I just realized I don't hate myself and therefore will not be completing this. if you look up the word mediocre in the dictionary its just a photo of this book. maybe a photo of the opening page because the cover is the only thing about this that isnt shitListen, this is just about the most generic thriller ever written. Lets talk about all the shitty ass ways this book copies The Girl on the Train, a 2015 novel that I have an immense distaste for. They have the exact same plot. Lead observes something. But no one will believe her because she is Un Re Li Able. You can read literally any one of these novels and theres an unreliable narrator. Why is she unreliable? Some unspecific mental condition that will play into her character development absolutely zero! Or better yet, alcoholism! It is 2018. The Girl on the Train was a shitty book. Stop copying it.And listen, okay, I am fine with unreliable narrators. But in books like these we know from the beginning that theyre unreliable and that they might be hallucinating it all. Ooooooooooooooooh. You know what else we know? That no author is going to end the book with yup, they hallucinated that all. Because then how can you market it to work-tired middle-aged readers to bring on their Bahamas trip? Although Im sure a vaguely boring sixty year old scholar somewhere could work out a marketing pitch about how an ending with no reveal simply demonstrates the pointlessness of existing. They would be wrong. Nothing could possibly be as pointless as this book. Also, you know, complex characters do need to have some vague veneer of consistency. For example, lets say your lead character looooooooves her boyfriend. She wants to solve all the issues in their relationship and be with him forever. So what does she do? Something nice? Of course not, because that would be logical! She gets in a fight with him and proceeds to ignore all his emails for days. Yeah.And you know what? You get a bonus fucking round for the cringiest thing that happened in this book. The main characters ex-boyfriend touches her boobs without any consent or even hint shes into him. She knees him in the groin for touching her boob. Great, right? Nah. Ruth Ware then promptly ruins the iconicness of the moment by having her protagonist apologize for it and say it was her fault. He touched her on the boob without asking. He absolutely deserved to be kneed in the balls. this book can actually go jump in the ocean. just like that woman who still has not been thrown in the ocean despite me being THIRTY ONE FUCKING PERCENT IN and it being in the damn BLURB. I'm going to bed.Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Youtube

4 StarsThis story is about Laura who is a journalist and works for a travel magazine. She is on board in a boat. One night she heard a very loud splash, like something falling into the sea! Then when she went to see whats happening she saw a body disappearing under the water. And she saw blood on the privacy barrier that separated her veranda from that of cabin 10. But when she went to get the help they found nothing and they told her that that cabin has been empty. There was no guest in that cabin! And there was no one with Lauras description in the boat! But how is that possible because shed spoken to the guest of cabin 10 that night! But another thing is that she was drunk that night and she takes antidepressants, so can her words be trusted?!This was my second book by this author and I enjoyed it even more than the first one. It was unpredictable for me. The thing that I like about Ms. Ware is her writing! The story is slow-paced but her writing is compelling! Looking forward to reading her new book! Told in single POV, 1st person. Its a standalone novel. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and hope you enjoy it as well!

This is a fun whodunit that kept me turning the pages. The Woman in Cabin 10 follows Lo Blacklock, a travel journalist who gets a free trip on a luxury cruise in the North Sea. However, things go wrong the first night when she thinks she hears a woman murdered in the cabin next door. Lo starts asking questions, but she feels threatened and doesn't know who to trust. Everyone on the ship is a suspect!This book felt like a modern take on an Agatha Christie murder mystery. The reader has to try and keep track of all the characters: Who has an alibi? Who has a motive? Who had access and when? I said this is a fun read, but it's not a great one. I thought the writing wasn't as strong as Ruth Ware's previous novel, In a Dark, Dark Wood, and the parts about Lo's excessive drinking and her feeling claustrophobic on the ship became repetitive. I admit I groaned when I realized this is another story featuring an unreliable narrator (*cough* Gone Girl *cough* Girl on the Train *cough cough*). But I give credit to Ware -- her story kept me turning the pages to see how the mystery would be solved. Since it's summer as I write this, I'll say this a good beach read. But I'd skip it if you're taking a cruise -- you might get paranoid about those strange noises next door...Favorite Quote"I love ports. I love the smell of tar and sea air, and the scream of the gulls. Maybe it's years of taking the ferry to France for summer holidays, but a harbor gives me a feeling of freedom in a way that an airport never does. Airports say work and security checks and delays. Ports say... I don't know. Something completely different. Escape, maybe."

Thank you Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.I should start by saying I ended up not reading the author's first book, In a Dark, Dark Wood, because someone I know spoiled the whole "big twist" for me. I also should say I wasn't very disappointed as I wouldn't have enjoyed spending all the time invested reading it for another Gone Girl wannabe. I'm getting a little tired of everyone wanting to write the next big hit in the genre, but writing THE EXACT same story with differently named characters. I'll also say that, while comparing the plots of her two books, this one was loads improved and I was interested to see what she wrote next, as I felt it would be more a show of her own work instead of trying to be the next big thing. You can read the plot for this one on the book page, but basically, Lo is a journalist who has the opportunity to cover a story aboard a swanky new cruise ship where things start to go awry.Because so few people have read this so far, I'm not going to hash out every problem I had with this book, but I'll give some very vague generalizations as to not ruin the experience for someone else. I had big problems with the very beginning and the last 20% of this book. The middle 60% was honestly spot on, and if the entire book had been written with that sense of excellency it would have been a 5 star read.THINGS I LIKED:Another reviewer named Denise brought this up first, but I liked how she described the format of this book reading like a classic Agatha Christie novel. Group of people confined in a small area surrounding a murder. This is always a plus for me. I fangirl over any and all things reminiscent of Christie. The pacing, after the first 25% was great! The suspense built, layer upon layer, until you just wanted to devour the rest to find out "whodunnit". Unfortunately, you do find out who the culprit is a little earlier than expected, with a few minor twists nearing the end.There was one big twist I 100% did not see coming. I always like being taken off my game so this was a positive for me; however, I can already see many people having a problem with not only this twist, but the whole dang book because everything was very unrealistic.THINGS I DISLIKED:Lo Blacklock. Dear God, I loathed this woman. I've never had to follow the story of such a peculiar, whiny, uncomfortable woman in all my reading. She did seem to find a backbone toward the end which I did appreciate. I'm just not sure how to pity a woman who is defined by passages like this (paraphrasing by me): "I don't want to have sex with you Ben"-Lo*Ben grabs Lo's breast in attempt to have sex with her anyway**Lo knees Ben in crotch*SCENEImmediately following, Lo is crying in her room with Ben's arm around her and he is trying to make her feel less guilty for her kneeing him in the crotch. This, proceeded by the mascara incident (which I know was an important scene in the book), just grated on me. So many random incidents happen in this book without being tied together or having any explanation. I think she threw certain plot points in to give us a better overall understanding of Lo and her bizarre actions, but it just didn't work for me. I honestly am sitting here and am not entirely sure I even know how this book ended. If you enjoyed her first book, you will very likely enjoy this one as well. I can't say I didn't enjoy this one, as it was a quick, compelling read, but I did expect much more from it. This felt jumbled, confusing, and like a debut that you expect to be a little rough. There is definitely talent here; I'm hoping book 3 will show stronger growth in the author's writing, but I still think I would recommend to those who are looking for an easy, quick read to capture their attention. And I hope you all don't hate me for not loving this book as much as you probably will. :)

The badIt's a real pity that the author used so many awful descriptions of weight and illness. It's not exactly shaming, but the language serves to dehumanize people who are fat, very thin, or ill.-One character is described as "wearing jewelry weighing more than she did," (p. 58) and we're constantly reminded of all her jutting, sharp features.-Describing fat characters as being "the size of a walrus" (p. 58, 178) happens more than once. We're frequently reminded at how easily one overweight character becomes out of breath at the slightest physical movement.-It is overly emphasized how 'sickly' looking a character with cancer is. It is said that the rest of the group "looked almost obscenely healthy in contrast" (p. 62). The main character says "it was impossible not to think of death and illness" (p.252) when describing her. And her thinness is frequently described using the word "skull" - a literal symbol of death.This certainly isn't the only book to use these types of descriptions, but I'm just saying it made me uncomfortable while reading. This is pretty ableist language and I felt it should be pointed out in case that would affect your decision to support this book.The goodI haven't felt this gripped by a mystery in a long time. I really enjoyed how we'd get quick little glimpses of a few days in the future between each section of the book and then were left wondering how things would lead to that. This kept me intrigued.The writing and pacing flowed very well for me. I have a misconception in my mind (I know it's a misconception) that adult novels are difficult to read. While some have certainly proven that to be true, I really love when some prove me wrong. Once the climax hit I was on the edge of my seat, heart pounding, ignoring sleep until I finished. That's exactly what I like in mysteries!Other things of noteMental health is a topic explored here with the main character. She has PTSD from events that occur in the first chapter, and a history of anxiety. As someone with anxiety, I personally had no issues with how it was portrayed and I appreciated the acknowledgement of stigmas surrounding medication without it passing judgment on using them. But since I don't share much of her experience with it, I feel like it's not my place to say if this is good or bad representation. I haven't heard much said about the portrayal of mental health in the book so if you have personal experience and have a different view on it, please let me know your thoughts.I think it's worth noting that since this book is set on a boat, the dangers of shipwreck and drowning are explored and may trigger you if you have a fear of either of those things. It did me.Bottom lineOverall, I would recommend this book if you love whodunit psychological mysteries, but with the caveat that it uses harmful language toward weight and illness. Please read discerningly. I do want to read more mysteries by this author, but I will approach her books cautiously to see if those types of descriptions continue.