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: The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz

 

The Sequel (The Book Series #2) by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Publication Date: October 1st 2024 by Macmillan Audio

Pages: 304

Audio Book Length: 10hrs 1min

Narrator: Julia Whelan

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

You MUST read The Plot before reading The Sequel! I’ve tried to be as vague as I can while still showing how much I loved both stories. I wish I could just say: Read it, read both! I even went back and re-read quite a bit of The Plot before starting The Sequel to refresh my mind with the details. Such a good twisty plot, and bonus, you can read this one right after!

 

Loved this one even more than the first one! I wasn’t a big fan of Anna in The Plot, but then we didn’t get her side of things. Here, I could feel for her and understand her motivations as her story is revealed and getting her POV, and I was outraged in her behalf!  I liked being in Anna’s head more than Jake’s. Not sure how that reflects on my character, haha, but I liked that she didn’t wallow in her situation, just evaluated and proceeded accordingly.

 

The Sequel was thrilling! Anna gets herself into a few dangerous situations confronting the threats coming at her and I was on the edge of my seat, rooting for her every step of the way!

 

The talented Julia Whelan narrates, and her performance of Anna is perfection! Timing, emotion and all the different voices were spot on! Highly recommend the audio version!

5 Stars

Book Description:

After the “insanely readable” (Stephen King) and “perfectly told” (Malcolm Gladwell) New York Times bestseller The Plot comes Jean Hanff Korelitz’s equally captivating new novel: The Sequel.

Anna Williams-Bonner has taken care of business—that is to say, she’s taken care of her husband, bestselling novelist Jacob Finch Bonner, and laid to rest those anonymous accusations of plagiarism that so tormented him. Now she is living the contented life of a literary widow, enjoying her husband’s royalty checks in perpetuity, but for the second time in her life, a work of fiction intercedes, and this time it’s her own debut novel, The Afterword. After all, how hard can it really be to write a universally lauded bestseller?

But when Anna publishes her book and indulges in her own literary acclaim, she begins to receive excerpts of a novel she never expected to see again, a novel that should no longer exist. Something has gone wrong, and someone out there knows far too much: about her late brother, her late husband, and just possibly... about Anna herself. What does this person want, and what are they prepared to do? She has come too far, and worked too hard, to lose what she values most: the sole and uncontested right to her own story—and she is, by any standard, a master storyteller.

Review: Funny Story by Emily Henry

 

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Publication Date: April 23rd 2024 by Berkley & Penguin Audio

Pages: 400

Audio Book Length: 11hrs 23min

Narrator: Julia Whelan

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

Daphne moved to Waning Bay, Michigan following her fiancé, Peter, back to his hometown. Her planned future with him is everything she’s always wanted: stability, family, friends, and a gorgeous Victorian home. Everything is perfect until Peter decides he’s actually in love with his childhood best friend, Petra. They get together leaving Daphne homeless, so she ends up moving in with Miles, Petra’s ex-boyfriend, also dumped. Daphne’s counting the days until she can pick up and move.

I loved everything about this romance! Miles and Daphne bonding over fake dating, fun outings, whacky family, new friends, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments! They also bonded over sad things: heartache, toxic family, and feelings of not being good enough. Waning, Michigan sounded beautiful as Miles shows Daphne around to all his favorite parts!

Funny Story ties with Book Lovers and Beach Read as my favorite Emily Henry’s! The story brought pure joy to my heart!

I alternately read an e-copy and listened to the audio version of Funny Story and recommend either version. Julia Whelan is such an excellent performer! She really enhances any story she narrates! All characters are distinct, their emotions come through loud and clear! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

 5 Stars

Book Description:

A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

Audiobook Review: I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

 

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

Publication Date: February 21st 2023 by Penguin Audio

Pages: 438

Audio Book Length: 14hrs 3min

Narrator: Julia Whelan & JD Jackson

Source: Publisher via Libro.fm

Rating: ★★★★½

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

My Thoughts:

I Have Some Questions For You was an engrossing mystery!

The story centers on the murder of Thalia Keith back in 1995. She was a senior at Granby High, a boarding school in New Hampshire. Former student Bodie Kane, now a teacher and podcaster, is invited back to give a lecture, and in the meantime, someone sends her a video of Thalia that stirs up some memories for Bodie. Bodie was the roommate of Thalia and though they ran in different circles Bodie had some insights that didn’t register back when they caught the and prosecuted the killer. Now Bodie wonders if the police got it right and if the wrong man is in jail.

I truly didn’t want to stop listening! It was an interesting story besides trying to ferret out the murderer. Bodie’s past and present, how she ended up at Granby, the trials of being a high school student, and not part of the popular crowd. I think anyone who went to school can relate to the feelings and situations Bodie went through, women particularly.

As the story goes on the possible suspects are evaluated, chapters devoted to each one on motive and opportunity. I was surprised by the identity of the killer!

I was really impressed by I Have Some Questions For You! A fascinating mystery enhanced by the excellent narration of Julia Whelan. I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed. Definite recommend!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past—the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia's death and the conviction of the school's athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are hotly debated online, Bodie prefers—needs—to let sleeping dogs lie.

But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn't as much of an outsider at Granby as she'd thought—if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.

Audiobook Review: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

 

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

Publication Date: January 3rd 2023 by Macmillan Audio

Pages: 288

Audio Book Length: 7hrs 57 min

Narrators: Julia Whelan, Shiromi Arserio, Kimberly M. Wetherell

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

Emily and Chess, childhood friends, are spending the summer in Italy at Villa Aestas. Emily, a moderately successful cozy-mystery writer has been suffering writer’s block, going through a contentious divorce, and Chess is now a famously successful self-help guru. They’re supposed to be taking this time in Italy to reconnect, yet you can feel the underlying tension between them, each a little jealous of the other even though they’re supposed to be besties.

Emily finds out that Villa Aestas is actually the scene of the infamous murder of the musician, Pierce Sheldon, back in 1974, and begins to investigate what actually happened there. The story is scandalous with rumors of bed-hopping, drugs, and alcohol, but the two women involved, Pierce’s lover Mari and her stepsister Lara go on to become famous artists, each tight-lipped about that tragic summer. Emily uncovers secret pages written by Mari, re-awakening her passion for writing, which sparks more tension between her and Chess.

I disliked most of the characters in The Villa, but I couldn’t help but root for Emily in the present and Mari in the past. Neither one was perfect, especially by the end, but something about each of their situations had me on their side, enraged by the treatment by those close to them. Chess, Matt, Pierce and Noel all self-centered unlikable people, Pierce toping that list for me. The ending was in some ways tragic, and unsettling, but also felt a bit justified. I felt bad over the fate of one character.

It's interesting to note that Mari’s story in 1974 was inspired by the summer in 1816 Mary Shelley spent in Italy with her future husband, poet Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, John Polidori, and her stepsister, Claire Clairemont, referenced in THIS article. One dreary night Lord Byron suggested they each come up with a ghost story which led to Mary writing Frankenstein, and John Polidori writing The Vampyre.

The Villa was full of betrayals, jealousies, and toxic relationships, but the unfolding mysteries and motivations were captivating, and the story was hard to put down.

Julia Whelan is a phenomenal narrator. She gives each character, Emily, Chess, and those in the present-day story, a unique, separate voice and it’s hard to remember you’re listening to one person perform different characters. Shiromi Arserio is a new-to-me narrator and does a fantastic job performing Mari and the 1974 cast. Kimberly M. Wetherell, also new-to-me and wonderful, did the news articles and announcements. I listened at usual 1.5x-1.75x normal speed. The audio is a definite recommend.

4 Stars

Book Description:

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron at a Lake Geneva castle––the birthplace of Frankenstein––The Villa welcomes you into its deadly legacy.

Audio Review: Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

 

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

Publication Date: August 2nd 2022 by Harper Audio

Pages: 432

Audio Book Length: 11 hrs 16 min

Narrator: Julia Whelan

Source: Publisher & Libro.fm

Rating: ★★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

Swan’s acting career was derailed by a tragic accident that happened right as she was about to hit it big. A friend suggested she try audio narrating and she’s been a sought-after talent since. Swan first went for romances but soured on the who HEA when she doesn’t believe in it herself, but she’s got an offer of a lifetime as a duo with the legendary male narrator, Brock McKnight.

Thank You for Listening was such a moving, emotional story with elements of humor and a steamy romance and I loved every minute! Strong female friendship and loved her relationship with her grandmother, Blah. This had a little bit of a You’ve Got Mail vibe with the emails/text messages, and a reveal of identities I knew was coming. This story is so much more than you’d think, profound, touching and passionate in more than one way! I’ve been a fan of Julia Whelan’s audio narration, but had no idea the depth of her writing talent as well. Definite recommend!

5 Stars

Book Description:

For Sewanee Chester, being an audiobook narrator is a long way from her old dreams, but the days of being a star on film sets are long behind her. She’s found success and satisfaction from the inside of a sound booth and it allows her to care for her beloved, ailing grandmother. When she arrives in Las Vegas last-minute for a book convention, Sewanee unexpectedly spends a whirlwind night with a charming stranger.

On her return home, Sewanee discovers one of the world’s most beloved romance novelists wanted her to perform her last book—with Brock McNight, the industry’s hottest, most secretive voice. Sewanee doesn’t buy what romance novels are selling—not after her own dreams were tragically cut short—and she stopped narrating them years ago. But her admiration of the late author, and the opportunity to get her grandmother more help, makes her decision for her.

As Sewanee begins work on the book, resurrecting her old romance pseudonym, she and Brock forge a real connection, hidden behind the comfort of anonymity. Soon, she is dreaming again, but secrets are revealed, and the realities of life come crashing down around her once more.

If she can learn to risk everything for desires she has long buried, she will discover a world of intimacy and acceptance she never believed would be hers.

From the author of My Oxford Year, Julia Whelan’s uplifting novel tells the story of a former actress turned successful audiobook narrator—who has lost sight of her dreams after a tragic accident—and her journey of self-discovery, love, and acceptance when she agrees to narrate one last romance novel.

Audio Review: Book Lovers by Emily Henry

 

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Publication Date: May 3rd 2022 by Berkley & Penguin Audio

Pages: 384

Audio Book Length: 11 hrs 23 min

Narrator: Julia Whelan

Source: Publisher & Libro.fm

Rating: ★★★★★

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

My Thoughts:

Nora Stephens, a literary agent, is known as a shark in her industry getting the best deals for her clients. She’s focused on her job and doesn’t mind that since she loves books and loves New York city where she works. However, her younger sister, Libby, has other ideas and convinces her to spend a month in Sunshine Falls, the setting of a blockbuster book Nora repped. Libby thinks Nora works too much and needs to get a life and makes a list of small-town activities sure to land Nora in her happily-ever-after story, but Nora couldn’t think of anything worse. Still, she wants to figure out the distance she’s been feeling from her sister, the most important and loved person in her life and so she reluctantly agrees to take the month “off” and go. However, Sunshine Falls isn’t shaping up to the be the cute, perfect town described in fiction, and the differences made me laugh so much.

Oh, Book Lovers was sooo good! Clever, witty, sharp humor. My favorite Emily Henry to date! I just loved Nora and Charlie’s encounters. Big Foot erotica?!! I looked like a loony-tune laughing my head off over that on my commute! I loved that Nora wasn’t the typical heroine, but was a sharp-tongued workaholic, perfect for the likes of Charlie. They both lived, loved, and breathed books and were the perfect match even though they were a bit adversarial, (in a totally fun, not mean spirited at all way) in the beginning. Loved their banter! They got each other in a profound way and their chemistry was smoking hot!

Julia Whelan did a superb job narrating all voices and her comedic timing was excellent! I listened at my usual 1.5x the normal speed.

5 Stars

Book Description:

One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming....

Nora Stephens' life is books - she’s read them all - and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away - with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again - in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow - what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.