The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding | a book review

Jan 1

3 min read

Note: The below does contain spoilers.

First Thoughts

It took me entirely too long to decide on what my first read of 2025 was going to be, but eventually I just decided to pick something. That something ended up being a psychological thriller that has promised a major twist. From the description, it seems to be a story of two seemingly broken women with vastly different struggles who find themselves in an unlikely friendship. I'm genuinely curious to see how that friendship dismantles itself and what secrets are hiding beneath.

Review

Well, I'm definitely not disappointed in this pick as the first book of 2025. I wanted a story with strong women in it and I definitely got it. And not only that but it was pretty solid psychological thriller.

From the start, I fell in love with Lee. She's strong, yet broken. Jaded, but still empathetic. Having fallen on hard times, Lee was living out of her car and just trying to regain some semblance on the life she once had, but ultimately knew it would never look the same. I completely understood the emotions she was going through. As someone who has experienced circumstances similar to hers, I felt for her. What I didn't expect was just how much I related to both main characters.

Hazel, the second main character, was in an extremely abusive relationship with an exceptionally toxic, narcissistic man. A lot of women have experienced a man just like this, but her husband, Benjamin, found creative ways to take it to the extremes. Unfortunately for Hazel, she found herself not one but two toxic men who only cared about themselves--and the control they can have over others. I could write an entire blog post about the experience I have in this department, but Harding does a phenomenal job showcasing the ways women find themselves sucked into and trapped in these types of relationships.

When you are left with no other choice, it's amazing the things you're willing to put up.

I will say there were quite a few twists and turns and not a single person in this book was who they presented themselves as. Harding wove a tale of very broken women who came to realize that the only person they can trust is themselves, but not only that, they're a lot stronger than they believe.

You feel for these characters. You want them to succeed and escape their hardships, but Harding also made you hate these two unlikely friends. Don't worry, you love them again in the end. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, but the story was well-paced and I consumed it in a day.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. This was the first book I've read by this author and I can definitely say I'll be checking out more by them. If you want a book that teaches you to reach within yourself and discover your strength, even when all the odds are stacked against you, this is the one to read.

Title: The Drowning Woman

Author: Robyn Harding

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Page Length: 337

Published Date: June 13, 2023