As a wife and mom so much of this resonated with me: the shadow of the person you were before motherhood, the battles with in-laws, trying to keep friend relationships alive into adulthood.... I personally never battled alcohol addition but felt the author handled this so well, especially while navigating motherhood. I loved the Leah and Amy characters - both had so much baggage from their past and evolved significantly through the course of the story. I even ended up liking Christine at the end. Fantastic book! I highly recommend for folks who enjoy slow burn character driven women's fiction like Ann Napolitano or Mary Beth Keene

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review.

The first thing I should say about this book is that I flew through it in under 24 hours! I was completely captivated by the voice, the writing, and the overall story. It's very character-driven, so while it's not a fast-paced plot, it's definitely an intriguing, engrossing one. And again, I really thought the writing was lyrical and lovely.

If I had one complaint, it would be that the main character was a little hard to like and relate to. Part of that, I'm sure, is just differing life experiences and the subject nature of the novel. I really appreciated the nuanced look at addiction and how slowly it can begin to take control of a person's life. (I work for a recovery organization, so that focal point was especially close to my heart.) My struggle, though, is that Leah's personality felt a little off-putting even on her sober days/before she really began to spiral into her addiction. When we look back on earlier moments and decisions in her life, I struggled to feel sympathetic.

Still, even though I found it difficult to connect to the MC, I kept reading and reading rather than setting the book aside. And to me, that's a testament to the powerful writing and emotion of the story!

This is a slow burn excellent debut that read to me more like a memoir than a novel. Leah is overwhelmed by motherhood as well as being a wife in a large family that is very close knit and woven together. From Sunday dinners, regular birthday gatherings for all and a family business celebrating the matriarch, she is increasingly agitated and examining her what-ifs. Couple this stress of motherhood with the ever present normalizing of alcohol from wine at dinner, shots of aperitif’s after, solo cups at sporting events, mimosas at brunch - eventually the alcohol reaches a limit that is no longer normal. Guerrieri weaves this book in and out of a timeline that seems as natural yet unpredictable as the waves of the ocean and it becomes suddenly clear that Leah’s more normal pressures of motherhood are suddenly colliding with a storm that needs rescuing.
I received Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea as an ARC and while I didn’t get to it before publishing, I am glad I waited a bit as I was able to couple my reading with the audio version, which was excellent. This is one perfect for book club, there will be lots to talk about when it comes to the stress of motherhood, overwhelming families and the wine culture that often is present in social settings of all kinds. I will be thinking of this one for some time.

This book was stunning and heartbreaking. I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. The subject matter was beautifully written, depicting an in-the-moment picture of the overwhelm and chaos that can come with motherhood, in contrast to a "what may have been" situation for the character, all set in the backdrop of increasing alcohol use. While I would not generally seek out a book focusing on active alcoholism in the main character, the author weaves it so naturally into the storyline that it almost surprises the reader as much as the character herself when the situation comes into focus. In addition to a rich storyline that challenges the reader to expand and redefine their understanding of alcoholism, the prose and storytelling by the author is what truly shines in the book. Overall, a beautiful book that I felt lucky to read, and one of my few ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for the year.

More than a decade and three children after her marriage to Lucas O'Connor, Leah is unraveling. She resents the world in which her artistic aspirations have been sidelined by the demands of motherhood, and the ever-present rift between herself and her mother-in-law, Christine, is best dulled by increasingly fuller glasses of wine.

As other reviewers have said, this is an incredible debut. I was totally engrossed from the beginning and eventually put all my other books aside so that I could concentrate on this story. I can't believe how quickly I read it. The characters are so relatable and the events are authentic. It's a touching story of family, motherhood and friendship. I highly recommend this book and look forward to future works by this author.

TW: Alcoholism, miscarriage

My thanks to Harper Muse via Netgalley. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Publication Date: May 13, 2025

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a raw, slow-burning portrayal of addiction through the eyes of Leah, a free spirit turned mother of three, battling alcoholism. The story feels heartbreakingly real— despite her flaws, Leah is deeply relatable, and the ripple effects of her addiction on her family are portrayed with painful honesty. While the ending felt a bit too neat compared to the gritty realism of the rest, this debut was gripping, emotional, and unforgettable. I’m eager to see what this Guierrieri does next.

A gripping opening to this debut novel with a voice that immediately engaged me. The unsettling setup with the narrator presenting herself as an outsider in her husband's family right from the start, with dreams of being someone else or something else is a great opening scene with the image of Leah, the protagonist's "shadow self" surfing and therefore not waving back to her. This "phantom life'"and its "shadow" haunts the novel and the self-destructive nature of the protagonist is very raw and difficult to read in places. But it is so important to read about and to see the journey through which the character (and the author) have come is powerful. I loved the little daughter character of Joni and the opening chapters drew me in to connect with the mother-in-law Christine and her relationship with Joni, but this did fizzle out a little throughout the later chapters, or at least did not drive the plot in the same way Leah, the mother's downfall does.

A positive quote worth holding to, from the ending: "All of your good parts, all that magic that exists within you, the light that radiates and draws everyone in–the things we all love, all of use: me, the kids, Amy, my mom–when you drink, it disappears."

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

#BetweenTheDevilandtheDeepBlueSea #NetGalley #JessicaGuerrieri #DebutNovel #readabitofeverything

This book has stayed with me for a while after finishing it. The story was executed brilliantly, and the writing was beautiful. The characters are well thought out and developed, and the overall message of the book hit home. It is a great commentary on relationships, womanhood, and also the culture of alcohol in our society.

The setting: Leah marries into a close-knit family of three brothers [her husband is Lucas] whose parents live nearby and gather for weekly Sunday dinners--which she struggles through. Leah's upbringing was not traditional; she is from a dysfunctional family--t0tally unlike the family she married into. Her mother-in-law, Christine, bonded to her sons, is not her favorite person! Her sister-in-law, Amy is a steady, good friend, although Leah cannot abide by her relationship with Christine. Everyone has secrets. Amy has told her in-laws that her mother is dead; Isla is NOT! Christine and her husband George, are hiding something as is Leah--well--more than just one thing!

Leah is resentful of her three children interrupting her career/plans/life as an artist. Why doesn't her husband take on more responsibility? Why is her mother-in-law so obsessive about mothering?

The novel is divided into past [primarily Leah; also Amy] and present. The writing was good enough--nothing to really derail though a few moments came close.

But the overwhelming presence in the novel is alcohol and Leah's need for one more drink/buzz to cope/escape. After a short while, it grew quite tiresome [for me].

NB: The epilogue reveals that the author is an alcoholic--aha! And it was a neat and tidy ending/wrapped up too easily. Not a real spoiler--I saw it coming.

3 because there was SOME mystery. Not rounding up--in the distinct minority.

BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA
BY: JESSICA GUERRIERI

About 4.5 Stars!

This was a strong debut about which was addictive reading which at the heart of things Leah O'Connor drinks alcohol regularly to dull or numb her feelings. She moved from Iowa where her mother, and father still live, so all she has for help is her husband's family. Leah and her husband have now been married for ten years, and have two daughters (the youngest daughter is only a toddler). Their other daughter, and son are much older. The novel begins with some significant tension between Leah, and her Mother-in-law named Christine. We hear the narrative and the point of view from Leah's perspective. The three of them by which I mean Leah, her Mother-in-law, Christine and Leah's daughter have just spent the day at the beach, and Christine and Leah's daughter have spent the time there looking for Sand Dollars, Sea shells to which Christine and Leah's daughter are collecting only the unbroken ones. Leah is completely left out, when she asks about what her daughter whispered to her Grandmother.

You can tell by Leah's thoughts that she really resents her Mother-in-law, who she views as sort of the type of person who always has to be in charge or the boss. There is Leah's opinion who she's no Shrinking Violet, and tells Christine that raising daughters is a lot different than raising sons, which Christine, and Leah's Father-in-law George have three adult sons. It is Cardinal law that the whole family gets together every Sunday for family dinners. Leah even thinks that Christine has to be in charge of that. For example where the three sons sit across from their wives or girlfriends on opposite sides of their Dining room table with Christine and George sitting on each end of the table. When the food gets served, when they start eating (Leah has timed it and has said to the reader that Christine takes exactly twelve minutes from the time the food is served until the time Christine is finished eating, and carrying her plate to the sink). Leah tells the reader she drinks her dinner on those Sundays to make the time spent at her husband's family home more bearable.

Leah is a free spirited, active physically, artist who paints in between driving her kids around. When Leah met her husband she had just moved to California and met him in a surfing shop. They actually went out to the ocean and rode the waves together. Leah seemed very competent at surfing as her future husband was. Leah fixed up her Brother-in-law Paul with his future wife named Amy who Leah liked Amy, giving her Paul's phone number and her own. Amy has been pregnant before and lost the baby boy in the second trimester. This resulted in Amy having to give birth and now she's heavily pregnant again, close to her due date. Amy is terrified that she'll have something go wrong this time. While visiting Leah at her home, Amy experiences what are false labor and calls Christine since she's frightened, with Christine rushing right over to Leah's home to support Amy through it all.

Leah feels hurt that Amy didn't find comfort in Leah's attempts to comfort Amy, and sees it as a rejection of Leah's not being enough to comfort Amy, getting her through this frightening experience which It''s implied that Amy who is a teacher, and loves kids and really wants to be a mother. It used to be that Amy and Leah would support each other by doing the Sunday dinner dishes together showing solidarity against Christine. Amy who has a mother who she is not close to has started taking walks with Christine which Leah sees as losing Amy as a common Allie in terms of them both finding fault with Christine in the past. Amy has asked Christine if she can call her Mom to which Christine welcomes the gesture and Leah feels that she loves Amy like a sister, but sees the distance that Amy has put between them.

I should have mentioned this in the beginning, but Christine sees herself as a selfless mother to her three sons which she thinks is a Women's highest calling. Leah sees that idea, and feels that a woman should not lose her whole identity defining herself as just a wife, and mother and craves the alone time when her kids are demanding so much of her time, especially her toddler who requires a significant portion of her time craving time to herself and time to surf and paint. Her husband spends most of his time with one of his brothers working on restoring a restaurant that was passed down to Christine and had a fire in the 1980's. Leah feels as if all the household chores, and parenting falls squarely on her shoulders with her husband spending most of his waking hours remodeling the O'Connor family restaurant.

Leah copies more and more by drinking alcohol where she is even doing it at her son's sporting events. This is an addictive reading experience, but I think younger women can probably relate to this more than I could. I remember when my kids were young and going to both of their team sporting events and socializing a lot with the other parents who were attending these games, as well. Apparently, according to this novel drinking alcohol is a regular activity where during the games in daytime out in the open this is a trend that everyone does it? I don't have any issues about being a person who judges other people or parents it wasn't a thing when we were raising our sons that we froze during colder Saturday away Football games where that might have helped you stay warm, but it's just something we never did. Will Leah be able to stop unraveling, and conquer her inner demons? .
This was an interesting debut that was very absorbing reading that I flew right through it at lightening speed. I think Jessica Guerrieri has written a solid debut, and is an Author to watch for whatever topic she decides to write about in the future. It deals with a new cultural trend that according to some other reviewers who've read this found it helpful. Leah takes it to a whole new level where she is struggling with going without drinking constantly to the extent where it comes to the point where she has to start hiding it by doing things like sneaking her empty Wine bottles into her neighbors recycling bin, so I would say if you have to hide your alcohol consumption from your husband by not wanting the evidence of empty bottles visible in your own recycle bin, then it probably should be explored or examined.

Publication Date: May 13, 2025

Thank you to Net Galley, Jessica Guerrieri, and HarperCollins Focus & Harper Muse for generously providing me with my ARC, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own, as always.

#BetweentheDevilandtheDeepBlueSea #Jessica Guerrieri, #HarperCollinsFocusHarperMuse #NetGalley

This book was every bit as beautiful as it is described in the synopsis. As a woman and as a mother I felt it in my core. This is for all of us.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a powerful and introspective novel that offers a nuanced look at the struggles of modern womanhood. It's a recommended read for those interested in literary fiction that tackles difficult subjects with grace and empathy.

Happy pub day to this complex book! If you love a novel that has a broken MC with a rocky road to redemption, this book could be the perfect summer read for you!

“Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” explores alcoholism through the lens of a mom struggling to nail down her identity as a wife, daughter, mom, and artist; who she is vs. who she could have been had any other path been taken. It is dark in tone based on themes, but also carries a family drama vibe to it that will appeal to many of my friends who love contemporary fiction.

My struggle sometimes in books with broken people are how “likeable” they feel to me, as my personal connection and relatability so strongly impacts my view of a book. That makes this one complicated, because of course it lends itself to unlikeable qualities when dealing with hard topics. So what I can say is that it is probably extremely realistic and is written with poise and great insight. My enjoyment of it varied throughout, but I am so glad I read it and this author has amazing writing abilities.

3.5 ⭐️for my personal bias, but strongly recommend nonetheless. And if you’re an audio fan, audiobook is the way to read this one!

I closed this book reflecting on the power of community and the importance of a strong support system. I really do count myself lucky in that department.

Life really can feel like a wave. The symbolism did not go unnoticed in this moving story by Jessica Guerrieri, only made more meaningful and stronger by drawing on her own personal experiences. Sometimes the people, places and circumstances one finds themselves in can feel like a wave safely carrying you back into shore. Other times, it can feel like you are being pulled out further and further into the sea. While I have never personally felt that feeling of darkness, this book does a brilliant job of portraying that feeling through the eyes of alcoholism and depression. It also navigates the polarizing feelings of extreme joys and paralyzing apprehensions of motherhood. We aren’t all wired the same. It’s uncomfortable, yet moving. I have no doubt that this will resonate with readers in different ways, depending on their own life circumstances and experiences. That is something to consider, before picking up this book.

Thank you to Harper Muse for the opportunity to read this story via NetGalley. I find the seaside a calming place to reflect, and this is a book I will be thinking about for quite some time.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Jessica Guerrieri (book covers is in image) is the story of Leah O’Connor and how an unexpected pregnancy changes the trajectory of her life, and how she copes with the expectations she had for herself, and where she currently has landed. Struggling with the demands of motherhood, and her relationships with her family and friends, we go on the journey of her slow downward spiral into depression, alcoholism, and ultimate redemption and sobriety.

The narration by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw while fabulously done, could not overcome the challenge of identifying if we are in the past or present timelines that this story weaves through. I had the opportunity to both read and listen to the audiobook and found it easier to follow the timeline when I was reading the book. Nonetheless, this was a great book and I highly recommend it.

Thank you, HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse, for the opportunity to read this ARC and listen to this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Book Rating: 5 Stars
Audiobook Rating: 4 Stars
Book and Audio Release Date: May 13 2025

Tags:
#HarperCollinsFocus
#HarperCollinsMuse
#HarperAudio
#BetweentheDevilandtheDeepBlueSea
#JessicaGuerrieri
#MiaHutchinsonShaw
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Many thanks to NetGalley, Goodreads, HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this wonderful debut novel by Jessica Guerrieri, with the audiobook beautifully narrated by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Leah's life didn't turn out quite as she planned. Her artistic ambitions have been pushed to the side while she tries to be a good wife and mother. But she can never be as good as her mother-in-law, who always seems to be judging her. Plus, she's keeping a secret that could threaten everything. So she turns to alcohol.

A very personal look at addiction, motherhood, and family and I really liked this story. Leah’s struggles seemed so relatable, and her secrets weighed heavily on her. Add to the mix that her husband was opening a new restaurant and gone so much, her work and time were an afterthought, and a mother-in-law that Leah felt was always judging her and was too involved in their lives. Who wouldn’t want another glass of wine? I thought the portrayal of her alcoholism was done so well – be sure to read the author’s note for the reason. It's also an exploration of the women in our life we need to support us, and how we have to let them in. This is a beautifully-written debut, with characters I cared about, and a story I didn’t want to put down.

I was really intrigued by this one but sadly I ended up DNFing. It was really slow paced and I just couldn't get into it.

This debut novel is a slow burn, character-focused story that explores motherhood, complicated family dynamics, identity and alcoholism. Leah is the mother of three young kids who feels like she's the black sheep of her husband's very tight knit, conservative family where motherhood seems to be the ultimate goal.

The story started out light but soon took a darker turn as the focus turns to the less talked about sides of motherhood - the sacrifices made, the unfulfilled dreams and how addiction can impact a mother and the family around them. It's an uncomfortable read at times (probably the author's aim) as we witness Leah's decline into addiction which was inspired by the author's own experiences with substance abuse. Among the darker topics, there are moments of light, specifically Leah's bond with her sister-in-law Amy, which was my favourite part of the book.

I have mixed feelings about this story. On the one hand, I appreciate the topics addressed but felt that the story was too slow burn for me and despite enjoying complicated and flawed characters, a lot of page time focused on Leah's long-winded introspection (mainly her obsessive hatred towards her mother-in-law) which bogged down the story and made her a hard character to connect with.

I think this story will connect more with people who are deep in the parenting trenches and all the demands and expectations they face and while this story didn't quite grab me, I think it will appeal to people who enjoy literary fiction that digs deep into poignant topics and it would make a great book club pick for the discussions it will instigate.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Harper Muse for the complimentary digital copy of this book that was given in exchange for my honest review.

** This review was posted on my blog and social media May 12, 2025.

This was dark. Way darker than I expected. It was hard to listen to, at times, if only because I don't like reading about someone being so self-destructive. The addition of pregnancy and children made it even harder for me to read. It was well written but just not for me. Hope you have better luck!

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea comes out next week on May 13, 2025 and you can purchase HERE.

There's a phantom life that runs parallel to the one I'm currently living, like a shadow. That version of me is childless and, therefore, untethered to the O'Connor family. I think of her whenever I'm clipping my two-year-old's toenails, and the little half-moons splinter off in different directions, and I find myself scouring the floor so I'm not stepping on discarded pieces of my youngest daughter's body when I'm barefoot at three o'clock in the morning and need to pee. I'm confident my shadow self has already circled the globe, only to have landed someplace tropical like Costa Rica-beholden to simply the movement of the sea. Sometimes I wave, but she's surfing and cannot wave back.

Wow, this book is just wow!
It’s a tumbler of emotions. For most of it I wanted to shake some sense into Leah. I kept shaking my head as I read because I thought you have what tons of people would give their eye teeth for and you’re pissing it away. Yes, Christine was insufferable at times, but then Leah was prickly like a cactus.
She broke the most sacred bond of marriage, communication. She never really told Lucas about her feelings instead just resented him and shut him out.
When she began sniffing around Miles I thought girl can you get any stupider?!
The real heroine in the book is Amy. Amy throws the dart in the heart of the matter and also shows Leah what she stands to lose.
After I finished the book I took a closer look at the cover and realized what it really was and what it meant.