OFF THE DEEP END by Lucinda Berry

 

MY THOUGHTS

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. 

SYNOPSIS

From the bestselling author of The Best of Friends comes a heart-stopping psychological thriller about the shades of truth and the power of lies in the wake of one mother’s unspeakable loss.

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?