AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ● THE NIGHT SWIM ●

BY MEGAN GOLDIN

NARRATED BY BAILEY CARR, JANUARY LAVOY, & SAMANTHA DESZ

●SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE●

THE DETAILS⇣

❱ A MYSTERY WITHIN A MYSTERY

❱ A TRUE CRIME PODCAST

❱ RAPE & RAPE CULTURE

❱ TIMELY & POIGNANT WITH A SATISFYING ENDING

❱ LENGTH OF AUDIO - 9 HOURS, 59 MINUTES
❱ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY DESPITE HAVING AN ARC VIA NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR A HONEST REVIEW 

MY THOUGHTS⇣

I am a fan of any kind of Podcast element added to a story.  If I read the word "podcast" in the synopsis...I'm totally there for it.  I actually should have read this since I received an ARC...but since The Covid hit, I haven't been able to read much of anything...but I've still been listening to a boatload of Audiobooks, almost double what I had been.  So, I recommended this to my library to purchase and I was the first one in line for it. 

I'm super glad I went with the audio because the narration was perfectly performed by all three narrators.  I'm also relieved that I didn't have to complain about how it needed more narrators because I'm beginning to feel like a broken record on that one.  If you're put off by the reviews that say this is slow-moving...you should try it on audio...because this story was made for that format.

The Night Swim is more of a mystery than a suspense thriller...actually, a mystery within a mystery, both of which take place in the same town.  One currently, which is the courtroom drama of a rape trial and the other one in the past which was never reported or looked at as a crime.  Overall, this is equal parts slow-burn mystery, courtroom drama, and a girl trying to get justice for her sister.  It deals with rape, slut-shaming, and being poor in such a realistic and heartbreaking manner that this should not be missed or overlooked.  Whether you read it or listen to it...although obviously, I definitely recommend the latter.

BREAKDOWN⇣

￮ Narration Rating ⇢ 5 STARS

￮ Plot ⇢ 5/5

￮ Characters ⇢ 5/5

￮ The Feels ⇢ 5/5

￮ Pacing ⇢ 5/5

￮ Addictiveness ⇢ 5/5

￮ Theme, Tone or Intensity ⇢ 5/5

￮ Originality/Believability ⇢ 5/5

￮ Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ⇢ 4.8/5

￮ Ending ⇢ 5/5

￮ Summation ⇢ 5 STARS

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ● I KILLED ZOE SPANOS ●

BY KIT FRICK

NARRATED BY JAYME MATTLER, JENNI BARBER, DAN BITTNER, INÉS DEL CASTILLO, JONATHON DAVIS, GIBSON FRAZIER, MADELEINE MABY, SONEELA NANKANI, JACKI SANDERS, CANDACE THAXTON, & JESSE VILINSKY

●SYNOPSIS & BUY LINKS ON AUTHORS WEBSITE●

THE DETAILS●●●

● PODCAST-STYLE MIXED WITH ALTERNATING POV'S

● FULL-CAST NARRATION

● YA MURDER MYSTERY

● ALTERNATING TIMELINES -THAT CAN GET A TAD CONFUSING

● TWISTY-TURNY REVEALS

● LENGTH OF AUDIO - 10 HOURS, 42 MINUTES
● I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY

MY THOUGHTS●●●

MY REVIEW IN ONE SENTENCE: This story both starts and ends with a confession...everything in between is a twisty, oft-times confusing, drug and alcohol-infused, with secrets slipping out everywhere kind of murder-mystery with an illuminating podcast to help pull it all together.  

I loved the podcast element...especially since it's always accompanied by full-cast narration.  This only had about thirty percent ratio of the podcast aspect...just enough to satisfy but not too much for those that might be put off by this sort of aspect.  The narration in this was excellently performed by all.

Altogether this is another hit in the YA mystery genre.  One that is not to be missed if you liked Sadie or A Good Girls Guide to Murder.  

BREAKDOWN●●●

● Narration Rating ⇢ 5 STARS

● Plot ⇢ 4.5/5

● Characters ⇢ 4.3/5

● The Feels ⇢ 4.5/5

● Pacing ⇢ 5/5

● Addictiveness ⇢ 5/5

● Theme, Tone or Intensity ⇢ 4.5/5

● Originality/Believability ⇢ 4.3/5

● Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ⇢ 4.3/5

● Twisty-ness/Mystery ⇢ 5/5

● Ending ⇢ 4.5/5

●Summation ⇢ 4½STARS

REVIEW⤏ THE UNFINISHED LIFE OF ADDISON STONE

BY ADELE GRIFFIN

SYNOPSIS FROM AUTHORS WEBSITE⇣
From the moment she stepped foot in NYC, Addison Stone’s subversive street art made her someone to watch, and her violent drowning left her fans and critics craving to know more. I conducted interviews with those who knew her best—including close friends, family, teachers, mentors, art dealers, boyfriends, and critics—and retraced the tumultuous path of Addison's life. I hope I can shed new light on what really happened on the night of July 28.
—Adele Griffin

BOOK TAGS⇣

⤏ ARTIST WHO BURNS BRIGHT
⤏ MENTAL ILLNESS
⤏ DAMAGED PEOPLE FALLING FOR EACH OTHER
⤏ FANS OF DAISY JONES COULD LIKE THIS
⤏ FULL CAST NARRATION

BOOK DETAILS⇣

AUDIO PERFORMED BY⇢ AMY RUBINATE, CAROLINE SHAFFER, HILLARY HUBER, JORJEANA MARIE, WILL DAMRON & KIRBY HEYBOURNE + A FULL-CAST

NARRATION RATING⇢  5/5
THE COVER STORY⤏ FILM REEL...FOR AN ARTIST

SOURCE⇢ LIBBY AUDIOBOOK (LIBRARY)

AUDIOBOOK LENGTH⇢ 6 HOURS, 54 MINUTES

MY THOUGHTS⇣

When I read the synopsis for this book, I thought, ohhh, this reminds me of Daisy Jones & the Six.  With the interview style audio and a full-cast to recite it.  Sounds enticing...and the audio does play out really similar to Daisy Jones...but the story overall lacked something...like a definitive ending or just something that pulls you in and gets you invested in the story.

Addison Stone felt like a real person, not a made-up one.  One of those people who burns so bright...and then, sadly, burns out way too young.  Her story is one that plays out for real all the time, sadly.  Maybe, that is supposed to be the pull, but maybe, for me, that wasn't quite enough.  The full-cast narration was terrific, though, and that alone made this an engaging listen.

BREAKDOWN⇣

Plot⇢ 3/5

Characters⇢ 4.3/5

The Feels⇢ 3.5/5

Pacing⇢ 4/5

Addictiveness⇢ 4/5

Theme or Tone⇢ 4/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 4/5

World-Building⇢ 4/5

Originality⇢ 4/5

Ending⇢ 3/5

REVIEW⇢ A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER (A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER #1)

BY HOLLY JACKSON

SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS⇣Everyone in Fairview knows the story.
Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.
But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?
Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.
This is the story of an investigation turned obsession, full of twists and turns and with an ending you'll never expect.

BOOK TAGS⇣

⤏ HIGH SCHOOL CAPSTONE PROJECT
⤏ A MURDER FIVE YEARS AGO
⤏ MYSTERY WITH LAYERS & TWISTS
⤏ DISPERSED WITH INTERVIEWS
⤏ FULL CAST NARRATION

BOOK DETAILS⇣

AUDIO PERFORMED BY⇢ BAILEY CARR PLUS A FULL CAST
NARRATION RATING⇢  5/5
BOOK COVER⇢ LOVE IT...GOES WITH THE STORY PERFECTLY

SETTING⇢ THE SMALL TOWN OF FAIRVIEW

SOURCE⇢ LIBBY AUDIOBOOK (LIBRARY)

AUDIOBOOK LENGTH⇢ 10 HOURS, 53 MINUTES

MY THOUGHTS⇣

I'm never really disappointed by a full-cast narration.  It is the best.  The interview sections were amazing...I liked the way they sounded just like a recorded phone conversation.  Very realistic.

Also, a mystery with layers never disappoints either.  This one had many curious layers to it.  The deeper she dug the more layers she uncovered.  Although, I hope...since this is to be a four-book series, that she stops making heedless choices when it comes to her sleuthing...if you're going to question a drug dealer, who you think may have committed murder...should you really go into his house to question him...by yourself?  She took a few too many chances if you ask me.  If she keeps that up, she isn't going to live through four more books.  That aside, the characters are genuine and that twisted ending took me completely by surprise.  It was slightly unbelievable, in an, it came out of nowhere kind of way, but for sure entertaining.   

MY RATING⇢ 4½✰STARS✰

BREAKDOWN⇣

Plot⇢ 4.3/5

Characters⇢ 4.3/5

The Feels⇢ 4.2/5

Pacing⇢ 4/5

Addictiveness⇢ 5/5

Theme or Tone⇢ 5/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 5/5

Twisty-ness⇢ 4.5/5

Originality⇢ 4.3/5

Ending⇢ 4.5/5

BOOKS WITH A SIMILAR VIBE...

      

Sadie by Courtney Summers

๏ ๏ ๏  Highlights ๏ ๏ ๏ 

Full-Cast Narration
Mystery

Revenge
Substance Abuse

YA Contemporary

Unique Format

๏ ๏ ๏ Links ๏ ๏ ๏

Kindle eBook | Audio

Add to Goodreads | Add to Booklikes

With a Full-Cast Narration including Dan Bittner, Fred Berman, Gabra Zackman and Rebecca Solar as Sadie.

๏ ๏ ๏  My Thoughts ๏ ๏ ๏ 

The unique format with the Podcast interspersed with Sadie's POV makes it perfect for Audio, in fact, I would suggest you listen to this because, with the full-cast narration, it begs to be listened to.  Many reviews for this will tell you this is one of those difficult to read stories, and I'm not saying that it isn't, only that it deals with these elements in a way that isn't quite so traumatizing as it could be.

Sadie's life is a bleak existence, what with her stutter and her drug and alcohol addicted Mother, she did not have it easy in life.  Mattie was her salvation and her reason for living...when she is killed...she finds it difficult to go on.  So she sets out on the road...to kill a man.  Ultimately Sadie's haunting story left me feeling saddened but hopeful...hopeful, at least, for a better ending than what she's been given by the Author, anyway.

๏ ๏ ๏  MY RATING ๏ ๏ ๏ 

☆4.7☆STARS - GRADE=A

๏ Breakdown of Ratings ๏ 

Plot⇝ 4.5/5
Narration Performance⇝ 5+/5

Main Characters⇝ 5/5

Secondary Characters⇝ 5/5

The Feels⇝ 5/5

Pacing⇝ 5/5

Addictiveness⇝ 5/5

Theme or Tone⇝ 5/5

Flow (Writing Style)⇝ 5/5

Backdrop (World Building)⇝ 5/5

Originality⇝ 5/5

Ending⇝ 4/5 Cliffhanger⇝ Not really a cliffhanger...just kinda an open-ended ending.

๏ ๏ ๏

Book Cover⇝  Meh...it's not bad.

Setting⇝ Cold Creek, Montgomery, and a few other places...

Source⇝ Audiobook (Library)
๏ ๏ ๏

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