This was an interesting read that I did enjoy. Beautiful and creepy descriptions that had me smiling and then my skin crawling. One issue was having to stop to look up meanings of words since I am not a sailor nor from the Indian Ocean area, but thankfully the internet helped. Also was a bit let down by the ending.

Oooh this one was so close to greatness! The whole time I was reading it, I couldn’t wait for the other shoe to drop. The opening set-up with Captain Tengku receiving Virginie’s mayday call, the near-dead husband they discover on board, Virginie’s proclamation that “they’re all dead, I killed them all”… I really thought we were headed somewhere. Though, I have to say, when a main character claims to have “killed everyone”’or even just“killed someone,” I often find this to be the kiss of death. Very rarely do the characters actions live up to the claim. Frequently they feel their negligence or their miscommunication or their being in the wrong place at the wrong time means they they “killed” the person, when in fact they’re just being over dramatic and experiencing survivors guilt, but actually didn’t play an active role in harming someone. More on this later.

The pace slowed considerably after that, which made sense and I didn’t have a problem with it. We watch as Virginie and Jake, newlyweds, outfit their new-to-them sailboat with everything they’ll need for a months-long adventure on a remote island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. They have some sketchy interactions at port before they take off to this secret island. Upon arrival, it appears like paradise. The island turns out to have a sort of messed up past, but nothing horrifying or wildly upsetting (though Virginie appears VERY upset by it at many points). Virginie also experienced many flashbacks to her previous marriage to a controlling, potentially abusive (?) first husband. It is unclear why she has these flashbacks; I thought they were going to lead us somewhere but I guess they were just a red herring or otherwise adding to her character’s experience. When they didn’t end up going anywhere with the plot, it felt like a letdown. Anyway. The island and the other vacationer/survivalist/adventurers comes with a set of rules. These rules are shared with Virginie and Jake, but they never seem to take them super seriously, also a sketchy character from the port has popped up on the island and repeatedly offers free things to Virginie. He clearly wants her, and Virginie remains shockingly oblivious to his ulterior motives (and general sketchiness), despite multiple clear moments she notes that should remind her of her history with her ex. SMH. Things eventually go downhill, but nothing really explosive happens. The sketchy dude turns out to be, you guessed it, real sketchy (though we never actually find out what he does for work which DRIVES ME NUTS because it’s a constant question mark throughout the book. Like I mentioned above, Virginie and her near-dead husband get picked up by a navy ship at some point after all the shit goes down and she claims to have “killed everyone” but that’s not really quite what happened (is this a spoiler? It really shouldn’t be to anyone who has ever read a book or seen a movie where any MC claims to kill other people).

The writing was quite good! This was super close to a fantastic novel for me, but just needed more of an explosive end, or maybe less lead up?

4/5 stars.

Vee and her husband are on a sailing adventure when they hear of a beautiful, remote tropical island. They soon learn that island life is not as idyllic as they expected. Deep Water is a slow burn with a strong sense of place rather than a fast-paced thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to more from Emma Bamford.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

3.5 out of 5 stars

I have to rate this 3.5 stars because it held my attention. I got caught up with the stories of Virginie and Jake and their lives and how they came to sell everything and go sailing around the world, how they met a mysterious man at one excursion who told them of a secret island that is not for the faint of heart or physicality, but also beautiful beyond description.

I feel as though I was lead to believe this was going to lean more on the supernatural side of things? That is not the case. Virginie and Jake go to this island, make acquaintances at a port along the way, who end up going to the island as well, where there were already three other people and a dog. There is a dark history behind the island, but nothing mysterious, really.

I got caught up in the daily lives of the would-be islanders, exploring, fishing, cooking.

Then someone dies and people start leaving. Virginie and Jake, although they are newly married, start to feel the strain of having to make do for oneself in an otherwise wild location. Lies and deceptions, as well as some potentially costly mistakes, begin to unravel paradise.

There is one character who, while he made my skin crawl, was not what I expected at the end. It felt as though he felt one way throughout the book, but while he was cringe-worthy, near the end it seems as though he has a personality change and is even worse. There wasn't a lot of meat to that change, either.

There seemed to be some parts of the story that were only thrown in to clear up plot holes that would have been there otherwise, but also so as to not require another hundred or so pages.

Again, this kept me reading. I just feel like it could have been so much better.

A navy vessel finds a woman and man in a yacht in need of help, only to find they are not the owners of the yacht and the man is in terrible shape. So what happened on the remote (and creepy) tropical island paradise where the newlywed couple was? What led them to make a distress call to the navy ship? And where are the owners of the yacht? I was hooked from the very first chapter of the book, which caused intense anticipation of what happened to Jake and Virginie and how they ended up needing the help of Captain Tengku. I had so many different scenarios playing out in my head of what happened, but this book threw me for a loop. I think part of me was waiting for something weird or supernatural to happen because I was getting a lot of “Lost” vibes, but it didn’t go there and I was fine with that! In the end, I was turning pages so quickly and even stayed up late to finish it because I had to know how it all ended!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

This book was just ok for me. The beautiful cover & enticing blurb drew me in, but the story dragged. The begging of the story was exciting, and it started off strong. But then, chapter after chapter, it seemed like nothing happened. The book had unfortunately lost me when the secret was revealed. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advanced copy!

This nautical thriller tells the tale of a newly married couple escaping life in the UK, bound for adventure sailing in exotic locations in Asia. They hear of the island Amarante, a secluded paradise, offering them the chance to explore tropical life, depending on themselves for food and survival, while enjoying the romance of exotic adventure. Once there, they meet other intrepid travelers and form a community. However, soon into their travels, things go awry.

The narrative is strong. In the very first pages as you learn of the couple being picked up by a naval vessel, you know that something has gone wrong, but it’s only towards the end that the full story becomes clear.

I enjoyed this book, with themes reminiscent of “Lord of the Flies” or “the Beach”, but with a modern-day twist. I did find some parts of the book a little slower, which may have been deliberate to convey the slower way of life the central characters are experiencing, but it did mean there were some pages that dragged a little for me.

Overall a good read, particularly for those that enjoy thrillers and stories of foreign adventures.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing an eARC with me.

Super intrigued by the plot and had high hopes, but unfortunately the story did not live up to them. It started off strong, fell flat in the middle with not much happening page after page, and then picked back up in the end for a not so satisfying ending. Would not recommend.

In the debut novel “Deep Water” by Emma Bamford, the reader is taken on an adventure of sailing through the Indian Ocean to the tiny remote island of Amarante. It takes two weeks of sailing to reach this island. There are 3 other boats visiting at the same time. However, is everyone as they seem or is there trouble brewing?!

Overall, I enjoyed the story. However, the character development is a little shallow and it is a slow burn of a thriller. Since the pace is already slow, I would have liked to see a little bit more character development. I would still recommend reading this book, especially if you enjoy slow burn thrillers where everything goes wrong in paradise!

Thank you @netgalley and @gallerybooks for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

The blurb for this book reminded me a bit of a true story -- the murders on Plumyra Atoll. Wealthy couple sails their boat to an Atoll to enjoy a few days in the sun, only to discover there are already two other people there. The two younger people sailed to the Atoll to escape drug charges and their boat motor conked out. They coexist for awhile....then things turn bad. Several weeks later, the druggie couple sails into port with the wealthy couple's boat. The wealthy couple is never seen again.

The story in Deep Water is similar but different. A naval ship encounters a boat at sea sending out distress signals. An injured man and his wife are on board. The woman confesses to doing something bad and killing people. She agrees to tell the whole story.....they sailed to an isolated island to enjoy the beach only to find there was a group of sailors already there. Things go fine for awhile.....but when it goes bad, it goes bad quickly.

This story was just ok for me. The pacing was a bit too slow, and I felt like I was reading a reworking of a true story/earlier book by another author. I expected a bit more excitement. Slow burn is sometimes too slow when there really isn't an exciting moment until the very end. The ending just didn't pack enough power to justify the slow, slow pacing. It just took to long to get there for me.

I'm glad I read the story, but it did disappoint me a bit.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Gallery Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

This was a great book and it kept me engaged in the characters until the very end. I really enjoyed this book!

When I saw the endorsement quote from Ruth Ware, I immediately wanted to give this one a read. The first chapter was off to a promising start, but then it lost steam. It was a slow sleepy crawl to the end. Very little mystery to this one.

I had such high hopes for this story. Set at sea, semi-survivalist, intrigue from the beginning. But, unfortunately, this one was a miss for me.

At the beginning of the novel, a Navy vessel comes across a yacht in distress in the middle of the Indian Ocean. On the boat, they find an injured man and his disoriented and traumatized wife who confesses "we killed them". From there, we are taken back in time, through the accounts of Virginie, the wife, to the couples journey to and on a remote & idyllic island where they are docked with 5 other people. As everyone's lives become intertwined on the island, what the couple thought would be the trip of their dreams turns into a waking nightmare.

Like I always try to do with books I was not too wild about, I am going to start with the things I liked about the novel. First, the premise was super intriguing and I was eager to continue reading throughout the story to discover what would happen next. Additionally, I think that Emma Bamford is a talented writer and uses the English language to her advantage. I also appreciated the commentary on domestic abuse, but also had some issues with it.

Now, for the parts I didn't enjoy so much. I thought the pacing of this story was off. All of the plot happened within the first 10% & the last 10% of the novel, the rest in between honestly just felt like filler. The story went on and on with no real important events happening and then boom, everything happened all at once within the last 50 pages of the book. Additionally, I felt that there were some serious plot holes, or the point of many aspects just totally went over my head. For example, what was the point of making the island an former prison reform island? I was trying to search for some commentary on prison reform or something related but I missed it. I also was so constantly irritated by every single character within the story, especially Jake, I just found him to whiny and insufferable. Also, not to mention, her was emotionally abusive with no consequences. I found this irritating because there was no retribution for Virginie who was in a previously abusive relationship.

I don't want to be too harsh and continue rambling. I didn't think this book was horrible, but it just wasn't for me. I hope this finds its audience and works out for many people. Will be interested to see what Bamford releases in the future.

Thank you NetGalley, Gallery/Scout Press, and Emma Bamford for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars. I had to skim much of this book as I felt there was too much extra content that had nothing to do with the main plot. The main plot itself kept me engaged, but all the extra nonsense watered down the suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this thinking it would be a mystery/thriller. When I expect a page turning, ohmygod what is going to happen next type book, and I end up reading a book that heavily discusses the details of sailing, I am rather disappointed. Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me.

I love books having anything to do with sailing or being stranded on deserted islands (I've probably watched too many Gone with the Wynns YouTube videos!). So when I saw the description of Deep Water, I was immediately intrigued. A naval captain rescues a man and woman from a boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean and then proceeds to listen to her story about what happened on a tiny island where they were moored with five other sailors. Something bad happened, and the ship captain with a tragic history of his own is trying to put together the pieces.

Deep Water mostly delivered on that interesting premise. This isn't a page-turning thriller, it's more of a quiet book that leaves the reader thinking about questions like does paradise really exist? And: What is community? The plot and writing could have been a little tighter, but overall I enjoyed it.

3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“In the end, you have to choose whether or not to trust someone.”—Sophie Kinsella

After receiving a distress call, Navel Captain Tengku has his ship pull alongside a yacht finding it inhabited by a young couple—one of which is gravely injured. When Virginie sobs out a confession saying “It’s all my fault. I killed them.”, Captain Tengku quickly concludes there is more to this story and slowly gets Virginie to tell him what happened to the owners of the boat, how did her husband become injured and why were they in the middle of the Indian Ocean. As Virginie weaves her story of how her and Jake decided to sell all their worldly possessions to buy a used yacht to enjoy an adventure of a lifetime sailing to wherever they pleased, Captain Tengku is pulled into her naivety of the simple life she’s describing, but as she starts down the path of how they became stranded on a boat not theirs, Captain Tengku must decide if she’s telling the truth…or if she’s hiding something she’s buried in the deep water…

Oh, Dear Reader, it has taken me some time to write this review…alas, I do so dislike rating books this low because it may hinder someone from finding their next fav read. So let me say if you enjoy sailing adventures with lots of jibber jabber about building boats and sailing boats, you may enjoy this story way more than I. When I saw the blurb and it’s reference being similar to THE RUINS, I was sold! Oh, how I so enjoyed the creepy paranormal element to that story, and I was straight up disappointed that there is nothing, notta, zip, zero, niltch of any type of supernatural in this tale. Kinda made me feel like I’d been baited and switched…sigh…

So now we’ve come back to would I recommend. Honestly, I did not enjoy any aspect of this story. The writing is solid, so gave 2 Stars rather than 1. What I would highly recommend is for the promotion team re-evaluate the blurb and remove the comparison to THE RUINS. It’s false advertising. DEEP WATER is more a story of human nature and how some are so eager to trust, while others are quick to take advantage. If that appeals to you, give this a read.



**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

Thank you to Gallery Books, Emma Bamford and Netgalley for letting me read Deep Water early. This one publishes May 31.

Welp, this one started out great and I gobbled it up pretty fast. I really want to say that this is a great book but, honestly most of it was kind of boring. I was hooked because I felt like it was setting up for something great but I never found that thing. It didn’t feel like a thriller at all. I do have to say that it is super well written and the atmosphere was perfect. I definitely felt like I was there, I was just a little bored.

A Navy ship comes to the rescue of a yacht in need of help in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Captain Tengku rushes to its aid and meets Virginie and Jake. Jake is super injured and Virginie tells Tengku the story of how they ended up in trouble. Months earlier they spent all their money on a small yacht and were set out to explore. Once they learn about a small isolated island, they’re ready to go out and adventure. Once they arrive they realize they aren’t alone and quickly become part of a group who already have developed rules and a society. Tengku is trying to find out the truth from Virginie’s story when they make a shocking discovery on the yacht.

Deep Water is Emma Bramford’s debut novel that follows a couple’s adventure on the island of Amaranthe, What should have been a lighthearted adventure turns into something sinister that will change Virginie and Jake’s lives forever.

Sounds exciting, right?

Unfortunately for me, this book lacked any sort of excitement.

Just about nothing happens for about 60% of the book aside from some simple tensions amongst a group of travelers roughing it on the island.

I thought there were going to be some sort of horror elements thrown in with the discovery of ruins on the island, but that ended up leading nowhere and I’m honestly not sure why it was included.

Overall, this book failed to deliver what it promised and didn’t end up feeling like much of a thriller. I will say that it is written beautifully- I could easily picture the island and the people on the island.

However, there is only so much time you can spend on scenery.

I wanted to love Deep Water so much! The plot sounded great and the cover is beautiful. But It was very slow paced and hard for me to get into. It didn’t pick up pace until about 60% through but still just didn’t grasp my attention.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2/5 stars