Book Review: Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman (Audible)

On By MischenkoIn Fiction, Reads, Thrillers

Something in the Water

by Catherine Steadman

40390080

From Goodreads:

A shocking discovery on a honeymoon in paradise changes the lives of a picture-perfect couple in this taut psychological thriller debut–for readers of Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, and Shari Lapena.

If you could make one simple choice that would change your life forever, would you? 

Erin is a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough, Mark a handsome investment banker with big plans. Passionately in love, they embark on a dream honeymoon to the tropical island of Bora Bora, where they enjoy the sun, the sand, and each other. Then, while scuba diving in the crystal blue sea, they find something in the water. . . .

Could the life of your dreams be the stuff of nightmares?

Suddenly the newlyweds must make a dangerous choice: to speak out or to protect their secret. After all, if no one else knows, who would be hurt? Their decision will trigger a devastating chain of events. . . .

Have you ever wondered how long it takes to dig a grave?

Wonder no longer. Catherine Steadman’s enthralling voice shines throughout this spellbinding debut novel. With piercing insight and fascinating twists, Something in the Water challenges the reader to confront the hopes we desperately cling to, the ideals we’re tempted to abandon, and the perfect lies we tell ourselves.

My thoughts on this book:

I love psychological thrillers, so when I saw this on Audible I gave it a shot. I love that the book is narrated by the author. I thought she was perfect and had no issues there. The story just sort of fell flat for me.

The two main characters are Erin and Mark and the book is told from Erin’s POV. Erin writes documentaries for a living, while her husband Mark is an investment banker. He’s handsome and super loved by everyone. They’re newlyweds–very much in love– and about to head on an extravagant honeymoon. Plans to have a family are on the horizon. While scuba diving in Bora Bora, they discover something in the water that has the potential to change their lives forever. It becomes clear fairly quickly that they’ve gotten themselves into a boat-load of trouble.

One decision after another; they seem to have it all planned out. The problem is that sometimes Erin’s curiosity gets the best of her and it was times like this where I just cringed. I almost couldn’t take it! There were parts in the book where I just couldn’t stand her character and wanted to scream. It’s these events, however, that move the plot along and make it interesting. Not only that, Mark can be a jerk when he wants to be and I had a hard time figuring him out in the beginning. The question is, can they stick together and really pull this off? If it weren’t for the HUGE spoiler in the beginning of the book, it might not be so easy to figure out.

After the first big introduction, the book starts out slow and boring and gradually just keeps getting better. For me though, it fell flat–probably because of the way it started and knowing a crucial detail from the very start. I’m iffy about beginnings like that, although you’re left to wonder about Erin’s character throughout because of it. The ending was fairly predictable and I could see where it was going though.

One of my biggest issues with the book was all the added details and some of the secondary characters. I just found them sort of worthless and they took away from the main plot. With that said, I did still enjoy the book and there were a few times where I was on edge. I was very anxious a few times in the story. It just wasn’t as thrilling as I expected it to be. If you like thrillers, I would still recommend you give this one a try!

3***

Find this book on Goodreads and Amazon:

Audible Audiobook

  • Listening Length: 11 hours and 41 minutes
  • Program Type: Audiobook
  • Version: Unabridged
  • Publisher: Random House Audio
  • Audible.com Release Date: June 5, 2018
  • Whispersync for Voice: Ready
  • Language: English, English

Hardcover:

  • Pages: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Ballantine Books (June 5, 2018)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1524797189
  • ISBN-13: 978-1524797188

Thanks for reading my review of Something in the Water. Have you read this book? Let me know in the comments section below. Have a wonderful day!

❤ Mischenko

 

25 thoughts on “Book Review: Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman (Audible)”

    1. Yeah, I’d guess you’d probably be somewhere around how I feel about it. It just wasn’t thrilling (for me)…only in a few parts, that is. I did still like it, but wasn’t excited to finish. The cover didn’t pull me in either, but there were so many awesome reviews for it! We are all so different. 😂 Thanks, Shalini. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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  4. Oh no, lol. I bought this on audible too and just haven’t listened to it yet. I’ve heard mixed reviews which is why I’ve not yet listened to it…maybe I’ll put it off for a bit more, LOL. Great review and love your honesty. I can’t wait to see what I think…eventually! haha! ❤

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. I might, but I’m awful with audiobooks anyway, lol. It will depend a lot on whether I like the narrator…which I know I do since I loved her in Downton Abbey, But still, it could be different with this type of story. It will be a while before I get to it since I have so many books to read and audiobooks get delved last priority, lol. But we will definitely compare notes when I do!! ❤ 🙂 You're welcome!

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    1. At first I thought it was going to be awesome from the way it started, but yeah, I didn’t like that info shared in the beginning because I’d rather guess until the end. Definitely give it a try though! I certainly don’t want to bash it because I did still like it. Thanks for reading my review! ❤

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  9. I used a credit to get this one from audible when it was first published. I do not like a lot of extraneous information, especially when listening to the story. I guess I shall see, but I usually agree pretty much with your assessments. Great review Jenn.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Well I certainly hope you like it more than me, Carla. I did still like it, but I was hoping for so much more. I thought the author as a narrator was very good though! ❤🎃 We’ll have to chat after you read it. 😁 Take care and thank you!

      Liked by 1 person

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