AUDIOBOOK REVIEW LIKE NEVER AND ALWAYS

BY ANN AGUIRRE

NARRATED BY EMILY BAUER

On a hot summer night, a screech of brakes and shattering glass changes two lives forever.

Liv wakes in the hospital, confused when they call her Morgan. She assumes it’s a case of mistaken identity, yet when the bandages come off, it’s not her face in the mirror anymore. It’s her best friend Morgan’s.

Morgan always seemed to have the perfect life, yet Liv must navigate endlessly disturbing secrets of the criminal and murderous variety—and a romance that feels like a betrayal. Torn between the boy she loved as Liv and the boy she’s grown to love as Morgan, Liv still has to survive Morgan’s last request.

❯ YA MYSTERY

❯ DARKISH

❯ MIND F*CKINGLY WEIRD

❯ ODD LOVE TRIANGLE

❯ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➸ 10 HOURS, 29 MINUTES

❯ I LISTENED ON OVERDRIVE THROUGH MY LIBRARY

The cover is brilliantly done, and the blurb for it seems like a fantastic idea, but the execution…was off.  I wanted this perfect explanation for what was going on, even if it was something that dipped into the supernatural, but it just kind of fizzled. Also, sometimes the odd love triangle this had at play felt seriously awkward.  While it had its suspenseful moments, and the characters were mostly likable (especially Clay), the story ultimately left me confused and let down.  There was this tidbit of a plot twist thrown in at the end of the story that just leaves you feeling like…wtf was that all about?

Emily Bauer's pleasant voice for sure influenced my rating.

MY RATING➼ 2¾ STARS

BREAKDOWN

Narration ➸ 4½ STARS

Plot ➸ 3.2/5

Characters ➸ 3.7/5

The Feels ➸ 2/5

Pacing ➸ 3.8/5

Addictiveness ➸ 3/5

Theme, Tone or Intensity ➸ 3.3/5

Originality/Believability ➸ 3.5/5

Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➸ 3/5

Twisty-ness/Mystery ➸ 3.5/5

Steaminess to Story Ratio ➸ ?/?

Ending ➸ 2.5/5

SUMMATION ➸ 2¾ STARS