I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. The author did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Lizzy Barber's " Out of Her Depth" is a sun-soaked thriller that immerses readers in the lush hills of Tuscany. Set against the backdrop of the elegant Villa Medici, this novel weaves a web of manipulation, desire, and secrets that will keep you turning pages until the very end.

Rachel, a college student from an unfashionable London suburb, lands a summer job at the Villa Medici—a pensione surrounded by manicured gardens. Her luck seems boundless as she becomes part of a circle of privileged young sophisticates. Among them is the glamorous coworker Diana, who promises to help Rachel win the affections of the handsome and confident Sebastian. But beneath the sun-drenched facade lies a world of backstabbing, betrayal, and simmering tensions. As champagne flows and rivalries fester, Rachel realizes that Diana has motivations of her own. And when tragedy strikes one fateful night, everything changes.

Barber's vivid descriptions transport readers to the Tuscan countryside. The scent of blooming flowers, the taste of chilled prosecco, and the heat of the sun on your skin—all come alive within these pages. The Villa Medici itself becomes a character, with its graceful architecture and hidden corners harboring secrets.

The characters are beautifully flawed and multifaceted. Rachel's naivety clashes with Diana's cunning, and Sebastian's allure masks deeper complexities. As their relationships intertwine, tensions escalate, and loyalties shift. Barber deftly explores the power dynamics between them, leaving readers guessing who can be trusted.

The simmering tension builds steadily, like the heat of a Tuscan summer. Secrets unravel, alliances fracture, and the stakes rise. The pacing keeps you on edge, wondering who will emerge unscathed and who will pay the price for their desires.

solid thriller that will make you wonder what is next in the book. Loved all the characters and the plot twists.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

3⭐
Genre ~ psychological fiction, drama fiction
Setting ~ England & Italy
Publication date ~ July 12, 2022
Est page Count ~ 381 (p+ 44 chapters)
Audio length ~ 13 hours 29 minutes
Narrator ~ Ell Potter
POV ~ single 3rd
Featuring ~ dual timeline ~ now & then, toxic friendship, death, revenge

Rachel tells the story of the summer she spent in Italy before college 21 years ago. It's here that she'll meet Diana, Sebastian and Valentina. The introduction lets us know someone has died, but it's a while before we know the who and the why. But once you get into the story it's not that difficult to figure out.

Rachel comes off as a very insecure unreliable narrator. This is very much a slow burn story of jealously and trying to keep up with the Joneses so to speak. I like that it was told in dual timeline, which built up the suspense, but it took a little too long to get there for me. There's a toxic friendship and unlikable characters, especially, Diana, with a surprise ending.

Overall, it was a decent psychological drama. I'd read this author again.

This book was very captivating and with each turn of the plot, I wanted to keep reading. The characters were well fleshed out and I enjoyed this.

Sometimes I think the difference between loving and hating a book is simply timing. Reading the book at the right time can change your entire reading experience and perspective. Either that, or pacing, is a massive factor for how I enjoy a story.

In this case, the pacing and back-and-forth between the past and present made my reading experience feel drawn out and slow. I loved the storyline set in the past, while the present one felt boring and unnecessary. Perhaps it's just the wrong time for me to read this book, but that glimmer of 'what happened' and 'who is responsible' is what kept me reading.

Rachel is a people pleaser and starved for attention. She will do anything and forgive everything to keep her growing friendship with Diana. Diana, on the other hand, is a master manipulator. And she thinks her money makes her better, buying the attention Rachel freely gives.

The ending was a bit anti-climactic. I'm not sure what exactly I expected, but I was expecting something more. And there is no real closure either, only an open ending where I'm left wondering whose version of events are true...

In my opinion, this was two stories, that would have been better received separately. Together, they distracted from the mystery of the past and the obsession of the present.

If you're looking for a book full of twists and turns, plus lots of surprises, this is definitely one for you. At times some of the reveals seemed a little much, especially when none of the characters end up being overly likeable for a number of different reasons. By the end it seems no one is wholly good. I did really enjoy the way the pace was as well as the anticipation that was set up throughout the book, there wasn't really any lull that would make you want to put down the book. The writing style was engaging as well, which really helped with the overall flow of the book. There certainly was some over the top elements, but in a dark and twisty book that's not always a bad thing.

The opening line of the book hooks you and drops you right into the drama. All of the characters have layers like an onion. I had trouble deciding if I liked them or hated them, but that was part of the fun.

Parts of it reminded me of the characters and dynamics of the movie, "Inventing Anna".

It was a fun beach read. I almost gave it four stars because of the ending. I wish she could have gone in a different direction with it. Overall, I highly recommend this book.

An amazing atmospheric and tense domestic thriller where I had no idea what would happen next Thank you Harper for the ARC for my honest review.

This is a thriller that slow-burns its way through the plot. It recounts past events at a pace that builds dread to the point where I almost wanted to cover my eyes and read through my fingers because I couldn’t bear to see what was going to happen next. The chapters are set up in fairly uniform manner, alternating consistently between then (the buildup to the event) and now (how Rachel is dealing with everything in the present). One of the things that I liked most about this book is that it was difficult to tell if Rachel was reliable or not. It also made it difficult to see who the true villain was in the story. Rachel truly was out of her depth all along; she just didn’t know how much until it was too late. For more details, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Mira/Harlequin Trade Publishing.

Unfortunately, I have been locked out of my netgalley account for a few months and was not able to see which books I had on my list or even know to check if they downloaded properly, in order to properly read and review. I do apologize and am doing a 3 for neutral. Will update once I’m able to obtain a copy and read!

I have to say, I had higher hopes for this one and was sort of disappointed in the end. The concept and potential of the plot was there, but I feel there was a few things that made it fall short for me. One being the character Rachel. At times I found her to be insufferable and wanted to shake the stuffing out of her she frustrated me so much with some of her behaviour. The ending also felt.. less than satisfying for me and off? And I only found the "suspense" to be mediocre at best here. Now that being said, it did have some good qualities. I enjoyed the scenery presented, the location for the plot, the intricacies of the characters, some of the suspense aspects at a few points, and the plot potential. Barber did keep me guessing though along the way that kept me intrigued and curious because I needed to know what happened next. Although not as tantalizing as I'd have liked and hoped for, it was a decent read.

Loved this suspenseful and gripping story - focusing on a group of young people in Italy, I loved the setting and I could see disaster coming! This was one I could not put down.
If you love realistic characters and a good suspenseful read, get this one today!
Thank you for my copy.

Some novels will forever change the way you look at things. Take Out of Her Depth. After reading this book, you may not view summer vacations in the same bright and happy light.

Rachel thought she was the luckiest woman to land such a summer job. She gets to stay in a beautiful pensione, full of beautiful sights and stunning people. But you know the saying – if it looks too good to be true...

Her coworker, Diana, seems to be the perfect companion. At first. But as time goes on, it becomes clear that Diana is working under ulterior motives, and it might just be Rachel who ultimately pays the price.

I picked Out of Her Depth because I wanted an easy escape – something thrillers tend to promise, right? And I certainly got what I had hoped for. This is an ideal thriller in that there is tension, characters you love to hate, and the works.

The obsession over Diana got a bit tiring for me, though it is admittedly an essential premise for the novel. It probably became grating in combination with the slow-burning format, which is usually fine, but in this case, it drew out the elements I enjoyed the least.

Normally I like to promise that there are many twists in a thriller. However, Out of Her Depth didn't have too many. Don't get me wrong – it had a few (it has to!), but not as many as I would have liked.

Overall I would have to say that Out of Her Depth is a very run-of-the-mill thriller. It isn't bad, but it isn't an outstanding example of the genre. It's still a fun and quick read, though; sometimes, that's all one can hope for.

Unfortunately, it was just too predictable for me.
Slow burn, appreciated the dual timelines, would have really liked Diana’s POV more than just the once.

Loved the Italian throughout, the setting was beautiful and very descriptive.

Literally all of the characters except Valentina were extremely unlike-able.

Wasn’t my fave

Loved this. In the summer before heading off to University, Rachel gets the opportunity to work on her Italian while working at a Tuscan villa. There this girl from modest means is sucked into a world of privilege and entitlement as she is drawn to the glamorous, wealthy "it" kids, Diana and handsome Sebastian. The story alternates between that summer and twenty years later when Sebastian is being released from prison for murdering someone that summer. I read compulsively to figure out who was murdered and why. The writing vividly portrays the Tuscan setting and the glamorous but rotten-to-the-core group of hedonistic, selfish young people.

Out of Her Depth is a slow burn, atmospheric thriller. This psychological thriller is full of toxic friendships, privileged elites, and gorgeous scenery.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

Out of Her Depth by Lizzy Barber was a twisty (and twisted), slow-paced thriller with dislikable characters and a dual timeline. I’d say give if it intrigues you, give it a shot!

2.5 stars

I found this book to be just ok. I read a fair bit of mystery/thriller novels and this one didn't really stick out in my mind in any way. It was interesting enough while i was reading it and kept me in the book but the details all just kind of disappeared after i finished it.

I found that I didn't like any of the characters which i know happens sometimes in mystery books, but this seemed a little excessive. I think that the premise was promising, but the actual follow-through was just a little off. The dual timeline definitely kept my interest for a little while. Also i think that this book suffered from an everything and the kitchen sink kind of problem. There were so many twists just kind of thrown in for no reason.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mira for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.