This was my second book by Ruth Ware, and overall, it left me a bit disappointed. It wasn’t a bad book; there were parts I genuinely enjoyed, but it also wasn’t the gripping thriller I had hoped for.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Imogen Church, who remains one of my favorite narrators. She’s incredibly talented at bringing Ware’s stories to life, and I appreciate that she narrates all of the author’s books. Her performance added energy and tension to the story, even when the plot started to lag.

The opening hooked me immediately with a tense and suspenseful sequence that set the stage perfectly. Unfortunately, the middle section dragged, and I found my attention slipping. Things picked up again near the end with some strong action scenes, but the final reveal fell flat. The twist could have been delivered with more punch and clarity. Overall, the story had a lot of potential that never fully came together, especially for an isolated murder mystery set on a luxury cruise ship.

The premise had great promise, a Whodunnit-style mystery reminiscent of Death on the Nile, complete with a small group of suspects in an enclosed setting and an unreliable narrator. I liked that it kept me guessing whether the events were real or imagined, but I found myself wishing for a few supernatural elements to deepen the intrigue. All the characters seemed untrustworthy, which worked for the mystery, though I didn’t find any of them particularly likable.

Lo, our protagonist, was frustrating. She came across as immature and self-destructive, using alcohol to mask her anxiety and fear while constantly complaining about her lack of sleep or food. I also disliked how her mental health struggles were used mainly as a plot device. Her poor decisions and repetitive fears made it hard to root for her, and her behavior often made the plot feel forced rather than organic.

It took about halfway through the book for me to feel fully engaged again, but the final chapters delivered some genuine tension and claustrophobic suspense. Still, I wanted more from the setting and story—more surprises, more depth, maybe even more murders to raise the stakes.

As for the movie adaptation, it strayed quite far from the book. I’d call it “loosely based” rather than a true adaptation. The pacing was slow at first and didn’t really pick up until the second half. While it had a strong sense of atmosphere and captured the same feeling of isolation and confinement, it struggled with character development due to its short runtime. That said, the cruise ship visuals were beautiful, and the cinematography gave the film a haunting elegance. The ending was different from the book but offered a slightly faster pace. Kiera Knightley delivered a great performance as Lo, though the story itself still felt underwhelming. Like the book, I’d give the movie three stars.

In the end, The Woman in Cabin 10 was a decent mystery that had moments of genuine suspense but never reached its full potential. I’ve read stronger thrillers, but it was enjoyable enough to keep me interested in checking out the sequel and exploring more of Ruth Ware’s earlier books. If the premise intrigues you, both the book and the movie are worth a try—just keep your expectations low.