"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. . . ."

A great thriller that starts with the question of Do You Know How Long It Takes To Dig A Grave?!

Full of twists and turns, suspense and intrigue and a book that once you picked it up it was hard to stop reading.
I love a book that deals with a dilemma and leaves you asking yourself "what would I have done?"

I really enjoyed the book. Loved the story plot and twists. Approachable characters, realistic situations. Some descriptions or story „fillers” were tiny bit too long, but in overall - very good book and I’d read more by the author. Thank you, great job!

The opening paragraph of this book is one of the best I have ever read. If ever there are words to intrigue you sufficiently to want to read the rest of the story these are they. "Have you ever wondered how long it takes to dig a grave? Wonder no longer."

Bombshell dropped, I was into this book straight away. Especially as the scenes then change to the run up to a young professional couple's wedding. Mark works in the respected world of finance, Erin is an up and coming documentary maker. Surely the initial chapter can't be anything to do with them? Then the possibilities start to open up, with the couple's circumstances changing significantly enough for them to have to rethink their whole wedding. My brain was buzzing with questions as to what could possibly link them to the opening paragraph.

The one part of the wedding they decide not to compromise on is their honeymoon: the trip of a lifetime to Bora Bora. With their accommodation being a stunning water bungalow, the white sandy beaches and scuba diving opportunities this trip is just what they need after the uncertainties of the previous weeks. The relaxing atmosphere doesn't last long though when a diving expedition throws up more than they ever could imagine.

The tension quickly rises from their hasty retreat from their honeymoon destination, back to the streets of London where Erin tries to get answers to what has happened, all the while trying to think up solutions to the dilemmas they face. It's not the life she imagined for the start of her marriage to the love of her life. Yet with all that's going on, Mark is keen to stay in the back seat and let Erin be more pro-active. Why would a man let his new wife take all the risks? And why is high profile criminal Eddie getting in touch with Erin from behind bars? What on earth have the young couple got themselves into?

I found this book totally engrossing, and couldn't wait to see just how deep the couple had fallen into the criminal world they found themselves in. The answers were way off anything I had considered at the beginning of the book and I was shocked and proud at just how brave Erin was. Husband Mark never ceased to amaze me with the ugly side to his personality.

This is a completely different book to anything I have read before and I enjoyed it from the first page to the last. Knowing who the author is in her other day job I was extremely impressed by this, her debut novel and can't wait to read her future work.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

I am not really sure how to start this review. I was excited by this book, mainly because of who the author is. I had such high hopes for it and I was amped up as the audiobook is also narrated by the author. However, well, the book just did not work for me.

We had pages and pages of detail and information that we just didn’t need and unfortunately, I got bored. I even considered DNFing it, but I hate doing that so I stuck it out. I ended up reading instead of listening to the last 10% and that was interesting, but overall it left me with so many more questions.

I liked Erin, but she did start to annoy me in stages, as it felt like she was just constantly whining and questioning everything, even down to if she should leave her husband…they had just got married!

I am thankful for every book I get the chance to read, but I did find some of this painful to listen to/read. I struggled to connect to Erin, even if I did like her, a contradiction I know. I just couldn’t connect with this book and dare I say it I switched off in some bits as I was a bit bored. There were elements that didn’t make sense to me, and it might if I spoke to someone who has read the book but these characters knew a lot of things that I just couldn’t work how they would know them. It is hard because I don’t want to give it away.

I just felt it took too long to make a point sometimes I felt the storyline was intriguing enough. But as I mentioned just too many questions I have no answers for. I didn’t “get” the ending either, the basis of why the said person was doing what they were doing, just well seemed so out of character, from the little I knew about them. Plus, how Erin became integrated and reliant on another character, again this threw me and makes me wonder if I have missed the bigger picture.

I hate being a negative nelly in my reviews, and this is one of the few times that I have. However, I will read something by Steadman again, I haven’t completely written her off. I mean this was her debut and that’s not to say it was bad, because it wasn’t. It just didn’t work for me personally.

When a book arrives on your doorstep, flagged as being Hitchcokian in tone and a highly elevated thriller, part of you opens it and demands 'SHOW ME!'

In the very first chapter I was caught, hook line and sinker, by Catherine Steadman's immaculate prose and the shocking events it portrays.

It then backtracks to the happiest days in the lives of Mark and Erin, their honeymoon in Bora Bora and the place where it all started to go oh so badly wrong. By building up the tension and maintaining a confessional tone to the first person narrative, Catherine really places you in the heart of an emotional whirlpool as you become more invested in this young couple who are heading for a deadly denouement.

They find something on a scuba diving expedition and without wanting to give away spoilers, it completely changes their lives. You are constantly kept on your toes as a reader, not in the respect that this is so fast that you are in danger of being left behind, but in the way that things accumulate as the plot advances, it gets bigger and denser with so much at stake that you genuinely fear for them both.

Mark and Erin could have been insufferably perfect but Catherine Steadman's eye for details really engages you, and catches you caring about them before you consciously realise that you are in so deep that you cannot put this down! Or want to press it on all your book reading friends!
It is so very good it is hard to believe this is a debut novel and I am sure the buzz about the paperback release will be absolutely outstanding and those who have a hardback copy will be keen to read it over again!

Absolutely devoured this book. The perfect summer blockbuster read full of mystery, an array of characters and some good old thrills. Grab yourself a drink and settle down with this stunning mystery.

Young couple enjoying a once in a lifetime holiday in a tropical paradise encounter something unexpected which changes their holiday, their relationship and their lives forever.
I enjoyed this but found the premise a bit far-fetched. Good pacing and storytelling.

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

While this one was enjoyable and was certainly a page-turner, the plotline itself wasn't as thrilling as I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, it's still a great read, it just didn't have me at the edge of my seat.
Regardless I am still looking forward to reading more from these author.

I really did not like Something in the water. I tried my hardest to finish this book but unfortunately I had to give up on it. Sorry this was not for me.

Would someone please capture the present-tense narrative, strangle it, pack the remains in a box, seal it, then fire it into space, where, hopefully, it'll get lost in the black hole, whence it can never ever return.

I. hate. it. It's flat, limiting and sucks the heart, the soul, the life, the body, emotion from every story. And in this book, it was a bit of a mess. The story starts in the 'now'. And then flashes back to the events leading up to the 'now'. So, by definition, the past should be just that. In the past.

My heart sinks every time I start a book and discover the wretched PTN. But, in most cases, thankfully, the quality of writing and a good plot manage to subdue my annoyance a bit.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the case here. The start was slow, and though it did pick up eventually, the plot was rather farfetched: a young couple, madly in love, have a dream honeymoon in Bora Bora. On a diving trip, they find something life changing in the water. Something that tests their relationship, their principles, their morals, their sense of justice.

And if Steadman is British, why she annoyingly chose Americanisms like 'bangs' and 'math' is beyond me.

Neither one of the couple, Erin and Mark, are likeable. It's difficult to empathise with either of them. There's also some unfinished business at the end. If it's meant to augur a sequel, I'll probably give that a miss.

Erin and Mark seem to be the perfect couple. Mark is a very successful investment banker and Erin is in the process of making a documentary. It's based around three people; all stereotypical prisoners, being held in London jails, nearing the end of their sentences. It's an exciting time for Erin; her dream wedding to Mark is just weeks away and her film is attracting all the right people. Just when she thinks life couldn't get any better; Mark loses his job. The wedding day soon rolls around and when they jet off to Bora Bora for their honeymoon, Mark still hasn't found a new position. Erin is oblivious to the seriousness of their financial situation until, after a few too many drinks, he tells her they'll probably have to sell the house. They talk and decide that they'll enjoy the rest of the honeymoon and deal with the problems, together when they get home. Later, all of the guests, at the luxury resort, are advised to stay in their rooms while a storm passes over. Luckily their part of the Island seems to get away with very little damage, so the holidaymakers can continue to enjoy themselves. Mark and Erin decide to go diving. That decision, and what they find on that dive will change their lives forever. It could be the end of their financial problems forever; they could live the kind of life that everybody dreams of, but they'll have to break a few rules first. Can they do that? Can they become those kinds of people? The type with no moral compass or ethics. The type that, just yesterday, they would have looked down on and despised. Can they do what needs to be done and still be the same Mark and Erin when it's all over? Or will it change them so much that they won't recognise the person they married just weeks earlier? You'll have to read it to find out.

I can usually tell, from the very first page of a book whether I'm going to enjoy it or not. If the first page gets my interest I know I'm onto a winner. With this; I feel tricked. Those opening lines were so good, so full promise. The promise of an edge of your seat read, but I found it too unbelievable to take seriously. I mean if you come into a crapload of money but need to hide it you need a banker to tell you how right? Tick; the husband s a banker. If you need to sell dodgy diamonds, get a gun or get advice on what to do with a couple of dead bodies you need a criminal right? Tick: the people in her documentary.
I didn't like Erin's character from the beginning. She was so judgemental to everyone, but especially when it came to the prisoners she was filming. So hypocritical considering what she ends up doing herself.

I'm sorry to say this but the author, Catherine Steadman, comes across as over-privileged and out of touch. It seems that she thought, watching a few American crime shows would suffice as research for the book. When it comes to police and prison procedure's there's so many error's it becomes laughable. Firstly H.M.P Holloway closed in 2016, so Erin certainly couldn't have interviewed any prisoners there in 2018, there definitely wasn't any electrically operated doors, and if there had been, there certainly wouldn't have been a button she could press from the inside of a holding cell to release the said door. I think every woman ever incarcerated there would have opened their own cell doors if that had been possible.
It's a real shame, as the writing was really good. Unfortunately, the story wasn't anywhere close.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC of this book. It was an entertaining read, and I will read more of this talented author. Recommended.

Now that’s what I call an “eyes out on stalks” beginning. “Have you ever wondered how long it takes to dig a grave?” You certainly got my full attention, well until I read several pages on how to dig a grave (yawn).

When Erin and Mark marry they seem to have the perfect relationship, the only thing that Tarnishes it is that Mark a Banker, has lost his job but they are determined that this will not spoil their dream honeymoon to Bora Bora.

Whilst scuba-diving they come across a bag which contains something that could potentially change their lives forever. I couldn’t help but wonder what I would do if I was in their shoes!!

A great start but the rest of the book is a slow burner. I did enjoy this,but at times I did find it unbelievable and the ending left me feeling robbed.

If you like a slow burning thriller then you will probably like this book. I liked the premise of the story but it didn’t quite capture my imagination.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review.

I was intrigued by the opening few pages, and of course wanted to know more. The lives of the main characters were generally nothing out of the ordinary, until of course they found something in the water: from then on their lives took quite a different route, because of the decisions they made. Although the circumstances of the choices they made were at times unbelievable, in fact I found their decisions they made perfectly believable.

3.5*

Something in the Water is a really good debut novel by Catherine Steadman. Once I started reading, I found it hard to put down.

This book was great!
Very much a story that suits my book tastes and I would highly recommend
Quick to get into and easy to read

This is a really gripping read about a couple – Erin is a documentary filmmaker and Mark who is a banker – they’re about to be married but Mark has started being really moody. It turns out he’s in financial difficulties, while at the same time Erin’s career is going well as she’s gained access to a notorious gangster in prison and is going to be making a film about him. The couple tweak their wedding plans and manage to afford to still go on their dream honeymoon and that’s when life gets really complicated. This is a novel about moral dilemmas, and about trust. You do need to suspend disbelief at times but that doesn’t take away from the novel at all. This is such a gripping, fast-paced read, and one that I couldn’t stop thinking about whenever I wasn’t reading it. I’ll definitely be looking out for more books by this author!

Erin is in a pretty good place, she’s about to marry the man of her dreams – banker Mark and is starting to film her biggest documentary to date about prison releases and has been granted exclusive access to a notorious gangster who has never agreed to be interviewed like this before. But when Mark suddenly loses his job things start to change, he snaps easily and Erin is unsure how to help him. However a few changes to their wedding plans they manage to tie the knot and head off on their exotic honeymoon, when a trip out to sea brings an unexpected discovery of a suitcase which could answer their money problems, but also could test their relationship to it’s limits.

This was a gripping plot of twists and turns and unexpected surprises, the development of Erin throughout the novel was brilliant. On starting the book you can find yourself relating to her and warm to her, but as they book goes on and she gets caught up in the mystery of the suitcase her character changes, but at the same time you continue to root for her. You’re never too sure which side of the line Erin will end up by the end of the story, or indeed which side the other characters are on but that adds to the intrigue and makes this a real page turner.

This is definitely the perfect book for those rainy summer evening or those cold winters ones! Put this on your reading list now!

This was absolutely thrilling from start to finish! The action doesn’t really get going until Erin and Mark go on their honeymoon but even the build up and the back story of Erin’s documentary making had me gripped. You do need to suspend reality at times and there were moments when things just conveniently went well for the main characters to aid the plot but I won’t focus too much on that. Definitely want to read more from Catherine! Thanks to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.