I was excited to read Off The Deep End because it takes place in Minnesota, well sadly, that is about about all it has going for it, I really dislike writing bad reviews, but since this is an e-arc and I am required to write a review, let’s just say this book wasn’t for me, I hope others enjoy it, I did not.

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

From a genre point-of-view, this book is a psychological thriller, but from a mom's point-of-view, it's a horror. The title is absolutely perfect. In a car accident where a car "goes off the deep end" into a lake (a personal nightmare of mine), the mother saves her son's friend but is not able to save her son. She then mentally "goes off the deep end" and spirals into a dark depression - quite understandably! Then 10 months later, the boy she did rescue vanishes. So to recap, a mother loses her son, and another mother has her son go missing - two of a mothers' absolute worst nightmares. See... horror!

This book has a lot of psychological stuff to unpack which is one of the reasons I love Lucinda Berry's books so much. As a former psychologist she is so knowledgeable, and she brings that knowledge into her novels. This book is a really good look into the dark side of mental illness, and what grief can do to people.

⭐️⭐️ Off the Deep End by Lucinda Berry

This book has been praised all over BookTok and I couldn’t wait to read it. It was not one of my favorite Lucinda Berry books.

Jules is driving home with her son Gabe and another boy Issac when she crashes into a frozen pond. She escapes with who she thought was her son but ends up being the other boy. She loses her mind, does some very irrational things, and begins grooming Isaac. Isaac goes missing. Isaac’s parents, Amber and Mark…well…I don’t really know what they’re doing. The police…well…aren’t very smart.

The writing was simplistic. I felt like I was being told what was happening rather than experiencing good story telling. Because of this I just really didn’t care. And the ending, which could have really been mind-blowing, just wasn’t. I thought every character was flat, selfish, demented, annoying, and downright insufferable. Nearly every thought and action made little sense. The most confusing actions were on the part of Isaac’s parents. He was missing, suspected of being kidnapped by a serial killer, and they were acting as if he just went to the mall and was late for curfew. They were not acting even close to what I would expect parents to act if they’re child was missing and may end up murdered! Everything about this was just wrong.

Amber’s decisions both before and after Isaac went missing were questionable. I felt as if she was so concerned with what Jules was doing and being “right” about everything, that she lost sight of the fact that her SON WAS MISSING AND POSSIBLY KIDNAPPED BY A SERIAL KILLER! The father just seemed disconnected and not too concerned that his SON WAS MISSING AND POSSIBLY KIDNAPPED BY A SERIAL KILLER! Why were these parents not scared out of their minds!?!?

There were so many unresolved issues. <spoiler> How in the world would Isaac ever be able to be out of jail? Why are we not delving way more into the fact that Jules is pregnant - how it happened and why? Isaac wore a bright yellow coat and got away? Where is Jules’ husband--they never divorced--he should be somewhere in all of this? What happened to the serial killer? I also need more information about the other kids involved. </spoiler>

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title for review.

Read this book and loved it as always. Lucinda Berry is the queen of thrillers.

I got to interview the author on my Sleep When I'm Dead book club live show on my YouTube channel and it was amazing to get to know the author and how her mind works with writing.

I will say this was not my favorite by Lucinda Berry but I still overall liked it. At first, I thought the last 25% turned in a crazy direction but after I sat with it, I believe the author did an amazing job at showing how life can have crazy and unexpected events.

I also loved the "trauma bonding' aspect of it. Lucinda Berry always teaches me things from books and I love that.

To hear my full thoughts and also the interview with Lucinda Berry, check out the live show link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2nNfVHrVeY&t=806s

Off The Deep End by Lucinda Berry was a page-turner! Lucinda’s writing keeps you completely hooked from beginning to end as always. She’s such an incredible author, every one of her books is a four-star read. You cannot go wrong with picking any of her books to read but one of my absolute favorites is The Perfect Child.

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?

Off The Deep End is out now!

This was a very good book. It was also my first time reading this author. I will definitely read more of her work. I really liked the story from two different sides of the plot. There were quite a few surprises and twists.

I always enjoy books by Lucinda Berry. She takes me inside the minds of both victims and assailants. This to me was one that makes you understand what a child goes through who almost died and was bullied most of his life. Even with a very loving family he was a troubled young man. My heart broke for him and I would never have thought I would feel that way under this situation. After what he did. I usually only see the meanness. The thoughtlessness. The anger. But finally I see the mental part. The useless feelings that a child this young had to be feeling to do what he did.

I had so many feelings reading this book that it's hard to describe them all. I felt sad, lost, anger, and ultimately fear. When Jules's car careens off the road into the icy waters little does she know what twist her life is about to take. She's a strong woman. A psychologist. A person who helps others. But she is first and foremost a mother. A loving and caring wife and mother. Her life spins out of control quickly when her car takes this deadly plunge. When she realizes that her son is dead and her neighbor's son is alive. That she saved the wrong son. She saved Issac instead of Gabe.

Amber is Issac's mother. Her life is about to change also. In so many ways. So many sad and very scary ways. I didn't much like Amber but I do understand that as a mother you will do anything and I mean anything for your child. Her and her husband Mark get the scare of a lifetime when their son, who already survived a horrific wreck, goes missing. It's the same MO as other young teen boys who have previously been abducted. The police are working hard to find out what happened. Even questioning Jules who Amber is adamant has him or had somehow taken him. Or is just hiding him. Amber makes some pretty stupid choices but again I understand. It's her child. Jules has lost her mind.

This book keeps you on the edge of your seat. Keeps you wondering what happened to Issac. Who has him. What is his and Jules's relationship. What secrets are Mark and Amber keeping. What secrets did Issac have that he could not share with his parents. Other than he was suppose to die the night of the wreck and he didn't. He survived.

This is a twisted story. It's filled with a lot. It will have you wondering about certain things and have you tearing up. It had me second guessing myself about things that I always thought I knew about. That I always thought I felt a certain way about. You'll have to read it to know what I'm talking about. I don't do spoilers if I can help it and I can....

The saddest line I've read this year is: MY SON IS A MURDERER.. That line almost did me in.

Thank you #NetGalley, #LucindaBerry, #Thomas&Mercer for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

4.5 stars. It's a gutwrencher in places so be warned.

This is the second book I have read by this author and although I finished it in a couple of days I didn't really enjoy it.
I felt that the author dealt well with the PTSD issue but I didn't find any of the characters likeable. Also, to me the ending didn't seem to fit the rest of the book it was a bit to 'out of nowhere' .
Thanks to netgalley for this advance read.

"Off the Deep End" is one of the most difficult books that I have reviewed for NetGalley. I think the book was well written, it was incredibly suspenseful, and it had unreliable narrators that made you question every aspect of the stories being presented throughout the novel. I genuinely wasn't sure what was the truth and what was the invention of grief-stricken, unwell minds.

That being said, this book just wasn't the right fit for me as a reader. There are plenty of people who will love this book, and I would recommend it to fans of Alex Michaelides and for fans of Colleen Hoover's "Verity."

Special thanks to NetGalley and to Thomas & Mercer for providing an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the eARC of this novel.

Lucinda Berry writes a really twisty thriller. I read this one not really knowing where it was going. But I'll be honest this one wasn't for me. The ending.... The wrap up of it all... Nope. No thank you.

2.5 stars.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this one - I was drawn in by the cover it had a lot of potential to be a really powerful thriller, but I felt that as the book went on, we veered into territory where the author was trying to cram a lot into one book and lots of plot twists that didn’t really take the book anywhere. I would still read more from this author as I think there was the bones of a good story here.

I both started and finished this book in one day. That's important, because I don't do that. On average it takes about a week for me to finish a book-which is good with 4 kids. But this book? That wasn't going to be an option. I sat down to read a couple of chapters, maybe check out what all the Lucinda Berry hype was about...I then stayed up until 3am so I could finish this book long after my kids had been in bed and I should've been too. But I couldn't not finish! From the very first page readers will be gripped to know what happens next. Is Jules really that insane? It wouldn't be unfathomable after losing a child, her only child, in the way in which she did especially. Where is Isaac? There's a serial killer on the loose, is he the next victim? Did he finally give into the depression that has plagued him ever since the accident? Or is it something even more sinister? I was full of so many questions while reading this-but I definitely did not see the outcome coming. I cried with the parents, feeling the emotional pain that comes with not only experiencing the loss of a child but also with a missing child; all the unknown of that situation. I had GOOSEBUMPS when some parts of the story were revealed. But that ending though? W-O-W! I'm going to recommend this book to anyone who asks. Also, this may have been my first Lucinda Berry book but it's not going to be my last!

The only thing that kept this from being a 5 star read for me I think was just the overall relationship between the characters. I think that if the initial familial relationships had been more intimate to begin with it would've made for a much more emotional story, albeit a much more twisted story however after the accident as well, all things considered-you'll see!

This was I think my first Lucinda Berry book. I did like all the suspense and drama of off the deep end. A mother losing her only child definitely would push someone over the edge. There are some trigger warnings with this for some sensitive groups

This is my first book by Lucinda Berry and I really enjoyed it. This is has two POV and while it’s a thriller does have a big back story to it. I actually enjoyed it, which sometimes that’s the hardest part for me to get through. It kept me interested because the mystery was up front and then the twist came towards the end making me want to keep reading.

Jules, her son Gabe, and teenage neighbor Issac were on their way home from a basketball game when a deer jumped out in front of them causing Jules to lose control and go into the icy lake. Jules and Issac survive while Gabe does not.
Jules blames herself for the accident and doesn’t want to live without her only child.
Amber Issac mother fights hard for Issac to heal from the trauma but he almost seems like a lost cause.
When Issac goes missing the police believe it’s a man that has been snatching adolescent teenage boys. Amber thinks Jules has something to do with it because the loss of her son has made her mental state questionable.
What Happened to Issac? What secrets are uncovered?

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the third book I've read of Berry's, and of course I really enjoyed it! Off the Deep End is a twisty psychological thriller with a complex plot and well-written characters. This book is told from two POV, which I love hearing from two different characters! It definitely adds to the suspense! The ending was not what I expected, and the twists kept me guessing throughout.

Highly recommend!

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review. A very interesting storyline not what I was expecting. Highly recommended, somewhat of a twist at the end.

This book had a solid premise ... and could have been great! For me, I felt I had to suspend belief a little too much, there was a lot of repetition and what I felt, unrealistic plot twists. It's a tough subject matter and it did hold my attention at times and felt a wide range of emotions. Be prepared, there are many trigger warnings. Over all a good read and one I would recommend.

This was such a well written and twisty, psychological thriller! I love it when I think I know which direction a story is headed in, only to find out that I was way off track!

I liked the dual POVs between Amber and Jules, and as a mom, I empathized with them both. My favorite parts were Jules sessions with the psychologist. Since she was a licensed therapist, he had a bit of a challenge on his hands!

This book was pretty dark, so if you would like to know the TWs, make sure to look them up before reading this one.

Thank you, @netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and @lucindaberryauthor, for the e-arc of this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

• page turning thriller
• dual POVs ("crazy" mothers)
• fun twists

My first Lucinda Berry book and certainly won't be my last! I found myself totally invested in this story. It was fun getting inside the minds of these two women. This is a dark book that took an even darker turn in the end. I really enjoyed it!

🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC widget! All opinions are honest and my own.

Holy balls this was good. This was my first Lucinda Berry book and definitely won’t be my last! It has dual POVs, I LOVED the “case study” aspect of it. It’s kind of a slow burner, but once you’re hooked you’re in. I felt like I was holding my breath the good time while quickly trying to finish it to find out what happens next. Would’ve loved the ending to have a little bit more but all in all, great read.