Review: Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne

I pushed myself to read Still Waters when I had the chance though I could sense it was not the book for me. Though it definitely had the potential to become a great one, I felt disappointment while reading it.


Still Waters tell us about a couple who leave the city for the weekend. Colin is going to leave for college in a few days and Hannah can't let him go without them having fun together for the last time. So, they're on their way to The Pine House when things get weird.

Let's start with the characters; Colin, even before things have gone wrong, wasn't someone I'd like. He seems to love Hannah but I felt he was arrogant and self-centered too. Hannah, in the other way, always acts for her family. I admired her for that but then she would come out with strange thoughts, she was too much worried and it didn't make any sense, she was paranoid. Moreover, she let Colin controls their conversations and their actions. Both characters were not built as good as I hoped for and during the book I didn't learn almost anything new about them- as, why is Hannah acting this way? What happened between the two of them in the time they were together?
If I had explanations, maybe I could have get it. If only could I get it, I would believe it.

The plot drove me crazy. I can understand when the beginning is a bit slow, but how far? Up to half the book, I felt nothing for each characters and I wouldn't mind to stop reading. When it becomes interesting, the regular things came back- this certaintly was the longest weekend in my life. I think the author should have included more events in the book. At some point, I got tired of reading about them doing the usual, eating and sleeping. You have the whole weekend, get out and find some great thing to do! And when Hannah started to sense things, I didn't get why she should be scared. I wasn't. (Until some a very far chapter)

The writing was good, but nothing special. In some parts, the narrator would have jumped from one subject to another without any relation between them. I didn't like that, but I mostly enjoyed the writing.

I found in the book a lot of things I didn't like and I think this book wasn't meant for me. I knew from the very beginning (the blurb) that chances I won't like it are high. However, I believe this book is good and some people can enjoy it a lot more that I did. My opinion is- If you find the blurb interesting, give this book a try.

Rose