Mark and Erin seem like the perfect couple, enjoying their time together and planning their wedding. Mark is an investment banker(who loses his job before the wedding) and Erin is a filmmaker. Mark is not exactly a happy camper with financial worries and his failure to secure a new job consuming his thoughts. Since they pre-planned a once in a lifetime honeymoon to Bora Bora, they agree to not let their current concerns spoil their trip and away they go.
It is a gorgeous, romantic location and they take full advantage of all it offers. So what could go wrong? For Mark and Erin, it is a scuba diving trip where they discover much more than just crystal clear water and exotic fish. What they find dramatically changes their future. No spoilers here, but I will say that after a killer opening chapter, I was hooked. I really had no idea where the author was headed with this story, which just kept me flipping pages to find out.
I am slightly in awe of the quality of debut novels I've read this year and Something in the Water was no exception. The story held my interest until the last page and I will be on the lookout for her next book.
Thank you, Catherine Steadman, Simon and Schuster UK Fiction and NetGalley for the complimentary digital copy.

I can see why Reese Witherspoon selected this as her June book club pick, it's a story just begging to made into a movie. In fact, Fox has already bought the film rights. The author hooks us from scene one, and the pace never really let's up - if I had more time I would have finished this in one sitting. I think the best thing about this book is that everything that happens feels very possible, so I kept thinking what would I have done in this situation. The use of current day technology like google and GPS coordinates added a fun element. I was VERY happy that she did not close with five million reveals. I've recently read quite a few thrillers that over kills the ending with so many twists, that the whole story just becomes ridiculous. I highly recommend this suspenseful debut.

The Story: While scuba diving in Bora Bora, honeymooners Erin and Mark find something in the water that will test their marriage and imperil their lives.

Well where to start ?!??

Right from the very first chapter this book will get you hooked and you will be desperate to find out why a grave is being dug !!

The plot follows Erin and her new husband Mark. Whilst on honeymoon they back a shocking discovery in the water, whilst out scuba diving. What do they find ? What would you do ? Where will the decisions lead ?

As well as following the events which follow the discovery in the water we also get to meet three prisoners due for release that Erin is making a documentary about. I loved all the characters and you really find yourself routing for someone that you probably shouldn’t be.

The book kept me hooked from the very first page and you just find yourself thinking ........ just one more chapter. This really is a book that you just can’t wait to see what happens next.

A great debut novel that I highly recommend and I really am looking forward to reading more from Catherine in the future.


Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

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

This book starts with a bang, Erin and Mark find something in the water. They have to decide whether to tell the truth or kept it a secret. What follows is an adventure filled with twists and tense moments.

This is quite an enjoyable debut novel. I did find the beginning of pf the book a bit slow., but it picks up its pace about a third of the way in and then the tension mounts with it. I liked the main characters. They both had their own way of of dealing with the situation. Overall a decent read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and the author Catherine Steadman for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an OK drama about a young married couple who go on honeymoon and discover something that causes them to rethink their lives. It starts well with one of the lead characters digging a grave. However, it then seems to lose focus and meanders quite alot.
I found the characters very frustrating and, although the story that ran parallel about documentary making was interesting, it didn't sufficiently interest me in terms of overall engagement to the story.
It does wrap up nicely at the end and for those who want an easy to read novel, it should fit the bill.

This is a debut novel and it's quite well written, just, not enough to hold my attention throughout.

I'm grateful to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to preview this book.

Fascinating story with twists and turns. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those readers who are interested in reading this type of book.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What a great read could not put it down. Erin is a documentary film producer and Mark is a successful banker and everything is rosy in their life, or so it seems. Great read.

The plot line in this book was so unbelievable that I'm afraid i didn't enjoy it at all. I kept reading hoping that it would improve but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

Like many contemporary psychological thrillers, this novel starts with a flash-forward scene before retracing the steps as to what has led to this point in time. You know the outcome doesn’t bode well for the protagonist when the flash-forward starts with her digging a physical grave, foreshadowing the same metaphorically. The narrative is rich in analogy: newly-wed Erin describes the tarpaulin covering the body as ‘I’d found it abandoned, hanging like a veil from a branch’.

The story then slows down while we get to know the main characters, how Erin and Mark met; their perfect affluent life in their amazing house, with a fantastic wedding and honeymoon to look forward to. You just know it’s all going to come crashing down! Mark’s lost his job but he still has £80k in savings – about two year’s salary for most people – but banker Mark thinks he’s lost everything and cutting back on their lavish wedding is his first priority. But all is not lost and the honeymoon is still on, but with a shorter stay, on the tropical island of Bora Bora.

I have to say the next part, the ‘something in the water’ is not what I was expecting, and after this the pacing picked up. I don’t want to give any spoilers but suffice to say what they find changes everything. At first they do the decent thing, but when fate plays a part, greed takes over and brings out the worst in both characters.

Characters from the sub-plot of Erin’s career breakthrough, are all well-rounded and whilst at times these characters impact on her psychological well-being, help also comes from where she least expects it.

The plot was a little too ‘underworld gangsterish’ for me; I prefer plots that are more real life. Having said that, there were times when I found it hard to put the book down and I did enjoy it. The narrative is well structured, and characters are three dimensional. This is a great read for anybody who likes to read in that genre.

Under Literature Love’s rating scheme, this book has been awarded 4 out of 5 stars.

Four stars means: I enjoyed this book. This book is highly recommended. A well-structured narrative with three dimensional characters (not necessarily likeable). Plot is intriguing with twisty hooks.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for an Advance Review Copy of this book in return for an unbiased and honest review.

This is the kind of book you take on holiday. A fast-paced thriller following Mark and Erin on their journey to marriage, honeymoon and ultimately death. I could not put this book down and kept on wondering what next, oh no don’t do it. It’s a well written fast paced thriller and kept me guessing right until the end. I wanted things to work out for Mark and Erin and was rooting for them throughout and often wondered what would I have done.

Clever people making mistakes through greed.

“Have you ever wondered how long it takes to dig a grave?” These are the dramatic opening lines of Catherine Steadman’s first novel, and the real problem with the rest of the narrative is that it never quite lives up to this early promise.


Erin makes documentary films. Her partner, Mark, is an investment banker and, on the surface, they would appear to be the perfect couple. On their honeymoon, they find a package while scuba diving, the “something in the water” of the title. The result of this find is that a disastrous chain of events is triggered and their lives are changed forever.

My main quibble with this story is that there is just too much content. There are at least two stories crammed into one book. Erin’s documentary about three prisoners would have been an interesting novel in itself, but only one of these prisoners is connected to the main story so that the other two are superfluous. There is also a huge amount of technical detail involved in the plot. I am sure it was all accurate but halfway through it became so complicated it was difficult to continue reading. The ending also didn’t seem plausible.

There is a clever idea at the centre of this story, but it became bogged down in too much technical detail and deviation from the main narrative. This writer has obvious potential and I hope for her next book she will concentrate on just one storyline.

Jane

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I chose this book as my next read because it was on the Reese Wetherspoon book club. having read some of her chosen ones before she normally picks well. However, this book had a feel of another book called The Honeymoon about it. I did find it a bit tedious at times and i did find it hard to want to read more. The last 30% may have been the best bit of the book for me.

I really enjoyed this book. Some parts of the book seemed ludicrous - for some reason I feel more inclined to 'believe' it in an American book rather than one set in the UK, I wonder why that is. However it was a thrilling read, which was quite moreish - I had to finish it quickly, and found it hard to put down.

I read this in a couple of days as it just dragged me in. The author has blended true facts, current affairs and a really believable thriller into one. A honeymoon couple, Mark and Erin stumble upon ‘flotsam’ during a dive in Bora Bora....what happens after twists and turns with lies and secrets and even a gangsters help. Well worth a read....I hope there’s a sequel........


I would like to thank the author/publisher/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

Superbly Slick.

Slick and elegantly constructed this is a thriller that will get the blood coursing through your veins. I was instantly entranced by Erin and her inimitable voice. The singular narrative allows direct access to all of Erin’s innermost thoughts and I found myself rooting for her and Mark as events begin to spiral.

The plot really does have it all - East End gangsters, some really bad bad guys, speedboats and a setting that switches from the tropical shores of Bora Bora to a London that fast becomes intensely claustrophobic.

I was utterly fascinated by how one
event can cause your life to alter irrevocably and turned page after page well beyond bedtime, my heart racing as I hurtled towards the final chapter.

This book is guaranteed to make a splash this summer and is the perfect holiday read. Highly recommended.

As soon as Reese Witherspoon announces a new book for her book club it moves to the top of my tbr list. Every book so far has been brilliant. So I had high hopes for this book and the synopsis sounded great. However I am sad to say it was a disappointment. It took me a while to get into and the zipping forward/past certain things in the story did not help the flow. After half way through the story finally started to go somewhere and the pace picked up which kept me reading, but then the end was a bit disappointing and predictable. I wanted to love this book but the unlikeable main characters and the slow pace just made me keen to get to the end but not in a good way.

This book has been well written but the plot is unbelievable.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Fascinating, I really didn’t know what to expect with this novel but I’m glad I was approved to review it! Dark and edgy with a sense of foreboding that grows as the novel progresses.

The book begins very unusual. The main character Erin digs a grave for the corpse of her husband. She describes very precisely how difficult it is in reality to dig a grave. How it happened that she has to make her dead husband disappear, we learn on the following pages.

Erin and Mark have been together for a few years. They're happy. Mark has weathered the problems of the UK finance industry and Erin is making a name for himself as a documentary filmmaker. They decide to marry and make an opulent honeymoon. Unfortunately, Mark then loses his job by a stupid coincidence. So the wedding is more modest. But the honeymoon remains exclusive. Bora Bora. First class flight and a top hotel. Erin and Mark are happy.

On a diving trip they make a discovery. Due to adverse circumstances, a found bag ends up with them. They open it. And that changes everything.

You have to throw aside your common sense, your own morality and the logic to enjoy this book. So much goes wrong here and is so incredibly unlikely. But it's a lot of fun. The book is a light-footed trip into the depths of man. Erin and Mark, a normal couple, become greedy random criminals in no time. The decline of the relationship is frightening but at the same time comprehensible. Of course, there are a lot of unbelievable accidents, e.g. through Erin's accidental contact with a criminal. But the story is just a breathless action trip. There is a lot to criticise here but I see no reason why I should do so. The book is a lot of fun. You should just turn off you r head and enjoy the ride.

Something In The Water by Catherine Stedman was a thrilling roller coaster ride that had me on the edge of my seat.
Erin and Mark are on their honeymoon in Bora Bora when they come across something in the water that changes everything for them. They have to make some life changing decisions that will have far reaching consequences.
This is the first book by this author and I will be eagerly awaiting her next book. This was my favourite book so far this year.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK Fiction.
for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.