Out of Her Depth

By: Lizzy Barber

Narrated by: Ell Potter

There are summers that will change your life.

There are summers that may end it.

In the lush green hills beyond Florence sits the Villa Medici—a graceful pensione surrounded by manicured gardens. Rachel, a college student from an unfashionable London suburb, can’t believe her luck in landing a summer job here. Especially when she’s drawn into a circle of privileged young sophisticates, including her glamorous coworker Diana, who promises to help Rachel win the affections of handsome, confident Sebastian.

But as champagne flows and rivalries fester in the Tuscan countryside, Rachel realizes that Diana has motivations of her own. Adrift in a world of backstabbing and bed-hopping, lavish parties and easy betrayal, Rachel feels the stakes rising along with the temperature until, one night, something snaps. Someone dies. And nothing will ever be the same…

In this atmospheric thriller set in sun-drenched Tuscany, Lizzy Barber weaves a deadly web of manipulation and desire that will keep readers enthralled until the breathtaking last page.

An Incredible Story, Disappointing Ending

This is an exceptionally well written book in every way.
Beautifully drawn, atmospheric, rich and textured from start to finish.
The protagonist is one of the most empathetic and relatable characters I’ve gotten to know in quite a while.
I was completely enamored with every facet of this tale from the first chapter, truly taken.
The only issue I have whatsoever is that the reader invests a great deal of time with this main character and there are a plethora of injustices that occur to her and I stayed invested for the most part because I believed at some point that things would at least partially be made right for her.
That’s just not how it works out.
Without giving it away I’ll just say it’s difficult when you fall in love with a character and there’s not really a fair shake for them at any point, specifically the ending.
However, this is a phenomenal listen and one that I will be revisiting again.
Very, very well written and beautifully narrated.
Exceptional.

Wrong narrator

I really enjoyed this one, however I started it on audible and didn’t enjoy it at all. The paperback made this a much better story. It’s from Rachel’s POV and the narrators voice just didn’t fit. It was easy to see the villain, but the end makes you question Rachel’s sanity despite Diana’s gas lighting.