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doodlebeanz 's review for:
The Drowning Woman
by Robyn Harding
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was so outrageously frustrating. It was beyond irritating and frustrating. It kept me on the edge of my seat, but at what cost? It wasn't even entertaining, if I am being honest. It was boring and unrealistic and the writing felt so juvenile and not to mention it was SO ridiculously unrealistic.
This book was about two women at the lowest points of their life and you can't even feel badly for them. They made every wrong choice. I facepalmed at least once a chapter at the stupidity of these two women. Normally in domestic thrillers like this, you're rooting for the women to get away from the man, but in this instance, I was just hoping one of them would grow a brain and make a right choice for once.
The writing was also just... not good. I don't want to say horrendous, but close to. It was so juvenile, it had no flow and it didn't feel natural. It was so cold and lackluster, like I was reading a text book or something, I can't even explain it. I didn't feel any connection to any character; no one was flushed out, no one had any depth to them, everything was rushed, everything was hinted at before it happened, there were some twists but honestly, it was just exhausting. The author threw in SO many twists that it just became repetitive and unrealistic and exhausting for the reader. So many times I had to say 'wait, what?' and go back and re-read a sentence but it still didn't make a whole lot of sense, it almost felt like Harding forgot what she was writing too. Everyone had the same tone, if that makes sense. The main characters (Lee, Jesse, Hazel, Benjamin) all had the same tone as all the lawyers, Jesse's brother, the receptionist at a salon (characters who were just there for a scene or two). It was just so... flat. No affect. Just completely void of creativity.
The only reason this book gets a star and a half is because I did consume it very quickly. I was obsessed with finishing it and wondering what the hell was going on. It was a disappointing read and definitely a hate read. I hated how much I wanted to know, how I kept turning the pages and staying up far past my bed time to get to the end/the point. Sadly, I never got to the point but I did luckily get to the end.
This book got so much praise on GoodReads and maybe I am just being harsh, but this was a bad book. I would not recommend this to anyone. I will not be grabbing anther one of Harding's book off the shelf anytime soon. Disappointing.
This book was about two women at the lowest points of their life and you can't even feel badly for them. They made every wrong choice. I facepalmed at least once a chapter at the stupidity of these two women. Normally in domestic thrillers like this, you're rooting for the women to get away from the man, but in this instance, I was just hoping one of them would grow a brain and make a right choice for once.
The writing was also just... not good. I don't want to say horrendous, but close to. It was so juvenile, it had no flow and it didn't feel natural. It was so cold and lackluster, like I was reading a text book or something, I can't even explain it. I didn't feel any connection to any character; no one was flushed out, no one had any depth to them, everything was rushed, everything was hinted at before it happened, there were some twists but honestly, it was just exhausting. The author threw in SO many twists that it just became repetitive and unrealistic and exhausting for the reader. So many times I had to say 'wait, what?' and go back and re-read a sentence but it still didn't make a whole lot of sense, it almost felt like Harding forgot what she was writing too. Everyone had the same tone, if that makes sense. The main characters (Lee, Jesse, Hazel, Benjamin) all had the same tone as all the lawyers, Jesse's brother, the receptionist at a salon (characters who were just there for a scene or two). It was just so... flat. No affect. Just completely void of creativity.
The only reason this book gets a star and a half is because I did consume it very quickly. I was obsessed with finishing it and wondering what the hell was going on. It was a disappointing read and definitely a hate read. I hated how much I wanted to know, how I kept turning the pages and staying up far past my bed time to get to the end/the point. Sadly, I never got to the point but I did luckily get to the end.
This book got so much praise on GoodReads and maybe I am just being harsh, but this was a bad book. I would not recommend this to anyone. I will not be grabbing anther one of Harding's book off the shelf anytime soon. Disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Car accident