Off the Deep End

by Lucinda Berry

[Jeff Sexton]

Weird Book But Nothing Technically Wrong. Ever read a 5* review that is probably going to read like the reviewer actually rated it 1*? Well, if you haven't... you're about to. Because let me be clear up front: There was nothing from a technical/ objective-ish standpoint to hang a star reduction on here. There weren't any clear technical/ editing mistakes, the story is at least plausible within the context of the world/ situation set up, etc. Thus, with my subtractive system where every book starts at 5* and I have to have objective-ish describable reasons to deduct stars... there simply weren't any here.

AND YET... this book kinda sucked, y'all. I hate to say it, but it did. I'm down with a slow burn, I've defended a LOT of slow burn books over the years and even as recently as this week. What I can't defend is a book that is just so *boring* and completely disjointed. Someone once said (paraphrasing) that if you show a red phone on Page 23, it better be used somewhere in the finale - and this... doesn't happen. There *is* a massive twist at the end of the book, but it comes completely out of left field with absolutely zero foreshadowing *at all*. Instead we get all kinds of irrelevant details such as kid sister sleeping in the bed with her parents over fears of the "rampaging kidnapper/ serial killer", among other completely irrelevant details that are never really explored or shown why they are crucial to the story being told. As at least one other reviewer pointed out, this story could likely have been told much better from different perspectives - maybe the two boys (even the one who dies in the opener - maybe in an "if i stay" type manner?), particularly given the twist at the end.

Overall though, this *is* a five star review, so I'm going to recommend you read this book - if for no other reason than maybe I'm wrong and there was genuinely a great tale in here that I just didn't pick up on? Let me know in the comments wherever you may find this review, or on social media somewhere if that isn't possible. Recommended.