AUDIOBOOK REVIEW⤏ HIDDEN BODIES

BY CAROLINE KEPNES

NARRATED BY SANTINO FONTANA

SYNOPSIS FROM AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣
Hidden Bodies marks the return of a voice that Stephen King described as original and hypnotic, and through the divisive and charmingly sociopathic character of Joe Goldberg, Kepnes satirizes and dissects our culture, blending suspense with scathing wit.
In the compulsively readable follow-up to her widely acclaimed debut novel, You, Caroline Kepnes weaves a tale that Booklist calls “the love child of Holden Caulfield and Patrick Bateman.”
Joe Goldberg is no stranger to hiding bodies. In the past ten years, this thirty-something has buried four of them, collateral damage in his quest for love. Now he’s heading west to Los Angeles, the city of second chances, determined to put his past behind him.
In Hollywood, Joe blends in effortlessly with the other young upstarts. He eats guac, works in a bookstore, and flirts with a journalist neighbor. But while others seem fixated on their own reflections, Joe can’t stop looking over his shoulder. The problem with hidden bodies is that they don’t always stay that way. They re-emerge, like dark thoughts, multiplying and threatening to destroy what Joe wants most: true love. And when he finds it in a darkened room in Soho House, he’s more desperate than ever to keep his secrets buried. He doesn’t want to hurt his new girlfriend—he wants to be with her forever. But if she ever finds out what he’s done, he may not have a choice…

THE DETAILS⇣

⤏ JOE IS BACK...WITH REVENGE IN MIND

⤏ AND HE IS IN FULL-ON KILLER MODE

⤏ HE EVEN DENYS BEING A SOCIOPATH

⤏ WHAT'S "LOVE" GOT TO DO WITH IT...

⤏ LENGTH OF AUDIO - 13 HOURS, 3 MINUTES
⤏ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

MY RATING⇢ 4½ ✰STARS✰

MY THOUGHTS⇣

Have you ever heard the song Bodies by Drowning Pool...I think it could be Joe's theme song.  Joe is back and he's really going off the rails this time.  Santino Fontana is also back voicing the harried thoughts of Joe...and his personification of this mind-warping, seriously delusional point of view is spot on.  I don't know if his way of narrating will translate well to other characters, as a lot of people didn't like his narration of Snow in The latest Hunger Games book, although, I didn't have any issues with it.  

This book made me laugh out loud so many times...and I flew through my night at work while listening.  Kind of glad that most everyone else at work also listens to their own stuff...so hopefully they didn't hear me.  

Joe gets taken advantage of by his latest love interest and chases after her all the way to LA.  He ends up having a difficult time tracking her down and gets hella sidetracked by Love...and the shenanigans ensue.  This is definitely one of those series that you should put some time in between reading/listening to each one...because being in Joe's head is a little exhausting at times.  Better if you do it in doses.  While there are numerous quotes that made me laugh out loud, I'll leave you with this quote because this one was really good...

“He snorts more cocaine, I could pull over and roll him out the door, but he's on so much blow right now that he would probably just turn into a roadrunner, catch up to me, and jump back in.”

BREAKDOWN⇣

Narration Rating⇢ 4.5/5
Plot⇢ 4.2/5

Characters⇢ 4.3/5

The Feels⇢ 4.5/5

Pacing⇢ 4.3/5

Addictiveness⇢ 4/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity⇢ 4.2/5
Originality/Believability⇢ 4.2/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening)⇢ 4.5/5

Raunchiness⇢ 4.5/5

Ending⇢ 4.3/5