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.

A parent’s worst nightmare - losing their child. Even worse, being responsible for the loss. It’s understandable that Jules goes off the deep end after the car accident that caused her son’s death. Meanwhile, the boy who survived, Isaac, is tormented by survivor’s guilt. Then he goes missing and his parents are tormented. This is an action-packed story that kept me hooked from beginning to end!

Absolutely amazing. Lucinda berry never disappoints and is an absolute genius. This book took me on a roller coaster ride and was just crazy.

I’m a big fan of Lucinda Berry’s novels so I was excited to read Off the Deep End. The main problem I had with this novel was the alternating POVs. Jules and Amber were both unlikeable to me. Isaac would have been a much better choice for a POV. Amber is Isaac’s mom and Julie’s is Gabe’s mom. Too much went on and yet I was just left feeling meh. The twists were so ridiculous.

Book: Off The Deep End
Author: Lucinda Berry
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Pub Date: January 10, 2022

Wow. This book covered some very hard topics and did it very well. Is it bad to say you loved a book that talked about your worst fears? It’s a very dark book that will keep you up at night. A very haunting story told from the perspective of two mothers. This book will be one of my favorite reads of 2022.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is January 10, 2022.

Lucinda Berry does it again, she creates and makes such high quality thrillers that are easy to devour and talk a lot about mental health. I really enjoy the representation that she includes within her books. Also, I freaking LOVE the cover on this one!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an e-arc for review!

This was my first book by this author. There is a horrible accident and a teenager dies. Jules was driving the car that plunged into the frozen water and caused the death. She and the teenager who survived the crash have survivors guilt. The story takes place after the accident and mostly switches between the point of view of 2 women who are some of the main characters in the story. Some parts of the story were weird but it was a good read. I got pulled in quickly but the middle was a little boring. The ending was unexpected. Without giving information away that might be a spoiler, this book deals with a sad theme that is unfortunately present too often in our country, but it comes at it from a different angle. People don't often think about how our actions might affect our family. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy.

Ugh I wanted to love this one so bad. I just felt like we could have gotten a lot more than we did. I would have loved to get an Isaac perspective and less of Amber since nothing really happened in her chapters until the ending. Jules was just batshit crazy & I felt like we didn’t really get full answers from her.

This was my first Lucinda Berry book, I’ve heard good things so I was hopeful. The book had a great start. A woman, her son and a neighbors son are a car wreck and she thought she saved her son but it was the other boy. We get flipped from past and present and also POV of both mothers. I was definitely anticipating where this book was going, though it did get a little slow the middle.
Then the twist came. Now, while I did not see that coming, it just didn’t work for me. It just didn’t work into the story seamlessly or well at all for that matter. It felt like someone chopped two books in half and glued them together. The first half was promising, then the second half was a completely different story and they just didn’t mash well.

Thank you NetGalley, Lucinda and Thomas and Mercer for allowing me to read this before publication.

First, I want to start by saying due to recent events this book can be triggering. TW include attempted suicide, school schooling’s, and in appropriate relationship between child and adult.

I feel like the main characters in this book (Jules and Amber) are just tiresome. They don’t get along because they are literally the same person. I also did not really see the point if including Jules’ POV as she didn’t really contribute much other than annoyance to the story. And don’t get me started with her relationship with Isaac. C R E E P Y. She claims it was “nothing sexual” but still very weird none the less.

The story line was good, I could see how the author was going with bullying and trauma can affect a child, especially school age and in this day in age.

This was a good read, I wish the Amber and her husband didn’t give away what happened to Isaac though.

What I love most about Lucinda Berry’s books is that they deal with very real psychological issues. It’s evident from page one that Lucinda Berry is an experienced psychologist. Because this book deals with hard topics and is written so well, there were a few times the book was emotionally hard to read. For that reason, Off The Deep End is a book that I will always remember. I love the characters, the perfect amount of plot twists, and the ending that was equally shocking and believable. Lucinda Berry writes another perfect read!!

This book started out well and then took a nose dive. It started dragging and at one point I had to check if I was reading the same book because the story seemed to go in a different direction. The characters were annoying and by the end I didn’t care what happened to Isaac.






Thank you to Netgalley And and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Brilliant....Lucinda Berry is fantastic at pulling you in and hooking you from the very first page and this book is no exception I was definitely hooked i had to keep reading and reading to find out what would happen next ...her writing flows beautifully and that makes for an easy read! The ending shocked me so much I gasped out loud!!! Loved this book!!!!

Jules crashes her car into a lake and her son dies. Isaac, the teen that was also in the car survives as well.
After the crash, Jules just can’t get on with life and ends up in a hospital.
When Isaac starts to visit, Jules seems to be coming back around. But now Isaac is missing and his family thinks Jules has something to do with it.
I enjoyed reading this, there was always a “I need to know what’s gonna happen next” feeling. The book had plenty of suspense, confusion and emotions to keep me entertained. I have read 2 Lucinda Berry books and really enjoyed them.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this arc honestly.

I enjoyed the psychological aspect of the story and what the characters were going through but the characters themselves (the adults) we’re fairly annoying and repetitive. The story started out fast, then quickly got very slow and repetitive, then towards the end threw in something new and rushed the ending that left you going huh?! I enjoyed it enough that I finished it and kept coming back to it and had to know how it would end but this wouldn’t be a top recommendation by any means.

This book was amazing. I went into it blind. Lucinda Berry writes the most intriguing stories and I can never put it down. I binged this one. It was amazing. Touched upon very sensitive topics in our country today.

Thank you for my Netgalley copy.

I really wanted to love this book but I found that I put it down often. The book lacked focus. The writing and dialgoue was repetitious. There was no real twist. So many things seemed I'll placed and used for shock value. I am really trying to figure out what the author's focus was for this one. It covered and dabbled in numerous topics most with a lack of depth. I also didn't like that the story was told about Isaac but from the Point of view of Jules and Amber, who were both insufferable. The book is 85% psychological and in these characters' head but some how the plot is focused on Isaac. It was odd to say the least.

Wow! This was roller coaster of a book! Be prepared for many unexpected twists and turns! I liked the alternating perspectives and the unique insight into what the characters were really thinking. Highly recommend!