Review: Into The Water by Paula Hawkins

I thought for this review I’d skip the typical intro of what the book is about because let’s face it, the hype around this book was huge after Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train hit the big screen.

I’ll tell you what I think about Into The Water in four parts, like the book (fitting hey?)

I: Part One of the book drags tremendously. I found myself putting the book away to read something else on numerous occasions. If it wasn’t for Melinda over at The Book Musings constantly pushing me to finish Into The Water, I would only have finished it in 2018. Once I hit Part Two, I really started getting into the story; I found myself falling asleep while reading this book less and could actually read a few pages before closing it for the night. The story got more exciting once I reached Part Three and from there onward, the story became enjoyable and interesting to read.

II: Hawkins’ writing stood out in Into The Water. Her descriptions of settings gave a complete picture of what was taking place at any particular scene. Opting for short quick chapters in-between characters was at times a bit dizzying, but for the most part quite thrilling. I liked that I could get to know the characters’ perspectives to different events. I also liked that the story took place in the small town of Beckford. Small towns always offer the reader a sense of mystery and unpredictability, which often keep readers hooked.

III: The characters in Into the Water were quite honestly… annoying. Nickie and her typical small town crazy psychic persona (wow, where have we seen that before? Possibility just about every other small town story). Jules and her insider-left-the-small-city-for-a-big-city perspective on everything. At times, I even felt like Jules could really have done more to cement her position as the protagonist. I found other characters more fascinating… like Erin. Her backstory was something I really wanted to read more about. LENA WAS INFURIATING. Her bitchy teenage personality made me cringe throughout the book. It constantly reminded me of a similar character I really disliked in Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects. I think the characters affected how much I enjoyed the book and sadly, it left me disappointed.

IV: Overall, I didn’t enjoy the book. The positive aspects of the book really didn’t outweigh what I disliked about it. I think the defining factor was that the first half of the book dragged and the characters were just sadly not that appealing. I highly doubt Into The Water would make it to the big screen because I don’t think it was even nearly as exciting as The Girl On The Train.

Have you read Into The Water? Let me know your thoughts on the book and whether you agree (or disagree) with what I said above.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Penguin Random House for review consideration.