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Deep Water
Pre-order Eye of the Beholder, a modern reimagining of Hitchcock's classic Vertigo, coming from Emma Bamford in July 2024.'Powered by a subtle, ominous tension. I loved this book’ LEE CHILD‘Paradise never felt so sinister’ RUTH WARELies can be buried... Secrets always come to the surfaceAmarante is paradise... An uninhabited, unspoilt island somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Only those who know it exists can find it. But paradise comes with a price... Virginie and Jake sail to Amarante for their honeymoon, but they are not alone. They have to adjust to life on the island with five strangers. And not everyone will live to tell the tale… Dark secrets surface and their dream abruptly turns into a nightmare. Removed from society, they find out what they’re truly capable of.‘An incredible debut’ B A PARIS‘Suspenseful, evocative and beautifully written, I devoured it’ L V MATTHEWS‘That most exciting psychological thriller in which the darkest dangers lurk in a suspicious mind and a guilty heart’ A J FINN‘Gripping and pacy... A perfect summer read’ IMRAN MAHMOOD‘A debut thriller that unfolds with the inexorable force of a nightmare, and an object lesson in why some paradises should stay lost’ JOHN CONNOLLY'Deep Water had me gripped. I loved the subtle, sinister sense of tension that built through the book, and the fascinating cast of characters Emma Bamford brought together on idyllic Amarante. Such an accomplished debut' BETH O'LEARY'It had me completely hooked! I could literally feel the sand between my toes and taste the salt in the air. An amazing and evocative atmosphere of paradise that quickly turns sinister! A must summer read for all crime fans' VICKI BRADLEY
399 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 31, 2022
264 people are currently reading
22556 people want to read
About the author
Emma Bamford
5 books227 followersEmma Bamford is an East Midlands-based author and journalist who has worked at The Independent and Daily Express and most recently as News Editor of the i newspaper.
She had a fairly normal life to begin with, growing up with her younger brother and sister under the watchful eyes of her parents in Lincoln and Nottingham. After studying English Literature at Southampton University and Newspaper Journalism at UCLan, she started work as a cub reporter for the Bicester Review and then the Derby Evening Telegraph, cutting her journalistic teeth interviewing organisers of local fetes and grilling parish council members. Fleet Street beckoned and highlights of her career as a reporter and news editor include asking F1 driver Jenson Button what his favourite toasted sandwich filling was, quizzing the incumbent Home Secretary on his preferred kind of cheese (spot a pattern?) and peeing in Bruce Forsyth’s downstairs loo. There was some serious and hard-hitting journalism in there for a fair few years, too.
Then, in her early 30s and bored with this ‘fairly normal life’ she’d created for herself, Emma took a career break and, despite protestations from friends and family, answered an advert on the internet for ‘crew wanted’ and flew to Borneo to live on a boat with a man she had never met and his cat. She found herself hunting for elephants in the jungle, visiting deserted islands and running from pirates. Finally she ended up among billionaires, working as a stewardess on a superyacht in Italy. Her adventures form the basis of her first book, Casting Off, which is being published by Bloomsbury on July 3.
Emma now works part-time as a freelance to give herself space to write and make the jump from memoir to novels. Her ambition is to make book writing her full-time career. Tropical settings feature high in her inspiration and as her books’ settings, although she lives about as far away from the sea as it is possible, in landlocked rural Derbyshire. And, while she may make self-deprecating jokes constantly, she really is serious about figuring out what is important in life and finding the freedom to be who you want to be.
She had a fairly normal life to begin with, growing up with her younger brother and sister under the watchful eyes of her parents in Lincoln and Nottingham. After studying English Literature at Southampton University and Newspaper Journalism at UCLan, she started work as a cub reporter for the Bicester Review and then the Derby Evening Telegraph, cutting her journalistic teeth interviewing organisers of local fetes and grilling parish council members. Fleet Street beckoned and highlights of her career as a reporter and news editor include asking F1 driver Jenson Button what his favourite toasted sandwich filling was, quizzing the incumbent Home Secretary on his preferred kind of cheese (spot a pattern?) and peeing in Bruce Forsyth’s downstairs loo. There was some serious and hard-hitting journalism in there for a fair few years, too.
Then, in her early 30s and bored with this ‘fairly normal life’ she’d created for herself, Emma took a career break and, despite protestations from friends and family, answered an advert on the internet for ‘crew wanted’ and flew to Borneo to live on a boat with a man she had never met and his cat. She found herself hunting for elephants in the jungle, visiting deserted islands and running from pirates. Finally she ended up among billionaires, working as a stewardess on a superyacht in Italy. Her adventures form the basis of her first book, Casting Off, which is being published by Bloomsbury on July 3.
Emma now works part-time as a freelance to give herself space to write and make the jump from memoir to novels. Her ambition is to make book writing her full-time career. Tropical settings feature high in her inspiration and as her books’ settings, although she lives about as far away from the sea as it is possible, in landlocked rural Derbyshire. And, while she may make self-deprecating jokes constantly, she really is serious about figuring out what is important in life and finding the freedom to be who you want to be.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 634 reviews
May 23, 2022
Hmm, okay, not bad but not so perfect either:
When I saw the alluring cover and mysterious blurb, I was already drawn into this book! I thought it was something between Lost, Deep Calm movie ( 1989: you can see younger Kidman with less face-lifting and Botox! Huge Yay! And fantastic Sam Neal: triple yay! ) or something between Lord of the flies and Caprio’s Island! Trapped in a haunted island troupe always promises unputdownable, riveting thriller theme with lots of twists!
Let’s start with the beginning of the book: was it exciting? Yes, absolutely! A navy ship approaches near a yacht in the middle of Indian Ocean to help the people inside after they hear Mayday call. They found a man with serious head wound and a thin, fragile woman in bikini. We’re not exactly sure the yacht belongs to them. The woman tells them the wounded man and she are married. Their names are Jake and Virginie. She confesses she did something real bad! Navy Ship’s captain Daniel wants to make sure the woman is telling her the truth so Virginie starts to tell their story from the beginning.
Then we move back and forth to see how the couple starts their exotic journey: how they found an isolated island in Malaysia and how they realized they were not the only people who discovered that beautiful place. There were bunch of people including sailors also decided to spend their vacation time on the same place!
Then something dramatic happens to turn their heavenly island into nightmarish place! Virginie blames on herself! The captain listens to her story, deciding if she’s telling the entire truth and in the meantime he tries to resist the deadly spell of the island.
Well, I must say the storyline was good enough for me to dive into this story. As I mentioned before the beginning was also promising enough for me to go on but after that the story was dragged and wobbled. At most of the chapters nothing important happened. When the big secret revealed, it already lost its charm.
So the entire execution of this promising concept was way too much slow burn and a little boring for me. So I gave my solid three stars: neither I hated nor I liked kind of semi-satisfying reading for me!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
When I saw the alluring cover and mysterious blurb, I was already drawn into this book! I thought it was something between Lost, Deep Calm movie ( 1989: you can see younger Kidman with less face-lifting and Botox! Huge Yay! And fantastic Sam Neal: triple yay! ) or something between Lord of the flies and Caprio’s Island! Trapped in a haunted island troupe always promises unputdownable, riveting thriller theme with lots of twists!
Let’s start with the beginning of the book: was it exciting? Yes, absolutely! A navy ship approaches near a yacht in the middle of Indian Ocean to help the people inside after they hear Mayday call. They found a man with serious head wound and a thin, fragile woman in bikini. We’re not exactly sure the yacht belongs to them. The woman tells them the wounded man and she are married. Their names are Jake and Virginie. She confesses she did something real bad! Navy Ship’s captain Daniel wants to make sure the woman is telling her the truth so Virginie starts to tell their story from the beginning.
Then we move back and forth to see how the couple starts their exotic journey: how they found an isolated island in Malaysia and how they realized they were not the only people who discovered that beautiful place. There were bunch of people including sailors also decided to spend their vacation time on the same place!
Then something dramatic happens to turn their heavenly island into nightmarish place! Virginie blames on herself! The captain listens to her story, deciding if she’s telling the entire truth and in the meantime he tries to resist the deadly spell of the island.
Well, I must say the storyline was good enough for me to dive into this story. As I mentioned before the beginning was also promising enough for me to go on but after that the story was dragged and wobbled. At most of the chapters nothing important happened. When the big secret revealed, it already lost its charm.
So the entire execution of this promising concept was way too much slow burn and a little boring for me. So I gave my solid three stars: neither I hated nor I liked kind of semi-satisfying reading for me!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
June 3, 2023
My thanks to Gallery/Scout Press, Emma Bamford and Netgalley.
So, I love books like these. Not all. Actually, I find that I love the concept more than I do the actual books.
No worries here! From the start I was freaking hooked. This was everything I wanted it to be, and so much more!
I'm just one of those oddballs that would be absolutely fine with a scenario such as this! It may be a wee bit hot, but I'd adjust!
What was really fun though, is when things started going haywire. "Gotta love that!" A death. An engine failure. "Dum, dum, dum!"
Between heaven and a very quick goodbye? Stuff gets real.
I liked how the ending picked up for some 4 years or so down the road.
It felt complete.
So, I love books like these. Not all. Actually, I find that I love the concept more than I do the actual books.
No worries here! From the start I was freaking hooked. This was everything I wanted it to be, and so much more!
I'm just one of those oddballs that would be absolutely fine with a scenario such as this! It may be a wee bit hot, but I'd adjust!
What was really fun though, is when things started going haywire. "Gotta love that!" A death. An engine failure. "Dum, dum, dum!"
Between heaven and a very quick goodbye? Stuff gets real.
I liked how the ending picked up for some 4 years or so down the road.
It felt complete.
January 27, 2022
This was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2022. I love survival stories and was thrilled to be approved an early arc. Yippee!
Now one would assume a survival story on the high seas of the Indian Ocean would be a nail biting thrill ride but one would be wrong. Better yet, I would be wrong.
This was a snoozefest if ever there was one. 🥱
It starts so promising when a navy vessel in the middle of the Indian Ocean starts to receive mayday calls from a catamaran. The caller claiming her husband is in need of urgent medical care. What in the world are they doing all the way out here is what Captain Tengku is thinking. Upon arrival they find a malnourished woman hovering over her blood soaked husband. He's in a bad way but alive and they are able to transport them both back to safety. From here the woman, Virginie, tells Captain Tengku exactly what happened to them starting off with "It's all my fault. I killed them."
At this point I was all in and my mind was whirring with all sorts of creepy scenarios.
Then we flash back to before and all that leads up to the present. For 40% of this book nothing happens except sailing talk. I am not a sailor so all of this detailed information meant nothing to me. I appreciate that the author is clearly an experienced sailor and knows what she's talking about but for the average person this will become mundane very quickly.
Then they arrive on the island of Amarante only to realize they aren't alone.
All I could think is "now we're getting somewhere!"
Again, I was wrong.
Yes, there are other people. Yes, things do go wrong. Yet it wasn't thrilling, suspenseful, creepy, or memorable. The most thrilling part of this book was turning the final page knowing it was finally over. 2 stars!
If your looking for adventure, excitement, thrills and chills on a secluded island then I highly recommend the recently released Reckless Girls or one of my 2021 favorites of the year Stranded.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Gallery Books for my complimentary copy.
Now one would assume a survival story on the high seas of the Indian Ocean would be a nail biting thrill ride but one would be wrong. Better yet, I would be wrong.
This was a snoozefest if ever there was one. 🥱
It starts so promising when a navy vessel in the middle of the Indian Ocean starts to receive mayday calls from a catamaran. The caller claiming her husband is in need of urgent medical care. What in the world are they doing all the way out here is what Captain Tengku is thinking. Upon arrival they find a malnourished woman hovering over her blood soaked husband. He's in a bad way but alive and they are able to transport them both back to safety. From here the woman, Virginie, tells Captain Tengku exactly what happened to them starting off with "It's all my fault. I killed them."
At this point I was all in and my mind was whirring with all sorts of creepy scenarios.
Then we flash back to before and all that leads up to the present. For 40% of this book nothing happens except sailing talk. I am not a sailor so all of this detailed information meant nothing to me. I appreciate that the author is clearly an experienced sailor and knows what she's talking about but for the average person this will become mundane very quickly.
Then they arrive on the island of Amarante only to realize they aren't alone.
All I could think is "now we're getting somewhere!"
Again, I was wrong.
Yes, there are other people. Yes, things do go wrong. Yet it wasn't thrilling, suspenseful, creepy, or memorable. The most thrilling part of this book was turning the final page knowing it was finally over. 2 stars!
If your looking for adventure, excitement, thrills and chills on a secluded island then I highly recommend the recently released Reckless Girls or one of my 2021 favorites of the year Stranded.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Gallery Books for my complimentary copy.
June 29, 2022
2/2.5 stars
This book started off on very strong footing. A Navy Vessel answers a Mayday from Virginie whose husband has been horribly injured. Virginie tells the Captain of the Navy vessel “It’s all my fault. I killed them.” I thought Yes! This is going to be a killer book. With a beginning like that, I knew I was going to love it. I was already intrigued by the synopsis of the book.
But then things petered out. Virginie and her husband Jake had purchased a yacht and looked forward to exotic and exciting travels with it. When they were told about a tiny, isolated island, Amarante, they set off for adventure but find when they arrive that they are not the only ones who had that in mind.
I thought I was going to love this book. That this book about survival was going to wow me. Why oh why do publishers use other books in their blurbs. I enjoyed The Ruins and was hoping with fingers crossed that this book would be more like that book. Well, I am her to tell you folks, it was not.
This was not for me. I was hoping for tension, suspense, and atmosphere and this was not it for me. Others are enjoying this book more than I did, so please seek out those reviews as well.
Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
This book started off on very strong footing. A Navy Vessel answers a Mayday from Virginie whose husband has been horribly injured. Virginie tells the Captain of the Navy vessel “It’s all my fault. I killed them.” I thought Yes! This is going to be a killer book. With a beginning like that, I knew I was going to love it. I was already intrigued by the synopsis of the book.
But then things petered out. Virginie and her husband Jake had purchased a yacht and looked forward to exotic and exciting travels with it. When they were told about a tiny, isolated island, Amarante, they set off for adventure but find when they arrive that they are not the only ones who had that in mind.
I thought I was going to love this book. That this book about survival was going to wow me. Why oh why do publishers use other books in their blurbs. I enjoyed The Ruins and was hoping with fingers crossed that this book would be more like that book. Well, I am her to tell you folks, it was not.
This was not for me. I was hoping for tension, suspense, and atmosphere and this was not it for me. Others are enjoying this book more than I did, so please seek out those reviews as well.
Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
June 11, 2022
The newly-married Jake and Virginie decide to spend all of their money on a yacht on which they will live and explore out of the way places. On a remote island they encounter a group of people who have also decided to leave their jobs behind. Into that mix sails a luxury yacht owned by Vitor who is accompanied by his beautiful mistress. Jake and Virginie are both bland, dumb, mopey and uninteresting. In that way they are well matched. It takes a certain kind of stupid for a woman not to see how smarmy Vitor is, or for a man who is afraid of the water to decide to live on a boat.
The blurb makes it sound like this will be suspenseful. It is not. The characters are certainly not “in the grips of the island’s secrets” and no one is “under the dark spell of the island”. There is no dark spell or sinister atmosphere. This is not a thriller. The very slight action comes at the end of the book. Really, whoever wrote the blurb for this book should be ashamed. I did manage to finish the book with some skimming. 2.5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
The blurb makes it sound like this will be suspenseful. It is not. The characters are certainly not “in the grips of the island’s secrets” and no one is “under the dark spell of the island”. There is no dark spell or sinister atmosphere. This is not a thriller. The very slight action comes at the end of the book. Really, whoever wrote the blurb for this book should be ashamed. I did manage to finish the book with some skimming. 2.5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
May 28, 2022
The premise seemed so promising but it just fell flat for me. I felt bored the majority of the time waiting for the action which barely came. It felt like nothing was happening for the majority of the book of the book and I’m honestly amazed I finished it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
April 1, 2023
Oh this book was so good! I saw very mixed reviews from my Goodreads friends, so I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. It definitely met my expectations, if not surpassed them.
The story starts off with a naval ship finding a stranded catamaran in the Indian Ocean; aboard is a woman and a gravely injured man. The woman is hysterical, with quite a story to tell about how she ended up on this boat that she claims isn’t theirs. She also claims that she “killed them all”. I was immediately hooked…
The story then flashes back to the woman’s story: Virginie and her husband, Jake, poured their savings into a sailing boat, and are headed off towards Asia. While on a stop for provisions, they meet a man who tells them of a remote island called Amarante. The island is days away from any other land, very isolated and very unknown. Immediately, Virginie wants to change their plans and head to Amarante, despite her husband’s initial efforts to dissuade her. So, away they head to this remote piece of paradise.
When they arrive, they realize they aren’t alone, but the small group of people already there are welcoming, and soon the island feels like home. They plan on staying until monsoon season, and their adventure begins with lots of coconut hunting, fishing, and spending the evening with the new friends they have made. The author did a good job of painting the picture of these people, all of whom have different reasons for escaping to a secluded island.
In a typical “locked room” mystery way, things soon change for the worse. Another couple arrives, and while Virginie and Jake briefly met them before heading to the island, they are strangers who seem to have secrets. They have a lot of money, a lot of alcohol, and a lot of issues. Soon, things turn from a peaceful commune to a group divided. Illness strikes (not good when it would take almost a week to reach civilization), and Virginie and Jake’s engine dies, leaving them with no power or way to make water, and no way of leaving without help. Is help really wanted, though?
The ending of this was tied up with a pretty bow, and that was the only part that I wasn’t mesmerized by. The entire book is fantastic, and the ending is good, but the beginning is the real show-stopper. You know something bad is going to happen, but when? What? How? I found myself desperately trying to get to the end to see how they ended up stranded on somebody else’s boat. I think the beginning was so strong that the end just couldn’t compete, but it still remains a four-star book for me, leaning towards 4.5 stars. It’s one I couldn’t wait to find time to read, and one I’ll keep thinking about for awhile! I highly recommend this nautical thriller.
(Thank you to Gallery Books, Emma Bamford, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)
The story starts off with a naval ship finding a stranded catamaran in the Indian Ocean; aboard is a woman and a gravely injured man. The woman is hysterical, with quite a story to tell about how she ended up on this boat that she claims isn’t theirs. She also claims that she “killed them all”. I was immediately hooked…
The story then flashes back to the woman’s story: Virginie and her husband, Jake, poured their savings into a sailing boat, and are headed off towards Asia. While on a stop for provisions, they meet a man who tells them of a remote island called Amarante. The island is days away from any other land, very isolated and very unknown. Immediately, Virginie wants to change their plans and head to Amarante, despite her husband’s initial efforts to dissuade her. So, away they head to this remote piece of paradise.
When they arrive, they realize they aren’t alone, but the small group of people already there are welcoming, and soon the island feels like home. They plan on staying until monsoon season, and their adventure begins with lots of coconut hunting, fishing, and spending the evening with the new friends they have made. The author did a good job of painting the picture of these people, all of whom have different reasons for escaping to a secluded island.
In a typical “locked room” mystery way, things soon change for the worse. Another couple arrives, and while Virginie and Jake briefly met them before heading to the island, they are strangers who seem to have secrets. They have a lot of money, a lot of alcohol, and a lot of issues. Soon, things turn from a peaceful commune to a group divided. Illness strikes (not good when it would take almost a week to reach civilization), and Virginie and Jake’s engine dies, leaving them with no power or way to make water, and no way of leaving without help. Is help really wanted, though?
The ending of this was tied up with a pretty bow, and that was the only part that I wasn’t mesmerized by. The entire book is fantastic, and the ending is good, but the beginning is the real show-stopper. You know something bad is going to happen, but when? What? How? I found myself desperately trying to get to the end to see how they ended up stranded on somebody else’s boat. I think the beginning was so strong that the end just couldn’t compete, but it still remains a four-star book for me, leaning towards 4.5 stars. It’s one I couldn’t wait to find time to read, and one I’ll keep thinking about for awhile! I highly recommend this nautical thriller.
(Thank you to Gallery Books, Emma Bamford, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)
August 3, 2022
“Welcome to Amarante. Now you’ve been here, life’ll never be the same again.”
I think I subconsciously channeled my inner Stepbrother with my weekend reads . . . .
Despite being someone who never wants to leave her house, somehow I ended up fictionally on the high seas not once but three times between Saturday and Sunday.
The story here is about Jake and Virginie who have pooled all of their dollars in order to buy a small sailing yacht. The plan was to take off for Thailand, but when their neighbor at the marina tells them about a hidden paradise called Amarante, the two decide to really embrace their adventurous side and change their destination. The “locals” (every visitor is allowed a two-month stretch if approved by the authorities) greet them with open arms, but any reader knows some things are simply too good to be true.
Once again, this one is all about the atmosphere. There is a LOT of sailing and boat talk, but as a gal who is addicted to all things Below Deck that was A-okay with me. And at least this one gave credit where credit is due and compared itself to . . . .
I think I subconsciously channeled my inner Stepbrother with my weekend reads . . . .
Despite being someone who never wants to leave her house, somehow I ended up fictionally on the high seas not once but three times between Saturday and Sunday.
The story here is about Jake and Virginie who have pooled all of their dollars in order to buy a small sailing yacht. The plan was to take off for Thailand, but when their neighbor at the marina tells them about a hidden paradise called Amarante, the two decide to really embrace their adventurous side and change their destination. The “locals” (every visitor is allowed a two-month stretch if approved by the authorities) greet them with open arms, but any reader knows some things are simply too good to be true.
Once again, this one is all about the atmosphere. There is a LOT of sailing and boat talk, but as a gal who is addicted to all things Below Deck that was A-okay with me. And at least this one gave credit where credit is due and compared itself to . . . .
March 7, 2023
I was immediately interested because I love claustrophobic “stuck on an island” stories.. and I’m a Survivor fan! It didn’t start off as an easy read, with the words I don’t know and names I can’t pronounce. When we get to Virginie recounting her story to the Navy man a few chapters in, I was hooked!
Virginie and Jake are newly married. She works at a boat museum and he works on boats. Suffice it to say, they are boat people. Their dream is to leave their possessions and 9-5 lives behind and travel the sea so they set out to do just that. They scrapped their original plan when a marina friend tells them about a beautiful and mostly uninhabited island called Amarante. Virginie cannot resist its allure and convinces Jake to go.
When they finally arrive a few weeks later, there is another couple on the island for the season, Pete and Stella, and an older man with his dog. They all hit it off immediately and Roly, the elder, explains the rules to them. Just basic things like where not to fish and how to pitch in.
3 is company but 4’s a crowd when another boat rolls in. It’s Vitor and Teresa, a couple they’d met at a port. Virginie hit it off with Vitor but not Teresa, she’s reserved, and Jake thinks Vitor is annoying and pretentious.
As they settle into island life, things are really fun and it was actually super sweet and romantic. I felt like I was there with all the vivid descriptions of sights, sounds and smells.
Things start to unravel after a few blissful, but sweltering, weeks. Just like the civilized world, there are politics and trade embargoes. The boat is having trouble, food and water get scarce, and people are starting to take inventory of each other and their worth.
Despite the best of intentions going into it, not everyone can make it away from Amarante unscathed. Maybe everyone should have just followed the simple rules. “Here’s paradise, bringing you pain.”
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the chance to set sail on this adventure!
Virginie and Jake are newly married. She works at a boat museum and he works on boats. Suffice it to say, they are boat people. Their dream is to leave their possessions and 9-5 lives behind and travel the sea so they set out to do just that. They scrapped their original plan when a marina friend tells them about a beautiful and mostly uninhabited island called Amarante. Virginie cannot resist its allure and convinces Jake to go.
When they finally arrive a few weeks later, there is another couple on the island for the season, Pete and Stella, and an older man with his dog. They all hit it off immediately and Roly, the elder, explains the rules to them. Just basic things like where not to fish and how to pitch in.
3 is company but 4’s a crowd when another boat rolls in. It’s Vitor and Teresa, a couple they’d met at a port. Virginie hit it off with Vitor but not Teresa, she’s reserved, and Jake thinks Vitor is annoying and pretentious.
As they settle into island life, things are really fun and it was actually super sweet and romantic. I felt like I was there with all the vivid descriptions of sights, sounds and smells.
Things start to unravel after a few blissful, but sweltering, weeks. Just like the civilized world, there are politics and trade embargoes. The boat is having trouble, food and water get scarce, and people are starting to take inventory of each other and their worth.
Despite the best of intentions going into it, not everyone can make it away from Amarante unscathed. Maybe everyone should have just followed the simple rules. “Here’s paradise, bringing you pain.”
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the chance to set sail on this adventure!
October 13, 2022
Deep Water was a fast read for me, had me gripped from the beginning until the very end. A cast of characters that are not all very likeable or trustworthy. A locked room mystery set on a luxury yacht and a deserted tropical paradise - what is not to love.
It starts off with Virginie being rescued, with an unconscious and bleeding Jake. What happened? Was it an accident or something more sinister? Then we go back, as she tells her story to her rescuer. We find out how Jake and Virginie ended up at Amarante and why. And who are the people they spent all their time with on this island.
It is a page turner, keeping you guessing all the way.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK for my copy of this book to read.
It starts off with Virginie being rescued, with an unconscious and bleeding Jake. What happened? Was it an accident or something more sinister? Then we go back, as she tells her story to her rescuer. We find out how Jake and Virginie ended up at Amarante and why. And who are the people they spent all their time with on this island.
It is a page turner, keeping you guessing all the way.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK for my copy of this book to read.
December 1, 2021
If your dream of a perfect life is a small tropical island in the middle of nowhere with no accoutrements of civilization, just perfect weather, ocean, sun, leisure time…well, prepare to have that dream be put through the visceral and vigorous paces of brutal reality. Because, of course, the no civilization thing sounds nice on paper…until you need something. And the characters of this book find themselves very much in need, indeed. And short on friends.
But wait, let’s rewind…in the middle of an Indian ocean a woman is found aboard a luxury yacht. A woman is covered in blood, but coherent enough to have correctly send out the signal flare. There’s an unconscious man on board too, her spouse. The woman is rambling, something about guilt, something about having killed…
Let’s rewind some more – books are great for that. Meet Virginie (Vee) and Jake. The happily married couple who decide to test the mettle of their new vows but setting off to live on a boat in an exotic locale – Jake’s dream realized. Vee is all too ready to leave her world behind anyway, a world all too busy with memories of a domineering father and domineering first marriage he orchestrated for her. Jake’s nothing like those men, Jake’s kind and considerate and much more of an equal. Right? Well, we shall see. After all, it’s easy to be nice in clement circumstances.
Vee and Jake hear about a distant island, Edenic uninhabited island, days away from civilization, a place where you can live on your own schedule and by your own rules, become enamored with the idea and go there. And sure enough, the island is lovely once they get there. There are a few other people, but friendly enough, easy to live with, so long as you follow some basic communal rules. Because apparently even in the middle of nowhere people need rules, despite the fact that the entire goal of going there was to get away from rules and judgements of others.
Anyway, whether friendly or vaguely sinister, they all manage to get along…until their boat craps out and then a tragedy strikes and then it’s every man/woman for themselves. Enter the real trial of Jake and Vee’s marriage. If they can survive this, they can survive it all.
There have been a number of thrillers set at high seas from Ruth (Christie wannabe) Ware’s Woman in Cabin 10 to Catherine Steadman’s Something in the Water, just to mention a recent couple. Understandably so – it’s a genuinely exciting setting for a genre that has thrill in its name. And this book is a near perfect rendition of a high sea thriller.
It helps that the author really, really knows what she’s talking about, having experience not only as a writer, but as a sailor. This isn’t a story just a story about boats and seas – it places you there as much as a book can. It teleports you to sun-beaten decks and wave-beaten shores. You can practically hear the whooshing of the ocean in your ears.
And then there’s the suspense element of it, the smartly and expertly crafted suspense that builds and builds toward the inevitable tragedy. You know this vacation doesn’t end well from the get-go, but it’s still a wild and crazy ride getting there.
So, great writing, dynamic pacing, engaging characters, twists, turns, surprises…it’s all you can ask for in a thriller. So much fun to read, I enjoyed this one tremendously. I read tons, and tons of it are thrillers, and this one stood out easily and assuredly. A most excitingly auspicious or auspiciously exciting fiction debut. Sail away if you dare. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
But wait, let’s rewind…in the middle of an Indian ocean a woman is found aboard a luxury yacht. A woman is covered in blood, but coherent enough to have correctly send out the signal flare. There’s an unconscious man on board too, her spouse. The woman is rambling, something about guilt, something about having killed…
Let’s rewind some more – books are great for that. Meet Virginie (Vee) and Jake. The happily married couple who decide to test the mettle of their new vows but setting off to live on a boat in an exotic locale – Jake’s dream realized. Vee is all too ready to leave her world behind anyway, a world all too busy with memories of a domineering father and domineering first marriage he orchestrated for her. Jake’s nothing like those men, Jake’s kind and considerate and much more of an equal. Right? Well, we shall see. After all, it’s easy to be nice in clement circumstances.
Vee and Jake hear about a distant island, Edenic uninhabited island, days away from civilization, a place where you can live on your own schedule and by your own rules, become enamored with the idea and go there. And sure enough, the island is lovely once they get there. There are a few other people, but friendly enough, easy to live with, so long as you follow some basic communal rules. Because apparently even in the middle of nowhere people need rules, despite the fact that the entire goal of going there was to get away from rules and judgements of others.
Anyway, whether friendly or vaguely sinister, they all manage to get along…until their boat craps out and then a tragedy strikes and then it’s every man/woman for themselves. Enter the real trial of Jake and Vee’s marriage. If they can survive this, they can survive it all.
There have been a number of thrillers set at high seas from Ruth (Christie wannabe) Ware’s Woman in Cabin 10 to Catherine Steadman’s Something in the Water, just to mention a recent couple. Understandably so – it’s a genuinely exciting setting for a genre that has thrill in its name. And this book is a near perfect rendition of a high sea thriller.
It helps that the author really, really knows what she’s talking about, having experience not only as a writer, but as a sailor. This isn’t a story just a story about boats and seas – it places you there as much as a book can. It teleports you to sun-beaten decks and wave-beaten shores. You can practically hear the whooshing of the ocean in your ears.
And then there’s the suspense element of it, the smartly and expertly crafted suspense that builds and builds toward the inevitable tragedy. You know this vacation doesn’t end well from the get-go, but it’s still a wild and crazy ride getting there.
So, great writing, dynamic pacing, engaging characters, twists, turns, surprises…it’s all you can ask for in a thriller. So much fun to read, I enjoyed this one tremendously. I read tons, and tons of it are thrillers, and this one stood out easily and assuredly. A most excitingly auspicious or auspiciously exciting fiction debut. Sail away if you dare. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
January 2, 2023
As the saying goes, it is a good starting point for authors to write what they know and judging by how much Emma Bamford has to know about boats, I feel like she did just that with Deep Water. The story starts out with a bit of high tension on the naval vessel before heading back to the beginning of how we got to that point. For the most part, this was a slower burn, but the pace was steady enough for me that I stayed interested and it didn't take me all that long to finish. There is a lot of drama and since the island Jake and Virginie drop anchor near is basically in the middle of nowhere, a very desolate feel to the book as well. I got lost in Bamford's gorgeous descriptions of the water and Amarante (the island), but there was also a feeling of foreboding and slight creepiness that I got throughout the story too. There were a lot of ways Deep Water reminded me of Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins and if I hadn’t read them so far apart, I may have gotten the two mixed up.
I really loved the audiobook for Deep Water and having Sophie Roberts & Daniel York Loh as the narrators was complete perfection. Roberts voices the majority of the book since this is Virginie’s story, and I can’t think of anything I didn’t like about her or the audio itself. I am a sucker for anything set on the water or in isolated locations, and once you throw in the mix of characters Bamford had surrounding Virginie and Jake, it just made things even more interesting. Secrets abound which is what creates a lot of the drama, and I was totally shocked by the big reveal. The atmosphere is on point and there are a lot of details regarding sailing and the nautical side of things, but I thought the way that Bamford wrote them never made it seem boring or tedious. All in all, I was a big fan of this novel, and I will definitely read whatever this author writes next!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I really loved the audiobook for Deep Water and having Sophie Roberts & Daniel York Loh as the narrators was complete perfection. Roberts voices the majority of the book since this is Virginie’s story, and I can’t think of anything I didn’t like about her or the audio itself. I am a sucker for anything set on the water or in isolated locations, and once you throw in the mix of characters Bamford had surrounding Virginie and Jake, it just made things even more interesting. Secrets abound which is what creates a lot of the drama, and I was totally shocked by the big reveal. The atmosphere is on point and there are a lot of details regarding sailing and the nautical side of things, but I thought the way that Bamford wrote them never made it seem boring or tedious. All in all, I was a big fan of this novel, and I will definitely read whatever this author writes next!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
May 19, 2022
Review coming soon.
August 12, 2022
“Amarante…Immortal amarant, a flower which once in Paradise, fast by the Tree of Life, began to bloom.”
Virginie is an artist and her husband Jake is a boat carpenter. They decide to quit their day jobs and spend their savings on an older yacht, sailing the ocean carefree. They come across a man who swears they should try out a remote island named Amarante, claiming it will be unlike anything they have ever seen or experienced. So, they deter from their original plan and go to this island instead. It is stunning, and things are good for a while…until tension rises between other inhabitants of the island and things do not go as planned.
For me, the blurb’s comparison of this book being like “The Ruins” or “The Beach”, an addition to that category, is inaccurate. I would certainly not consider this a thriller. If you read this book without that expectation, I think you will find it incredibly enjoyable. Still, just because the blurb is inaccurate should not be a reason to discredit this book.
I think Bamford did a brilliant job of painting what it would be like to sail across the ocean. She was able to use her personal experience of sailing several years and bring that knowledge to life in this book which was a nice touch. I found her writing to be beautiful and loved the vivid depictions of the island Amarante. She portrayed life on a secluded island with just a handful of people how I would anticipate it to be; everyone working together pulling their weight and helping one another to make island life pleasurable.
The story starts out suspenseful. A naval vessel gets a distress call from Virginie. Once they reach the boat they see that Jake is injured badly and Virginie confesses, ”It’s all my fault. I killed them.” From there, Bamford goes back and fills in all of the details up to the point. The entire story flowed well and was a solid 4 stars for me (and the cover is EVERYTHING). I look forward to reading future works from this author.
Thank you to Goodreads and the author for my copy of this book.
Virginie is an artist and her husband Jake is a boat carpenter. They decide to quit their day jobs and spend their savings on an older yacht, sailing the ocean carefree. They come across a man who swears they should try out a remote island named Amarante, claiming it will be unlike anything they have ever seen or experienced. So, they deter from their original plan and go to this island instead. It is stunning, and things are good for a while…until tension rises between other inhabitants of the island and things do not go as planned.
For me, the blurb’s comparison of this book being like “The Ruins” or “The Beach”, an addition to that category, is inaccurate. I would certainly not consider this a thriller. If you read this book without that expectation, I think you will find it incredibly enjoyable. Still, just because the blurb is inaccurate should not be a reason to discredit this book.
I think Bamford did a brilliant job of painting what it would be like to sail across the ocean. She was able to use her personal experience of sailing several years and bring that knowledge to life in this book which was a nice touch. I found her writing to be beautiful and loved the vivid depictions of the island Amarante. She portrayed life on a secluded island with just a handful of people how I would anticipate it to be; everyone working together pulling their weight and helping one another to make island life pleasurable.
The story starts out suspenseful. A naval vessel gets a distress call from Virginie. Once they reach the boat they see that Jake is injured badly and Virginie confesses, ”It’s all my fault. I killed them.” From there, Bamford goes back and fills in all of the details up to the point. The entire story flowed well and was a solid 4 stars for me (and the cover is EVERYTHING). I look forward to reading future works from this author.
Thank you to Goodreads and the author for my copy of this book.
July 8, 2022
Virginia and Jake are off on the trip of a lifetime. They’ve blown all their savings on a yacht and, after a random conversation with a fellow traveller, decide to set sail for the remote island of Amarante, a slice of paradise in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
When they finally arrive it’s worth the wait. An untouched island; beach merging into jungle, idyllic and glorious. There’s just a few other travellers moored there and they quickly settle into an easy familiarity. But when Virginie & Jake’s engine breaks down, everything is tested. Their relationship, their friendships and paradise quickly turns into a nightmare…
Everyone loves a tropical island disaster story right? I’m no exception. I was hooked from the start and quite intrigued as to where the story was heading. The descriptions of sailing and travelling are in abundance. Emma Bamford is a very gifted writer, her prose at times poetic and evocative. I almost felt like I was on that yacht and that island.
It’s a slow burner of a novel; the detail enhances yet extends the story and I loved that - as I really didn’t want this one to end (have I told you I’m a sucker for a desert island story?) and the gradual creeping sense of unease just added to my enjoyment.
Atmospheric, imaginative, tense and thrilling. Another one to pack in your suitcase this summer, readers!
When they finally arrive it’s worth the wait. An untouched island; beach merging into jungle, idyllic and glorious. There’s just a few other travellers moored there and they quickly settle into an easy familiarity. But when Virginie & Jake’s engine breaks down, everything is tested. Their relationship, their friendships and paradise quickly turns into a nightmare…
Everyone loves a tropical island disaster story right? I’m no exception. I was hooked from the start and quite intrigued as to where the story was heading. The descriptions of sailing and travelling are in abundance. Emma Bamford is a very gifted writer, her prose at times poetic and evocative. I almost felt like I was on that yacht and that island.
It’s a slow burner of a novel; the detail enhances yet extends the story and I loved that - as I really didn’t want this one to end (have I told you I’m a sucker for a desert island story?) and the gradual creeping sense of unease just added to my enjoyment.
Atmospheric, imaginative, tense and thrilling. Another one to pack in your suitcase this summer, readers!
March 26, 2022
I enjoyed this book. It centers on newlyweds Jake and Virginie who sell their belongings to buy a boat and embark on a dream trip to a secluded island. There are already others there, though, and not everyone is who they seem.
The book is so detailed and atmospheric that I felt like I was right there with them. There was a innate creepiness to the deserted island that I felt even when nothing creepy was actually happening. The book is a bit of a slow burn but the writing is so good that it seemed like I was on the precipice of something big happening even when nothing did. The way that the story is told, first from the rescuer’s POV, then from Virginia’s, and then back to the rescuer, worked for me.
I liked the ending and felt that it tied things up well and gave me a glimpse into what was to come in the lives of these characters.
All in all, a really enjoyable book even though it wasn’t quite as fast paced as I expected. Despite the large volume of details, I was never bored and felt fully immersed in the world that the author created. I’d recommend this one to those who like creepy deserted island stories. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The book is so detailed and atmospheric that I felt like I was right there with them. There was a innate creepiness to the deserted island that I felt even when nothing creepy was actually happening. The book is a bit of a slow burn but the writing is so good that it seemed like I was on the precipice of something big happening even when nothing did. The way that the story is told, first from the rescuer’s POV, then from Virginia’s, and then back to the rescuer, worked for me.
I liked the ending and felt that it tied things up well and gave me a glimpse into what was to come in the lives of these characters.
All in all, a really enjoyable book even though it wasn’t quite as fast paced as I expected. Despite the large volume of details, I was never bored and felt fully immersed in the world that the author created. I’d recommend this one to those who like creepy deserted island stories. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 15, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of
Deep Water.
When I read the premise, I imagined an adventure story like Captain Phillips or Adrift but it wasn't anything like that.
I was prepared to read about something out of my comfort zone.
Full disclosure: I don't like boats. I don't like cruises. If someone invited me to go sailing for a day, I'd go but I wouldn't recommend going on a boat for fun.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
The narrative is pretty formulaic; a young couple, Virginie and Jake, give up their home and worldly possessions to live on a boat and travel the world. Okay, sounds fun. Not something I'd do but to each their own.
They meet a sophisticated couple, including an older gentleman, Viktor, with a dubious background. Virginie is naive and easily falls for Viktor's charm and elegance. Virginie is a ninny.
As events progress, Viktor shows his true colors and Virginie and Jake find themselves in peril and at Viktor's mercy. Obviously. Then, there would't be a story. But, it takes a long time to get to this point.
Filler details include the people Jake and Virginie meet that are just like them, living on a boat, getting away from other people, living their own lives.
The biggest problem: Virginie and Jake.
Virginie is beyond naive and sheltered; she's in her thirties but acts like a teenager. Her thoughts, her actions, her flirtations reek of someone desperate for attention, which makes sense considering her background.
She spends a lot of time reminiscing over her failed first marriage and her gruff father who was unsupportive of her artistic ambitions. Paging Dr. Freud! Someone has daddy issues!
Next, Jake enjoys boat building and sailing but he's afraid to swim?
This was so contrived, a vulnerability the author added so she could bring it up again at the end to demonstrate how much Jake loves Virginie.
Isn't that like a person who's scared of heights going sky diving?
Or some other analogy I'm not smart enough to think of?
I enjoyed the narrative as it was told from the captain's perspective but overall, the story wasn't exciting or suspenseful.
I guessed exactly what would happen the minute Viktor appeared. Come on, it was so obvious.
It's the most simple, basic plot taught in Creative Writing 101 classes.
The plot thread that bothered me the most was when Jake and Virginie are fishing in an area that was off limits.
Wouldn't they have been told the reason that area was off limits? That made no sense.
If someone told me you can't do something or fish at a certain area, my first question is always 'why?'
The characters and the story bored me, but if you are into sailing, you might enjoy this if only for the nautical terms and sailing lingo and experience of being on a boat.
When I read the premise, I imagined an adventure story like Captain Phillips or Adrift but it wasn't anything like that.
I was prepared to read about something out of my comfort zone.
Full disclosure: I don't like boats. I don't like cruises. If someone invited me to go sailing for a day, I'd go but I wouldn't recommend going on a boat for fun.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
The narrative is pretty formulaic; a young couple, Virginie and Jake, give up their home and worldly possessions to live on a boat and travel the world. Okay, sounds fun. Not something I'd do but to each their own.
They meet a sophisticated couple, including an older gentleman, Viktor, with a dubious background. Virginie is naive and easily falls for Viktor's charm and elegance. Virginie is a ninny.
As events progress, Viktor shows his true colors and Virginie and Jake find themselves in peril and at Viktor's mercy. Obviously. Then, there would't be a story. But, it takes a long time to get to this point.
Filler details include the people Jake and Virginie meet that are just like them, living on a boat, getting away from other people, living their own lives.
The biggest problem: Virginie and Jake.
Virginie is beyond naive and sheltered; she's in her thirties but acts like a teenager. Her thoughts, her actions, her flirtations reek of someone desperate for attention, which makes sense considering her background.
She spends a lot of time reminiscing over her failed first marriage and her gruff father who was unsupportive of her artistic ambitions. Paging Dr. Freud! Someone has daddy issues!
Next, Jake enjoys boat building and sailing but he's afraid to swim?
This was so contrived, a vulnerability the author added so she could bring it up again at the end to demonstrate how much Jake loves Virginie.
Isn't that like a person who's scared of heights going sky diving?
Or some other analogy I'm not smart enough to think of?
I enjoyed the narrative as it was told from the captain's perspective but overall, the story wasn't exciting or suspenseful.
I guessed exactly what would happen the minute Viktor appeared. Come on, it was so obvious.
It's the most simple, basic plot taught in Creative Writing 101 classes.
The plot thread that bothered me the most was when Jake and Virginie are fishing in an area that was off limits.
Wouldn't they have been told the reason that area was off limits? That made no sense.
If someone told me you can't do something or fish at a certain area, my first question is always 'why?'
The characters and the story bored me, but if you are into sailing, you might enjoy this if only for the nautical terms and sailing lingo and experience of being on a boat.
May 7, 2022
The blurb for this book reminded me a bit of a true story -- the murders on Plumyra Atoll. Wealthy couple sails their boat to an Atoll to enjoy a few days in the sun, only to discover there are already two other people there. The two younger people sailed to the Atoll to escape drug charges and their boat motor conked out. They coexist for awhile....then things turn bad. Several weeks later, the druggie couple sails into port with the wealthy couple's boat. The wealthy couple is never seen again.
The story in Deep Water is similar but different. A naval ship encounters a boat at sea sending out distress signals. An injured man and his wife are on board. The woman confesses to doing something bad and killing people. She agrees to tell the whole story.....they sailed to an isolated island to enjoy the beach only to find there was a group of sailors already there. Things go fine for awhile.....but when it goes bad, it goes bad quickly.
This story was just ok for me. The pacing was a bit too slow, and I felt like I was reading a reworking of a true story/earlier book by another author. I expected a bit more excitement. Slow burn is sometimes too slow when there really isn't an exciting moment until the very end. The ending just didn't pack enough power to justify the slow, slow pacing. It just took to long to get there for me.
I'm glad I read the story, but it did disappoint me a bit.
**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Gallery Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
The story in Deep Water is similar but different. A naval ship encounters a boat at sea sending out distress signals. An injured man and his wife are on board. The woman confesses to doing something bad and killing people. She agrees to tell the whole story.....they sailed to an isolated island to enjoy the beach only to find there was a group of sailors already there. Things go fine for awhile.....but when it goes bad, it goes bad quickly.
This story was just ok for me. The pacing was a bit too slow, and I felt like I was reading a reworking of a true story/earlier book by another author. I expected a bit more excitement. Slow burn is sometimes too slow when there really isn't an exciting moment until the very end. The ending just didn't pack enough power to justify the slow, slow pacing. It just took to long to get there for me.
I'm glad I read the story, but it did disappoint me a bit.
**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Gallery Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
June 7, 2022
Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sadly, an honest review is what I have to give. I didn't care for this one. It opened with a fantastic hook, but quickly jumped back in time and then spent countless pages on mundane details like fixing up the boat, sailing, spending time on the water, etc before any of the meat of the story happened.
I feel like this would have been a better hour and a half movie, rather than a book that took more hours than that to read. I also feel like I've seen this movie and read this story before, but executed better.
The only character I found really likeable was Gus, the dog. The rest were either unlikeable or not fleshed out enough to cause me to invest. The setting was good, but was definitely underused, and the details of the history of the island were a huge waste of words. The specific plot "twists" were all predictable.
I did like the "much later" epilogue that closed out the story decently.
Overall, it was a bore with a few random redeeming qualities, such as the setting and the hook. So, two and a half stars rounded down.
Sadly, an honest review is what I have to give. I didn't care for this one. It opened with a fantastic hook, but quickly jumped back in time and then spent countless pages on mundane details like fixing up the boat, sailing, spending time on the water, etc before any of the meat of the story happened.
I feel like this would have been a better hour and a half movie, rather than a book that took more hours than that to read. I also feel like I've seen this movie and read this story before, but executed better.
The only character I found really likeable was Gus, the dog. The rest were either unlikeable or not fleshed out enough to cause me to invest. The setting was good, but was definitely underused, and the details of the history of the island were a huge waste of words. The specific plot "twists" were all predictable.
I did like the "much later" epilogue that closed out the story decently.
Overall, it was a bore with a few random redeeming qualities, such as the setting and the hook. So, two and a half stars rounded down.
April 13, 2023
✨B O O K • R E V I E W✨
Deep Water by Emma Bamford
2/5⭐️
What a disappointment this was. It had so much potential but fell completely short in every way. I love thrillers, they’re my jam, so if nothing is happening for most of your book maybe don’t have it labeled as a thriller. 90% of this book was about living on this island and socializing with neighbors. Boring.
The book started off strong and I thought this would be a book I’d really enjoy. After the first couple of chapters nothing happens until the end of the book - which I have no idea of the ending because I lost all interest in caring before I got there. It’s only because of these first few chapters that this is a 2 star read and not a 1 star.
Please let my next read be thrilling.
Disclaimer: this review is not to stop you from reading this book. Although it should be. You might love this book. I, however, did not. This is my opinion only.
#bookstagram #thrillers #soboring #whatsnext
Deep Water by Emma Bamford
2/5⭐️
What a disappointment this was. It had so much potential but fell completely short in every way. I love thrillers, they’re my jam, so if nothing is happening for most of your book maybe don’t have it labeled as a thriller. 90% of this book was about living on this island and socializing with neighbors. Boring.
The book started off strong and I thought this would be a book I’d really enjoy. After the first couple of chapters nothing happens until the end of the book - which I have no idea of the ending because I lost all interest in caring before I got there. It’s only because of these first few chapters that this is a 2 star read and not a 1 star.
Please let my next read be thrilling.
Disclaimer: this review is not to stop you from reading this book. Although it should be. You might love this book. I, however, did not. This is my opinion only.
#bookstagram #thrillers #soboring #whatsnext
March 7, 2022
Well a good enough book for someone who has read every possible thriller there is out there. But I haven't run out of thriller-type or mystery/crime books yet.
Was very disappointed. Characters are rather flat. Scenario been done dozens of times before. Maybe I've just read too many book as I AM getting 'up there.' I kept waiting for something - a little something, a big something, an anything something, but alas, never happened.
But for those who enjoyed the book, wonderful. I am always supportive of other people's happiness. Still, for me, a major let down.
People on an island, check. Normal ppl meet sort of odd ppl, check. Part of the island is creepy and strange, getting better! Don't fish OVER THERE. I got it. (At this point IRL I'd be heading to Fiji or Tahiti and do not tell me they don't have a dozen or hundred islands between them that are pristine and lightly - or not at all inhabited. But the book is not about me.)
The tension, what there is of it, is a slow build. Too slow, even for a book of medium-length. I didn't like Virginie, one of the leads, or her 'can't swim' yet I'm a sailor husband. (In fact, he's actually afraid of water. Okay, these ppl do exist. I think.) So the entire set-up rang false for me, and I do read fantasy and horror, too, so I can think outside the 'is-this-really-real?' or not box.
Two stars.
And thank you, Goodreads! I won this through your program and am always happy and grateful when I get a chance to read a new book!
Was very disappointed. Characters are rather flat. Scenario been done dozens of times before. Maybe I've just read too many book as I AM getting 'up there.' I kept waiting for something - a little something, a big something, an anything something, but alas, never happened.
But for those who enjoyed the book, wonderful. I am always supportive of other people's happiness. Still, for me, a major let down.
People on an island, check. Normal ppl meet sort of odd ppl, check. Part of the island is creepy and strange, getting better! Don't fish OVER THERE. I got it. (At this point IRL I'd be heading to Fiji or Tahiti and do not tell me they don't have a dozen or hundred islands between them that are pristine and lightly - or not at all inhabited. But the book is not about me.)
The tension, what there is of it, is a slow build. Too slow, even for a book of medium-length. I didn't like Virginie, one of the leads, or her 'can't swim' yet I'm a sailor husband. (In fact, he's actually afraid of water. Okay, these ppl do exist. I think.) So the entire set-up rang false for me, and I do read fantasy and horror, too, so I can think outside the 'is-this-really-real?' or not box.
Two stars.
And thank you, Goodreads! I won this through your program and am always happy and grateful when I get a chance to read a new book!
May 7, 2022
Deep Water has the unfortunate likeness of sharing a title with a Patricia Highsmith novel, so I think that will confuse people, but it's a bit similar in that it's an excellent suspense novel!
I've never been sailing, but after reading this book I think I could probably sail a ship if I had too because it was so through and well-written in the descriptions of nautical stuff.
If you've ever wanted to sell your belongings and just set sail for a life at sea Deep Water might make you change your mind...but first it will completely enrapture you with the story of spending time on a deserted island. I could almost imagine I was there even though I read this in the dead of winter!
You want to go in mostly blind for this book, but just know it's got trouble in paradise, a pirate-like mix of expat sailors, a strong as heck female protagonist, some multiple points of view and a satisfying ending to wrap up this unsettling mystery!
Deep Water was everything I wanted Reckless Girls to be, but much much better!
I've never been sailing, but after reading this book I think I could probably sail a ship if I had too because it was so through and well-written in the descriptions of nautical stuff.
If you've ever wanted to sell your belongings and just set sail for a life at sea Deep Water might make you change your mind...but first it will completely enrapture you with the story of spending time on a deserted island. I could almost imagine I was there even though I read this in the dead of winter!
You want to go in mostly blind for this book, but just know it's got trouble in paradise, a pirate-like mix of expat sailors, a strong as heck female protagonist, some multiple points of view and a satisfying ending to wrap up this unsettling mystery!
Deep Water was everything I wanted Reckless Girls to be, but much much better!
August 6, 2022
Deep Water was a fair enough time-killer, albeit an entirely basic, tepid read that fails to live up to the promises of the publisher's jacket copy. I'm a fan of desert island thrillers/horror (I'm at a total loss as to how the publisher's marketing team felt this was even remotely comparable to Scott Smith's The Ruins, by the way), and Emma Bamford tries to go the psychological thriller route, but it all falls a bit flat.
Newlyweds abandon civilization for the high seas and a life of sailing (sign me up!), and chart a course for a paradisiacal island and befriend a few other ex-pats who anchor there between monsoon season. They're followed by the mysterious Vitor and Theresa, and what follows is a test of Virginie and Jake's young marriage. Will she sleep with Vitor? Is Vitor really a drug dealer? Will Jake stop being pigheaded and let somebody help him fix their boat's busted engine?
The narrative is driven by choices and questions, but...not much really happens. Bamford does a terrific job of making life at sea into a grand adventure, and Amarante certainly feels like paradise. Unfortunately, there's never really any sense of threat or momentum until like 80% through. The book's synopsis boasts of the islands secrets but, much like every other aspect of Bamford's story, once revealed it's just more of a nothingburger.
My advice? Skip Deep Water and check out Dead Calm with Sam Neil, Nicole Kidman, and Billy Zane, or give Richard Laymon's Island a read instead.
Newlyweds abandon civilization for the high seas and a life of sailing (sign me up!), and chart a course for a paradisiacal island and befriend a few other ex-pats who anchor there between monsoon season. They're followed by the mysterious Vitor and Theresa, and what follows is a test of Virginie and Jake's young marriage. Will she sleep with Vitor? Is Vitor really a drug dealer? Will Jake stop being pigheaded and let somebody help him fix their boat's busted engine?
The narrative is driven by choices and questions, but...not much really happens. Bamford does a terrific job of making life at sea into a grand adventure, and Amarante certainly feels like paradise. Unfortunately, there's never really any sense of threat or momentum until like 80% through. The book's synopsis boasts of the islands secrets but, much like every other aspect of Bamford's story, once revealed it's just more of a nothingburger.
My advice? Skip Deep Water and check out Dead Calm with Sam Neil, Nicole Kidman, and Billy Zane, or give Richard Laymon's Island a read instead.
December 13, 2021
I love dark paradise and vacation novels! Deep Water did not disappoint!
In this novel a Navy vessel intercepts a distress call and find a terrified couple on a small yacht at sea. The wife relays to the crew a shocking story of death and destruction on a small uninhabited island. The Navy crew must determine the truth in the story and if others are still need of help. The story is enthralling and you feel fully there on a break from life living with the yachts that have docked at the island. As the story unravels, it's clear that there is a villian, but are they on the boat? If you liked the Ruins, you will love this beautiful descriptions of danger in the jungle thriller. #DeepWater #NetGalley
In this novel a Navy vessel intercepts a distress call and find a terrified couple on a small yacht at sea. The wife relays to the crew a shocking story of death and destruction on a small uninhabited island. The Navy crew must determine the truth in the story and if others are still need of help. The story is enthralling and you feel fully there on a break from life living with the yachts that have docked at the island. As the story unravels, it's clear that there is a villian, but are they on the boat? If you liked the Ruins, you will love this beautiful descriptions of danger in the jungle thriller. #DeepWater #NetGalley
April 27, 2022
Comparisons to The Ruins are greatly exaggerated.
I should have been all in on this one. I simply love stories where people on vacation do something that makes things turn dreadfully wrong.
This one, though, was slow.
We know immediately who our problem character is and we also know how horribly naïve our main character is. I swear I wanted to slap some sense into her more than once.
The terrible thing that happens is not at all shocking and it takes sooooooo long for it to happen.
We have the thread of a good story, but it never comes together as anything particularly exciting or suspenseful.
Regretfully, 2 stars.
• ARC via Publisher
I should have been all in on this one. I simply love stories where people on vacation do something that makes things turn dreadfully wrong.
This one, though, was slow.
We know immediately who our problem character is and we also know how horribly naïve our main character is. I swear I wanted to slap some sense into her more than once.
The terrible thing that happens is not at all shocking and it takes sooooooo long for it to happen.
We have the thread of a good story, but it never comes together as anything particularly exciting or suspenseful.
Regretfully, 2 stars.
• ARC via Publisher
July 7, 2022
Virginie and Jake have always dreamed of a grand adventure. So, they buy and renovate a boat, and make their way to Malaysia. Somehow, they hear about a small island called Amarante, which is basically paradise. It’s untouched by tourists and is truly off-grid. Virginie and Jake stock up on supplies for 2 months and sail off to find out that the remote island paradise is real, but there are other people there too. There’s another couple, a man and his dog and just after Virginie and Jake arrive another couple does as well. The rules of the island are simple: help each other out, don’t use anyone else’s supplies and everyone works equally to fish, collect firewood and coconuts. Everyone must contribute equally.
If you are looking for a story with strong island vibes a la Reckless Girls than this is a must read. I thought the atmosphere in this novel was truly breathtaking. However, as a survival thriller it gets a big no from me. I love thrillers set in wild, remote places so I was super excited for this one. My issue with the book was that the pacing was terrible. Almost half of the novel is Virginie and Jake enjoying their time on the island–it’s more of a travel diary than a thriller. This makes sense because the author has written a few travel memoirs and has in fact lived on a yacht in Malayasia. You know how I complained about Breathless by Amy McCulloch being too much about climbing and not enough murder? Well, Deep Water is too much about sailing and not enough murder.
If you enjoyed Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins or Breathless by Amy McCulloch and want to escape to a tropical secluded island, I’d suggest Deep Water by Emma Bamford. Unfortunately, I didn’t vibe with those stories and I didn’t vibe with this one either.
If you are looking for a story with strong island vibes a la Reckless Girls than this is a must read. I thought the atmosphere in this novel was truly breathtaking. However, as a survival thriller it gets a big no from me. I love thrillers set in wild, remote places so I was super excited for this one. My issue with the book was that the pacing was terrible. Almost half of the novel is Virginie and Jake enjoying their time on the island–it’s more of a travel diary than a thriller. This makes sense because the author has written a few travel memoirs and has in fact lived on a yacht in Malayasia. You know how I complained about Breathless by Amy McCulloch being too much about climbing and not enough murder? Well, Deep Water is too much about sailing and not enough murder.
If you enjoyed Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins or Breathless by Amy McCulloch and want to escape to a tropical secluded island, I’d suggest Deep Water by Emma Bamford. Unfortunately, I didn’t vibe with those stories and I didn’t vibe with this one either.
May 26, 2022
I was hopeful for this book, but ended up just wanting more out of it than I had gotten.
The plot definitely lends itself to the thriller/suspense genere with the whole being on a secluded island, but that was about it. I just didn't get the feelings of that eerie something that isn't right until a lot closer to the end even though it was shown as a preview at the beginning.
I did like the allure of visiting a secluded island, but I really wanted more of the Amarante history/backstory. I feel like the characters were mostly the ones creating their own suspense instead of the eerie setting.
Overall I enjoyed the plot, but just wasn't blown away by it. It was more of a beach read than suspense for me.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.
The plot definitely lends itself to the thriller/suspense genere with the whole being on a secluded island, but that was about it. I just didn't get the feelings of that eerie something that isn't right until a lot closer to the end even though it was shown as a preview at the beginning.
I did like the allure of visiting a secluded island, but I really wanted more of the Amarante history/backstory. I feel like the characters were mostly the ones creating their own suspense instead of the eerie setting.
Overall I enjoyed the plot, but just wasn't blown away by it. It was more of a beach read than suspense for me.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.
June 25, 2022
The isolation of being stuck in the middle of the ocean was definitely compelling, but unfortunately, the rest was not. I would agree with other reviewers when they noted a lack of suspense, and I had a hard time staying engaged with a character dynamic that I feel like I've read many times before. But the ending still had some surprises, it just took a while to get there.
May 15, 2022
“Paradise ends when guilt begins.”
Vee (Virginie) and Jake are newlyweds who decide to get off the rat race of life, so they buy an older yacht to sail the Indian Ocean, and hear about a remote island named Amarante, with no technology or modern civilization--nothing but raw beauty. They decide to sail there and stay for two months before the monsoon season sets in. The opening pages start toward the end of their journey. They have SOSed a Malaysian navy ship, and are rescued by a Captain with a dark, sad past. Jake is unconscious and wounded, and Vee is traumatized and crying that it is “all my fault.” The narrative then reaches back as Vee tells the story of how the island paradise went sideways into tragedy.
There’s plenty of potential in this tale of suspense and adventure. The island is historic and beautifully described, and the small cast of characters are colorfully depicted. However, there was a bit of a slow slog in the middle portion of the book. I enjoyed the day-to-day life on the island, but it periodically slowed to a crawl. Moreover, Vee, who had been married before, and is considered fairly cosmopolitan, possessed an implausible naïveté that was not credible. There were also events the writer intended to be suspenseful and thrilling that were predictable and clichéd.
On the upside, there were a few twists that I didn’t see coming, and the history of the island proved haunting and exquisitely detailed. You could feel the scorching heat and the challenge of adapting, the laidback timelessness and remote beauty. It was cinematic, but Bamford’s formulaic plot wasn’t concealed by the exotic locale. However, I’d give this author a go again.
Thank you to Scout Press/Simon & Schuster for sending me an advanced copy for review
Vee (Virginie) and Jake are newlyweds who decide to get off the rat race of life, so they buy an older yacht to sail the Indian Ocean, and hear about a remote island named Amarante, with no technology or modern civilization--nothing but raw beauty. They decide to sail there and stay for two months before the monsoon season sets in. The opening pages start toward the end of their journey. They have SOSed a Malaysian navy ship, and are rescued by a Captain with a dark, sad past. Jake is unconscious and wounded, and Vee is traumatized and crying that it is “all my fault.” The narrative then reaches back as Vee tells the story of how the island paradise went sideways into tragedy.
There’s plenty of potential in this tale of suspense and adventure. The island is historic and beautifully described, and the small cast of characters are colorfully depicted. However, there was a bit of a slow slog in the middle portion of the book. I enjoyed the day-to-day life on the island, but it periodically slowed to a crawl. Moreover, Vee, who had been married before, and is considered fairly cosmopolitan, possessed an implausible naïveté that was not credible. There were also events the writer intended to be suspenseful and thrilling that were predictable and clichéd.
On the upside, there were a few twists that I didn’t see coming, and the history of the island proved haunting and exquisitely detailed. You could feel the scorching heat and the challenge of adapting, the laidback timelessness and remote beauty. It was cinematic, but Bamford’s formulaic plot wasn’t concealed by the exotic locale. However, I’d give this author a go again.
Thank you to Scout Press/Simon & Schuster for sending me an advanced copy for review
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