Audiobook Review: The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave

 

The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave

Publication Date: September 17th 2024 by Simon & Schuster Audio

Pages: 298

Audio Book Length: 7hrs 48min

Narrator: Julia Whelan

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm |  Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

The Night We Lost Him was more fiction with a bit of mystery, but engrossing even so.

 

I don’t get why Liam and Corey just didn’t get together years earlier. What was stopping them? Not anything that was explained properly, in my opinion. The chapters set in the past were my least favorite part of the story. I was more invested in Nora and her brother Sam’s present-day mission to discover what actually happened to their father the night of his death. Both are at a crossroads personally and I enjoyed them connecting over their shared grief and sorting out their futures together.

 

There is one twist that caught me off guard, and I had to re-listen to the spot just to make sure I was hearing right before it all came together.

 

I did enjoy the sound of all the places, décor and aesthetics mentioned. From Santa Ynez/Central Coast California to the neighborhoods in New York. What Sam’s girlfriend wanted to do to that gorgeous Brownstone was a crime!

 

Julia Whelan’s excellent audio performance enhanced my enjoyment for sure!  

4 Stars

Book Description:

Estranged siblings discover their father has been keeping a secret for over fifty years, one that may have been fatal...

Liam Noone was many things to many people. To the public, he was an exacting, self-
made hotel magnate fleeing his past. To his three ex-wives, he was a loving albeit distant family man who kept his finances flush and his families carefully separated. To Nora, he was a father who often loved her from afar – notably a cliffside cottage perched on the California coast from which he fell to his death.   

The authorities rule the death accidental, but Nora and her estranged brother Sam have other ideas. As Nora and Sam form an uneasy alliance to unravel the mystery, they start putting together the pieces of their father’s past—and uncover a family secret that changes everything.

With Laura Dave’s trademark combination of soulful suspense and evocative family drama, The Night We Lost Him is a riveting page-turner with a heartbreaking final twist you’ll never see coming.

Audiobook Review: One of Our Own by Lucinda Berry

 

One of Our Own by Lucinda Berry

Publication Date: March 12th 2024 by Simon & Schuster Audio

Audio Book Length: 3 hrs 54 mins

Narrators: A.J. Cook & Tessa Albertson

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Librofm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Felicia volunteers at a suicide hotline center to help others to avoid a tragedy that rocked her family years back. However, Felicia has had to deal with other adversities! I was riveted by her story and how she related to the poor young girl who called in! The young woman was drugged and assaulted at a local party. The events after have thrown her into desperate despair. Unfortunately, this story could be ripped from the pages of real-life and my heart went out to her! I was on the edge hoping that Felicia could help her.

Things turn more disturbing as Felicia realizes this girl attended the same party her son did a few weeks back. Dread creeps in as Felicia pieces together the puzzle of what happened that night.

I listened to One of Our Own straight through in one go. I needed to know how it all turned out!  The audio isn’t very long, novella length, but the story packs an emotional punch!

I listened to an audio of One of Our Own. A.J. Cook’s (from Criminal Minds) and Tessa Albertson’s performance enhanced this compelling story. A definite recommend!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

A suicide prevention hotline volunteer answers a call that turns her world upside down in this edge-of-your-seat audio original thriller by the bestselling author of The Perfect Child and The Best of Friends, performed by A.J. Cook (Criminal Minds) and Tessa Albertson (Younger).

Felicia, a single mother and lawyer by day, volunteers at a local crisis center to give back to her tightknit community in a small Wisconsin town. One night, she answers a horrifying call: through tears, a frantic teenage girl tells her that she was a victim of sexual assault at a local house party.

Felicia is shocked, and breaking protocol, she begins communicating with the girl on her own, determined to keep her safe and hold her assailants accountable. But as she gets closer and closer to the truth, she can’t shake the feeling that she and the girl are connected by more than the phone call. As the girl shares more details, Felicia begins to think the unthinkable—someone close to her may be involved in this heinous crime.

As Felicia earns the girl’s trust and more facts emerge about the incident, she faces a gut-wrenching battle between her protective instincts and the moral responsibility to do what’s right. This taut thriller is the perfect listen for fans of The Push, Wrong Place Wrong Time, and We Need to Talk About Kevin.

Audiobook Review: The Search Party by Hannah Richell

 

The Search Party by Hannah Richell

Publication Date: January 16th 2024 by Simon & Schuster Audio

Pages: 338

Audio Book Length: 10hrs 12 mins

Narrators: Beth Eyre & Jamie Parker

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

The story takes off with old friends reuniting as Annie and Max are set to open their glamping business on the coast of picturesque Cornwall. It sounded gorgeous!

There are four couples: Annie and Max with their son, Kip. Suze and Jim with their three kids, Kira and her partner, Fred, with their 5-month-old baby, and Dominic and Tanya with their three kids. It’s apparent as all arrive that there are tensions between them, and the reasons why slowly are revealed as the story goes on.

Things become even more strained the first night when a scuffle between the children leads to fights between parents and then one in the group goes missing. They embark on a frantic search all the while trying to find out what happened. As a parent I could feel their desperation! Their search is hampered by an intense storm bearing down.

The story is told in alternating POVs: Annie, Max, Jim, Kira, Dominic, Tanya, Scarlett, and Kip. The present is told as each party is being questioned by the police and in the past as they flash back to the unfolding events. It’s fun to guess correctly at some of the twists and to be surprised by others. I thoroughly enjoyed this gripping tale! The relationships were just as interesting as the mystery! I rooted for some characters and hated on others! I was pleased with how it all turned out. Although, I do think one character should’ve been a lot more apologetic!

I listened to the audio with Beth Eyre performing the female POVs and Jamie Parker performing the male. Both were excellent and enhanced my enjoyment of this riveting mystery! I listened to the story straight through in one day at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

4 Stars

Book Description:

A spellbinding locked-room mystery about a glamping trip gone horribly wrong when a powerful storm leaves the participants stranded and forced to confront long-held secrets and a shocking disappearance.

Max and Annie Kingsley have left the London rat race with their twelve-year-old son to set up a glamping site in the wilds of Cornwall. Eager for a dry run ahead of their opening, they invite three old university friends and their families for a long-needed reunion. But the festivities soon go awry as tensions arise between the children (and subsequently their parents), explosive secrets come to light, and a sudden storm moves in, cutting them off from help as one in the group disappears.

Moving between the police investigation, a hospital room, and the catastrophic weekend, The Search Party is a propulsive and twisty destination thriller about the tenuous bonds of friendship and the lengths parents will go to protect their children—perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.

 

Audiobook Review: The Honeymoon Crashers by Christina Lauren

 

The Honeymoon Crashers (Unhoneymooners #1.5) by Christina Lauren

Publication Date: August 1st 2023 by Simon & Schuster Audio

Audio Book Length: 4hrs 47min

Narrator: Jessica Marie Garcia, Harry Shum Jr & full cast

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links:  Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

When Ami’s twin sister Olive announces she and Ethan are eloping on the island of Maui, Ami scrambles to throw together the perfect wedding. A day that will include family and friends. A day that she hopes breaks the Torres family wedding curse. Ami had her own disaster of a wedding where everyone was sick from food poisoning and her marriage ended a few short days later after Ami discovered her husband was cheating.

Much to Ami’s dismay, Olive and Ethan have assigned Brody, Ethan’s best man, to help put it all together. He comes off as a surfer guy, all laid back, so she doesn’t take him seriously. However, Brody knows everyone on the island, charms them all, therefore a huge asset in the arrangements.

Ethan asked Brody to help plan the wedding to help lighten Ami’s burden, but more to make sure she has fun while doing it. Ethan and Olive love Ami and know what she went through still hurts. Brody for his part seems like a carefree, fun-loving guy, but there’s more to him than meets the eye.

The Honeymoon Crashers was a lot of fun with Brody convincing Ami to let loose and enjoy making choices. I wanted to be there for the cake tasting and for the flower farm! It was a pleasure to see the slow burn of attraction ignite and turn into something deeper and important for them.

I really enjoyed Jessica Marie Garcia and Harry Shum Jr.’s performance as Ami and Brody, but also the full cast of characters with sound effects that made the story come alive. I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.  

4 Stars

Book Description:

A perfectionist maid of honor and a carefree, surfer-bro best man team up to plan a wedding and end up finding a spark of their own in the first audio original from author duo Christina Lauren, a full-cast sequel to their New York Times bestseller The Unhoneymooners.

Ami is determined to break the Torres family wedding curse. Her own disaster of a reception ended with all the guests getting food poisoning, and she left her cheating husband soon after. But even though she’s still processing her own divorce, Ami won’t let her twin sister Olive’s day be anything but perfect. Olive may think she wants a private ceremony in Maui, where she and her fiancé Ethan first fell in love, but Ami knows better and secretly flies the whole Torres family out to surprise the couple. Now she and her meticulously organized binder have less than two weeks to get everything together for the big day, thousands of miles from home.

Enter Brody, Ethan’s best man, who happens to be living in Maui and insists on helping with the preparations. His playfully elaborate schemes and happy-go-lucky attitude are the last thing Ami needs. When sparks start to fly, could it derail all her carefully laid plans?

Equal parts hilarious and swoon-worthy, this full-cast production is your ticket to the ultimate destination wedding, bringing to life both a captivating couple and an unforgettable family. The Honeymoon Crashers is Christina Lauren at their charming, hilarious best.

Audio Review: The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda

 

The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda

Publication Date: July 26th 2022 by Simon & Schuster Audio

Pages: 336

Audio Book Length: 9 hrs 23 min

Narrator: Alex Allwine

Source: Publisher & Libro.fm

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Abigail Lovett loves her job and home at The Passage Inn at Cutter’s Pass, a place where people can enjoy the gorgeous North Carolina mountains, and it’s a point of access to the Appalachian trail. However, the town of Cutter’s Pass has a shadow cast upon it. It’s notoriously known as the spot where several have hiked out never to be seen again, starting with the notorious “Fraternity Four,” leading up to more recent disappearances.

Even being there ten years Abby is still sort of counted as an outsider, and the questions she asks keeps her on the edge still.  Landon West, a journalist, is the last to have disappeared, and now his brother, Trey, is at the inn trying to find out what happened. Trey’s appearance is stirring up the past, and shaking loose secrets, and Abby can’t help herself, she wants to know what happened.

The Last to Vanish was eerie and atmospheric! I wasn’t sure if there would be some supernatural elements to the story just by the spooky feel of the story, but there weren’t any, which just goes to show real-life is creepy enough without it! I was surprised by most of the revelations and twists I’m happy to say!

I couldn’t stop listening! The story was so good! Abby was a great narrator, her unease palpable and I wanted to get to the truth just as much as she did! Alex Allwine’s performance brought Abby and the story to life, lending a haunting quality that kept me on the edge of my seat!

4.5 Stars

Book Description: 

Ten years ago, Abigail Lovett fell into a job she loves, managing The Passage Inn, a cozy, upscale resort nestled in the North Carolina mountain town of Cutter’s Pass. Cutter’s Pass is best known for its outdoor offerings—rafting and hiking, with access to the Appalachian trail by way of a gorgeous waterfall—and its mysterious history. As the book begins, the string of unsolved disappearances that has haunted the town is once again thrust into the spotlight when journalist Landon West, who was staying at the inn to investigate the story of the vanishing trail, then disappears himself.

Abby has sometimes felt like an outsider within the community, but she’s come to view Cutter’s Pass as her home. When Landon’s brother Trey shows up looking for answers, Abby can’t help but feel the town closing ranks. And she’s still on the outside. When she finds incriminating evidence that may bring them closer to the truth, Abby soon discovers how little she knows about her coworkers, neighbors, and even those closest to her.