Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

A Novel

By: Jessica Guerrieri

Narrated by: Mia Hutchinson-Shaw, Jessica Guerrieri

This masterful blend of book club and literary women's fiction offers a frank rebuttal to Wine Mom culture and is perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Liane Moriarty.

Leah O'Connor is torn between her current existence and the allure of a phantom life that can no longer be hers.

Swept off her feet by the gentle charm of Lucas O'Connor, Leah's unexpected pregnancy changes the course of her carefree and nomadic existence. Over a decade and three children later, Leah is unraveling. She resents the world in which her artistic aspirations have been sidelined by the overwhelming demands of motherhood, and the ever-present rift between herself and her mother-in-law, Christine, is best dulled by increasingly fuller glasses of wine.

Christine represents a model of selfless motherhood that Leah can neither achieve nor accept. To heighten the strain, Lucas's business venture, a trendy restaurant that honors his mother, has taken all his attention, which places the domestic demands squarely on Leah's shoulders. Seeking an ally in her sweet sister-in-law Amy, Leah shares a secret that, if made known to the wider family, could disrupt the curated ecosystems that keep the O'Connors connected.

As Leah dances with the devil while descending further into darkness, her behavior becomes more erratic and further alienates her from both Lucas and the wider family. Leah's drinking threatens the welfare of her family, prompting Amy to turn to Christine for support. A duel for loyalty ensues. When the inevitable waves come crashing down, it's the O'Connor women who give Leah a lifeline: the truth of what they've all endured. But Leah alone must uncover the villain of her own story, learn how to ask for help, and decide if the family she has rejected will be her salvation or ultimate undoing.

©2025 Jessica Guerrieri (P)2025 Harper Muse

Critic reviews

"Sure to resonate with readers who like complex family stories." --Library Journal

"This nuanced story . . . is sensitively portrayed. Readers of Marian Keyes will be moved." --Booklist

Beautiful Messy Feels

One of my favorite books of the year so far. Great narration, deeply felt story--I was transported. I'm reminded of Maya Angelou's quote-- "...people will never forget how you made them feel." This book has all the feels for me. Here's why:

The premise is that of a young mother, Leah, who is at a crossroads in life, wondering how she got there and where she'll go. The underlying problem, something our lovely mom, wife, human doesn't even realize most of the way, is that she's an alcoholic. She's numbing her emotions, instead of feeling them. And I get it-- having lived through that part of life, it's hard, it's overwhelming, it's tricky, its beautiful and messy, all at the same time. And let's face it, at that stage we moms are constantly feeling self doubt and comparing ourselves to others, whether we admit it or not.

The way the story unfolds, from Leah's POV, we rarely see, at first, what is really happening as she falls further into her drinking binges. It's quite effective because it really helped me feel how it might be to be this person. And let's face it, we are all either addicts, recovering or not, or have loved ones on that journey. Also, quite frankly, the book feels really timely because of how stressed many are right now with national and world events--I could utterly sympathize even though my current gut punches aren't the ones Leah was going through. How many of us are numbing our way through our current difficulties?

But if that were all, it may be too heavy a read for now. Luckily, here's where the feel comes in. I knew I was hooked in Chapter 2, when we got to see the first blush of love between Leah and Luke. This is a love story. Throughout the novel, relationships are of such importance that I was deeply invested. I loved listening and watching it all unfold, as I rooted for Leah and her family. And I loved Leah's voice: fun, a little bit wicked, but absolutely full of heart.

Also, kudos to the narrator. I am not sure I've heard one of her books before, but I absolutely hope to do so again. I'm a fan of the way she handled it all.

Congrats to the author! I received this for an honest audio review but loved it enough that I bought and listened again. I'm definitely telling others about it! Book clubs will love digesting and discussing this.

Most honest fiction story I've read in a long time

This book will resonate with so many women and should be read by every woman. Humans are so complex, and this book is a reminder to give everyone grace, as you don't know what they are going through. Even the people you think you know well, have secrets.

Captivating from the beginning 🤍

Stop, drop & read/listen to this book! “Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea,” debut novel from Jessica Guerrieri, will capture you instantly, draw you into the depths of main character Leah & take the reader on many twists & turns as you speed read/listen to each chapter. I both wanted to devour each page quickly & stay lost in the novel forever. Beautifully written; I can’t wait to see what Jessica writes next!