Out of Her Depth: A Novel

EXCERPT: Something strange began to happen. Towed along by the loop of Diana's arm in mine, I found myself being swallowed deeper into the crowd. Someone handed me a drink. Champagne, cold and frothy, in an actual glass flute I was sure would get smashed by the end of the night. A girl smiled at me, asked me if she knew me. Someone else told me they liked my heels. I clocked a boy - nice-looking, with wavy hair and swimming trunks that had bright red lobsters all over them - sliding his eyes appreciatively over my body. And I realised, in that moment, that I didn't have to be me. No one here knew boring Rachel, who was friends with the teacher and always left parties early. No one here remembered the Year Ten class trip to the Imperial War Museum, when I got my period on the coach and left a bloody stain on the seat, or that I once called my Year Seven form teacher 'Mum'.

I could be anyone. I could even be one of them.

ABOUT 'OUT OF HER DEPTH': For headstrong Rachel, it is the chance of a lifetime: a summer job in the Tuscan hills, receiving room and board in exchange for her services at the luxurious Villa Medici hotel. It’s not long before she finds herself drawn into a cosmopolitan crowd of friends for whom money is no object, and allegiances can change with the toss of a coin.

When she asks her new friend Diana to help her win the affections of the handsome and charming Sebastian, she thinks she might finally have a chance to become part of their world, but when she discovers that Diana may have intentions of her own, she begins to learn the real cost of friendship. And when Sebastian begins to focus on the sweet and innocent Valentina, Rachel discovers there may be an even higher price to pay.

The suffocating heat, the blinding wealth, the beautiful people: it soon becomes too much, and Rachel finds herself not just out of her depth, but drowning in lies . . .

MY THOUGHTS: Absolutely deliziosa!

Rachel is flattered by Diana's attention, her generosity. She is overwhelmed and grateful, happy to do Diana's bidding in return, never dreaming what trouble it might land her in.

Rachel comes from a lower middle class background; Diana from obscene wealth where there is no problem money can't fix. Sebastian is from Diana's world; privileged, wealthy, careless and Rachel wants him. But as much as she wants to, Rachel never quite fits in. She is literally out of her depth. She lacks that careless insouciance, wears her heart on her sleeve and is easily manipulated.

Out of Her Depth is a story of toxic friendship told entirely from Rachel's perspective over two timelines - 'Then', twenty odd years ago over a summer in Tuscany; and 'Now', when Diana has insulated herself from Rachel, but Sebastian is clamouring to be let back in. The timelines alternate seamlessly, the story flows smoothly. The characters are entirely believable and well fleshed out, the plot well crafted and realistic. Early on we discover that Sebastian has been in prison, but why? That is not revealed until almost the end of the book which kept me guessing, kept me avidly turning the pages.

My interest was piqued on the first page, and never wavered. When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about the characters. When I was reading, the outside world didn't exist: I was in Tuscany. Lizzy Barber has captured the atmosphere perfectly and created an enthralling psychological drama, one with a surprisingly perfect ending.

Out of Her Depth is scheduled for publication 12 July 2022

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THE AUTHOR: Hello! I am a London-based author, living in Islington with my husband, George. I read English at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to author Lizzy Barber for providing a paperback copy of her novel Out of Her Depth, published by Macmillan. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Nail-biting experience reading this! I couldn’t peel myself away from this book so much so I finished it within two days. Love the layout of the book & how each chapter shifts perspective.

A little suspense, a little mystery but not quite the thriller I had hoped for. Now, thrillers aren’t usually my cup of tea but I make exceptions for Italian settings. This dual timeline “who dunnit” and “what the heck happened” novel was entertaining enough to continue but not so much that I needed to drop everything to read another chapter.

The characters were all unlikable, which I believe was on purpose. The author truly did a wonderful job at making me want to run and hide from all of these crazy people. 😅

Rachel and Diana are the MCs but Italy was the star of the show. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Lizzy Barber's suspense novel Out of Her Depth opens with a sentence that will entice you to keep reading-
"Before you judge me, remember this: a girl died, and it wasn't my fault."
Rachel is teaching French and Italian at a private girls' school when a BBC News alert flashes across her phone that a man's criminal appeal is proceeding that evening. What does this have to do with the first sentence of the story?

The story moves back in time to when Rachel was an ambitious high school student. Her Italian teacher reaches out to an old friend, a countessa who has a villa in Tuscany that she has turned into a pensione. Although she would be working as a maid, Rachel would be escaping to beautiful Florence for the summer.

The work was not easy, but when Rachel meets another maid named Diana, Rachel becomes "intoxicated with her, almost from the very moment, an intensity of feeling that perhaps blinded me to her other faults." Unlike Rachel, Diana comes from the same wealthy class as most of the villa's guests.

Rachel also falls for Sebastian, a neighbor of the Contessa's. Sebastian is charming and handsome and he seems to like Rachel as well. Diana encourages Rachel, telling Rachel that she would help her win Sebastian's affections.

But Diana is not the friend that Rachel believes her to be. As the summer moves along, Rachel finds herself doing Diana's work as well as her own, and being seduced by the lifestyle of her new friends, a lifetyle she cannot afford.

The story moves back and forth in time, and we read on waiting to discover who was the girl who died and if it wasn't Rachel's fault, whose fault was it? Rachel seems to be unraveling in the present time, looking for answers, and perhaps absolution, for what happened in Tuscany.

I enjoyed being immersed in Florence and Tuscan countryside. You could feel the sunshine on your face, and taste the cool gelato on your tongue. The story had a Gatsby-esque touch, with our narrator trying to explain the actions of these rich people. Lizzy Barber has the reader in the palm of her hand, right up to the shocking ending. If you are a fan of thrillers like The Girl on the Train, Out of Her Depth is one for you.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on their Summer 2022 Mystery & Thriller Blog Tour.