This book was not for me, and that's okay. It seemed too slowly paced and did not capture my attention as hoped. I may reread it again in the future in hopes that I will enjoy it as much as originally hoped.

Review published on Goodreads, 30 May 2022:

I enjoy mysteries, survival stories, and books about maritime disasters, so DEEP WATER sounded like the perfect summer thriller for me. The first section of the book—in which a Malaysian naval officer answers a distress call from a raving British woman aboard a blood-spattered luxury catamaran she doesn't own cradling an injured man—is definitely promising, offering up plenty of intriguing plot possibilities. As we slip into backstory, though, the story flounders. I'm all for slow-building tension, but in this case, the tale is a little too slow. Not a lot happens until the last third of the book when the action ramps up again. Although the characters aren't anything super original or special, I liked Virginie and Jake enough to care what was going to happen to them. I kept reading the book because I did want to know how their story finished up. In the end, though, I found DEEP WATER a little unsatisfying. Not only did it get a little boring in the saggy middle, but it also left one of my burning questions unanswered. Overall, it just wasn't as engrossing a read as I wanted it to be, although I liked it well enough.

Jake and Virginie, a newlywed couple, ditch their ten-hour work days to sail to unknow destinations on an old yacht. At their first port, a local sailor convinces them to travel to a little know island in the southern hemisphere, miles from anywhere. When Jake and Virginie arrive, they are greeted by two other yachts, and soon a third appears. Although the newlyweds are far from civilization, they soon learn there are rules and protocols to follow. When Jake and Virginie's yacht breaks down, Jake becomes frustrated with the interference of the other sailors. The situations grows even more heated when Virginie becomes friendly with another yacht captain. Deep Water is a good, page-turning escape read.

Deep Water by Emma’s Bradford

The dark side of paradise is exposed when a terrified couple is in the grips of the island’s secrets.

Well-written. Good terrifying plot. Friendly characters. Much suspense. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

One of my favorites of the year! What a tale! Terrific writing, it really kept me glued! Bit of a slow burn but I happen to love them! A few very unexpected twists and turns and I loved the ending!

Great pacing and intelligently-drawn characters that make you think...what if this happened to you? A intriguing read start to finish.

Captain Danial Tengku is shocked when he and his crew see flares and hear “mayday” over the radio. They find Virginie with her badly injured husband, Jake, aboard a catamaran at sea. Once Jake is stabilized by medical crew onboard, Virginie tells of how she and Jake arrived to a paradise island and how they ended up at sea weeks later. Virginie confessed to the captain that she killed them all, but appearances aren’t always what they seem…

Thank you to @netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Deep Water Emma Bamford

Thanks to Gallery /Scout Press for the ARC

Newlyweds Jake and Virginie set off on their newly acquired, but gently used boat which they have renamed, much to the chagrin of seasoned sailors who say that will bring bad luck. As they sail away to a isolated tropical paradise, they meet other pleasure seekers. But there is always something sinister in the air. Perhaps it was extreme bad luck to rename the boat.

I’m a sucker for anything to do with sailboats so I was automatically drawn to this story, despite never having heard of the author before. I’m SO glad I decided to pick it up because it was incredibly well done. The writing was tight and propulsive, with a vague underlying sense of dread that kept building and building despite the idyllic setting. Such a testament to the author’s talent that she was able to weave the tension into the story so deftly. The characters were well fleshed out and the story moved along at a perfect pace to keep me interested without giving away too much too soon. Loved this!
4.5 stars.

This was a bit of a slower read, but glad I sick with it.
The characters were well defined, as was the plot.
If you're looking for a quick mystery this probably isn't the top choice, but if you want something a bit slower with decent content give this one à try.

I was sooo looking forward to this book and while it was enjoyable it just wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The characters were good, but the story was missing something for me. It wasn’t quite as “thrilling” of a thriller as it was made out to be. It had a decent mystery, but I don’t k ow that I would classify it as a thriller. Overall, a decent read, though.

I read a novel similar to this one and figured I would give it a good. An island that's hard to get to but totally worth it sounded right up my alley.

This book starts off when a naval vessel finds a stranded catamaran in the Indian Ocean. The husband isn't doing well and the wife, when they find her, claims that she "killed then all".

When the vessel takes Virgninie and her husband Jake on board, she begins to tell the tale about how they ended up stranded, just just who they might have killed.

While this novel wasn't exactly full of twists and turns, and the island wasn't quite the paradise I was expecting, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and what it had to offer. Not everything is as it seems in this novel, and that's part of the appeal.

Steer clear of the mixed reviews and check it out for yourself, you might just be surprised.

Deep Water by Emma Bamford is a quick paced and entertaining read.
The mystery is well done and the characters are realistically human in their actions and in their interactions with each other.
The characters of "Jake and Virginie learn about a tiny, isolated island full of unspoiled beaches. When they arrive, they discover they are not the only visitors and quickly become entangled with a motley crew of expat sailors. Soon, Jake and Virginie’s adventurous dream turns into a terrifying nightmare."
This is a book that is probably best read in as few sittings as possible to keep the pace and momentum going.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #GalleryBooks, and Emma Hanford for the ARC of #DeepWater.

When a yacht is found floating in distress in the middle of the Indian Ocean, with two individuals aboard, Captain Danial Tengku is left with unraveling the story the traumatized passenger Virginie has to share. When Virginie and Jake sink every dime they own into a yacht with dreams of traveling to vast far off lands, they stop in Malaysia. While in Malaysia, they learn of an isolated island with untouched beaches. When Jake and Virginie arrive to this island, they learn they are not alone. It doesn't take long for Jake and Virginie to realize they made a huge mistake.

I enjoyed this read. It kept me wondering what was going to happen next and just who should you trust.

This book was a little different than I expected and somewhat dark but I enjoyed the mystery of the island. The plot and the storyline was good but the ending seemed somewhat out there for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

I really tried to like this book. I couldn’t stay interested so I tried audiobooks but just could t get through it.

Deep Water by Emma Bamford is a classic mystery tale where the lead couple Virginie and Jake run into major sea trouble as they take their boat out to a remote island in the hope of a little rest and relaxation on vacation.

Within the first chapters of this high tension thriller, it is clear Emma Bamford knows what she is doing. Not only is the story descriptive and accurate in its sea faring storytelling, the way the chapters build suspense one on top of each other, makes the reader want to soak this book up in one sitting.

I am very excited to see what Bamford comes up with next! Thank you to NetGalley and Scout Press for a copy of this novel.

Okay, here we have another hyped-up "thriller," page-turner, yadda yadda, sorry, but no, it isn't even close. The first chapter starts with a dreadful beginning; the husband barely hanging on to life, the wife exhausted, hanging on until help arrives! Sounds great, right? No, it is downhill from that first chapter. Nothing exciting happens later; nothing heart-pounding, nothing page-turning; it is a dud, given the exciting blurbs from the publishers. If the blurbs had been realistic, you would know what type of book or story it is in reality. I have seen scarier documentaries about sailing around the world than this professes to tell. I wanted these blurbs to be accurate; I love to be entertained, and we all like scary stories if we know they could never happen to us. I appreciate #Netgalley for allowing me to read and leave an honest review for #DeepWater.
Thank you,
carolintallahassee

I liked the story within a story aspect of the woman telling the captain what happened. But the pacing was off and just not quite enough happened for me to really enjoy. This was a good book but not necessarily an amazing one. There just wasn't as much action as I had hoped. I felt like I was dragging in reading it and just couldn't fully get into it.

When I started reading Deep Water earlier this year I had not long returned from my first sailing experience, so I was excited to dive into a thriller set in such a remote, tropical location. Having said that, you don’t have to have spent time on a boat in order to follow along and enjoy Bamford’s novel. I found the cast of characters unique, and their descriptions realistic. She did an amazing job getting into the mind of the protagonist, and I felt myself getting pulled into the dynamics of the central relationship between Virginie and Jake, which was quickly put to the test. I’ve always been curious about the types of people who quit their jobs and leave everything behind to set off on an adventure in the wild. The setting projected its own sense of isolation and inherent danger, which I loved, especially in one particular scene where Virginie stumbles across the ruins of a settlement set on shore Amarante. The pace of the novel is definitely on the slower side, not for readers who seek pulse-pounding action, or edge-of-your-seat suspense.

The scene I keep going back to is the opening which reveals Jake, Virginie’s boyfriend, unconscious from a head trauma, while Virginie is too shocked to explain what happened. That initial incident kept me turning the pages, curious to find out what happened and why. When it was finally revealed, the change in POV made an interesting twist. Overall this was a successful debut and I’m excited to see what she publishes next.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a slow-burn, tropical setting and have an interest in sailing/boat life. It’s the perfect beach read!