I’m a big fan of Harding and always look forward to her books, so I was very excited to receive an ARC of her latest, “The Drowning Woman”. This was a very quick read for me, as I was intrigued from the beginning,
That being said, I feel like this story was just missing a *little something* that her other novels have had. Can’t quite put my finger on it, but I don’t think this was Harding’s strongest storyline, and perhaps that’s why I liked it, but didn’t love it. That being said, the story was very well written (as always) and there is still a reasonable build-up of suspense that still has me looking forward to Harding’s next novel!
3.5/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the chance to read/review this novel!

The Drowning Woman is an incredibly smooth, suspenseful read that kept me up late, desperate to find out what happened!

Our story begins with Lee, a former restaurant owner who is in debt to the wrong people. Homeless and on the run, when she saves the life of a wealthy woman, she’s pulled into a web of secrets and lies that will change everything.

The twists in this story are so well crafted. Every time I thought I knew where it was going, the author was two steps ahead of me. A masterful tale of suspense, grounded by a scrappy lead character I was so invested in from the moment I met her.

I did enjoy this book. However, there is a trigger warning for domestic abuse. I was a bit unsure at the beginning of where it was going, but I did enjoy it. The characters were well-developed, but a twist surprised me. I would recommend this!

This was too relatable. As someone who has been homeless and living in a car, while employed full-time, in case you were assuming otherwise, I know all too well the struggles with finding a safe place to park, or a place to shower. I was unable to put the book down because I had to know how this would work out for Lee. Naturally I had instant distrust for Jesse, because I have been there and the whole thing with the car behind her work was gross and uncool.
Anyway, I was enthralled. This was amazing,

Robyn Harding is a fantastic writer. The author has an engrossing, otherworldly writing style which immediately appeals to me when I read her other novel, The Perfect Family —-and, no surprise here, I loved this book, THE DROWNING WOMAN, too! The author’s style includes fascinating character development and she captures their quirks and unique personalities by bringing them to life in her books. THE DROWNING WOMAN is the perfect psychological suspense novel if you prefer thriller/mystery stories with interesting characters, brilliant deception, and modern mystery. This novel includes multiple points of view which are executed effectively and will hold readers interest all the way to the end. I devoured this in one sitting . Suspicion, betrayal, and dark secrets abound in this psychological suspense page-turner that will will have readers up at night reading just one more chapter.

Believe all the hype around this book!🤩
Once again, Robyn Harding hits it out of the ballpark!

Lees’ career was flourishing as a respected chef, opening a high-end, fancy-schmancy eatery! Sure, she needed a little seed money to get things rolling. She found it from someone a teensy bit sketchy, but has no worries that she’ll pay off the loan in no time at all.

And she would have if not for one small hiccup…Covid. Lees’ dream turned into a nightmare overnight. With no way to pay off her loans she fears for her life, running as fast and far as she could.

Now Lee finds herself living out of her car scraping pennies together, desperately hoping to one day save enough for a roof over her head.

Asleep in her car/home, she wakes one morning to the sobs of a young woman. Lee quickly rushes to save her from drowning in the ocean.

But how could she know this selfless act would seriously alter the course of of her life?
How, you ask?
Because this woman she just rescued has dark secrets of her own and poor Lee just dropped herself smack in the middle of the drama!

I could not, would not put this book down! I couldn’t decide who had something to hide? Who could I trust? Will everyone survive to the epilogue?

I even had one jaw dropping moment!😱

I’ve loved every book I’ve read from this hugely talented author! And this was definitely one of my favorites! Already counting the days…weeks…months till her next release!

A buddy read with Susanne.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing

THANK YOU to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for this ARC!
This book was my favorite book I read this year! I read it in a matter of hours, I stayed up until 5 am reading and I work at 7:30… that’s how freaking amazing this book is. I went and preordered a copy for my collection too! This book was a treat to read, go in blind and enjoy the ride!!! I honestly wish I could give it more than 5 stars… the ending was PERFECTION!!!

Innovative Use Of Multi-Perspective. This is one of those tales that repeats itself a decent amount - something like 50-60% or so of the text is the same events through two different perspectives, each providing their own wrinkles. It is within the back third that the overall tale really begins to take off, and is quite explosive in its own right. Quite a few twists and turns - some even bigger than the ones we've already experienced to this point - occur through this section, and indeed at times it feels like we may be going a much darker direction (of a couple of different variants) than we ultimately do. Indeed, the ending itself is quite reminiscent of a particular 90s era movie, but revealing which movie would likely be a significant spoiler, so I'll just point the reader of the review in that direction and allow them to figure it out for themselves. Ultimately a fun book that raises some challenging points without ever being preachy about them. Very much recommended.

Lee is a homeless woman on the run. Struggling to save her business during the pandemic, she made some bad choices that led her to where she is now. She has started retreating to a better neighborhood at night after being robbed in her car. She thinks she's found a little peace and quiet until she rescues a crying, drowning woman: Hazel.

Once Lee meets Hazel she is drawn into Hazel's toxic marriage and circle of drama and lies.

This book was fast-paced and easy to read. It was enjoyable, but it just seemed a little too fantastical. The things that happened to the characters were just a little too out there for me.

Wow! I love Robyn Harding's books and this one is certainly no exception, in fact it might be my favorite of them all! It's been a while since I read a book in one sitting, but I very nearly did with this one - I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. With twists that kept me on the edge of my seat, I loved every minute of The Drowning Woman and definitely recommend for fellow thriller lovers.

The first part of the book was extremely addictive. I found myself completely caught up in the mysterious alliance between a newly-homeless woman and her wealthy friend who is trapped in an abusive marriage. During the early portion of the book, I felt some very real Gone Girl vibes. Around the midpoint, however, the book took a bit of a turn. While the chapters narrated by Lee (the homeless woman) were interesting and fast-paced, the chapters narrated by Hazel (the abused wife) seemed a bit scattered and confusing. At times, I had trouble following where in the narrative we were. This is a book that could have done without the multiple viewpoints. Overall, it was a quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed, but the multiple viewpoints were more distracting than they needed to be. If you're looking for a fun, domestic thriller, with a few twists along the way, this is a good one.

Robyn Harding is becoming a go-to for quick vacation thriller reads. This one is about the aftermath of some of the events in the beginning of the pandemic and it was pretty engrossing. Is it high literature? Maybe not but it was fun to read and get sucked into for a couple hours. I don't read too many thrillers/mysteries about someone who is down on their luck and felt like that was a nice change. So many of these books are about high powered rich people and don't seem real.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘The Drowning Woman’ has some big surprises so there’s only so much that can be said to avoid spoilers, but here goes…. Lee is a chef, whose restaurant failed after the pandemic leaving her in debt to some shady investors who wanted their money by any means necessary. Most of her family had also turned their backs on her, leaving her no choice but to run.

Having traveled across country and living out of her car, she encounters a woman drowning in the ocean and saves her life. Meet Hazel, a woman in an abusive marriage who may or may not have wanted to be saved. Lee and Hazel become ‘friends’ and eventually Hazel asks Lee to help her disappear to get away from her abusive husband. Lee wants a chance to redeem herself from some past transgressions and agrees to help her.

Nothing is as it seems in this book! The twists are so clever, well thought out, and shocking! I loved it and was in a bit of a slump after reading it. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Robyn Harding, this is how to write a thriller!

Lee is a woman down on her luck. Her new restaurant has just gone under due to the recent pandemic and she owes money to the wrong people. Lee goes on the run and is homeless living in her car. In order to seek safety she parks her car in a rich neighborhood and while waiting she sees a woman diving into the ocean. Lee races into action to save her life. This decision could either turn into the best or worst decision of her life.

A huge kudos to the author as I absolutely loved this book and devoured it in under two days. I’ve read 4-5 books by the author now and I have to say this might be by favourite one so far. The book is so action packed that you just keep wanting more. I did not see any of the twists coming and they were amazing. I highly recommend this to all thriller lovers, you will not be disappointed

A twisty, turny rollercoaster of a ride. The multiple pov gave the novel a lot of depth and the characters were written superbly. I was rooting for both Lee and Hazel and loved knowing what each one was thinking even when it was so skewed. Action packed and emotional, it is a must read.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

This book started out slow but one it got going, i was hooked. I had no idea what was happening next. Such a great read. Highly recommend!

This took me a while to get through but once I did, I couldn't put it down. Witty without trying to hard and engaging even when things are slow. Unexpectedly became a comfort book while I was taking the journey though this world

WRAPPING MY 2022 WITH A GOOD BOOK!

The two characters in the book were well written by the author. Their character developments and how it really goes on smoothly with the plot.
A heart wrenching story that will get your attention. There are inevitable plot holes but I just overlook it because mystery/thriller novels always has them anyway.

*sacrificed my nap time just to really finish chapter after chapter.
worth it

This one started out slowly for me, but once the plot got going, it sucked me in! I loved not only the development of the characters, but the twists all throughout the story. I will definitely be looking into more from this author.

Lee is down on her luck, homeless and living in her car, when a chance encounter changes her life forever. Early one morning on a beach near an upscale neighborhood, Lee saves Hazel from drowning herself. The two women start seeking each other out and strike up an unlikely friendship. One day, Hazel asks Lee for a huge favor – she wants to escape her abusive husband and she needs Lee to help her disappear. Lee agrees, thinks she’s helping a friend in danger, but not everything is as it seems, and the women find themselves in situations they never saw coming.

“The Drowning Woman” is a twisty thriller about friendship, manipulation, and deception. We get both Lee’s and Hazel’s equally compelling perspectives, and each switch between them will have you questioning everything you thought you knew. I was rooting for Lee the entire time, but Hazel’s sections are crazy twisty and engaging too. The second half of the book is non-stop action, and it kept me hooked right up until the surprising and gratifying conclusion.

Fans of Robyn Harding and lovers of thrillers with twists galore will definitely enjoy this book. Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me an advance copy of this book.