The Woman in Cabin 10

In The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware, travel journalist Lo Blacklock embarks on a luxury cruise through the Norwegian fjords. One night, she hears a scream and sees what she believes is a woman being thrown overboard from the cabin next to hers—Cabin 10. But when she reports it, she's told that all guests are accounted for. As she gets closer to answers, Lo begins to fear for her own safety in the isolated, claustrophobic environment of the ship. The Woman in Cabin 10 was the book that pulled me out of a major reading slump back in 2019. It had all the mystery and suspense I was craving, and it still stands as one of my absolute favorite books. Missing person cases have always intrigued me—there’s something eerie about the idea that someone, somewhere, knows what happened. And the fact that this story takes place on a cruise ship? That girl had no place to go. Like seriously, where are you going to disappear to on a cruise ship? I was instantly hooked and pretty sure I tore through the book in no time. Now, I’m super excited that it's being turned into a Netflix series—possibly releasing this year (don’t quote me on that, I haven’t fully looked into it yet). And the cherry on top? Ruth Ware’s sequel, The Woman in Suite 11, is coming out on July 2nd. I can’t wait to see what’s next for Lo Blacklock.

I'm somewhat disappointed because I thought this book was going to be at least 4 stars, given that I really enjoyed the first half of the book. But when it finally came to Lo realizing what had really happened... it just felt short and unprepared. I like to think of myself as a proficient mystery reader, so when she experienced her "Ah-Ha!" moment of realization... I felt her conclusion was a stretch from what we were meant to believe and the "twist" just seemed rushed. Which brings me to my next point, the pacing. There were several parts in the book that either felt too rushed or went by too slowly.
It may not seem like I like this book but I did like it, just not as much as I was hoping I would've.

A book club read that had a couple of surprises and leaves you with questions. Don't bother with the audiobook as the narration equates to nails on a chalkboard and despising the main character immediately. While I had little tolerance for Lo and her stupidity, the ebook allowed for better plot advancement without the annoyance of terrible voices.

Clever and fast-paced ...I had a hunch about the twist and always enjoy it when my instincts prove to be true! I can see why this has been well-received by audiences and adapted for the screen - I was hooked from the beginning - reminiscent of being launched from a trampoline and as a reader you are fully committed and suspended in mid-air until the final climax when you suddenly find both of your feet firmly planted on the ground again - :) Also, the protagonist Lo is totally relatable - messy, unpolished, disorganized...you don't want to see yourself in her, but it's impossible not to, lol The big question remaining though is why is Lo's flat broken into at the beginning of the novel? Why was her phone taken? Who is this mysterious burglar with the latex gloves? She's not an investigative journalist on a hot case...what was the perpetrator looking for?

Bought it, read some, put it down, eventually finished it.