Wow!!!! This was my first Lucinda Berry book and it did not disappoint. Very intense story that kept me guessing until the very end. I must read all of her books now!!

I usually love Lucinda Berry for her amazing mental health rep and consistently shocking plot twists. However, Off the Deep End was a bit of a departure for me as it fell last compared to this author’s previous works. This book felt like a bit of a slog to get through as there was a lot of dialogue/ information gathering scenes. I would have rather had more action. Show me, don’t tell me. I also predicted a couple reveals throughout the book, which was disappointing. I still appreciated Berry’s aptitude for developing characters and diving into their psyches with empathy and intelligence, but I can’t give this book higher than a 3 star rating. A bit of a disappointment, but overall, not a bad book!

Lucinda Berry have a special way of writing. She can make emotions of her character shone through the pages through their dialogues. It makes me feel as if I'm right there with them if not being them. The story is very fast pace making it enjoyable to read. A lot is being said and yet so little is being revealed. It's a rat psychological tactic way of writing. It also keeps me very engaged. Although, I thought Jule's character could have played more within the story instead of a minor and very underwhelming ending. It does show the true nature of the human mind. I love this story.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a total mind f*ck and of course those make for the best reads! 😆

Thank you Net Galley for providing me the chance to read this book prior to the release and leave my honest review. So here it goes…

This book started off slow, but still managed to keep me hooked. I couldn’t connect the pieces so I felt the need to keep reading. I found myself going back and re-reading sections because of the writing style. There are flashbacks intertwined in current day quotes and stories. That was slightly confusing, but could have just been me.

I’ve never read a book like this and the ending totally made it worth struggling through the slow start. It’s a unique take on what could be a very real situation. Even after a day I’m still sitting here trying to make sense of it all.

I really enjoyed this book and couldn't wait to see how it was going to end. This story mostly focuses on two moms, Amber and Jules. Amber's son is missing and everyone fears he's been kidnapped and Jules' son has passed away in an unfortunate accident and Jules is now suffering mental issues and in a facility. This story is told from Amber and Jules' perspectives. While Amber's storyline was interesting I found her character to be extremely annoying. She whined a lot and was very repetitive. Jules story was a lot more interesting and I wish we could have gotten more of her storyline. I do think this story hits on a lot of topics that some might find very sensitive, kidnapping, death, suicide and school violence.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy Lucinda Berry books for a quick, fast paced and unpredictable read and this book definitely fits in that category. The main characters were a bit difficult to connect with, but overall the storyline was unique and there were plenty of twists and turns to keep my interest. A great beach read.

I have enjoyed Lucinda Berry's books, especially Saving Noah, so I know that her mystery/thrillers are not merely fast paced mysteries, but a deep exploration of the human condition. She delves into the psyche and the mind of her characters, and lays them bare for the reader to devour. In some of those characters, the reader will see a reflection of themselves or someone they love - how can you not, they're such flawed, richly nuanced characters.

These nuances are why I also really enjoyed reading 'Off The Deep End" by Lucinda Berry. Jules, a mother who is grappling with the death of her son who happened to be in the car with herself and a neighbor's child who both survived that fatal crash, has lost everything she loves. Her son's death has sent her, herself a psychologist, reeling and her marriage is in shambles. On the other end, there is Isaac, the other survivor of this horrific event who seems to have gone missing. And Isaac's mother is convinced that Jules is behind Isaac's disappearance.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, although such vast details of Jules condition and her inner monologues, probably added to the tedium of the novel.. The other reason why I did not like it, was that the real mystery, the real twist, the real reveal comes almost at the very end of the novel and seems like a hassled and harried resolution to the whole chain of events. I would have loved for that reveal to have been explored a little further.

Overall, this book was an interesting read that kept me turning the pages, mostly in avid interest but sometimes in annoyance (especially with Jules inner workings), until the very end. I would definitely recommend someone willing to peel the layers off the human psyche with an author to read all of Lucinda Berry's books!

When Jules crashes her car through the ice of a lake, she keeps her wits about her and rescues her teen-aged son from drowning. At least that’s who she thinks she’s been able to save until she looks over and sees her neighbor’s son, Issac, laying on the ice next to her. Her initial reaction is to dive back into the icy water, but that doesn’t work. And when she tries to kill herself over the grief of losing her son, that doesn’t work either. But when Isaac comes to see her in the hospital, they realize they share a bond---one that no one else can really understand. There’s so much more to this storey and I want to be careful to not give away any spoilers. Lucinda Berry keeps us reading as we ride the rollercoaster of emotions she throws at us. Again, I wasn’t in love with the ending, but the story is so good I have to give it the full 5 stars.

This is my first book by Lucinda Berry and I will definitely have to check out her other titles. The premise was great and I was drawn in right from the start. I was prepared for how this was going to resolve but then it took some unexpected turns in the last quarter and lost me. I will say that the final twist at the end was smart and left me guessing what was really going on!
Thanks to the author, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for this advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lucinda Berry never disappoints. I was immersed in this story from the first word to the last. Her writing is so descriptive and her characters are interesting and believable. Another winner from a winning author!

This book was excellent. I couldn’t put it down. The twists and turns keep me wanting more. Just when you think you have the story figured out, the author throws something into the story that makes you doubt all of your previous thoughts. It had the right amount of drama and suspense. A story filled with obsessive behavior, mental health issues and survivor remorse. I hope there is a part 2 to answer some remaining questions about the characters and what happened next in their lives, I throughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end.

Being a mother of boys, I could definitely relate to this story and it was terrifying to imagine going through the same tragedies that both Jules and Amber endured. It took an unexpected turn near the end and wasn’t how I envisioned the story to end. The suspense was masterfully built, as all Lucinda Berry’s novels are.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Lucinda Berry is definitely a go to author and "Off the Deep End" did not disappoint. Worth the read for sure!

This book was a great psychological thriller that kept you turning the pages, I always enjoy the different perspectives and deep character profiles in these books and this one is no different

Off the deep end explores grief, parenting and the deep dark secrets of the mind. I absolutely adored this book, it was fast paced, thrilling and just the right amount of twists and turns to be interesting but still believable.

Often these sort of novels have a troubled or overworked detective front and centre. This was told from the perspective of two mothers which made for a refreshing change.

I loved the elements of teenage angst, survivors guilt and the difficult parts of parenting. I thought this was such well written, exciting book and I can't wait to read more from this author. A very easy 5 stars from me.

The therapist turned stay-at-home mom Jules Hart’s idyllic suburban life shatters when she crashes her car into an icy lake. Her son and another teenage boy plunge into the water with her, but Jules can only manage to save one―the wrong one.

Reeling from the death of her son, Jules spirals into a violent and unstable mental state. Ten months after the accident, she’s still trying to reckon with the fact that she rescued Isaac Greer, another woman’s child when Isaac suddenly vanishes.

Jules finds herself at the center of a massive police investigation. While she harbors her own dangerous secrets, Jules is adamant that she didn’t take Isaac. But then who did? Is Isaac the victim of a dangerous killer who’s been targeting boys in the Midwest? Or is someone else pulling the strings in this deadly game?

Kept me on full alert with Did Jules do this, or did a serial killer kill Isaac? You will have to read the whole thing.I was torn between both. Man oh man, I could not wait to see who took Isaac. It was a good mystery. I have no clue from chapter to the next.I fell off the fence. GET out! Brilliant

This book gripped me right from the opening chapters. Former therapist turned stay-at-home mom Jules lives a nightmare when she swerves her car to avoid a deer and ends up in an icy lake. Confused and disoriented, she latches on to a hand and rises to the surface. She realizes with her horror that she's saved the wrong boy. Her son is still submerged, while her neighbor's son is safe.

As expected, Jules suffers a violent break from reality and is institutionalized. The boy she saved, Isaac, is struggling with a severe case of survivor's guilt. He feels like he should have died that day and turns simultaneously violent and reclusive.

Then things got a little convoluted. Isaac disappears, and he is suspected to be a victim of a serial killer who is stalking the Midwest, snatching young teens who are out walking their dogs. Isaac disappeared while walking the dog, so his fate seems sealed. His mother is sure Jules had something to do with his disappearance as she became so infatuated with Isaac, a restraining order had to be put in place.

In the last 20-25% of the book, so many things were thrown in, I just couldn't wade through them all. If the initial storyline had stayed as tightly focused as the beginning, this would have been a five star read, but the amount of disbelief I had to suspend at the end was too much. It was definitely a wild ride, and I'll continue to read her books because I like her story ideas.

Like most of this author's books, this one is very emotional and especially hard to get through if you're a mother. Jules is dealing with a parent's worst nightmare, losing her teenage son, Gabe. What makes it worse for her is that she was driving the car that got into the accident and she actually saved her son's friend, Isaac, instead of Gabe. It's a heartbreaking situation made even worse now several months later because her son's friend is missing. And the circumstances surrounding his disappearance point to connections to a serial killer targeting teenage boys.

The story is told from Jules point of view and that of the Isaac's mother, Amber. She believes from the start that Jules is involved with Isaac's disappearance. They grew close after their accident even though she didn't want him spending too much time with Jules because of the breakdown she suffered and her mental instability. She thinks Jules was unnaturally attached to Isaac and kidnapped him to be a replacement of sorts for Gabe. Most everyone else believes he's the latest victim of the serial killer. They think she's delusional in her belief that he's alive and well and a victim of Jules, instead.

Even though we see from Jules' perspective, we don't know the truth about Isaac's disappearance. Her narrative is mainly her talking to a specialist and recounting her life since the accident. We witness her clearly spiraling out of control in her memories and in her current state when the therapist asks what she knows about Isaac's disappearance. It's sad seeing her so consumed by grief and displaced guilt. and I could understand why she would have bonded so strongly with Isaac.

The story takes a turn you won't see coming and it becomes clear how one horrible event in life can lead to several more. As a mother of a teenage boy, it was quite hard to read at times because you understand the achingly raw loss of these families as if it was your own. You want to see these characters overcome all they have been put through but the reality is that life doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes, just continuing to live is all you can do in this world. No matter how hard this book hits you, it will be one you won't forget.

As a massive lucinda berry fan, of course i was going to read her latest offering.
I knew i have enjoyed all of Lucinda's other reads and thos one was no different. Im not going to lie, i was a bit unsure how i felt about this at the beginning but turns out that of course i loved it. There was twists and turns that i wasnt expecting and thw whole book came together really well. Yet another great read from Lucinda, you can definitely tell she has a psychological history, it was written very well.

Off the Deep End by Lucinda Berry is another mindbender of a tale from an author who certainly knows how to spin a riveting psychological thriller.

Jules Hart is a former therapist who finds herself living out every parent's worst nightmare. After plunging her car and its passengers into a near frozen lake, the lives of two boys hang in the balance, and Jules can only save one. In a split second decision, it is not her son. The boy who is saved is Isaac Greer, and as Jules continues to spiral over the death of her son, Isaac goes missing. Suddenly, Jules finds herself at the centre of a police investigation to unravel the mystery of a missing boy, and the clock is ticking.

I have always loved Lucinda Berry's writing, and while I cannot rate this one as a personal favourite, it is certainly worth your time.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC.