2 stars ⭐️⭐️

“Her best friend is dead. Her daughter filmed the killing. Her husband knows more than he’s revealing. Her secret isn’t safe and neither is she.”

I thought the first half of this book was intriguing, as we learned about the women and the series of events that leads up to the murder. The second half of the book was all about escaping an island, and it was pretty boring. There weren’t any surprises or plot twists.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Holly's debut novel is a triumph of the multiple timeline and short chapter structure. Right from the outset, with her best friend dead, and her daughter inadvertently filming the killing, the story is propelled along by the short chapters and the first person narration. As the first half of the novel flips back and forth between now and a few months prior, I was convinced I knew where this story was going to go. Yet, once you hit Part 2, the story shifts towards a battle for survival. Craig's novel can be considered a domestic thriller, but the overarching themes of infidelity and trafficking are well thought through. This is the kind of book that you'll race through, but be thinking about for a long time. I can't wait to see what Holly brings her readers next!

The Shallows by Holly Craig is a quick paced domestic thriller of family and friendships.
A gripping thriller revolving around murder, secrets, and friendships.
This one is twisty and messy and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
I was enamored from the start to finish. Lots of twists and turns.
My first time reading this author and I’m very happy with the outcome.
If you like mystery thrillers then this book is for you.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas & Mercer for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I really enjoyed this debut read from Craig. We begin by knowing something bad is going to happen but we do not know what and we do not know just how dark this gets. We follow Emma as she gets to know her new neighbour, Ariella, we see them form a tentative friendship but also that Ariella is hiding dark secrets.
I thought the first half of this book was fast paced and I raced through it quite quickly. In the second half, whilst I did still enjoy it, the pace slows and it possibly could have been a bit shorter. I did enjoy getting to discover the many secrets of Emma, Ariella, and their husbands, and there are many secrets! I liked that we never really knew who to trust until the end and this helped keep the suspense up.
I really loved the location for this book, we get to transport ourselves to beautiful locations whilst reading about very dangerous events.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy.

The Shallows
By Holly Craig

Review

I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Description:
Mystery/Thriller/ General fiction

🌊 Her best friend is dead.
🌊Her daughter filmed the killing.
🌊Her husband knows more than he's revealing.
🌊 Her secret isn't safe, and neither is she.

This book was like a rollercoaster ride with its twist and turns.

I struggled with part 1 only because there were different timelines but once I got into Part 2 of the book it had me on the edge of the seat in suspense waiting for the next twist.
The book was very descriptive, and it felt like a movie with its plot twists.

I highly recommend this book if you like a suspenseful thriller with short chapters.

Thanks Net Galley and @hollycraigauthor for a copy of this book.

#netgalley #theshallows

Trigger warnings: domestic abuse and violence

The Shallows sounded like a fresh and interesting approach to a thriller, but ultimately, it fell in the middle ground for me. While the book wasn't bad, the characters and the plot didn't provide the surprise and suspense I was hoping for.

This was entertaining but not as twisty as I would have liked. It missed a wow factor for me without the twists and turns. This is a perfect beach read though and I can see this becoming wildly popular.

High Tension Domestic Suspense…
In one of Sydney’s most glamorous, most exclusive and most expensive suburbs lie secrets, untruths, manipulation and murder. Who is hiding what and why? As secrets threaten to out and murder with it, a risky plan is hatched. A rollercoaster ride ensues in this pacy, high tension domestic suspense with a deftly drawn cast of characters and an edgy, multi timeline narrative. Clipped, snappy chapters keep the mounting tension in check as the plot races towards conclusion. Dramatic and compelling.

First and foremost a huge thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Shallows in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Holly Craig has done an amazing job of creating a fast paced, never-saw-it-coming, glitz and glamour thriller! Secrets, lies, criminals, forbidden love, and a privileged couple that secretly hate each other…what more could you ask for?!

The Shallows moved at a fast pace and kept me interested from the very first page. I found myself quickly invested in Emma and her kids and found her to be a likable character. The bad guys were a little over the top for me, but realistic enough that it didn’t make me enjoy the story any less.

If you love twisty, domestic thrillers you don’t want to miss The Shallows!

#netgally #theshallows

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon UK Publishing for the eARC.
This book was a heck of a ride, very suspenseful.
It takes place in a wealthy suburb of Sidney and the beautiful beaches of the South Pacific Islands.
Emma is in an unhappy marriage and tries to make friends with her new neighbor when the woman gets murdered. Her husband, terrified, whisks her and their 2 children away to an island which becomes a nightmare. The 2nd part of the book features her desperate plans to leave.
I loved Emma and her 2 kids and the horrifying situation they were in had my heart in my throat.
Excellent! A great read!

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review. I really enjoyed it. A perfect beach read as someone else has reviewed it as and I couldn’t agree more. There are so many twists and intrigue it keeps you going right to the end. I have just seen my start and finish date - 3 days it took me to read this and I’ve been out of reading until I picked this novel up. Highly recommend this book for keeping you entertained right until the end. You won’t want to put it down

An edge of your seat, heart in your mouth, nail biting kind of read. The danger is palpable in this compelling domestic thriller that explores themes of family, friendships and dark secrets. Fast paced and hard to put down. Overall a great read!

This one was a fun one! I really enjoyed the domestic suburban drama trope that this novel started out with. Shady husbands, bored wives, lots of intrigue! The second half was definitely a little different, boarding on unrealistic but I was happy with the ending for sure.

There were so many things about this book that I liked - the idyllic beachy settings, the deeply detailed & privileged set of characters, and the mysterious, dark actions of key antagonists throughout the plot. I liked that there was a hint of a mystery to each character & their stories, and it was difficult to determine where the plot was going to go. It was more of an “action thriller” than a who-dun-it style story, which was different than I’m used to. To be honest, it was a little long and dragged for me in some parts (primarily when Charles & Emma flee their home) and while I thought it could have been shortened up in some of the drier parts, it was an interesting story overall and definitely unique. Another good option for a beach or vacation read!

This novel can be consumed quickly and benefits from a well described location, otherwise it is a rather plain thriller.

An exhilarating, heart-stopping thriller that steals between the wealthy, privileged mansions of Sydney and the deadly beauty of the isolated South Pacific islands.

After Emma’s daughter unwittingly posts a video of her neighbour’s murder online, her husband goes on the run, whisking them away from everything they know and forcing Emma to tread the shallow, murky unknown as she tries to save both herself and her children.

The short, sharp chapters are mini cliffhangers that left me breathless, and the relentless tension made it impossible to put the book down. A cast of layered, flawed and downright despicable characters only add to the suspense, while Emma’s desperate determination is a leash constantly tugging on the reader’s emotions.

A fast-paced, rollercoaster of a ride — one that reels you in and doesn’t let go!

This was so good. Well written, excellent characters, full of suspense, awesome rwists, and a satisfying ending. I devoured this. Couldn't put it down.

The Shallows is about Emma who lives in an exclusive suburb in Sydney with her husband and their children. When her neighbor and friend Ariella is killed, Emma’s husband makes the whole family flee to an isolated island.

This novel is less about knowing who the murderer is than escaping the island and I think that’s why I am disappointed. I wanted to read a book filled with revelations and plot twists. It’s not the kind of thriller that makes you suspect everyone.
I found myself feeling bored towards the middle but I liked the end more, it was entertaining as it has more action.

The first 20% of this novel was stunningly written and compelling, showing so much promise. The author clearly has a lot of talent. But after that I lost focus and couldn’t get behind the protagonist.. There was some repetition and the plot felt stagnant.. I also took issue with the superfluous characters towards the end (I don’t want to expressly state them because of spoilers). I felt they were written to a stereotype and quite insensitively used as a plot device without an exploration of a backstory.

This domestic thriller kept me on my toes the entire time! I was questioning everyone and so unsure what would happen next. I flew through it just desperate for answers. It was fast paced and you are really able to jump right into the story!