And then a bit later on all the summer fun and adventure become alive. Yes, it would have been so much better to read this one during the summer! While some people love murder podcast, I love corrupt evangelicals podcasts, so I've listened to several featuring the story of the downfall of Jerry Falwell, Jr. and the toxic culture he fostered on the Liberty University campus. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for sharing this book with me. Your kindness is appreciated. All too soon after (mostly) living through an unimaginable trauma, a pair of Minnesota families are plunged into an even darker nightmare. Meanwhile there's a serial killer on the loose killing teenage boys. The MO fit's perfect into Isaacs disappearance. Out walking dog, cell phone found on the side of the road, and a perfectly wrapped box of the last clothes he was wearing discovered in a local park - like all the other victims but Amber can't and won't believe it. It's Jules, Jules, Jules and she is not willing to consider anything else and will stop at nothing to prove her point.

Oh yeah and when she showed up at Isaac house banging on the door and stuff. That was because he had sent her a weird message that had threats that she knew what he was planning (unaliving himself) and she wanted to stop him. She didn't tell his parents because she didn't wanna lose his trustFirst things first, this was MUCH better than Under Her Care. This was closer to Lucinda Berry's previous bangers—Appetite for Innocence and Saving Noah. However, similar to UHC, I found myself wishing Jules to get in the car with Amber (Isaac's mom) and drive into the river again. They are both insufferable. I am a compulsive reader of literary novels…but there was one book that kept me reading, the sort of novel I can’t put down… The Perfect Child, by Lucinda Berry. It speaks to the fear of every parent: What if your child was a psychopath? This novel takes it a step further. A couple, desperate for a child, has the chance to adopt a beautiful little girl who, they are told, has been abused. They’re told it might take a while for her to learn to behave and trust people. She can be sweet and loving, and in public she is adorable. But in private—well, I won’t give away what happens. But needless to say, it’s chilling.” —Gina Kolata, New York Times

I see a huge improvement in the writing and how it's being presented but the illustrations are almost the same. Are you reading this book? Are you bored and looking for spoilers and NO ONE CAN DO SPOILERS RIGHT? THEY ALL SAY SPOILERS AND YET THEY ARE DOING MINOR SMALL ONES THAT SHOULDNT EVEN CLASSIFY AS SPOILERS?

A Note From the Publisher

A mesmerizing, unbearably tense thriller that will have you looking over your shoulder and sleeping with one eye open. This creepy, serpentine tale explores the darkest corners of parenthood and the profoundly unsettling lengths one will go to, to keep a family together—no matter the consequences. Electrifying and atmospheric, this dark gem of a novel is one I couldn’t put down.” —Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author As expected, Jules suffers a violent break from reality and is institutionalized. The boy she saved, Isaac, is struggling with a severe case of survivor's guilt. He feels like he should have died that day and turns simultaneously violent and reclusive. This book could have been so good, so much better if the adults were easy to tolerate. Jules might have even been someone who I could have developed actual sympathy for, if not for her gross behavior. Not something I really wanted to read about. Maybe things like this does happen, after all the author is a psychologist. It just seemed, out of place. kid who survives is a loner with survivors guilt (with more going on that is only revealed at the 80% mark that basically does a 180 on the whole story and not in a good way) A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Jules is driving her son Gabe and another boy named Isaac home after a game in the evening when a deer jumps out in front of the car. Jules loses control of the car and they end up sinking in an icy lake. Jules goes to grab her son but pulls out Isaac by mistake. Gabe doesn't make it and she blames herself. Jules has a break down and ends up in an institution. Isaac goes missing soon after and the investigators think its a serial killer who has been taking young boys. His mom, Amber thinks Jules has something to do with it since her and Isaac have formed a bond. Ebner begins the book writing that Falwell's endorsement of Donald Trump in 2016 "helped deliver Trump the evangelical vote." There is zero factual evidence of this and it grossly overstates any influence Jerry Falwell Jr. had on Christians. He was not his father, and to try to claim that this was similar to his dad's Moral Majority helping Reagan win shows a horrible misinterpretation of history and inept Jerry Falwell Jr. Ten months later Isaac disappears and Jules is at the heart of the investigation but did she have anything to do with his kidnapping? Jules has a secret but is adamant she is not the person they are looking for. Who has Isaac? And what dangerous secret is Jules hiding?This was... It started out strong, I was instantly hooked into the storyline, but somewhere halfway into the story or so it started to fall apart for me. Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and of course Lucinda Berry for letting me read “Off the Deep End” in exchange for an honest review.

Now i bet your like what happens to Isaac and Jules since she's in jail? Isaac isn't in jail yet the trial hasn't happened and he's looking at like life and stuff but he is seeing a psychiatrist and while he was in jail for a bit THEY STILL HAD COMMUNICATION! THEY DIDN'T SEND THE LETTERS DIRECTLY TO EACH OTHER FOR FEAR OF GETTING CAUGHT SO IT WAS WRITTEN IN CODES. As a result of losing her son Gabe in a tragic accident, Jules falls into an uncontrollable mental state. Ten months after Jules rescued Gabe's friend Isaac Greer from their car crash, he vanished without a trace. She still struggles to cope with the fact that she rescued another woman's child and not Gabe. The characters are fun. More fun I would say. The story well planned out with much details. The art is amazing as always. Minimal yet effectively entertaining! The twist in the end was.... I still don't know how to feel about it, because it's such a hard topic to digest and read about.The game was called Dracho. Why im bringing this up is because during the stand off with isaac jules and isaac parents. His dad admitted to playing the game WITH ISAAC! Isaac didn't know it was his dad until he brought it up to stop Issac from unaliving himself and said if he did who will eat burgers and throw bottles at people (in the game) with him and isaac said omg your so and so? and the dad said yes son thats me. WOW - let me tell you I was pretty excited that my Goodreads buddy GirlWithThePinkSkiMask alerted me to this latest book from Lucinda Berry. At that stage I did not know what I was in for… let me set the record straight after reading 4 or 5 of LB’s other books and loving Appetite for Innocence and Phantom Limb to a 5⭐️star level - I was ready for this. 🤗 We slowly get eased into the story. Isaac is missing. Jules is in a psychiatric facility, being intertwined by a forensic psychiatrist. Is she responsible for Isaac missing? Or is it the serial killer on the loose? Couldn’t she cope with him surviving but not her son? Then we have Amber, Isaacs mother, desperately hoping for her son to be alive. Jule’s POV gives us mostly past events while Amber is focusing mainly on the present and the disappearance of Isaac. They even have the audacity to mention Sandyhook and Newtown. In this book as well as the dangers and effects bullying has. The psychiatrist that speaks with Jules? Yeah he mentions he worked with parents of children who were victims of Sandyhook and Newtown? Like excuse me?