Out Of Her Depth by Lizzy Barber

Out Of Her Depth

by Lizzy Barber

A Richard and Judy Book Club pick.

Patricia Highsmith meets E. Lockhart in Out Of Her Depth – a simmering summer thriller about the choices you make as a teenager, and what happens when they go horribly wrong . . .

'This book is, quite simply, sublime'- Lesley Kara, author of The Rumour

Meet Rachel.
An unassuming young woman from a quiet London suburb.

Picture the scene:
A summer job at the beautiful Villa Medici in the Tuscan hills.
A group of glamorous teenagers, used to a life of privilege.
Lavish parties, heady sun-soaked days, backstabbing and bedhopping.

Until someone goes too far.
And nothing will ever be the same . . .

Readers love Lizzy Barber's Out Of Her Depth:

‘Really believable characters, a great plot, a wonderful setting . . . felt like I was in Italy soaking up the sun’ *****
‘A tantalisingly written suspense . . . and a premise that delivers. Delicious.’ *****
‘A classic take on the unreliable narrator, a terrific page turner with themes of those with privilege versus those without’ *****
‘This is one of those totally addictive psychological thrillers that has you reading 'just one more page' and ignoring everything else you need to do until you finish it’ *****

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

3 of 5 stars

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Some novels will forever change the way you look at things. Take Out of Her Depth. After reading this book, you may not view summer vacations in the same bright and happy light.

Rachel thought she was the luckiest woman to land such a summer job. She gets to stay in a beautiful pensione, full of beautiful sights and stunning people. But you know the saying – if it looks too good to be true...

Her coworker, Diana, seems to be the perfect companion. At first. But as time goes on, it becomes clear that Diana is working under ulterior motives, and it might just be Rachel who ultimately pays the price.

I picked Out of Her Depth because I wanted an easy escape – something thrillers tend to promise, right? And I certainly got what I had hoped for. This is an ideal thriller in that there is tension, characters you love to hate, and the works.

The obsession over Diana got a bit tiring for me, though it is admittedly an essential premise for the novel. It probably became grating in combination with the slow-burning format, which is usually fine, but in this case, it drew out the elements I enjoyed the least.

Normally I like to promise that there are many twists in a thriller. However, Out of Her Depth didn't have too many. Don't get me wrong – it had a few (it has to!), but not as many as I would have liked.

Overall I would have to say that Out of Her Depth is a very run-of-the-mill thriller. It isn't bad, but it isn't an outstanding example of the genre. It's still a fun and quick read, though; sometimes, that's all one can hope for.

Thanks to MIRA and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 30 September, 2022: Finished reading
  • 30 September, 2022: Reviewed