30 Day Reading Challenge 1st Day – The Drowning Woman — Book Review

From the bestselling author of  The Party  comes a “dark and wild ride of redemption, betrayal, and friendship” following a homeless woman fleeing a dangerous past—and the wealthy society wife she saves from “As twisty and pacey as it gets” (Ashley Audrain,  New York Times  bestselling author of  The Push). Most anticipated by Goodreads ·  Indigo​  ·  SheReads

Lee Gulliver never thought she’d find herself living on the streets—no one ever does—but when her restaurant fails, and she falls deeper into debt, she leaves her old life behind with nothing but her clothes and her Toyota Corolla. In Seattle, she parks in a secluded spot by the beach to lay low and plan her next move—until early one morning, she sees a sobbing woman throw herself into the ocean. Lee hauls the woman back to the surface, but instead of appreciation, she is met with fury. The drowning woman, Hazel, tells her that she wanted to die, that she’s trapped in a toxic, abusive marriage, that she’s a prisoner in her own home. Lee has thwarted her one chance to escape her life.

Out of options, Hazel retreats to her gilded cage, and Lee thinks she’s seen the last of her, until her unexpected return the next morning. Bonded by disparate but difficult circumstances, the women soon strike up a close and unlikely friendship. And then one day, Hazel makes a shocking she wants Lee to help her disappear. It’ll be easy, Hazel assures her, but Lee soon learns that nothing is as it seems, and that Hazel may not be the friend Lee thought she was.

The book club I am in chose this book for August reads and so I was excited to read this book.

This is the first time I am reading from this author and I have to say, I was actually impressed with this book. From the start until the end, the book was fast-paced, full of unexpected twists and turns and OMG moments. The story is told from Lee, who became homeless after being impacted by the pandemic and that her restaurant was closed with mountains of debts in her wake and Hazel, a high society woman who is being controlled and abused by her powerful husband. Both the women meet when Lee saves Hazel from drowning and Hazel would often bring morning food to Lee. However, when Hazel confided Lee about her abuse, they hatch a plan to escape together but Lee realizes that Hazel is hiding secrets.

It was interesting to read from both the women’s POV. The story was well written in fact the author manage to grab our reader’s attention and kept us hooked into the book. There were some disturbing moments in the book but nonetheless it was I felt as if I was watching an interesting movie. Basically in general this book talks a lot about domestic violence. I felt more connected towards Lee than towards Hazel that I really want Lee to get a chance of living a happy life instead of being homeless. The ending I felt wasn’t really good–I felt the ending was rushed, which actually lowered my rating from a five star to a four star.

So if you are looking for a thriller that will keep you hook from beginning to end, I recommend this book to you–worth four stars!