Suspenseful and hard to put down! This is told from the perspective of both Lee and Hazel, two desperate women. Lee has lost everything, including her family, and is now sleeping in her car. Hazel seemingly has it all but has a controlling and twisted husband. Hazel enlists Lee's help and they come up with plan that will benefit both of them but it turns out there is a lot more going on than Lee knows.

Holy wow!! This was such a fun thrilling ride. I was hooked from start to finish it never let me down. This is a thriller not to be missed this summer. You will not regret it. I couldn't stop reading until I finished !!

It was so intense, the multiple POV's were great. The people in Lee and Hazel's life are just plain awful. I was rooting for both of them from the beginning. Trust me you will be on the edge of your seat all along.

This was so twisty all throughout the book, it didn't stop. Harding created such a great thriller that will just keep blowing your mind page after page.

The ending was great, wrapped up the book perfectly in my opinion.

If you're looking for a binge worthy non stop action packed twisty thriller, get yourself a copy you don't want to miss it !

✨️Thank you a @netgalley, @grandcentralpublishing & @robynharding for my free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Lee, who is living in her car, deeply in debt and not sure where her next meal is coming from. Parked in a secluded spot by the ocean, she’s planning her next move and sees a woman throw herself into the ocean. Lee rescues her, but instead of a ‘thanks for saving my life’ she gets a story almost as low as her own, as she finds out Hazel is in an abusive marriage and Lee prevented her from what she set out to accomplish.


From there, Lee and Hazel form an unlikely friendship and my heart breaks for Lee, desperate for not only money/food/shelter but also human connection, and she is so drawn to Hazel. At times I got a little exhausted with Lee for her putting herself in these circumstances but really it’s just how well Harding writes to make me feel that invested in the story.


The story is told in 4 parts, and we also get to experience shifting POV from both characters, which I always enjoy, and there were some twists I didn’t see coming, which was really fun. So much so, I binged it Saturday afternoon.


Definitely check it out, it’s a top thriller for the summer and likely all of 2023.

In the past I've read a few Robyn Harding novels and found them fascinating and disturbing [and in one case, painfully unforgettable]. In this newest novel, a psychological Thriller/domestic/Suspense, I was disappointed. I could not at all relate to the protagonist, so I needed to consciously drum up sympathy for her plight. Neither she nor the eponymous title character did I find relatable.

Lee is drowning: Drowning in debt, drowning in shame, and starting to wonder if she’ll ever be able to resurface from the mess her life has become.

Hazel is drowning: Drowning in a horribly abusive and controlling marriage and also about to drown in Puget Sound when Lee, whose car was parked in some bushes not too far from the beach, swims into the cold waters to rescue her.

Hazel had a plan that day, and even though Lee ruined it a bond between these two women from completely opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum was forged nonetheless. Because one may be rich and the other poor, but they’re both totally vulnerable and have very few options in life due to desperate choices they made at desperate times.

Drowning is used in both its practical and (more than one) metaphorical form in this book, and depending on whose POV you’re reading (this is a dual POV book between Lee and Hazel), the titular “drowning woman” is either themselves, the other woman, or even both at the same time. That’s part of the beauty of this luscious, well-paced, well-plotted, and thoroughly thought-out thriller: Who do you trust? Who do you count on? Who do you stick up for? Who do you take a leap of faith for? When it comes down to your very life, what does your gut tell you? Do you believe a woman, or do you put your faith in the system?

This is definitely a character-driven thriller, given how much time is spent on dialogue, inner narratives, development, motivations, intentions, and actions. The prose isn’t a shining beacon, but it doesn’t need to be when the action and plot are so propulsive and the characters are so compelling. It’s not a perfect thriller, but it’s a really fun read.

A copy of this title was provided by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Conspiracy Thriller/Psychological Fiction/Psychological Thriller/Suspense Thriller/Thriller

Robyn Harding has truly mastered the art of game changing twists in the thriller genre. Just when you think you have things figured out here comes a twist that makes your heart race and your brain twirl. Lee, a down on your luck homeless woman is living out of her car. One day she hears sobbing from her hidden new location. She finds a woman walking into the ocean in a suicide attempt and saves her life. Hazel has a very troubled marriage. Their journey together is quite a story with many twists and turns along the way. I found myself identifying with Lee who seemed so very naive but also seemingly, an open book.
The twists and turns keep the reader engaged until the end. I did find the end a bit of a let down after reading the rest of the book. Too many strings left dangling for me.
Many thanks to Robyn Harding, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of the just published book The Drowning Woman. Keep writing Robyn Harding as I am a huge fan.

"𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔. 𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘."

Robyn Harding is an auto-read author for me. She always crafts easy to read addicting page turners and The Drowning Woman is no exception.

The book opens with the reader meeting Lee at her lowest: financial instability, due to the pandemic, leading questionable decisions, disappearing from her life and living in her car. Harding treats Lee's situation with sensitivity and empathy. As Lee finds and rescues Hazel from drowning (the titular woman), they develop a friendship that offers an opportunity for connection that they both are lacking. Harding never shies away from potential controversial topics (see The Arrangement and The Switch); Hazel and Benjamin's relationship depiction is no exception with their Total Power Exchange leading to domestic abuse. I definitely connected with Lee a bit more than Hazel, maybe because of Lee's situation. Throughout the first part there is a sense of foreboding and by part two, Harding drops twists that have you turning the pages quickly; I read the first half of the book in one setting! I felt like I had whiplash with some of the reveals (in the best way!) Although there were a few loose ends and a couple over-the-top elements that could've been circled back to, the uncertainty over who to trust has me hooked.

The Drowning Woman is a story of desperation, protection, loneliness, manipulation and survival. It is the perfect summer page turner and may possible be Harding's best book yet. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

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.


Thank you to Grand Central Publishing & NetGalley for allowing me to read this book

⁉️: What are your thoughts about euthanasia?

If you don’t know what it is, euthanasia is when someone requests to end their life if they are terminally ill. There is a beautiful Indian film on Netflix called Guzzarish (Desire) which also invokes a similar theme when a paraplegic musician who wants to end his life.

This novel’s premise is something along those lines, but with unexpected twists. I love women’s fiction especially when it intersects with psychological thrillers. This novel has had been hooked since I read the blurb a while ago. Set in Seattle, we meet Lee Gulliver who never thought that she would be homeless after her business failing. As she leaves her life behind with nothing except her clothes and Toyota Corolla. She parks in a secluded spot by the beach to plan her next move. As she starts swimming in the ocean, she meets a strange - a drowning woman - named Hazel who wants to die after being trapped in a toxic, abusive marriage. Hazel blames Lee for helping her survive, and the two women strike a friendship until Hazel makes an unexpected demand which throws an unexpected twist.

This was an immersive, page turner, and the exploration of important themes that would make for a good discussion in a book club!

Thank you @grandcentralpub and @rhardingauthor for the gifted finished copy.

✨YOUR NEXT FAVE THRILLER?✨

The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐬: Mystery/Thriller, Suspense
𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭: Physical

QUICK BITS
•Dual POV
•Strong women
•Domestic thrill

READ IF YOU LIKE
Julia Clark

REVIEW
I am not one who normally enjoys more of a domestic thriller, however the setup for this one is so good that it was impossible not to be sucked in.

If you are one who enjoys Julia Clark's novels--The Lies I Tell, The Last flight-- then you will LOVE this book.

The entire time I kept thinking how reminiscent this book was to a combination of Julia Clarks first two books combined-- IN THE BEST WAY.

The book is told from the two MCs perspectives in alternating sections, not alternating chapters, which I found really enjoyable.

Every section leaves you with a new twist that has you jumping into the next.

The ending again is reminiscent of how Julia Clark ends her novels in which I will just use one word: satisfying.

RATINGS
9 Characters
8 Atmosphere
8 Writing Style
8 Plot
7 Pace
8 Intrigue
9 Enjoyment
3 SOS Bonus
TOTAL= 57 + 3= 60/14= 4.29

3.00/5.00 SOS Rating
--In general this book is filled with surprises and twists.

4.25/5.00 Rounded Rating

A big thank-you to @grandcentralpub and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for a honest review. #netgalley

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Robyn Harding for an ARC of this book!**

Exciting, edgy, and UTTERLY enthralling, the latest from Robyn Harding is nothing short of a summertime smash!

You never think it could happen to you...until it does. Lee Gulliver has had to come to terms with the fact that she had almost everything...and now her successful restaurant and comfortable life are nothing more than a memory. Lee's restaurant couldn't withstand the pandemic, and she's fallen further and further into debt...and desperation. Living out of her Toyota Corolla, she finds free showers where she can and sleeps with a knife at the ready under the front seat...just in case.

Isolated from family and with her friends in the rear view, Lee pulls into a ritzier beach side neighborhood one day for at least a bit more security, but she hears a disturbing sound: the sound of a woman sobbing and then drowning. Lee races to her rescue, but the woman, Hazel, is far from grateful. Hazel is trapped in an abusive and dangerous marriage, locked in a Total Power Exchange with a rich and dominant man, Benjamin, who is also a powerful attorney...and her attempted drowning was, in her mind, the only way out.

Lee figures this will be the last she will ever see of Hazel...until the next morning, when Hazel surprises her with coffee, food...and a proposition. As the two become fast friends despite their disparate life circumstances, their desperation and determination bond them together, and Hazel has a DIFFERENT plan up her sleeve to escape her domineering husband. But this one involves Lee...and if all DOESN'T go according to plan, the consequences could be deadly...for BOTH of them. Is Lee the answer to all of Hazel's silent prayers...or has Hazel cleverly found a way to remove herself from Benjamin's wrath...but leave LEE to take the final, deadly fall?

I've only had the good fortune to read one of Harding's other books so far, and I would ABSOLUTELY classify myself as a fast fan. She checks so many of the boxes for me in terms of favorite thriller devices done well: short chapters, quick pacing, interesting plotting, and those TWISTS...the kind where your mouth ACTUALLY falls open while reading. I remember blasting through The Swap quickly, and I kid you not, this may be the first book in a YEAR or longer (outside from graphic novels that I've read IN ONE DAY.

To call it unputdownable, even? Feels like a HUGE understatement!

If there's one thing Harding does consistently and without fail, it is THAT. I could not stop reading this book, thinking about this book, or doing anything other than scheme and plan when I could pick it up again during the ~26 hours or so between when I started and finished it. So few authors are able to create that inextricable pull, but Harding ALWAYS does it. Were some of the plot points implausible? Maybe. But when the events unfolding are so intriguing, so interesting, and so compelling...it gets to a point where the logic police take a holiday and you can just buckle in for the FUN.

And both of these ladies (not to mention the other characters) are intricate, flawed, and REAL. They both COULD be unreliable narrators...but again, this isn't something you even need to focus on while reading. The reveals and the shocking secrets unfolding do all of the work for you, and allow you to just observe from the sidelines, popcorn and ice cold beverage in hand, racing to flip the pages while your heart is pounding double-time. When I am enjoying a thriller this much, I usually try to keep from racing towards the end so I can savor it for just a bit longer...but in this case? I don't think ANYTHING could have slowed me down!

Robyn Harding has put out 3 books in the past three years, and all 3 have landed on my best of the year lists AND my favorite thrillers list. And if the third time is USUALLY the charm...there's no telling what my fourth might bring!

4.5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and felt that it showcased the author's best writing yet. While the plot had its ups and downs and a few gaps were left unfilled, I was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected plot twists. The dramatic beginning immediately draws you in, but the parts consisting of prolonged conversations that add to the story didn't engage me as much. The major unexpected turns, however, kept me hooked. The ending left me feeling perplexed as there were numerous loose ends left unresolved, and it was unclear if a sequel was in the works. I was confused about Lee's boyfriend since he never resurfaced, and the lack of resolution on Ben's trial was disappointing.

Lee Gulliver is living in her car. Lee has always worked hard and never in a million years imagined herself being homeless, but here she is in her Toyota Corolla across the country in Seattle, far from everyone and everything she has ever known. Her restaurant failed miserably and her family has all but disowned her. Lee has no-one except herself to depend on and she is determined to survive. Working under the radar at a greasy diner Lee dreads the late night hours when there is nowhere to hide. Danger lurks around every corner. She decides it is safer to start parking (sleeping) in an upscale neighborhood near the beach. Early one morning she hears a woman crying and witnesses her going under the ocean and not coming up. Lee jumps in and drags her to safety. The water is frigid and as the women sit quietly under a blanket to warm up they begin an unexpected friendship. Hazel confides in Lee about her abusive husband and the trapped life she can no longer endure. She would rather be dead. Once Hazel establishes that Lee is harmless but down on her luck she begins to bring her treats and little items to make her more comfortable. Establishing a strange feeling of debt for helping one another, Lee is shocked when Hazel asks for help to get away from her husband. Hazel plans to disappear. Absolutely loved my first twisted thriller of the summer! This page turner had me on the edge of my beach chair!

Another amazing book from Robyn Harding! This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it didn’t disappoint. This thriller is multilayered and fast paced. Lee is currently down on her luck and living in her car. One day she hears a woman in distresss in the ocean and Lee races to save her from downing. After saving Hazel the two women slowly build a friendship and it turns out they both have major problems in their lives. I don’t want to give much away but Lee and Hazel devise a plan to help Hazel disappear. With the money Hazel offers her Lee can also outrun her past. As it turns out there are a lot of twists and turns coming and it is unknown who is completely trustworthy. The characters are well developed and interesting. I loved the great twists and turns and this story kept me guessing and on edge. I definitely recommend you add this to your TBR.

Thank you to @thrillerbookloverspromotions @grandcentralpub @netgalley for the #gifted copy.

Robyn Harding is a new to me author and I can tell you that I am now anxious to read her backlist. WOW! I could not put it down. I was all in from the beginning. Lee Gulliver was homeless and living in her car after covid left her jobless. I immediately felt for her. She was running from her old life to start over. The next thing you know she is saving a crying woman from the ocean. Although their lives are very different, Lee connects with Hazel immediately. Hazel is in an abusive marriage and is a prisoner in her own home. She wants out!

This was the ultimate betrayal of friendships and relationships that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

This book had me from the first page. I empathized immediately with Lee, and was on edge for half of the book for her safety. When Hazel was introduced, I wasn’t sure if I could trust her. But, the unlikely friendship between these women gave me a little sigh of relief Lee had someone that cared. Although Lee did come off naive, I did understand her need to feel human, which made her character that more real to me. The things we use everyday without a second thought, it was a luxury for Lee.

I could not put this book down, and read it within 24 hours. I really did not see the twists coming, and I was so sure I had everything figured out. I thought for sure I had one twist clocked, but I was pleasantly surprised I was wrong. Every step of the way I wanted to know how the story would play out. The men in this one were all trash, and I enjoyed seeing both women fight to survive another day even though they wanted to give up. This was a gripping tale about betrayal, toxic relationships and survival, and this is why Robyn Harding is an auto buy author for me.

Lee Gulliver had just opened a restaurant and was doing well when the Covid pandemic hit. She was forced to shut down while the country went on lockdown, and then her business never recovered once they were able to reopen, Lee ended up not only losing everything, but having to go on the run to stay one step ahead of the ones she owed money to. Now she is on the opposite side of the country, living out of her car, and wondering how she will ever manage to get some semblance of her life back. Early one morning, while she is sleeping in her car at the beach, she hears a yell, and sees a sobbing woman throw herself into the ocean, fully clothed. As she starts to go under, Lee jumps in to save her. The drowning woman, Hazel, tells Lee she is trapped in a toxic marriage to abusive man and she doesn't see any other way out. Lee and Hazel strike up a friendship and as Hazel helps Lee get back the confidence she needs, she promises to help her get back on her feet in exchange for Lee helping her escape her husband. Unfortunately, Lee soon learns that nothing is as it seems, and that Hazel may not be the friend Lee thought she was.

I am a huge fan of this author, and I think this is her best book yet. It seemed straightforward until about halfway through the book, when I got dumped on my head, and everything I thought I knew was wrong. From there on out, it was non-stop twists and turns....enough to keep me dizzy. I am always a sucker for the underdog, so I really liked Lee. It was easy to see how someone could have it all, and then have it all yanked away by something that was completely out of their control. Top that with a myriad of bad choices fueled by desperation for money, and yes, she made bad choices, but they were done for the right reason. There were a couple of people in the story who were so twisted that it kept me on edge, waiting to see what they would do next, and that along with all of the twists is what really made the book. If you are a fan of thrillers, then you will definitely want to check this one out!

A deeply twisty story filled with trigger warning subjects - so tread carefully. It is a psychological domestic thriller based around two women from different backgrounds destined to be friends. Circumstances throw them together and in their own way each helps the other. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this thriller that makes you wonder where someone comes up with this stuff!

4.5 out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5) This has everything I love in a thriller!

“A masterpiece of misdirection, double meaning and carefully placed clues. Brava.” Stacy Willingham

That quote is the best way for me to describe this book. The misdirection was done brilliantly. I could not guess or predict, but I really didn’t have time because I was reading it so fast. I loved it. Truly, it’s expertly done.

The story was told in 4 parts. We hear from two women which include the past and the present. This information is crucial to the story and I’m amazed Harding paced it so flawlessly. I was never confused and just kept picking up tiny pieces along the way.


I didn’t trust a single character and I assumed everyone as some point or another. That is good writing. It was a story that hooked me from page one and ended up surprising me at the end. The end was flawless. I’m still reeling from the twist and where everything landed. If you love a great twisty thriller, you need this one!

Fast-paced, engaging and entertaining, A recommended purchase for collections where thrillers are popular.