Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

By Jessica Guerrieri

THE AUTHOR GRABS YOU WITH A DREAM OF A DIFFERENT LIFE

  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY

This is not the life she wanted. In her other life, Leah would be childless,  traveling the world, eventually living in a tropical climate, surfing and painting morning, noon, and night. Instead, she is a frustrated mother of three, with a husband, obsessed with opening a new family-owned restaurant in honor of his mother.

Leah feels alienated, despite her husband Lucas’s large family. To get through each day, Leah takes solace in wine, lots of wine. She deplores Christine, her perfect and selfless mother-in-law, who controls the O’Connor family. Leah’s best friend and ally is her pregnant and petite sister-in-law, Amy.  But when Amy finds comfort in Christine’s mothering, Leah becomes jealous. As Leah’s drinking increases and her behavior becomes more erratic, Amy turns to Christine for help, leading to a storm between the women.

REVIEW

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is a slow-moving novel with an intricate plot. It is an intriguing and hopeful debut novel about active addiction and family dynamics. The author grabs you with Leah’s dream of a different life.

The writing is descriptive, emotional, and atmospheric. While the subject matter of the book is difficult with alcoholism, miscarriage, and suicide, I appreciated the writing immensely.  Leah is a flawed and complicated character; she is self-centered, unhappy in her life, and full of rebellion and complaints, particularly when fueled by alcohol.  Not someone easy to like.

I listened to the audiobook; the narrator’s performance was solid and perfectly suited the book. Listening added depth to the story, and the pacing was perfect. Listening made the story feel very real.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this audiobook. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Publisher     HarperMuse Audio

Published   May 13, 2025

Narrated     Mia Hutchinson-Shaw

Review       www.bluestockingreviews.com