Finally we have a thriller which has a female main character, and she is not an "unreliable witness" . She is also not making great choices, but I was so happy to see that the mold has been broken.

This book was twisty and turny. Multiple points of view with side characters getting a chapter in here and there to add perspective from the outside onto the main characters.

A male point of view, a female point of view and several other secondary characters as well, provide a look at the relationship from all angles and give context to the way people would be reacting to the main characters, just not just how the characters see themselves and Thier situation.

If you love a diabolical character this book is for you. It's so awesome to see strong female leads in roles where they are not just "a woman gone crazy" with "too much to drink" so they don't remember things clearly in the story.

I think that this author handled mental illness with compassion and understanding, and the author's note at the beginning of the book explains her thoughts on villainizing people with mental illness so to speak. I really enjoyed all of the angles did this book looked at in regards to how to deal with, identify, and live with various mental disorders from grief all the way up to more serious diagnosable disorders.

Seeing all of the loose ends get tied up at the end was satisfying. The last few sentences of the book were giving me goosebumps. I so thoroughly enjoyed this thriller. It was my favorite one of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley, Heather Hach and Greenleaf Audiobooks | Greenleaf Book Group Press for my free ARC copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

I judge an audiobook by its narrator. If I can't stomach the audio sample, then it's a no-go on the book which I guess is the audiobook's version of judging a book by its cover. I know I will miss out on some great stories since I will not be able to handle the overly dramatic, nasal, upspeak or whatever characteristic that turns me off from the narrator.

I can say that Laura Bell Bundy does a fantastic job of narration especially given the multitude of characters of different genders, ages and backgrounds. I thoroughly enjoyed her voice performance of this book.

In terms of the story, I was intrigued by the blurb of a woman struggling with mental illness striving to succeed in life to the point of becoming unhinged. I think the premise was a winner. The beginning of the book where we meet Kat, an aspiring writer, who works in a bookstore and sees the model of a successful writer in Eden hooks you right in.

The first third of the book is well-paced and flows well as Kat moves into an amazing relationship and professional success. Then as the story shifts into a speed bump in Kat's life stemming from her lack of stability in her mental health, the pacing slows down. I would say it slows down too much and my interest started to wane. I really appreciated that the author was speaking directly about the struggles of living with mental illness. The slowness of the plot isn't so much because of that but likely needed tighter editing to move the story along.

Then, the story picks up as Eden is re-introduced into the story and getting to know her and how she starts to slip into Kat's place unknowingly was very satisfying. Unfortunately, as soon as the storyline of Eden and Kat start to intersect, the plot slows down again. As much as I wanted to hear how the story would play out, there seemed to be a lot of slogging through details that the reader had already been made aware of and the time frame of getting to the end felt too long.

I really appreciated the author's attention to her characters' back stories and if you enjoy really getting into the motivations and feelings of the characters, this book has a lot. However, I do think that some of the inclusions of passages of characters were stream of consciousness expositions on the characters that were for the author to keep grounded in each character's thumbnail.

The ending felt fast after enduring the nefarious trap that Kat set for Eden over weeks to months. But I will say that the intrigue at the end left a door open for another story in this world and I was glad to see that these characters would still have lives after The End and that it wasn't all wrapped up in a bow.

I do recommend the audiobook as I really enjoyed the narrator and if you are multi-tasking this is a good story to pass the time.

Thank you, Greenleaf Audiobooks for this advance copy.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I was very excited to see that Laura Bell Bundy was the audiobook narrator as I adore her.
I thought she did an incredible job with Kat.

Originally I noticed this book was marketed as a thriller, and while I don't think it was a thriller at all, i enjoyed it nonetheless.
(I see now it mentions that it's GF which suits it perfectly.)
Heather Hach navigated Kat's mental health struggles wonderfully.
The Trouble with Drowning had an original plot that I have not read before which was fantastic.

3.5 stars (I will round up)

Thank you Greanleaf Audiobooks for providing this book for review via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
If you enjoy light mystery and don't mind unlikeable protagonists, this book is for you. This book is captivating, though there were definitely some moments that felt a little bit unrealistic. It had just enough mystery to get you going, and there was a twist nearing the end that added another layer of suspense.
The narrator, the great Laura Bell Bundy, was amazing. She did a great job of emoting and getting into the characters.
All in all, the book was enjoyable and light. Perfect for a beach or picnic read.

This gets 2.5 stars from me as it is mis-sold as a thriller. It felt more like two books in one, but not intentionally so and the result was lacklustre. It is a shame because the character of Kat had a lot of potential to be a sick and twisted antiheroine

The first 2/3 served as a romance, and the last 1/3 confusingly switched to a different narrative that was loosely tied in. I also felt the ending was wrapped up far too quickly and neatly - rather than adding dramatic tension, it had me rolling my eyes after wading through 95% of the story waiting for the thriller edge to kick in.

Overall, I felt like the story needed a thorough edit - the language needed to be cleaner and toned down. No one grins that much, adverbs were overused, and one of the so-called literary icons of the book used incorrect grammatical constructions. The constant references to films and books could also have been toned down in my opinion - if only one character did it, it could have been cute, but it felt more like this was trying to be a Broadway musical than a novel.

cat is weird but superficial ...lover of books ...anti-anxiety girl .... artistic girl... love her!!
aiten, the writer of children books, and cat hit it right off the bat!

This was great to listen to as an audiobook. I was hooked with the uncertainty of Kat’s mental health from day to day. The audiobook seemed to be fast-paced even with a longer book. One thing I did have an issue with was some of the voices the narrator used with supporting characters. She made them sound silly and it was quite distracting. It brought me out of the story a couple of times. Overall, I did enjoy the premise of the book and loved the ending.

The Trouble with Drowning by Heather Hach, audio book. 4.25 stars

This book was a great read. I was pulled in immediately by the detailed imagery and word choice. The story and plot were easy to follow and shifted to a true thriller by the end. I enjoyed that the beginning of the book focused on introducing and building the characters and the second half was more plot heavy.

I wish I could have read this with a book club so I could discuss it in a group, specifically the behavior of all characters surrounding mental health. All in all, this was a unique, entertaining story!

Big thank you to NetGalley, Heather Hach, and Greenleaf Book Group Press for an ARC copy of this audio book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow so many mixed feelings about this book. The characters are quite unlikable so it’s hard to root for them. I didn’t enjoy hearing about Jacob and Kat’s relationship. I was bored in the middle. But by the end I could not stop listening because I wanted to know what was going to happen! The ending still has me thinking….

Wow this book was a RIDE I loved and hated this book in equal parts! This book was so well written. These characters were complex and the plot although general and just following everyday life ensured I was hooked the entire time. I didn’t know if this was a romance, drama or thriller and I think i’m still confused but it definitely had aspects of all including an unreliable narrator that will ensure a difficult reading experience at times but allowed significant immersion in the story. Although this book has been out for a year now, the audiobook comes out November 21st and I had such a great experience with it! It had me hooked throughout and allowed me to follow each character as if I was in their heads. I respected the mental health representation and believed it truthfully represented what it can be like for oneself and outsiders such as family, friends and partners to experience such disorders. I also enjoyed the complexity of being in the arts professionally, being an author and the struggles and personal judgement that comes with that. Although it got a bit over the top in my opinion towards the end it ultimately was a thoroughly enjoyable read and needs to be adapted because I would watch that in a heartbeat!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of the audiobook!! 4⭐️

This is a fun twisty thriller that fans of the genre will love. The narration is smooth and pleasant. Characters are easy to tell apart. A few minor characters are voiced in a silly caricature way, but the major characters are all well done

This novel focuses on mental health and the importance of continuing medications after proper diagnosis. The country really has failed at assisting in the mental health of the citizens and this is emphasized through the writing in this book. This story got me engaged from the start. I am usually a fan of multiple points of view and this book used that technique perfectly. This story certainly highlights mental health issues and I thought it was done in an effective and compelling manner. When author Eden Hart floats into Tucson’s Antigone Books in all her dazzling perfection to give a reading, Kat, a struggling writer, can’t help but compare herself. Professionally, physically, socially—Eden is Kat’s aspiration. Thankfully, Kat’s life starts to take on its own Eden-like glow when her literary future takes shape and she falls madly in love with Jacob, the effortlessly charismatic son of her literary hero. Kat’s life is finally her fantasy realized: a burgeoning career, mentoring from her idol, and a wildly fulfilling relationship. While the themes are something that we can all relate to, as this goes down the rabbit hole of believing that her dreams of having it all can mirror Eden's. It gets a bit darker, and I would consider this a psychological thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks for this audio ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Audio Pub Date Nov 21 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks | Greenleaf Book Group Press for the audio ARC of The Trouble with Drowning by Heather Hach.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF (did not finish) for me. I just was not able to connect with the character or the story. After getting about 15% into the book, I realized I didn’t even know who the characters were when one of them was talking about their roommate and going running. When you’re that lost, I feel it’s time to throw in the towel. I’m sure others will find this book to be exactly what they need but I believe it moved a bit slow for my preferences.

Given I did not finish this one, I did not rate the book on any of my other platforms. The rating on here is solely based on the limited part of the book I experienced and not a fair rating of the whole book.

This book was released last year but the audio is about to be released on November 21st. I was not expecting the twists and events that occurred in this book, I was pleasantly surprised! It was about a struggling writer, who finds her stride in life in more ways than one and things start going her way. But when they come crashing down and she can't cope, things take a turn, and she makes some decisions that had me anxiously on the edge of my seat. This audiobook kept my attention, and the twists had me fully captivated until the very end. This was really enjoyable to listen to! 💚📚

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this audio ARC of The Trouble with Drowning, in exchange for an honest review.

This story was riveting. I was totally hooked. It might have been because I didn’t really know what genre I was reading when I started. And then when things got sinister, I got pretty excited to see where it was going.
Didn’t disappoint.
Kat is just a girl struggling to write her first book.
Enter Jacob, Kat’s new roommate’s brother.
He’s cute and sweet and the two have an immediate connection.
But when Kat becomes a bit unhinged and controlling her world starts to spiral.
When new author, Eden moves into Jacob’s first house flip, sparks fly. But what will happen in this deranged love triangle?
Yalls this was intense at times. Love how mental health is basically a character here. Truly a thrilling and meaningful story.
Loved it. Thank you netgalley for the AAC.

I wasn’t sure about this book given the warnings at the beginning but I LOVED the book. I enjoyed the characters especially with their flaws. The story felt authentic. I appreciated how it all came together at the end.

This is my first book by Heather Hatch and I really enjoyed her writing. I’ll be keeping an eye out for future books by this author.

Bell Lauren Bundy did an excellent job with the narration. I especially liked her different inflections for the various characters.

Thank you to NetGalley & Greenleaf Audiobooks for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this, I didn't love it. It has the potential to be an incredible story, but the characters are too shallow and the pace was so slow, that I lost interest. The pace did pick up at the end, and if you can suspend your disbelief at the timing of all the events that occur simultaneously, then you have a wowser of an ending!

Kat is a young woman with a mental illness and sadly, she is alone in battling her illness, as, once she reveals a glimmer of perceived weakness to Jacob, the love of her life, he unceremoniously dumps her. Jacob's mother, Carol, continues to be supportive of Kat, encouraging her to have her memoir published, but when she realises Kat is no longer useful to her own career, she too walks away. Kat's character is portrayed as being stalker ish, when what she really needs is someone to help her. I found it difficult to like any of the characters, but when the truth about Kat's upbringing is revealed, at the end of the book, I really felt for her.

I listened to this on audiobook and was really impressed with Laura Bell Bundy's portrayal of the characters in the story.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Heather Hach and Greenleaf for an ARC in return for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up - I was first drawn to the cover of this book, it is very eye catching. But the book within is great as well! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Bell Laura Bundy, does a great job with multiple different characters to voice. The book starts with a letter from the author about the talk of suicide and mental health in the book that was a perfect way to let you know what might be triggering coming up. I thought she did a wonderful job showing the roller coaster that is mental health. You are up, down, mad, on meds, off meds.

This book has quite a few points of view telling the story, but it is very well done. I think sometimes the story can get lost that way, but the author did a great job with it. The story mainly follows Cat, a new author, as she struggles with trying to publish a book, dating, getting dumped, and mental health. I would not say this book is much of a "thriller", but it does take you on a twisty ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks for the ALC. Publication date is November 21, 2024.

Thanks to NetGalley, Heather Hach, and Greenleaf Book Group for the E-ARC in exchange for my voluntary review.

I liked the start of this book, but it quickly became boring, and overall this book was way too long and slow. A very unthrilling thriller. The middle of this book drags. I wish there had been more time spent on the time Kat and Jacob were together and less on the hospital and parts with Jacob's mother. Things didn't start to pick back up again until about 75% through, and at that point I already didn't care what happened. I didn't DNF because I was hoping the end would really wow me and up my rating, but it did not. This was a very predictable tale, and most of it doesn't fit in the thriller or mystery genre as it is listed under on Goodreads. The characters are all very flat and frankly unlikable. I also wasn't a fan of this narrator, as some of her choices for character voices I found unpleasant to listen to. I think there was potential for this book, and I would give the author's next release a read to see what may have been improved on in their story telling from this story.

3.5 stars rounded to 4

Kat works at a bookstore in Tucson. She meets author Eden Hart and instantly wants to be just like her. Kat is working on her memoir, striving to become a published author like Eden. Then she meets Jacob and completely falls for him. Their relationship is intense. Their break up is even more intense.

I listened to the audiobook. I enjoyed the narrator. Kat was an interesting character and her actions were shocking at times. Made for good reading :) I thought the book was longer than it needed to be, some parts could have been left out and the story would still stand. The beginning didn’t really hook me. I had to re-listen a couple of times before I could get into it, then the characters were introduced quickly and I felt lost. I also felt that the treatment of mental health challenges was not helpful for understanding the experiences of people who do struggle with mental health wellness. While it definitely made for an exciting plot, it presented stereotypes and was steeped in negativity.

Overall, this book really pulled me in at times but also sometimes left me confused or frustrated about the way mental health challenges were presented. It had a lot of action, and the plot was quick paced. It was worth a listen.