I’ve been big fan of Lucinda Berry ever since reading her book The Perfect Child. In Off the Deep End she once again throws a lot of complicated plot at the reader. You may think you know what’s going on as you read along, but be prepared for some fun twists and turns.

Thank you Netgally for this ARC.
I highly recommend this book and thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Jules has a life changing decision to make after an accident which affects everyones lives.

This book was an amazing read, very heart felt and lots of twists that werent predictable. You can understand all POVs and why they reacted the way they did.

Lucinda Berry has not dissappointed with this book.

An absolute gem of a novel that takes you on an incredible journey. A brilliantly written story with twists and turns and an breathe taking finale. Two families deeply affected by a fatal car accident. struggle with the repercussions - the physical loss of a son for one family and the 'mental' loss of a son for the other. I have no hesitation in giving this wonderful and thought-provoking novel five (5) stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book before it is released.

What. A. Ride. Lucinda Berry’s books are always a great read because she often puts you in impossible situations. In this book, a mother lose her son in a terrible accident but his friend lives. What happens after that is some of the wildest things I’ve ever read. I always wonder how much of this is actually true based on Berry’s experience. Like do people really go through these emotions and actions? I will say that there was a lot to unpack in this book. There was so much going on and something’s deserved more attention than the others. Overall I enjoyed the story. 3.5 stars

Lucinda Berry always delivers a pulse pounding, twisty thriller and this was no exception! I flew through this one and the suspense started from the get-go. Definitely recommend- I'd say this is one of my new favorites from her.

Thankyou Netgalley for Arc and to @lucindaberryauthor for writing something so amazing

Absolutely brilliant another 5 star read from lucinda berry she never let's me down.

When Jule saves her sons friend isaac from drowning instead of her own son gabe it breaks her. So when Isaac goes missing 10 months later they suspect Jules is hiding something....

literally could not put this book down. fantastic twists and every time I thought I'd worked out what happened I was thrown another curve ball. totally unpredictable

I loved the characters and having the multiple pov was great although I would of liked a Isaac pov.

highly recommend that everyone goes and preorders this book and buys all of lucinda berrys other books. amazing author who always keep you on your toes

Jules is a therapist who’s decided to be a stay at home mom, and she’s never regretted the decision. Then one day a terrible car accident sends Jules, her son and another teen boy into a frozen lake. With only seconds to spare, Jules is able to save one boy, but it’s not her son. She finds herself on a terrifying downward spiral, becoming unstable and even violent. The she finds out that Julian, the boy she saved, has disappeared and she becomes the prime suspect. Police believe she harbors intense rage over saving the “wrong child” and think she may have taken steps to remedy her mistake. But Jules didn’t take Isaac and she knows the only chance she has of saving herself is to find out who did. arry can always be relied on to provide a good solid mystery with a few red herrings thrown in for extra suspense

Jules Hart life shatters when she crashes her car into an icy lake and 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 and 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 centre of a massive police investigation while she harbours her own dangerous secrets Jules is adamant that she didn’t take Isaac
Another gripping psychological thriller from Lucinda Berry absolutely recommend I couldn’t put it down
Thank You NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer
I just reviewed Off the Deep End by Lucinda Berry. #OfftheDeepEnd #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and of course Lucinda Berry for letting me read “Off the Deep End” in exchange for an honest review.

This will be on the long side again.

I feel like I struck gold, found the golden ticket and discovered that Santa was real - all on the same day -, when I found this available as “read now” on NetGalley. No fearing of being declined. That would have broken my heart. 💔 I love Lucinda Berry and absorb everything she has written.

I pretty much love everything Lucinda has written so far, two exceptions only. I had huge trouble with Best of a Friends and Under Her Care. But yes, I am super duper excited that I did not have to wait until next year for this book! Yay! I try to keep an open mind.

But guess what, I am torn again… I am angry at myself for overanalysing everything. But I did not get the Lucinda-vibe I love. I did not hate this as much as I did with Under her Care. I also did not love it. It’s a solid 3,5 ⭐️ for me, I guess.

But let’s start in order…

The cover drew me in before. It reminded me on something from out of space. Like watching the earth from out of space with the sun rising. Sleep deprived brain dies that to you… But when looking closer I realised it’s a car sinking in water. I do like the cover. Spot on.

We meet one of our main characters - Jules - on the worst day of her life in the prologue. She drove her car into an icy lake, onboard her teenage son Gabe and his friend Isaac. She has no idea how, but she pulls out a body out of the wreck with her. Back on shore she realised that it is not her son, but his friend. Gabe drowned. It’s a dilemma; is it right to think you saved the wrong person? I love that she throws us bones like this. Where do we cross lines? What is morally acceptable?

We slowly get eased into the story. Isaac is missing. Jules is in a psychiatric facility, being intertwined by a forensic psychiatrist. Is she responsible for Isaac missing? Or is it the serial killer on the loose? Couldn’t she cope with him surviving but not her son? Then we have Amber, Isaacs mother, desperately hoping for her son to be alive. Jule’s POV gives us mostly past events while Amber is focusing mainly on the present and the disappearance of Isaac.

I get Jules in a way. She makes the most sense out of everyone even if she is not mentally stable. The character of Amber annoyed me. Yes, she is a worried mom. But I find her incredibly annoying at times. Helicopter-mom, sorry. One of these righteous and condescending people. Isaac… I liked the way they talked about him, especially Jules. How they were there for each other in the beginning, sharing survivor’s guilt. Then the lines get blurred…

Lucinda can write you up a magnificent character with mental issues. She can write the creepy and disturbing. I’m sorry to say, she can not write “regular/sane” adults very well. I am nitpicking again. I know that. But when I do not instantly fall in love with the story, I start picking at the flaws.

The novel has tiny, tiny bits of the good old Lucinda creepiness (I say tiny in the loosest sense) and I did like the aspect of the serial killer. I waited about 90% for something to happen. The ending saved it in a way. It was weird. I figured parts of it out very quickly, but not all. The end is where the action starts and it gets really twisty and weird.

While I did not enjoy all of her characters, I found the story original and well thought out. Has she written better books? Yes. Am I still mad about Under Her Care? YES! Am I missing the good old Lucinda Berry creepiness and pushing boundaries style? YES YES YES. I am missing the real shockers like she did with Saving Noah or An Appetite for innocence. I want to be shocked. I want to be challenged. I do not like this new “tame” Lucinda Berry.

But I did enjoy this book that I read it in one sitting. I love the topics that she picks. I do like her style of writing. It gets you hooked. Aka me writing this review in parts at 3 am…