redefiningrachel's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Confinement, Lesbophobia, Death, Mental illness, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Dementia, Bullying, Violence, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Classism, and Body shaming
Moderate: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Slavery
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Vomit
cheaploaf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Death, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, Car accident, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, and Gaslighting
brebooks_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
ninebookishlives's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
strawberrymivvy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Lee thought she had it all but when her restaurant fails she makes some dodgy decisions and loses everything, finding herself living in her car in Seattle. When she sees a distraught woman throwing herself into the ocean she rescues her - but is met with fury! The two women develop a friendship, then Hazel asks for Lee's help to disappear.
Of course, all is not as it seems... Sections of the book are told from each woman's viewpoint and gradually the reader can make sense of who is plotting what - or can they?
The second book by this author I've read, and won't be the last
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Suicide attempt
smittanybrith's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
courtthebookgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I picked this one as my @aardvarkbookclub book of the month a few months back, and picked it up after seeing @bookish.fit.nurse_jess recommending it on her page. I am so glad I did!
This is absolutely a book to throw in your beach bag because it practically demands to be read in one sitting. The first few pages had me hooked, and short of doing dinner prep and scooping meals on to plates, I had this book in my hand all afternoon.
It’s a little dark and twisty, and full of unreliable people with unreliable stories. There are several twists, and although I had a sense of one before it came to fruition, I didn’t guess the whole scope of it. I wasn’t disappointed.
I genuinely found myself flipping pages to figure out where this was going, and the short chapters helped. The only reason this wasn’t a perfect 5 stars for me is because I don’t love the BDSM content (it was largely off-page, but it briefly concerned me) and the ending may have been a teensy bit too neat for me - but the latter is hardly a complaint. I closed this book feeling very satisfied overall.
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Domestic abuse
katyannreads's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
thebookenddiner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Thank you, Grand Central Pub, for the gifted copy of this book! {partner}
Genre: Mystery
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 6.13.2023
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆
“There is more than one way to play the game. And there is more than one way to win it.”
This might be a thriller of the summer because The Drowning Woman is ALL over Instagram - I was having some FOMO, so I decided to make it my next read. It was skillfully paced and captivating, making it hard to put down.
I love books told from a dual perspective, and even more so when I enjoy hearing from both views. They both offered up so many exciting details and were full of secrets; it made it hard to choose a perspective I wanted to hear more.
Because I’m always trying to ruin something for myself, I figured out the twists reasonably early on, but seeing it all play out was still satisfying. I was surprised by the ending and didn’t expect that particular conclusion.
I only knocked The Drowning Woman down to a 4☆ because I thought there were a few loose ends to which we never got an answer. I’m also not a huge fan of vague endings, and that’s where part of the ending left us.
🗣️ Dual perspectives
4️⃣ Four parts
📖 Page turner
🤷🏽♀️ Ending had a few loose ends
☀️ Perfect read for summer
❌ domestic abuse, suicide attempt, infidelity
I recommend reading The Drowning Woman when you have a whole weekend to devote to reading because it will keep you hooked!
_
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Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Suicide attempt
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A woman living in her car gets tangled up in more than she bargained for when she saves the life of a wealthy woman.
Another month, another great book club pick! I really enjoyed this one, which kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat the whole time. The chapters were super short (ALWAYS a plus), and the twists and turns made me excited to keep reading and find out what would happen next. I also really enjoyed the changing POVs, which I thought added a lot of layers and nuance to the story.
I did expect another somewhat more “groundbreaking” reveal at some point, but I think that is just a function of consuming a lot of thrillers and always expecting some massive shock at the eleventh hour. Overall, I thought this was really well paced and the plot unspooled pretty nicely—and while there probably could have been another left turn at the end, I’m not overly mad that there wasn’t. As an added bonus, I actually really liked the main characters (even if I questioned some of their decisions), which can be rare for a thriller and which I always appreciate!
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: shifting POVs; psychological thrillers; short chapters
CW: Domestic violence/abuse; dementia; death of parent; discussions of suicide/suicide attempt; discussions of homelessness/poverty
Graphic: Murder, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident, Suicide, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders