⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡🔪 First and foremost, I want to thank NetGalley and the author for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review 🔪⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – 4 stars
Third person POV
I’d give this an age rating of – 16+
⤷ Themes include survival, grief, parent-child relationships, and trust under pressure

⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡🩸 My Thoughts 🩸⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡
This one had a slow start, but once the tension hit, it really delivered. The setup—a father and daughter on a road trip, stranded in a diner with strangers as something terrifying closes in—immediately made me intrigued on how this was going to be for readers that liked Stephen King's The Mist. And this book seriously delivered on the creepy factor and the pacing was delivered just right. The creeping dread builds into some truly intense moments, and by the halfway mark, I was glued to the pages.

⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡💀 The Plot 💀⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡
The “living water” concept is both unique and deeply unsettling, the kind of thing that worms into your brain and makes you glance twice at the sink. Being someone that is truly afraid of deep bodies of water, this one had me sitting on the edge of my seat. The confined diner setting amps up the suspense, forcing uneasy alliances and dangerous decisions. The pacing starts measured but escalates steadily until it’s all edge-of-your-seat tension. I feel for Glen just trying to find ways to repair his bond with his daughter Lauren. And you can tell they have drifted apart, but being stuck in an unimaginable situation does wonders for fixing that all up and making you really do a double take.

⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡🗡 The Characters 🗡⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡
⤷ Glen: A father still drowning in grief but desperate to reconnect with his daughter. His vulnerability made me root for him, even when fear threatened to break him.
⤷ Lauren: A believable teen caught between anger and longing for her dad’s attention—her emotional beats felt authentic and hit hard in the chaos.
The rest of the diner’s occupants had just enough personality and secrets to keep things tense, and I enjoyed the push-and-pull between cooperation and mistrust.

⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡🕯 The Vibe 🕯⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡
Claustrophobic, tense, and atmospheric. You can practically smell the stale diner coffee and feel the icy dread seeping in through the windows. The mix of supernatural horror and human desperation keeps things unpredictable, and the isolation of the setting amplifies every threat.

⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡🩸 Conclusion 🩸⟡𓂃 ⟡ 𓂃 ⟡
Once it found its stride, this book delivered exactly what I was hoping for—tight tension, eerie imagery, and a suspenseful race for survival. This really is perfect for fans of The Mist or anyone who loves their thrillers laced with the supernatural. Just be ready to avoid bodies of water for a while after finishing.

i loved the cover and the feels of this one! All the dystopian vibes are making this one not to miss.

I found this book to be an enjoyable read. The story kept me engaged from start to finish and had some moments that really stood out. Overall, it offered an entertaining reading experience.

Unfortunately, this was just not the book for me. It was just not holding my attention and after every chapter I was just not invested to find out what was happening next. Then the twist at the end didn't do it for me either. Was kind of a let down. But, I did catch on to how everyone in the diner had a story about a child dying so that should have been a heads up to what was going on.

CREEPY and CLAUSTROPHOBIC

It's been six years since Glen Masters lost his wife in a tragic accident, and with the hope of reconnecting with his grieving teenage daughter, Lauren, he decides to take her on a road trip through the Appalachian mountains.

PERHAPS THE MANY DECAYING ANIMALS ALONG THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SHOULD HAVE BEEN THEIR FIRST CLUE THAT ALL WAS NOT RIGHT

Lauren really needs to use a rest room, so Glen pulls into the OCEAN DINER for a quick pit stop-an ODD a name considering the location. Even more odd, it seems to be staffed by one man who is both server and cook.

Fittingly, Reba McEntire’s “If Only I had known” is playing on the radio-another ominous sign…

Two armed men stumble in, claiming that deadly "living water" has attacked several people up the road. The story seems to be the rantings of two drunken men, until the first GRUESOME desiccated corpse floats by.

Glen, Lauren and their fellow diners realize that their only hope is to fortify the diner and hope that help arrives in time. But, with the landline out, no cell service and static on the radio-they have no idea how widespread the threat is-or if anyone else knows.

AND, THE WATER IS HUNGRY

Will they all survive?

If this were a movie, it’s the kind you would watch through splayed fingers, as you hold your hands over your eyes….There is a definite feeling of HOPELESSNESS and IMPENDING DOOM.

And, then the story takes a surprising turn that I was definitely NOT expecting. I thought it was CLEVER-very clever.

My only critique is that thrillers often feel a bit too drawn out when they are 400 pages long, including this one. DO read the author’s note where he shares what inspired this book.

Expected publication date: September 23, 2025

Thank You to Sourcebooks Landmark for the gifted ARC provided through Net Galley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.

3.75 rounded up!

What an unsettling, eerie, and bizarre book. I felt anxious the whole time reading and then of course the ending had the cliff hanger!!!

Godfrey's writing is immersive, capturing the chilling ambiance of both the setting and the emotional depth of the characters. As the plot unfolds, the suspense builds, keeping readers on the edge of their seats while forcing them to confront deeper themes of loss and survival. Overall, "Body of Water" is a haunting exploration of fear and the human experience, offering both spine-tingling moments and poignant reflections. It's a must-read for fans of psychological horror and deep character studies!

Despite its short length I found this novel a bit exhausting to get through - on its face I really loved the premise, and the intriguing and creative sense of body horror.

But the consistent repetition had me glazing over entire pages, realizing that I hadn't missed anything upon zoning back in. The dialogue didn't strike me as natural and I found it difficult to get through.

Also the weirdly racist character that somehow stuck around for 90% of the book just seemed totally unnecessary - I understood his stance two pages in.

Thank you to net galley for providing an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review :)

This one felt like so many other stories I've read, and the setup was a bit slow-moving, given the description and overall point of the book. - or, at least what I *thought* was the overall point. I persevered, largely based on other readers' positive reviews, and while I'm not upset that I did, I also didn't love the book as a whole. I really enjoyed the concept of climate change/Mother Nature fighting back, but the ending REALLY irked me and caused many eye rolls once I realized what was actually going on... (Can't say more for fear of spoilers, sorry) On the whole this one felt like a bait-and-switch to me, which I didn't enjoy at all - even if chunks of the ride along the way were interesting and thought-provoking...

Glen and his daughter Lauren are going on a road trip, where he hopes he can rekindle their relationship and reconnect after the tragedy of losing his wife (her mother) 6 years previous. They make a pit stop at a diner and suddenly are trapped, as the diner is surrounded by a deadly body of water that seems very very alive.

This premise is so fun, but oof, this was really not for me. I can't really discuss why without potentially spoiling, which I don't want to do, but just when I was really getting into this and loving the suspense and excitement, Godfrey ripped the rug out from under my feet and just tanked my reading experience.

I'm pretty bummed!

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Body of Water releases September 23, 2025

2.5

While on a road trip to strengthen their father-daughter relationship, Glen and Lauren encounter an unnatural body of water that is intentionally attacking those who are trapped inside the Ocean Diner.

The premise of this story was really cool and I love coming across unique takes on grief exploration and survival. That being said, I thought the side characters were insufferable, and the added racism was unnecessary in furthering the plot.

Adam Godfrey’s Body of Water comes with the quote “For fans of Stephen King’s The Mist and the HBO hit show The Last of Us comes a wildly inventive, sinister thriller following an estranged father and daughter who find themselves trapped in a diner by a living body of water.” If anything Body of Water is too similar to The Mist, if you swap mist for water the two stories are incredibly similar, however, I could see little in the way of connections to The Last of Us. And if you’ve seen the film version of The Mist the ending is totally unforgettable, likewise, Body of Water has a crazy ending. In fact, how you take to the ending will probably reshape your entire take on the novel. I’m not talking about small twists here; I’m talking serious mind-f**ks.

Although I enjoyed Body of Water I also quickly found myself picking sieve-like holes in the plot. The story is simple, for some explained reason a body of water comes alive, can move uphill, follow people, or even open up and create a water free path. It is alive and begins to stalk a group of travellers stuck inside a diner. As the water is unable to breach the diner I found myself wondering about drains, toilet water and sinks etc. If the water is so intelligent then how come it does not use any of these avenues to get inside the diner? However, the curveball ending does help answer some of these questions.

The story opens with Glen Masters taking his teenage daughter Lauren on holiday into the Appalachian mountains, since the death of his wife six years earlier they have drifted apart and he is trying to reconnect be revisiting a place where they have fond memories as a family. On the journey Lauren is the stereotypical surly teenage girl, more interested in her phone than anything her father has to say or show her. However, after stopping for a bite to eat everything changes when two armed and agitated men arrive and claim they have seen “living” water attack and kill some people further up the road.

From then on Body of Water retreads The Mist (with a side helping of Tremors without the humour) with the stranded group in the diner forced to work together to survive after they realise the threat is real. On one level the story focuses upon the relationship of father and daughter, whilst expanding into the other characters in the group, with tempers fraying and them being forced together to survive. This was not anything I had not read before and most of the characters were bland and the book quickly got repetitive.

The scenes involving the living water were neat and vividly described, however, there was only so much you could do with it without it also becoming samey. The manner in which the water killed was suitably gruesome with the story repeatedly circling back to the theme of grief and Glen’s need to protect his daughter. The story deliberately avoids revealing whether this is a worldwide phenomenon, with this also strongly being connected to the revelations of the ending. Body of Water was a decent read with a compelling man versus nature narrative.

I am soooooo excited to receive a copy of “body of water”, once I read the synopsis I knew I had to read this book no matter what 😂 and I love the cover illustration it absolutely pulls you in!

The plot follows Glen who is taking his daughter on a road trip through the Appalachian Mountains when they find themselves trapped in a diner and held hostage between armed men and a deadly entity outside in the form of a living body of water the surrounds the diner.

Firstly a deadly body of water that kills water? Amazing! Secondly, why is there something just so unnerving about diners, and being trapped in one no less? What about them makes the situation just so much more uncomfortable? Is it the large windows allowing whatever’s outside to see in, or the lack of spaces to take hide and cover? Or is it all the objects inside that can be turned into deadly weapons such as kitchen knives and hot stoves? Either was I LOVE a diner for a trapped room setting.

I loved the side plot where Glen is just a struggling father trying to grieve the loss of his wife and reconnect with his daughter, it added an extra layer and a more serious tone to the book. I definitely rooted for this family and wanted them to get out safely so they could move forward with their lives together.

This was overall such a fun read for me I definitely felt the tension throughout and was excited to read along and try to figure out exactly what the heck was happening here. I would definitely recommend the read!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Adam Godfrey for the #netgalley #gifted copy

Publish date: September 23rd

I’m honestly claustrophobic writing about this story.

This story follows a man and his daughter taking a trip to reconnect, relax, spend some quality time together. They stop at a diner and the crap hits the fan when water surrounds the diner and one of the patrons die.

This story is wild, I struggled through the first half of the book but the second half of the book ramped up. Themes of grief, paranoia, and an ended i did not expect. I really ended up enjoying this.

(Look past the fact that it’s “The Mist” rewritten with a sentient body of water, it’s not an issue.. not really)

The teaser for this book is pretty dead-on: If you liked The Mist by Stephen King, or are a fan of the HBO show The Last of Us, this book is likely to appeal to you.

The premise of this story is that a father and his surly teenage daughter plan a short getaway to a remote mountain cabin in an attempt to reconnect following a massive tragedy that left both of them reeling and going to great lengths to avoid feeling or processing their pain. On the way to their cabin, a quick stop for a bathroom break and a bite to eat becomes a multi-day, terrifying, potentially deadly experience.

The main storyline of the book is about the changes within the relationship between the father and his child as they struggle to problem solve and get out of the nightmare situation they've found themselves in - and to find their way back to trusting and communicating honestly with each other.

It's a decently told story, but the ending absolutely confused and annoyed me. I suspect that the author was trying to pull-off something like a "The Sixth Sense"-type twist, but it just doesn't work. Getting myself into the story of these two damaged people trying to relearn how to navigate life in the wake of a massive loss, then having the story ending on such a weird, unfulfilling note left me very frustrated. That being said, I, personally, would not recommend this book to other readers.

I truly appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and give my thoughts on an advance reader copy of this book.

-Body of Water by Adam Godfrey via NetGalley

Such a good read!! It kept me wanting to read more. Definitely recommend this book too all readers !!! Five stars!!!

I read this in one day. I started out thinking it was one kind of book and realized it was a whole other kind of book. In a good way. Nice surprise. The author did a great job of allowing you to feel empathy for these characters. I was all-in after a few pages and that's rare for me. I enjoyed reading the book and honestly wish it had continued a bit longer. I'm not a fan of books in a series, but I would definitely read a follow-up to this one.

All in all, I recommend if you are looking for something a bit fraught that will keep you on the edge of your seat. There were times I read extra quickly because I just needed to know what happens next.

3.75 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing an advanced copy for an honest review.

Just finished Body of Water by Adam Godfrey and… yeah, I’m definitely not trusting any mysterious roadside diners anytime soon.

It starts off pretty chill: a dad (Glen) is trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter after they’ve both been drowning (no pun intended) in grief since losing his wife. So he decides a road trip through the Appalachians will be a good bonding moment. Spoiler: it’s not. They stop at this small-town diner, and all of a sudden these guys burst in freaking out about “living water” that’s killed people up the road. At first, you're like, okay, sure... sounds like bath salts. But then the thing shows up—and yeah, it’s very real, very unnatural, and it’s definitely not here to make friends.

What I liked is how quickly it goes from “awkward dad-daughter trip” to full-on what is happening horror. You’re trapped with them in this diner, and there’s this constant tension—between the people inside, the grief they’re carrying, and this thing waiting outside. It’s claustrophobic and eerie in the best way. Also, it’s not just monster-horror for the sake of it. There’s real emotion here. Glen’s grief, the way Lauren shuts down, the whole sense of loss hanging over them—it all hits. The story makes you care about the characters before it puts them through hell, which makes everything land harder.

Short, fast, creepy, and a little sad in a way that sneaks up on you. If you like horror with heart, this one’s for you. And yeah, maybe skip the water for a bit after. Just to be safe.

Body of Water by Adam Godfrey is a compelling and atmospheric novel that explores themes of grief, identity, and human connection. The pacing is steady, though some sections feel slower than others. Despite this, the novel's introspective nature and powerful imagery make it a memorable and thought-provoking read.

DNF at 54%

Cover is cool.

I didn’t realize quite how literal the title was.

This felt lacking in creativity? There’s a body of water. It’s flooding. Escape is needed. That was all there felt to this book and the writing style just did not pull me in.

There was a lack of delivery on the things I love the most in spooky books and I felt confused and bored. Just because I didn’t love this one though doesn’t mean you won’t! This just was not for me and I’m picky.

Thank you for the ARC! I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily.