The Drowning Woman

Talk about a Russian doll of lies, deceit, betrayals and madness, this book ticks all the check boxes of a thrill ride you don’t want to miss!

Lee had it all, her own restaurant, the high life, security, and then -like lots of business- Covid happened and her restaurant shuts down. Just like that she has become homeless and living in her car. Parked out in a well to do neighborhood by the beach, Lee is awoken to crying and gets out to investigate. What she finds is a well off woman that is drowning. Lee reacts and rushes in to save her life. Saving Hazel turns out to be one of the worst decisions she could make.

Hazel explains about her abusive husband and how she just needs to disappear like Lee has done and asks Lee to help her. Thinking Lee has finally found a friend, she agrees to help Hazel, but things start getting dicey. Is Hazel really her friend? Is there more to this escape plan than Hazel has shard with Lee? How much danger are they truly in?

This thriller takes off with a bang and shoots you ever toward the dark and twisted ending you won’t see coming. This novel set to be released in June of 2023 should be on every thrill lovers radar to scoop up and dive into!

A huge thank you to #NetGalley, #GrandCentralPublishing, and the amazingly talented author #RobynHarding for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

My full review will be available on all my social media platforms, blog sites and retail upon release day.

OW- this is how a thriller needs to be done.

I went into this book totally blind- I am so glad I did because it takes you on such a wild ride. I love multiple povs in books but what I love even more is when you think you are only getting one characters point of view for the whole book and then you get sucker punched with a new character one. This happened in this one and I loved not knowing when one would end and the new would begin.

This book was very current, in that hardships that have arisen since the pandemic were part of the story, but they were done so well it wasn't hard or uncomfortable for me to read about, it was actually comforting at times.

Many thrillers make the female main characters seen simple minded or weak and this book did the opposite, it shows how strong the bond can be and the author did such a good job on all of the character development.

I found some of the storyline to be a bit farfetched at times but that is why I love the genre, to read about crazy stuff happening that is so far removed from my own reality.

Harding really knocked it out of the park with this one and this needs to be on everybody's summer radar next year.

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,

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

Drowning Woman is definitely gripping, riveting and surprising reading! There are so many twists, jaw dropping moments that make you scream! I personally banged my head against the wall when I got unexpected sucker punch after finding out the biggest twist! It was freaking good! Hazel is a victim of abusive relationship. She signed a master/ slave contract with her rich and also very dangerous husband who is also powerful criminal defense lawyer. Their agreement not only includes the sexual slavery but also entitles to verbal, psychological abuse. She turns into his property in exchange of putting her mother to a facility for dementia treatment.
Hazel needs help to disappear, and she offers Lee a way out, too. But when Lee involves into Hazel’s escape plan, she realizes nothing as it seems, and she gets herself into more dangerous position than sleeping in her car as she’s holding a knife into her hand. It was still heart wrenching and girl power story even though there are some plot holes left behind. I absolutely loved this story. One could think that Lee is whiny and drowning in self-pity. I found her real and realistic. I lived the characters in this story. It was definitely not what I expected!
I liked that the author also goes into depth of what makes us human, in a subtle way. We need food and money, preferably a bed, electricity and a roof above our head. But we also need affection and love. Human connections. How we want to believe good things shall happen to us. There were so many twists and things I did not see coming. I felt like I have become Lee. I wanted to believe and trust; I was completely absorbed into the story. For the longest time I had no idea where this story was taking me but it was worth the wait!

Another great thriller from Harding. The pace is so fast and the story just take you in at the first page and never let you go. Really good read!

Robyn Harding has done it again! I regularly recommend "The Perfect Family", "The Arrangement", "Her Pretty Face", and "The Party", and "The Drowning Woman" is a great addition to her thriller collection.

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.

This is one of the best books I’ve read! Lee, a homeless woman, strikes up an unlikely friendship with Hazel, a very wealthy woman. After Lee saves Hazel from committing suicide, they start hatching a plan to save Hazel from her toxic marriage. Great twists and turns!

This is my first Robyn Harding book but far from the last!! Told in alternating POVs—Lee, who’s currently on the run and living in her car after the pandemic put her in debt that she can’t pay; and Hazel, a seemingly wealthy victim of domestic abuse who’s looking for a way out.
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The story twists and turns and you never know who is playing who. THIS IS MY FAVORITE TYPE OF STORY. You think it’s one way and then it’s the other, and then back again. The twist in the first half had my jaw on the floor! HOLY MOLY.
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My only little mini complaint is that I was waiting for another big twist near the end and I thought it fell just the tiniest bit flat. I will still absolutely recommend this book to everyone I know!
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Thanks so much to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an early e-copy!