AUDIOBOOK ➯ EVERY LAST SECRET

EVERY LAST SECRET

BY A. R. TORRE

❐ Overall Rating 4½ | Narration 5

❐ Narrated by Carly Robins, Amy Landon, & Tristan James

❐ Listening Length ➯ 9H 2M

❐ Domestic Thriller

❐ Dual female POV's with a brief male POV

❐ Twisty and slightly twisted

Every Last Secret is deliciously scandalous...a juicy, oh-no-she-didn't-go-there, domestic thriller...that will ultimately surprise you with its boldness, charm, and even humility. At first, I didn't like any of the characters...and eventually, I realized I didn't need to or maybe I wasn't supposed to. But by the end...I think I liked them all, at least a little. The excellent narration made this book even more of a treat.

AUDIOBOOK ➯ LIES LIKE POISON

 

BY CHELSEA PITCHER

NARRATED BY AMANDA DOLAN, EMILY ELLET, KEVIN R. FREE & M. GROSLAND

❐ Overall Rating 2 | Narration 5

❐ YA Mystery

❐ LGBTQIA

How can a book have such wonderfully atmospheric narration and rate so low with me.??? Good question. I wanted to like this and I really tried to do so but it missed the mark for me, story-wise. I really found most of the story to be rather unbelievable and very reminiscent of the show Riverdale...basically a hot mess.

❐ Libby Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 7H 54M

❐ Plot ➯ 2.5/5

❐ Characters ➯ 3/5

❐ The Feels ➯ 2/5

❐ Twisty-ness/Mystery/Thrills ➯ 1/5

❐ Ending ➯ 2/5

AUDIOBOOK ➯ THE AFTERLIFE OF HOLLY CHASE

BY CYNTHIA HAND

NARRATED BY ERIN SPENCER

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 4½ | Narration 5

❐ Scrooge Retelling

❐ That's uniquely different

❐ The Ghosts of Christmas

❐ YA

I put this book off for way too long. The perfect Christmas book for someone who doesn't do Christmas books...because working in retail has killed my Christmas joy. A fun, modern twist on an old Christmas favorite that was a pleasant surprise. I actually really enjoyed this, from the Scroog-y beginning all the way to the terrific ending. If you like YA sometimes, or all the time, and you want a fun Christmas retelling of Scrooge...give this a try.

❐ Hoopla Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 10H

❐ Plot ➯ 4.5/5

❐ Characters ➯ 4.3/5

❐ The Feels ➯ 4.5/5

❐ Theme ➯ 4.5/5

❐ Ending ➯ 5/5

AUDIOBOOK ➯ THE CHAIN

BY ADRIAN McKINTY

NARRATED BY JANUARY LAVOY

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 4½ | Narration 4½

❐ One thrilling-ass thriller

❐ An intricate and diabolically insane plot

❐ Mostly told from a single POV

The Chain is off the hook with intensity. Like some freaky-scary shit for any parent to even contemplate for even a single minute. Is it plausible...maybe, maybe not...but I don't think that's the point. It would make for one hell-of-a a movie. The first half is non-stop and then things slow down until the very end, where the action picks up again for an ending that leaves you breathless. The mind that came up with this plot is a wicked one. All in all, this was an entertaining listen with an added bonus of fantastic narration by one of my all-time favs, January Lavoy.

❐ Libby Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 10H 9M

❐ Plot ➯ 4.5/5

❐ Characters ➯ 4.3/5

❐ The Feels ➯ 5/5

❐ Thrills ➯ 5/5

❐ Ending ➯ 4.5/5

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ THE UNRAVELING OF CASSIDY HOLMES

BY ELISSA R. SLOAN

NARRATED BY BRITTANY PRESSLEY, NATALIE NAUDUS, JAYME MATTLER, PIPER GOODEVE, CAITLIN KELLY, MEGAN TUSING, & STEPHEN GRAYBILL

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 3½ | Narration 5

❐ Contemporary

❐ The rise and fall of a Pop Star/Pop Quartet

❐ TW: Suicide, eating disorders, physical abuse, rape, & the difficulties of coming out to the world

The narration is performed superbly in this...with each member of the band having their own narrator and a male voice doing the media bits and each of them gave a fantastic performance.

While the book deals with many topics, showing the shady side of show-business and puts a lot of focus on what happened between this group of girls to bring about the unraveling of Cassidy Holmes it ultimately lacks closure. Not only for the main thread of her suicide but also for some of the other threads at play in the story.

❐ Libby Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 12h 1m

❐ Plot ➯ 3/5

❐ Characters ➯ 3.5/5

❐ The Feels ➯ 3.5/5

❐ Theme ➯ 3.5/5

❐ Ending ➯ 2/5

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ THE LAST FLIGHT

BY julie clark

NARRATED BY KHRISTINE HVAM & LAUREN FORTGANG

❐SYNOPSIS from goodreads❐

❐ Overall Rating 4¼ | Narration 5

❐ Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

❐ A switcheroo with some twists

❐ Dual POV's & Fluctuating Timelines

Take an interesting premise...two women in dire need of an identity change-up meet at an airport after they've already gone through security...they switch tickets and then the things get interesting...especially when one of the planes crashes. Add to that an abusive, rich husband and an illustrious career in drug-making...mix it up, and what you get is this thrilling, secret-spilling, twisty mystery.

While I had a few issues with this...overall, I found this to quite a satisfying listen, with fantastic narration by both Khristine Hvam and Lauren Fortgang. The latter is been popping up as the narrator in quite a few of my listens lately...and I haven't been disappointed by that, either.

❐ Audible Listen

❐ Length ➯ 9H 23M

❐ Plot ➯ 4.3/5

❐ Characters ➯ 4/5

❐ The Feels ➯ 4/5

❐ Twisty-ness/Mystery/Thrills ➯ 4.2/5

❐ Ending ➯ 4.2/5

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ HEART BONES

BY colleen hoover

NARRATED BY ANGELA GOETHALS

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 5 | Narration 5 ❐ Contemporary Romance ❐ New Adult ❐ Single POV ❐ Bolivar Peninsula, Texas Setting

I'm a fan of anything Colleen Hoover writes. She always seems to effortlessly evoke real emotions for me. Beyah and Samson's story was no exception. From the ocean setting to their heartbreaking backstories to the perfect ending...I was absolutely hooked.

❐ Audible Listen

❐ Length ➯ 8H 12M

❐ Steaminess to Story Ratio ➯ 15/85

❐ Plot ➯ 5/5

❐ Characters ➯ 5/5

❐ The Feels ➯ 5/5

❐ Theme ➯ 5/5

❐ Ending ➯ 5/5

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ THE GIRL FROM WIDOW HILLS

 

BY MEGAN MIRANDA

NARRATED BY REBEKKAH ROSS

❐ Overall Rating 2¼ | Narration  3

❐ A woman trying to hide from her tragic past

❐ Psychological Thriller...that's low on thrills

❐ Sleepwalking

Maybe it's time that I give up on Megan Miranda.  I keep listening to her books thinking in my head..." I really like this author"...but it turns out that I might be confusing her with Wendy Walker.  What can I say...I'm easily confused.

This book is like most of her other books...kind of boring throughout with not enough pay-off at the end and/or one where the premise sounds interesting but the execution always leaves you wanting something more.  Thirdly, she always has the same narrator for all her books...and I'm finding that her style is the same for every character she portrays...and she never really changes it up, which isn't always a bad thing...unless you don't really care for them in the first place.

❐ Libby Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 9H 57M

❐ Plot ➯ 2.5/5
❐ Characters ➯ 2/5
❐ The Feels ➯ 2/5
❐ Twisty-ness/Mystery/Thrills ➯ 2/5
❐ Ending ➯ 2.5/5

AUDIOBOOK ➯ PRETTY THINGS

BY JANELLE BROWN

NARRATED BY JULIA WHELAN & LAUREN FORTGANG WITH A FORWARD BY HILARY HUBER

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 4½ | Narration 4½

❐ Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

❐ Something of a character study

❐ Twisty

❐ Dual POV's

❐ Lake Tahoe Setting

Two con-artists try running the long-con...and ultimately the real question is who is conning who???

You may have heard that this is a little longish and tends to go into details about unnecessary things, and both those are completely true of this book.  Sometimes you even get the same scene from more than one perspective.  And these things are usually always deal-breakers for me...but for some reason, I completely enjoyed this despite all those things...maybe even because of.  That and it was superbly narrated, I always love Lauren Fortgang and I even enjoyed Julia Whelan in this, and usually, I don't really like her.  Overall, I guess it just clicked with me...maybe it will for you also.

❐ Libby Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 16H 7M

❐ Plot ➯ 4.5/5
❐ Characters ➯ 4.3/5
❐ The Feels ➯ 4.7/5
❐ Twisty-ness/Mystery/Thrills ➯ 4.5/5
❐ Ending ➯ 4.5/5

AUDIOBOOK ➯ GOODNIGHT BEAUTIFUL

BY AIMEE MOLLY

NARRATED BY VAL TOOMEY, GEORGE NEWBERN, MARIN IRELAND, & JOEL FROOMKIN

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 4½ | Narration 4½

❐ Mystery/Psychological Thriller/Suspense

❐ Clever Misdirection and a shout-out to a well-known book/movie

❐ Multiple POV's 

❐ This one is best to go into blind...

This story snuck up on me and I didn't even realize how much I enjoyed it until it was over.  It was told in a way that was refreshingly different...and that...is always a good thing.

You know I'm not sure what parts of the story were the misdirection parts or my own personal misdirection???  All I can tell you without giving anything away is...just go read it...or listen to it.  I can't even tell you what I thought of the narration because I might inadvertently give something away if I do.  I can say that it was performed quite well by all, though.

❐ Libby Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 7H 52M

❐ Plot ➯ 4.7/5
❐ Characters ➯ 4.3/5
❐ The Feels ➯ 4.5/5
❐ Twisty-ness/Mystery/Thrills ➯ 4.3/5
❐ Ending ➯ 4.3/5

AUDIOBOOK ➯ AFTER THE FIRE

BY WILL HILL

NARRATED BY DEVON SORVANI

❐SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS❐

❐ Overall Rating 4¼ | Narration 4¼

❐ Cult Life

❐ Told in Present Tense and Flashbacks

❐ Single POV

❐ Realistic Fiction

For me, this felt like a very realistic portrayal of life in a commune and of life after the commune.  I find books about cults fascinating...I love to see how each author tackles this subject matter.  From brainwashing to Polygamy and everything in between.  

While told from the point of view of a teenage girl around sixteen or seventeen this is still a compelling and worthwhile read for someone older than that age.  It also has moments when the subject matter is difficult to read...which is a given with this sort of story.

At first, I didn't like the narration by Devon Sorvani but once I was immersed in the story, I didn't really notice the good or the bad of the narration.

❐ Libby Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 14H 5M

❐ Plot ➯ 4.3/5
❐ Characters ➯ 4/5
❐ The Feels ➯ 4.3/5
❐ World-Building ➯ 4.3/5

❐ Ending ➯ 4/5

AUDIOBOOK ➯ FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

 

BY VARIOUS AUTHORS

NARRATED BY 

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 3¾| Narration 5

❐ Star Wars

❐ Anthology

❐ Side Stories from a certain point of view

Some were good, a few were really good and some I tuned out completely.  I'm glad I rewatched The Empire Strikes Back before starting this...I didn't realize how long it had been since I last watched it.  I had forgotten a lot of it. 

My favorites were: 

Disturbance by Mike Chen, which was superbly narrated by Sam Whitwer.  Darth Sidious/The Emporer/Palpatine...he senses a disturbance in the force.

She Will Keep Them Warm by Delilah S, Dawson, and narrated by January LaVoy...from the head of a Tauntaun.

Wait For It by Zoraida Cordova, narrated by John Hamm...Boba Fett!

The First Lesson by Jim Zub narrated by Marc Thompson...Yoda!

But What Does He Eat by S.A. Chakraborty narrated by Soneela Nankani...seriously what or how does Vader eat???

and of course...loved hearing from L3-37 in...

Faith in an Old Friend by Brittany N. Williams, narrated by Soneela Nankani, January LaVoy, and Emily Woo Zeller.  

❐ Libby Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 17H 59M

AUDIBLE ORIGINAL ➯ THE MYSTERY OF ALICE

 

BY LEE BACON

NARRATED BY Bryan Kennedy, Jessica Almasy, Josh Hurley, Cassandra Morris, Libby McKnight, Emily Bauer, & Michael Crouch

❐ Overall Rating 3 | Narration 5

❐ Free Audible Original

❐ These are Middle School age kids???

❐ Mystery

❐ Video Diary

I suppose the story was interesting...but can I see this all being played out by middle-school-aged children...no, not at all.  No matter how rich they are.  If they had been high schoolers...maybe I could have bought it.  

I'm fairly certain that Emily Bauer is the main narrator in this and lots of other listeners have said that she was too immature sounding...but I thought she was perfect.

❐ Audible Listen

❐ Length ➯ 6H 24M

❐ Plot ➯ 2.5/5
❐ Characters ➯ 3.5/5
❐ The Feels ➯ 3/5
❐ Twisty-ness/Mystery/Thrills ➯ 3/5
❐ Ending ➯ 3/5

AUDIOBOOK ➯ NONE SHALL SLEEP

BY ELLIE MARNEY

NARRATED BY CHRISTINE LAKIN, MAXWELL HAMILTON, ZACH VILLA, & JAKE ABEL

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 4¾ | Narration 5

❐ Mystery/Thriller/Horror

❐ Very reminiscent of Silence of the Lambs

❐ YA-ish

❐ Serial Killers

An excellent story, creepily scary and bloody gruesome.  Billed as being Silence of the Lambs meets Sadie...I totally agree with the SOTL comparison, but I'm not feeling the Sadie comparison at all.  Set in the early 80s...maybe when profiling was just really becoming mainstream.  What they have these teens (who are 18) carrying out and/or what they end up doing on their own, I should say; felt a lot like profiling serial killers.  Either way, it was really quite compelling, and I didn't see the end coming...at least, not until right before the shit hit the fan.  Also, the narration by each of the narrators was performed perfectly.

❐ Libby Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 11H 19M

❐ Plot ➯ 4.7/5
❐ Characters ➯ 5/5
❐ The Feels ➯ 5/5
❐ Twisty-ness/Mystery/Thrills ➯ 5/5
❐ Ending ➯ 4.5/5

AUDIOBOOK ➯ FOLLOW ME

BY KATHLEEN BARBER

NARRATED BY COREY BRILL, ERIN MOON, & EMILY TREMAINE

❐SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE❐

❐ Overall Rating 4 | Narration 5

❐ Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

❐ Social Media

❐ Obsession/Stalking/Delusions

❐ Red Herring Alert

While it delved into the unbelievable, seriously, how many guys can one girl have obsessed with her, and I get that she was trying to give you many suspects, so you would be kept guessing...and she accomplished that quite well.  Maybe a little too well?  

Overall, I was thoroughly entertained by this cautionary tale of the digital age.  How much of your life should you share on social media?  This story will make you think twice about that.  Personally, I think you should just stick to posting pictures of your dog.

❐ Libby Listen through my Library

❐ Length ➯ 10H 13M

❐ Plot ➯ 4.2/5
❐ Characters ➯ 4/5
❐ The Feels ➯ 4/5
❐ Twisty-ness/Mystery/Thrills ➯ 3.5/5
❐ Ending ➯ 4/5