from Ware, but I will continue to read what this author puts out regardless!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. I lovved Woman in cabin 10 and knew I would love this too. Ruth Ware is a great thriller author. I highly recommend this one and was shocked at the end!

I actually ended up DNFing this book. I just couldn't get into it although I loved The Woman in Cabin 10. I would recommend rereading The Woman in Cabin 10 first if you are going to read this one.

Ruth Ware has done it again! I love everything she writes. I've read so many of her books that storylines and characters sometimes get mixed up in my head, but that's not her fault. This was another one in her true writing style that I couldn't put down!

Well, helloooo Lo Blacklock! It is nice to see you again! =] Thank you to Gallery Books | Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for the ARC!!!! This was such a fun read. I love a good Ruth Ware novel, so being reunited with Lo was such a treat. This book was great, and I am so excited for the world to read it!

I was excited to revisit these characters as I remember absolutely loving "The Woman in Cabin 10" back in the day. While I enjoyed this thriller overall, it also made me remember why I don't read quite as many anymore. Lo's decisions were oftentimes perplexing and just didn't make sense, and I also struggled to understand why she and Carrie were so close so quickly again. However, I loved the luxury hotel and European setting and it was a quick read for the summer - 3.5 stars rounded up.

The one thing I would add is that as someone who doesn't remember details of books even a few months after finishing, much less 10 years after, I felt out of the loop as many of the first book's characters were reintroduced. I wasn't invested enough to reread "The Woman in Cabin 10" but I did google a synopsis online to refresh my memory - and that helped! I felt like there needed to be a little more background to reacquaint the reader with these characters since many years have passed.