I was interested in this book because it seemed to be about a woman working her way out of homelessness, but turns out it's about another woman (an unlikable character I couldn't connect to) working her way out of an abusive marriage.
Thanks anyway to Grand Central Publishing for the digital copy.

This is one interesting book of the have and the have nots. Lee is homeless and living in her car when she encounters Hazel. Hazel is wealthy and is trying to escape her controlling and abusive and her only way out is to drown herself. Lee goes into the freezing water and saves her. A bizarre twist happens as they become friends and sharing their stories with each other.

The book alternates different points of view giving a glimpse at what Hazel and Lee are thinking. they both dream of leaving this are and starting someplace new so a plan is formed.

Ben Lavalle is a smart and powerful man and believes he is u touchable by the law. You will find yourself cheering for both Hazel and Lee and hoping they will get a second chance and a new beginning.

I liked that it was unpredictable. Had characters you hated and those you rooted for to keep you engaged and glued to the book to figure out how it ended. I read in one sitting as I just couldn’t put the book down.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this book.

Wow! Wow! Wow! What can I say about this book? I wanna say alllll the things! It is absolutely flipping amazing! It’s only April, but I’m pretty sure this is going in my Top 5 this year! This book is so TWISTY! It is so ACTION PACKED! It is so SUSPENSEFUL! I had to stay up and finish this one. I COULD NOT put it down. You will be at the edge of your seat the whole time!

Lee is living in her car after fleeing from her abusive ex. One day while parked by the beach, she sees a woman attempting to down herself and Lee saves her. The woman, Hazel, was trying to escape an abusive situation of her own. The two form a friendship and come up with a plan to help Hazel escape from her husband.
Not much else can be said without spoilers. This book held my attention from the first page and I couldn't put it down. There were many twists throughout that were unexpected but believable. The only reason I'm not giving a full 5 stars is because I felt there were a few things not wrapped up in the end that I'd have liked to know more about, but overall I was satisfied with the conclusion. Highly recommended!

okay yes this was exactly the thriller I was looking for!!! it’s witty, psychological, full of gaslighting moments and unreliable narrators, and down right twisty!

this is my first book by robyn and it certainly won’t be the last!!! 🫡 the way she writes is absolutely addicting and had me flipping through pages desperate to see what happened next!

by splitting the plot into distinct narrators, it created the lull of believing one character before being thrust into another’s mind! and when I tell you that you won’t know it’s over until it’s over, I’m not lying!!!!

the ending, for as meticulous as the rest of the story was, felt a bit rushed. one second, one of the MCs is afraid for their life, and the next, they’re totally fine … it was a bit 360 at first, but I can’t complain too much because the ending was oddly happy???

this is definitely one that I would recommend to any thriller lover who loves unique plot twists!! what started out as a typical domestic thriller turned into a totally unexpected style!!

thank you to netgalley and grand central pub for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: paso robles sauvignon blanc

Lee never thought she would be in this place. Living in her car, with nothing to her name. When she parks near the beach and hears a woman sobbing, she can’t help but see venture out to see what is going on. what she finds is Hazel, walking into the ocean to end her life. Lee immediately saves her, but it seems Hazel needs saving from much more.

Damn did this book take a turn! This is one of those books that you feel each and every thing the character deals with. Hazel’s abuse, you feel that shit in your core! I loved the unlikely friendship between Lee and Hazel, and how they worked together, even though neither really knew who they could trust. Robyn Harding has done it again….not that I had any doubts she would!

Lee Gulliver has lost her restaurant and is down on her luck living in her car. Parked on the beach one morning she rescues a rich woman named Hazel from drowning. She draws Lee into a scheme to leave her abusive husband.
Plans go amok and Hazel isn’t the friend she thought she was. This was a great fast paced read and I’d like to read more by this author.
Thanks NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC that will be released June 13, 2023!

The Drowning Woman is the newest suspense novel from Robyn Harding, an author whose books I've been reading for the last few years. Each one gets better, and I'm thrilled with the plot of this latest one. A homeless woman rescues a stranger at the local beach, and everything in their lives changes. Harding does such a superb job at getting readers to focus on the plight of the woman who lost everything in the pandemic and just needed someone to give her a new start. And she finally gets it. But as soon as the first part of the book ends, readers realize they have missed a lot. I have read a lot of books and often figure out what's really going on behind the scenes, but this time, the prose and character background kept me at such a lovely lull, the twist surprised the heck out of me! It's the kind of book that works best when a reader doesn't try to solve it. Just sit back and let everything unfold until you realize the power someone can have over you when you aren't thinking properly. I wasn't 100% content with the final pages / end, but it was still a strong finish. Definitely recommended.

This is a crazy, fast paced, edge of your seat popcorn thriller. This is a domestic thriller and did not disappoint! I started this book late one night and could not put it down! This is fun and will have you flipping pages quickly. This is a "just one more chapter" kind of book.

The story has short chapters and is told in alternating POVs by two women, Lee and Hazel. Lee is a homeless woman who has had some bad luck recently; she was once the owner of a successful restaurant but had to close due to the pandemic. Hazel is a rich woman who has an abusive husband. The two meet by accident and form a friendship when the rich woman asks the other to help escape from her husband.

There are so many twists and secrets revealed and this is a fun, drama filled, beach read/binge worthy read! There are some great red herrings, misdirects, lots of deceit and betrayal!

How have I never heard anything about Robyn Harding before? Wow, I was hooked to this book and didn’t want it to end! This was such a suspenseful read that will leave you flipping thorough the pages late into the night. The ending was so surprising and left me fully satisfied. I was in a major book slump before reading this book, but this book did the trick to getting me back into wanting to read.

If you are looking for a book that will hook you and not let go, read this book, I did think you will regret it!

***** Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing, Robyn Harding, and NetGalley for the gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.

4.5 stars rounding up to 5 stars on Goodreads.

Clearly, nothing is as it seems. Lee, once the owner of the successful restaurant is now living out of her car, and working at a restaurant as a waitress meets and saves the drowning women Hazel. Hazel, who is apparently living in a gilded cage, is trying to kill her self to escape from her rich, abusive husband. But the minute Lee helps Hazel, there are so many twists that I never anticipated and everything that I knew until then had to be tossed away. There’s so much drama it is a perfect binge rated with all the twists and turns.

It’s a domestic thriller that absolutely did not disappoint. I would love to watch this as a series or a movie, and I’m pretty sure the audience would go wild at every new twist the author threw at us. I enjoyed the dual narratives and it was completely entertaining. I highly recommend this unputdownable thriller!!

I loved this story. Told in dual narratives of a down on her luck, formerly successful woman and another woman she saves from drowning. Things are slowly revealed and suspected truths are dismantled. This was a very clever storyline, with many twists and redirects. Whip smart, pulse pounding, and hard to put down.

Robyn Harding does it again! I would have read this in a single sitting if I could. I was gripped very early on and held until the last line. Such a good read!

I love Robyn Harding and The Drowning Woman! All of her thrillers are so twisted I can't put them down, but this one was definitely one of my favorites. This book was captivating from the start. Nothing is as it seems, and you can't trust anyone. The Drowning Woman is filled with lies. deceit, and betrayal. Read this book if you want your jaw to drop!

A domestic thriller that was so much more. Two women who are as different as they can be who become connected and friends to help each other out. I loved that this took place during the COVID-era as so few novels touch on this. Just when you think you have the ending figured out another twist pops up. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would love to read more by this author. Both characters were relatable despite being different in their own ways.

Thank you so much to the publishers and to netgalley for my early read of this one in exchange for my honest review.

After borrowing money from a thug named Damon, Lee's restaurant goes bankrupt, leaving her on the run and homeless. With the constant threat of Damon finding her she finds a safe haven, or so she thought, in Seattle. Lee's car is broken into and purse with all of her identity stolen. One morning, sleeping in her car, she awakens to a woman's cries and that's when she meets The Drowning Woman...

Wow! I can totally see this being turned into a film. In fact I'd love if it did! What a fantastic whipsmart, well-paced ride. I literally gasped when the twist was revealed and thought I had it figured out but evidentally did not and felt like I got smacked in the forhead while the twists just kept coming. Well done! Although this is only my second time reading Harding's work, this is by far my favourite novel of hers and maybe even my favourite novel of the year so far!! (please note: I also decided this half way through the book !) I loved it!

5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

A huge thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Netgally for an ARC copy of The Drowning Woman. I *literally* did a happy dance when I saw I had been approved for this title and it DID NOT disappoint!! Robyn Harding absolutely nails the domestic thriller. The story was exciting and twisty, without ever being unbelievable, and the epilogue was super satisfying. Highly recommend you snag this book as soon as you get the chance!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Drowning Woman.

I've read previous books by the author so I was pleased my request was approved.

I didn't love this, but there were parts I did like:

1. The author spotlighted how the pandemic upended the lives of many people, leading to bankruptcy and homelessness for some

2. The relationship between Lee and Hazel. At first, I was worried it was going to be the same premise where the women stab each other in the back but the narrative took a turn for the better with the women watching each other's back.

3. The ending was good

What I didn't like:

4. The all-too familiar trope about women with no resources, friends or skills trapped in an abusive relationship and/or easily duped by a charming con man

5. How the con man is incredibly hot and sexy, his appearance constantly dwelled upon by Lee and Hazel

6. Seriously, when Hazel's mom disappears from the nursing home, she barely reacts. I understand she's worried her husband had something to do with the disappearance, but she doesn't get upset at the staff? That's really phony.

7. Lee and Hazel are one-dimensional characters; pretty naive, especially Lee which is shocking considering what she's been through.

8. Lots of twists which require the reader a tremendous amount of power to suspend disbelief

The premise was nothing original, and neither were the characters. I do appreciate the opportunity to read this early.

The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding is a beautifully plotted psychological thriller . The pace of this book is relentless and guaranteed to keep you reading on the edge of your seat with baited breath. Plenty of twists and turns plus satisfying ending made it a 5 star read for me.

I would like to thank Grand Central Publishing & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

I love it when I think I have figured out a book and the author completely surprises me!!! This book had so many twists that I wasn’t expecting. Highly entertaining thriller!! I couldn’t put it down!! Read most of it in one day!!