The House in the Water

I just finished The House in the Water by Victoria Darke and here are my thoughts.


Philip and Meredith are over the moon with their purchase of May Day house. They cannot wait to start this chapter of their lives after all the tragedies they have gone through but as they start their renovation plans on the house, they are met with fierce resistance from their neighbors. With every drawback, Meredith begins to unravel. She begins to hear voices, see figures that are not there. She finds solace in a notebook someone wrote in during the war and she learns about the patients that were held on the island during the war.

Will the past threaten her future and quote possibly her life?

The book is written over 2 time periods. Present day and the war. It was really well done. I found the 2 times, while their own stories, were woven into each other beautifully with real skill. I was fully invested in both timelines, which for me, is really rare and I found all the characters relatable and likable.

May House has some of the best gothic vibes. I loved the idea of the place and seeing the house in 2 timelines really was the icing on the cake for me. I did feel the book was trying a bit too hard though and I found the romance was unnecessary.

I loved the book. It was exactly what I needed to get my reading juices flowing. The paranormal undertones were not done quite right though. They needed to have more or remove it all together because I needed more here and I was left unsatisfied.


Overall though this book was a really great historical fiction with some really excellent writing.

4 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @theboldbookclub for my copy.