Just finished this ARC thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture.

Rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2
Publish date: Jan 10, 2023

Yes! Lucinda Berry has brought us another fantastic book! The story followed along on one route , then bam, it derailed! A crazy twist!

Hold on for the rollercoaster of emotions. The story first leaves you scared when Jules and the boys end up in the lake trapped in the car. It then moved onto the grief Jules feels from losing her son. Then to watch as the grief becomes too much for both families and the effects it causes for them.

I highly recommend this book! Make sure to grab it in Jan when it's released!

Book Description:

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?

This is my third book by this author and I'm afraid it wasn't my favourite. It started off really strong and I was gripped. The story told from jules and amber, but I felt the ending let it down. I think definitely worth a read. I think k this author does write well down psychological disorders which I found interesting, at times rather dark .

Thank you netgalley for this advanced copy

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I have read a few of the author's previous works and enjoyed those so I was excited to dive into this one. When Jules and her son's classmate survive a car accident that kills her son, we follow them through the aftermath, and how their lives seem to be permanently entangled.

Lucinda Berry is quickly becoming an auto-buy on my book list. This novel blew me away. Jules is a mom, that by her own admission, had the "perfect" suburban life. Her life took a very terrible turn when she loses her only son was killed in a car crash, with her at the wheel. There was a second survivor of the crash, Isaac, a second teenager in the car. This book is told from the POV of both Jules and Isaac’s mom, Amber. As Jules’s life spirals, Amber finds that the survivor guilt that her son carries is pretty life changing as well. The book picked up speed about midway through the book and it did not stop until the last pages of the book. I would definitely recommend this book to any of my friends that are looking for a thriller to disappear in.
Thank you to NetGalley & Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is jam packed with tragedy after tragedy, psychologists helping police who are leading missing persons investigations, and the timeless underlying debate of nature vs. nature. Throw on top of that two different marriages that will either get stronger or just fall apart.

As a reader, you’re thrown into the night of the first tragedy; Jules is driving her son and one of his teammates home from practice when the car crashes and sinks in the lake. Jules ends up saving the “wrong” boy and loses her son. I felt a lot of sympathy for Jules as first because, oof, that’s rough. But it’s soon evident that we’re dealing with an unreliable narrator here.

The story is also told from the point of view of Isaac’s (the survivor’s) mother. Isaac takes the dog for a walk one night and never comes home, apparently the victim of a local serial killer of teenage boys. But she’s not so reliable either as both her and her husband are harboring secrets from each other and the police.

Things slowly unravel as the timeline the serial killer uses ticks away until day fourteen… and the end of the book. In hindsight the end of the book shouldn’t have been so shocking but I was quite surprised. And a little mortified, too. And very concerned for the future of humanity.

This is a fast paced thriller, I stayed up late reading to finish because I had to know what happened to Isaac. If you like a good psychological and domestic thriller, this is a boon for you. Releases January 10, 2023.

Lucinda Berry books are so disturbingly good, and this was no exception. Jules crashes her car and plunges into an icy lake. She then has to decide who to save first, her own son or a family friend. The decision she makes is so impactful and makes you question who she chose. She then finds herself in the middle of a massive police investigation and it gets even crazier from there! Riveting and oh-so-darn-good!!

Thanks to Lucinda and NetGalley for allowing me to read Off the Deep End before the publication date.
This is the first of Lucinda’s books which I have read and it won’t be the last.

Her well structured writing style makes it an easy, enjoyable read whilst gradually building the tension as we gain insight into the characters. I particularly like that she uses characters who are relevant to the story, rather than using loads of people who serve only as a distraction.

The story is narrated by the 2 main characters, Jules Hart and Amber Greer, leaving the reader with each woman’s perception of the other participants. Much of Jules narrative involves her sessions with Dr Stephens and that was particularly intriguing.

This is definitely a page turner with plenty of secrets, lies and unexpected revelations.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. There’s apparently a fine/medium line between plot twists and having the plot be all over the place..:this story just did not come together for me. In my opinion, there are a lot stronger psychological thrillers out there.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Thomas & Mercer and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Dark, suspenseful, thrilling, and dangerous. I was enraptured from the moment I picked it up.

Ok, this was another amazing book by Lucinda Berry! She never fails us with her books! Love, love, loved it! I give it 5 stars. This book was written to make you feel you were there, to feel the emotions of the character. Highly recommend! Thanks to the author, publishers, and Netgalley for the opportunity for an advanced copy!

Thank you netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lucinda Berry is just amazing. This is my third book of hers and, while it wasn't my favorite of the bunch, it was fantastic. It was twisty and thrilling. My only complaint is that it was a bit slow in the beginning, but about a quarter of the way through it picked up and didn't stop.

I empathized a lot with both Jules and Amber. Both have experienced tragedy and both would do anything for their children. My heart ached for Jules as we followed her decent into severe mental illness. Amber was relatable as a mom with a troubled child suffering from what is clearly PTSD. The twist at the end was heartbreaking and all too real. This book was just incredible. Another home run for Berry! 4.25 stars!

Literally will read anything from lucinda berry. This was no different. So dang good. She writes fantastic, the characters, the setting....awesome! Highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

This book didn’t really wow me like the author’s other books. Somehow I felt the teenage angst part was not handled in depth. The chapters were more about a mother’s loss and suddenly takes a different direction. The parents also don’t seem to get the appropriate help for the son earlier and later on they behave like they are aware of the problems only then. The conclusion felt inadequate.

Thank you Netgalley & Thomas & Mercer for an eARC of Off the Deep End by Lucinda Berry.

Jules Hart's life crashes down on her when her car ends up in an icy lake with her son and his friend - but she can only manage to save one of them. Jules spirals after the death of her son into an unstable, violent mental state. She rescued her son's friend, Isaac Greer - and 10 months later, he vanishes into thin air.

Jules is adamant that she didn't take Isaac. But if she didn't, who did? The local serial killer?

Lucinda Berry will forever be one of my auto-buy authors. I absolutely love her books and writing style. That being said, this one is not my favorite of hers. I enjoyed the alternating POVs between Jules and Isaac's mother, Amber. I feel like the book started off with a bang but then slowed down - and the conclusion at the end came seemingly out of nowhere compared to the storyline of the rest of the book. The ending was interesting but seemed random given the rest of the book.

Even though this one missed the mark for me, Lucinda will continue to be an auto-buy author for me, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

2.5 stars rounded up!

I really don't like giving negative reviews, but this book was not very good. Let me start by saying that this is not a psychological thriller. It is more drama than anything. The writing was choppy and felt disjointed until about the 60-70% mark. It was boring for the most part, a little redundant and I wanted to put it down multiple times. I really don't like to do that, so I trudged through hoping for some redemption. Unfortunately, the ending was a letdown as well. There was no excitement in this story at all. Definitely my least favorite Lucinda Berry read.

Jules Hart has a terrible accident when her car plunges into a frozen lake, trapping herself and her son and his classmate. She tries to save her son, but ends up saving his classmate, Isaac Greer, instead. Months later, due to her grief, she tries to commit suicide and is then sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. In the meantime, Isaac Greer goes missing. There is a serial killer on the loose and Isaac is believed to be his next victim. Isaac's mother, Amber, believes that Jules Hart has something to do with his disappearance. This story alternates in POV's between Jules Hart and Amber Greer. Jules is being interviewed by a forensic psychologist through most of the book and Amber is a frantic, crazy helicopter mom who only wants to find her son. This is the gist of most of the book. It just went on and on....

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me to preview this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

So the title definitely sums up this book...two of the main characters, Jules and Isaac, go off the deep end, both literally and figuratively. While it all (sort of) came full circle by the end of the story, I didn't feel getting there was very cohesive. The story went back and forth between Jules and Isaac's family, and I feel like all the stuff with Isaac's family just didn't fit in with the story overall. I have enjoyed many of this author's other books, but this one just didn't do it for me. 2.5 - 3 stars.

I usually love Lucinda Berrys books. I felt this one moved slowly and lacked the suspense of her others. I wasn’t really invested in any of the characters as I didnt feel any empathy for them. I felt the ending was predictable. Sorry for the negativity but it’s my opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for being able to read this early.
This is my second Lucinda Berry book.
I enjoy her writing style, it’s fast paced and interesting.
This one was ok for me. I enjoyed Under Her Care more.
But I did like the psychological aspects of this story. Very interesting.
Something was just missing in this one for me, not sure if it was because the twists didn’t come til late.
I also was left confused about something that happened. Maybe I just missed the explanation.
I’ll continue to read more of Lucinda’s books.

Off The Deep End is a psychological thriller. Lucinda Berry is an amazing writer. The story is about surviving the worst thing a parent can experience, the tragic death of a child. Jules son, Gabe, dies in a car accident that she and Isaac, neighbors son, survive. The book follows the unraveling of both families. A must read.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest opinion.

Berry’s books are very hit or miss for me. Unfortunately this one was a miss. It was okay, just found some choices made plot-wise to be very strange and unnecessary. After a woman crashes her car in an accident that kills her son but not her son’s friend, she develops an unusual relationship with the friend she saved…and when that friend goes missing, all eyes are on her. Kept me reading, but didn’t love it.