I received an advance copy of Off the Deep End by Lucinda Berry from NetGalley and the publisher. I've read prior books by Lucinda Bery and really enjoyed them however this one was a bit slow for me. I really had to force myself to finish it as it just seemed to drag on and on with no real end in sight.

Lucinda Berry is an author that when i hear she has a book coming out i'm first to sign up for it. The story starts with a terrible car crash involving Jules, her son and his friend. She is able to pull her son from the water, but when she realizes this is not her son but his friend, she dives back down to try and save her son. This starts her obsession with her sons friend. This book kept me reading and was at times nerve wracking. I recommend! Thank you net galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book is distinctively told by two grieving mothers and how the tragedy pulls them apart.
Jules Hart has lost his son in a car accident. She and Isaac, their neighbour's son manage to survive. The two experienced a traumatic event and forms a bond like none other. Isaac has survivor guilt while Jules escapes death twice. He started visiting her and spending time together. Their feelings were mutual obv. 😑😑
Okay. I'm not okay with their relationship. Is it necessary to have hypersexuality from traumatic brain injury? Whatever the hell is that?😅😅.

This is the first Lucinda Berry that I read. It is a sensationalized thriller about mental illness in mass shootings and the motivations behind the murder. The story is intriguing enough despite the slow pace. I give 4 ⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for providing an earc. Opinions are my own.

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I did not realize the author is a psychologist herself, and this really makes it a little more realistic read. The psychological trauma of an accident, and people fatally killed might cause some triggers for readers, but the book was well written, dealt with it nicely and I will read more in future.

this book started off strong, but then it changes direction and not in a good way. there were way too many story lines and the characters were just not fun to read. The ending was also very dark and disturbing even for me. I really love Lucinda Berry's books so I will definitely continue to read her book.

This book started out well and then took a nose dive. It started dragging and then seemed to go in a different direction. I'm curious to read other books by this author.

A car crashes on a wintery road into a frozen lake, Jules awakens and grabs around to find her son, and brings them to the surface, only to find she has saved his friend Isaac, and her son is still in the frozen lake, left to die. Now, almost a year later Isaac has gone missing. Who else has motive to kidnap him than the woman who resents him for surviving.

That’s what the book is marketed as, here’s a better synopsis.
Apparently a car crashes in a lake and Jules saves the boy she’s giving a ride home to instead of her son. She is devastated. Now, the boy she saved so long ago has been kidnapped and has been missing for almost a week already. With a serial murderer with a love for teenage boys on the loose, it seems that Isaac has fallen victim to him. However, his mother cannot let go of a feeling that Jules is somehow involved, even though Jules lives in a psychiatric facility due to losing her mind since the accident. Told between interviews with Jules about her relationship with Isaac and possible involvement, and amber, isaacs mother, we follow the case and hope to find Isaac before day 14, when the serial murderer leaves the bodies of his victims.

That’s a much better synopsis as the book really just jumps in and there is little about the accident or the kidnapping and you are 100% just thrown in blind and slowly begin the find out things that happened to bring us to where we are today. Slightly confusing and unsure who the trustworthy narrator is, with a twist of an ending I didn’t really see coming. I enjoy berrys writing and will always look forward to more from her.

Wow, what an amazing story idea! I was immediately sucked into this emotional and shock-filled mystery. As a mom, I could only imagine the horror of being in an accident and not saving your child, but his friend instead. I thought the book was going to be more of an exploration of grief with a side of mystery, but boy did this book go in a direction I couldn't anticipate. The ending was truly shocking and I didn't see it coming at all. The character POVs were frustrating because all I could think was what's the heck wrong with these people. I didn't love Under Her Care but found this book much better and a solid four stars.

Lucinda Berry can always be counted on for great writing and unique plot lines. This book is very fast paced and kept me turning the pages. Lucinda Berry is always a must read for me and this book did not disappoint!

This book was a grave reminder of awful events especially in our last 2 decades. There are factual and historical events, happenings and real lived experiences threaded within the non fiction parts. You can’t help but to get pulled into her books.. sometimes with incredulity and surprise and other times a bit of foreknowledge or good projecting lol.

OFF THE DEEP END by Lucinda Berry

Woah. I think what lures me most to Lucinda's books is that you always have to brace yourself for one hell of an impact. It's just, you never know how hard of an impact it will be, or the extent of it. She will always be an auto-buy author of mine.

This one fooled me in the sense that the story took a bit of a detour and then a hard direction change. I still find myself thinking about how disturbing it was. I won't look at Thanksgiving the same ever again for a VERY* specific reason. If you haven't read it yet, consider that my warning gift to you.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for this e-copy!

“I’ve never understood peoples obsession with the limelight. People who shine from within don’t need a spotlight.” - Lucinda Berry, Off The Deep End.

When Lucinda Berry releases a hot new book, you run, you do not walk to your nearest bookstore.

I was introduced to Berry via “bookstagram” and I have to say, it is one of my best finds. Berry is not only an extremely talented writer but a bad ass, humorous, and genuine person. So if you are looking for a new author that you can appreciate on paper AND in person, Lucinda Berry is for you.

Enough of that sappy stuff…

Off The Deep End

Gah!!! How does Berry keep doing this to me! You would think I’d be accustomed to these twists having read her entire collection, but I promise you, I am not.

I still shriek and gasp, every time.

As the suspense grew I found myself tightening my grip on my bed sheets, white knuckling my pup’s paw for comfort .

This book is what nightmares are made of.

Here is a little teaser :

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?

"Audiobook version of OFF THE DEEP END, great narration, but missed a few of the thrills."

My full review for this one can be found on FreshFiction.com.

This novel had me hooked from the very beginning. I loved the plot and it kept me on the edge of my seat as I read through the chapters. I definitely recommend this one.

Jules use to be a therapist, and in one night her perfect suburban life is gone when she crashes her car into the icy lake. She was on her way home after her son's practice and this night she was doing a favor for another mother, and giving her son a ride home. Jules is able to save one, but it's not her son. This sends her reeling, as any mother would do. She is forever changed and struggles with her own loss. She finds herself in the middle of an investigation.

Amber is the mother of the surviving son, Isaac, she is trying hard to figure out what has changed Isaac so much after this accident. When Isaac vanishes, she feels that Jules has a major part in this. Afterall, her son survived and Jule's son did not. Amber, feeling that the police won't listen to her motherly instincts about Jules, sets out to find out the truth of what has happened to her son. She questions everyone, even her husband.

First off, let's just say I love all of Lucinda Berry's books. I have always had a deep interest in psychology, so her books are always interesting for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Mercer for an ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

This was middle of the road for me.

I love Lucinda Berry's perspective as a psychologist that she brings to every one of her novels, and that was my favorite part about this one as well. The idea of a therapist being psychoanalyzed is perfection. But I wanted more of the novel to back up the twist. It could have "gone there" like Saving Noah and The Perfect Child did, but for me it lacked focus and that visceral forbidden feeling that I come to look for from this author.

The pacing, however, was great, the multiple perspectives kept it moving along. I think Lucinda does best when she writes from the perspective of children. I would have like a POV from Isaac in this one, even though he wasn't a child, it could have added my connection to the story.

This book was quite the ride! Lucinda Berry knows how to throw twists and make readers question everything they think they know! I was impressed with how much Ms. Berry packed into this slim novel. The storyline starts with a car accident and a mother, Jules, who saves one boy in her car, but not her own son. The survivors guilt bonds Jules with the boy she does save, however, it bonds them in a strange way and as readers we are left to question their relationship. Although Isaac's parents do not question the relationship at all! They know they do not want Isaac around Jules. But Isaac's parents have problems of their own each keeping secrets about Isaac. I was immersed it in the story and wanted to see how things played out. I do wish Isaac's POV had been included, I think it would have made the ending smoother. But overall, I definitely recommend this one!

While this book started out slow, it did pick up but got weird. I had no choice but to keep reading as I had to see where this all led. Turned out to be an interesting story and outcome.
Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas and Mercer and the Author Lucinda Berry for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow was this book quite a ride! It kept me on my toes and around each corner I was reeling for more. The story was unique with its plot and twists and pulled me in from page one. Reflecting on the end, I could see a sequel being written and it being just as twisty. The author did a fabulous job with character development and really made it hard for me to put the book down at times. Overall, I enjoyed this read and will selfishly hope for a sequel so I can see what this next chapter holds for Jules.

Off the Deep End by Lucinda Berry is a psychological thriller about what happens when a mother crashes her car into a lake, and she ends up rescuing her son's classmate and losing her son. Jules rescues Isaac, but then he ends up disappearing ten month later. Is she involved? Or he is a victim of a serial killer? This book truly went "off the deep end" and not in a good way. The author went too far with some of the reveals, and so this book was kind of icky to me. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.