The idea hooked me. A therapist on a reality show with recovering child stars, murder, and buried secrets. But it didn’t fully deliver. The pacing was off and I couldn’t connect with the characters. The mix of mystery and personal drama had potential, but it just didn’t pull me in like I hoped.

I've been a fan of Lucinda Berry for quite some time now. I absolutely love her first 6 (adult) novels and how different and out of my comfort zone they are, and especially the mental health proper representation.
However, since Berry's last 2 releases I noticed a significant change in the quality of her stories, characters and her own writing. It seems to me that she decided to quit all the great mental rep and heavy and dense stories for more mainstream thrillers, which is a 'decision' I did not like it. SO, I was hopeful this new book, ONE IN FOUR, would bring Berry back to her roots and to being a great storyteller she was.
Sadly, this didn't happen. Again. ONE IN FOUR is another one of her 'new era': a kind-of psychological popcorn thriller with characters and twists that we have read so many times before.
Not gonna lie: I'm very disappointed (again) and I'm starting to wonder if I should just quit reading Lucinda Berry's new releases and maybe just go re-read her older (and much better!) books.
Thanks, anyway, NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy of this book.

Of course, Lucinda Berry does it again. Another gripping, twisted story. Always check those trigger warnings! This books has twists that keeping coming until the very end and leave you asking yourself, WTF?!?

Lucinda Berry is very skilled at writing deeply disturbing situations in an authentic voice. She is adept at making the stories feel realistic and the characters feel believable. Berry is very good at making you sympathize, as a reader, with characters who are doing (or have done) awful things to themselves and/or others.

However, I feel cheated by this book. The blurb on GoodReads and the summary that is publicly available does not accurately capture, in my opinion, the central narrative of the book. I signed up for a psychological whodunit murder mystery where a psychologist specializing in addiction recovery uses her training to figure out who is lying and who is telling the truth after one of the individuals dies suspiciously. This is not what you get in this book. About 30% through the book does a 180 in terms of plot. It moves into very dark, deeply disturbing territory that is quite challenging to read. I know this is a hallmark of Berry's writing but I expected different outcomes given the description. In particular, I did not like the ending as it just felt unnecessary to go that direction.

One In Four - Lucinda Berry
Pub Date - 5/13/25
Rating - 2/5
Trigger Warning(s) - rape, drug abuse, suicide, alcohol abuse
Summary - Dr. Laurel Hargrow is wrapped up in a reality tv show featuring former child actors who are trying to get over their addiction. Suddenly she gets a call in the middle of the night that Maddie, one of the children, has died while the cameras are still rolling. The story then follows Laurie as she tries to find out what happened to Maddie, while also revealing some of Laurel's own secrets from when she was in college.

Thoughts - Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. I was very interested in this premise especially since reality tv show murders have been a common troupe lately. This book was not that at all -- there was NO reality tv aspect! She could have set this book in a therapist's office and would have gotten to the same ending with absolutely no problem. The story wasn't linear and went in a completely different direction, one that didn't have anything to do with the murder victim. I found myself skimming towards the end because of the unnecessary amount of internal monologue by the main character. Overall, not worth reading in my opinion, she's got better books.

This is a book about a lot of serious issues, rape, self harm ,bullying , addiction, pressures to fit in. It was ultimately written in a way that didn't do the topics justice unfortunately. It became less and less believable as the story went on and that felt like it cheapened the issues it was talking about. It almost felt like two different books in one. I usually like her books, but was disappointed in this one.

I was really excited to get this arc but it didn’t live up to my expectations. I ended up DNFing at 80% because I was just so bored 🥱
Sorry Lucinda, but this didn’t hit the mark for me like your books normally do 🫠

Wow- Lucinda is the best at throwing some crazy twists into her novels! I was very invested in this plot in general (which honestly changes throughout the boon) and really enjoyed the dual POV with Laurel and “her”, who you find out more about throughout the book. I was not expecting the major plots twists in the second half of this book, such a crazy read! Please check trigger warnings before reading- this book talks about drug use, suicide ideation, suicide, sexual assault, and grief.

4.25⭐️

A instant go to author for me, so I couldn’t wait to read the latest offering.

It starts off with therapist Laurel Hargrow in a reality tv addiction programme. There have been a couple of books recently jumping on board with viewers obsession with reality tv. It then takes a very different turn.

It’s dark and quite bleak, definitely powerful. There’s plenty of twists,turns and secrets to be uncovered. I wasn’t keen on the way it ended, and had a problem accepting the likelihood of one of the scenarios.

I love the authors originality, and willingness to tackle difficult topics. It’s good to see another dark offering from the Queen of dark as her last book was much softer. I enjoyed it rather than loved this book. I can’t wait for her next offering as this author never disappoints.

One in Four left a lot to be desired. It starts off with a reality TV show like Big Brother where you are able to watch the struggles of former child stars overcoming addition in one house together ending in one of them being murdered. The first part of the book was complete than the second half it seemed to completely switch from the “show” to the producer getting revenge on the therapist because of past history.

Thank you to netgalley for an arc.

Lucinda Berry has quickly become one of my auto buy authors. I was so excited to see she had a book coming out that when I was approved I immediately had to put everything aside to pick it up. I’m so glad I did because this may be Lucinda’s best book yet. This was actually the first time I came across the would you rather encounter a bear or man saying.

Laurel annoyed me a bit with her superiority complex. It felt like she thought she was the only one that could help people struggling with addiction. The way she put down rehab centers and such was a bit unwarranted. I found the side characters pretty solid. They definitely added to the story in a great way.

Lucinda Berry always has unique premises in her books. On one hand it seems like it would never happen, but on the other it scarily could. Her plots get your mind going in places tou'd rather it not. There were so many amazing quotes and statistics in this book I enjoyed reading and felt like I actually learned a bit. I can’t wait to see what Lucinda has in store for us in the future.

I needed a minute to digest this before writing a review.

I love Lucinda Berry, let me just start with that. This was a great thriller that kept you guessing, however it left me with many questions…as so many of her books often do. I enjoyed the multiple POV with the mysterious POV that kept you guessing who was doing the narrating.


Spoilers ahead…

I needed more from Noelle! Flipping on her wife like that without much explanation did not sit right with me. I was waiting for her to have more of a personal connection to have that reaction. Throughout the novel I was guessing that “her” was going to be referring to Noelle or Gia.

I will say, this kept me engaged and continuing to try to figure out what the heck was going on. I will always devour a Lucinda Berry book! Thank you NetGally for this ARC!

This book left me reeling. I had to take some time to process this one before I could even decide on a rating, let alone leave a review. I was debating on coming down a star simply because the ending left me so utterly devastated, but throughout the entire book I was completely captivated in the story and have not been able to stop thinking about it since I put it down, so I ultimately decided not to. This is my 11th Lucinda Berry book and of the ones I've read, it is in the top two of her darkest books in my opinion. Definitely check your TW's.

The book follows Dr Laurel Harlow, a therapist who is working on a reality show about former child stars getting sober. The book took a very unexpected turn about half way and while there were a few things I saw coming (sort of), it ended up being a very different book than what I thought it was going to be. This one really hit me in a place deep and raw. I don't want to give any spoilers, but there was one point I had to put the book down for a few minutes to just sob. And the ending was just brutal.

It was so good. And I hated it. And also 5⭐️.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As much as I am a fan of Lucinda Berry’s work, this was just not it for me. It was too far fetched and too many moving parts that felt disjointed. I wish I could be more positive but I just didn’t like this book very much.

I’m not sure what happened here. This started off really strong, but then … it ended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this advanced copy.

Berry's books will often be darker thrillers than most others, but it still was a great, compulsive read. Berry has become an auto-read author for me and will be a hit at the library.

This was a phenomenal book. I was not expecting the plot twist or the ending! It leaves me wanting to know more, like what happened to Noelle, Why the cops never came back? I liked the subtle ways it shouts out to other books in your collection. I’m not a quick reader but found myself finishing this in 3 days.
I can’t wait to buy a hard copy for my bookshelf! Great read, and I’m sure I’ll reread when it’s published

This book started off good. The concept was there and the multi layered characters were there. Then it just went completely out of left field and turned gross and violent. I kept waiting for a twist, but the “twist” wasn’t anything that changed the book and the ending was awful. This one just wasn’t what I was expecting and not my favorite from this author. There are also so major trigger warnings with this book! Rape, suicide, drug abuse, etc. so be prepared going in. This one was just under developed and then not what I wanted from a book. It was a shirt, quick read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Seriously, so good! I have so many emotions after reading this. Sure, some parts were far-fetched, but I thoroughly enjoyed the psychology behind the characters. I felt really bad for Maddie, and while I did suspect and partially predict what happened, the ending still took me by surprise. Highly recommended. 5 stars!

3.5🌟
Reality TV just became a bit too real.
Fallen from grace, having grown out of their popularity, former child stars are cast in a reality show exposing their demons in order to beat their addictions.

They’re housed at Crystal Meadows, an inpatient treatment center for addiction. In charge is the famous Dr. Laurel Harlow.

After the youngest and most loved star dies during treatment, well…as they say, “The shows over folks!”

Lots of questions… how did she die? Is someone responsible? And if so who, and why?

Sounds good right?! But then everything changed.
The storyline felt as though it veered off course about midway with and the aforementioned plot line all but disappearing.

It’s a quick read, and maybe that was the issue. I needed a bit more depth. And with a rather abrupt ending, I was left somewhat unsatisfied.

Not a favorite from this author. But I’ve enjoyed some of her previous works so I’ll definitely be watching for her next!

⚠️There are definitely a few strong trigger warnings: (view spoiler)

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer