Out of Her Depth by Lizzy Barber
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher, MIRA, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Out of Her Depth in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Gist
Alright, my allergy pill is about to kick in, so I’m going to feel a whole lot better in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean this review will magically get any more positive.
At first, this story and the mood reminded me a little of Scorpionfish by Natalie Bakopoulos. But the more I read, the more annoyed I got with Out of Her Depth.
What is it supposed to be? A Murder mystery? A thriller? A coming-of-age story? Who knows!
The Details
I couldn’t stand the protagonist and not for lack of trying, I can tell you that!
She is such a contradiction and not an interesting one. On the one hand, she wants to be part of the upper class; of the elite. She is self-conscious and insecure to always make a good impression. Yet, her comments on the elite/upper class are stand-offish, snide and even vindictive.
So, I’m sitting here, asking myself “What does she actually want?”.
The rest of the characters aren’t any better and my attention soon dwindled. I lost all interest in any of them.
The narration is equally questionable. It’s the typical now-then format that is supposed to slowly and interestingly unfold the story from two angles. It is told in the first-person, so our protagonist is also our narrator, which makes things less interesting.
The format itself doesn’t work that well, because during each jump nothing is revealed. It nothing more that a chronological telling of the protagonist’s summer spent in Italy.
26% into the story and I totally that this is supposed to be a mystery/thriller.
The writing is good, though. It’s descriptive and catching, which makes this even the more frustrating. It could have an incredibly captivating and satisfying read.
The Verdict
Overall, I didn’t like any of it past the 10% point. I thought it lost its direction. It became a boring and tedious read.
About the Author
Lizzy Barber studied English at Cambridge University. Having previously dabbled in acting and film development, she has spent the last ten years as head of marketing for a restaurant group. Her first novel, A Girl Named Anna, won the Daily Mail and Random House First Novel Prize. She lives in London with her family.
