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See Jane Snap
- By: Bethany Crandell
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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See Jane smile. Thirty-nine-year-old Jane Osborne appears to the world like she has a charmed life. Her daughter attends private school. Jane chairs the PTA. Even her marriage to Dan, the handsome, prominent surgeon, is blissfully happy. Her universe is stable, and her future is fixed...just like that smile. Because it’s all a ruse. Unbeknownst to anyone, after eighteen years of marriage, Dan’s revealed that he’s been living a double life and is in love with a man. But for the sake of his career, Jane must keep that secret, secret.
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Whoa! good one
- By lucy on 09-19-21
- See Jane Snap
- By: Bethany Crandell
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
See Jane Do Nothing for the First 4 Chapters
Reviewed: 04-02-25
It takes 2 hours for Jane to snap. A full 2 hours of listening before she loses it, and no, it's not worth the wait. I only kept listening because the blurb made it sound like she had a very public meltdown, but when Jane finally snaps, it's not very dramatic or even very public. It's not even entertaining or funny, which I only mention because the next chapter is absolutely HILARIOUS, and the only really good part of the book.
Bethany Crandell can clearly write humor, and it's brilliantly, hysterically performed by Xe Sands. I'm not into rom-coms, but I absolutely could have listened to an entire book of Jane's absolute hot mess of a meet-cute. I think this book would have been better served if the author had focused exclusively on the romance, or on the issue of the husband's secret. Instead, she spends the 1st two hours building a protagonist that is not particularly interesting or likable, and setting up multiple plot lines that all end up dragging the others out.
This book couldn't keep my focus because of its own lack of focus, and the protagonist was so "meh" that even the talents of Xe Sands couldn't make her compelling.
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The Goddess Effect
- A Novel
- By: Sheila Yasmin Marikar
- Narrated by: Sheila Yasmin Marikar
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Anita is over her life in New York: her dead-end job, tiny studio apartment, self-obsessed friends, and overbearing mom. So she moves west to Los Angeles in search of a new career, enlightenment, and that nebulous target...wellness. She discovers an elite workout class called the Goddess Effect, run by a lifestyle guru named Venus who’s the very definition of #goals. One look at her Lululemon-clad acolytes sweating out their demons while dripping with confidence and Anita’s all in.
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Don't Say You Weren't Warned
- By T on 03-30-25
- The Goddess Effect
- A Novel
- By: Sheila Yasmin Marikar
- Narrated by: Sheila Yasmin Marikar
Don't Say You Weren't Warned
Reviewed: 03-30-25
Yes, the narration is as bad as everyone says. The author sounds like an answering machine that’s struggling to stay awake… and losing the battle. I tried listening to this on 1.4x speed which helped with the weird long pauses and pacing, but it didn’t do anything for the monotonous lack of inflection and choppiness.
Also, the story doesn’t start until Chapter 5 and still hadn’t gone anywhere by Chapter 14, when I finally gave up. I think I kept trying to give it a chance because, while wellness industry feminist satire novels are having a moment, I thought it would be interesting to see how the protagonist’s cultural lens would come into play as part of the commentary.
If you’re reading this, I assume you have Audible. Check out the Audible Original “Self Center”; it came out the same year and is exponentially better.
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Any One of Us
- By: Martyn Ford
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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When Ruby hears from her best friend Elizabeth that two of their old classmates have been murdered, Ruby is more certain than ever that leaving her hometown was the right decision. But after Elizabeth suddenly stops responding to texts, and Ruby hears a third classmate has been killed, she knows in her heart what has happened. Elizabeth is dead too. Missbrook Bay is a place haunted by memories Ruby wanted to forget, and people she never wanted to see again, but Ruby has no choice but to go back to investigate.
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Solid Thriller
- By T on 03-27-25
- Any One of Us
- By: Martyn Ford
- Narrated by: Moira Quirk
Solid Thriller
Reviewed: 03-27-25
This wasnʻt what I expected it to be. I expected a campy slasher, but the plot is more complex, dark, and interesting than I had expected. There are a lot of reviews about how slowly this book moves along, and how many irrelevant asides there are. I didn’t find this to be particularly slow paced, but that’s likely because as soon as I saw a run time of 11.5 hours, I went ahead and listed to this on 1.2x speed. Additionally, the narrator is excellent, which may have made all the personal details and side stories more interesting. It felt more like I was getting to know a character in depth, rather than listening to a bunch of filler material.
I do think the final twist was unnecessary. While it didn't quite reach the point of being convoluted, I think the plot ended up being more complicated than it needed to be by the end. I prefer plausibility in thrillers over a shocking twist, so I feel like the author should have quit while ahead.
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3 people found this helpful
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To the Bridge
- A True Story of Motherhood and Murder
- By: Nancy Rommelmann
- Narrated by: Nancy Rommelmann
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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On May 23, 2009, Amanda Stott-Smith drove to the middle of the Sellwood Bridge in Portland, Oregon, and dropped her two children into the Willamette River. Forty minutes later, rescuers found the body of four-year-old Eldon. Miraculously, his seven-year-old sister, Trinity, was saved. As the public cried out for blood, Amanda was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to thirty-five years in prison.
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Difficult subject matter; not a fan of the writing style nor narration
- By DS on 07-07-18
- To the Bridge
- A True Story of Motherhood and Murder
- By: Nancy Rommelmann
- Narrated by: Nancy Rommelmann
Why Do Authors Do This?
Reviewed: 03-22-25
Why do authors insist on narrating their own work? Is it to save money? Misplaced vanity? As others have said, Nancy Rommelmannʻs narration is just TERRIBLE. Not fine, not mediocre, but truly an unpleasant experience. She sounds like a robot reading from a teleprompter. And not like a sentient, evolving AI robot. Even Alexa has more tone, inflection, and personality when it speaks.
I couldn't finish this because the author's flat, emotionless deadpan kept causing me to zone out. The topic of this case is horrific; I shouldn't be lulled to sleep out of boredom while listening to someone describe child murders.
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The Real Deal
- By: Caitlin Devlin
- Narrated by: Eilidh Beaton
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Belle Simon was just 12 years old when she was one of six girls plucked from obscurity to star in reality TV sensation The Real Deal. Under the wing of dazzling star Donna Mayfair, she and the other five girls were meant to become world-famous actresses, singers and dancers. But at 26, Belle is trying to live anonymously, away from being loved or loathed. The public eye has never fully shut, however, and when a producer offers Belle a big paycheck to join a reunion special for The Real Deal, she finds it hard to say no.
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Don't Expect a Thriller
- By T on 03-18-25
- The Real Deal
- By: Caitlin Devlin
- Narrated by: Eilidh Beaton
Don't Expect a Thriller
Reviewed: 03-18-25
I’ve been struggling to understand why this book has such a relatively low rating. It’s well written, and while I personally don’t care for Eilidh Beaton’s actual voice, her acting itself is excellent.
Looking through reviews, it seems there are a few common complaints. The first of which is the lack of action and payoff at the end. I think some listeners/readers had the expectation of a big twist or reveal, due in part to the way the book’s blurb makes it sound like a mystery or thriller. The Real Deal is neither of those things. Amazon got it right by listing the book under “Literary Fiction: Psychological.”
The Real Deal is an in-depth look at the psychological development of child reality stars through the fictional re-imagining of what we now know went on behind the scenes of Dance Moms, all the way up to the reunion that was filmed only months before The Real Deal was published. The book’s protagonist appears to be based on Maddie Ziegler, while the character of Donna appears to be an amalgamation of Abby Lee Miller and Sia, two adults whose clear favoritism of Ziegler as a child raised significant controversy.
The other main complaint listeners/readers seem to have with the book is that the protagonist isn’t likable. Belle is not at all relatable, but I think that’s the point. Very few people on this planet will have the experience of being a child reality star. While we have plenty of documentation on the impact being on reality TV can have on the mental health of its participants, and there is plenty of documentation as well on how being a child star can affect the emotional growth of an individual, there are only a handful of people who have had the experience of being a child reality star. The Real Deal seeks to examine the sort of person who would succeed as a child reality star, while also attempting to illustrate the complex relationships these children have with the adults in their environment who seek to protect or exploit them.
I personally do recommend this book, but perhaps it’s best enjoyed if you don’t expect a thriller, or for the main character to even be likable. As a psychological profile on an unusual but timely phenomenon in our society, The Real Deal is a very compelling book.
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Beneath the Surface
- By: Sibel Hodge
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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When the teenage son of Holly Gold's school friend brutally murders his parents before killing himself, her sleepy home town is rocked by the sudden tragedy. Appalled, Holly investigates. What could have caused the happy-go-lucky boy she remembers to commit such a heinous crime? When another teen commits suicide, she uncovers a horrifying link between the recent deaths and a dark conspiracy to hide the truth.
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Not enough research on mental illness...
- By Kelly on 08-24-17
- Beneath the Surface
- By: Sibel Hodge
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
DNF
Reviewed: 03-15-25
I made it through 3 hours of this before I gave up. Even on 1.2x speed, it just dragged on pointlessly. The plot itself had plenty of potential, but the first 9 chapters is just the protagonist talking to people, none of which say anything revealing or interesting. We really don't need to hear 5 different conversations of 5 different people explaining in detail how the kid seemed totally normal and was totally fine.
The narrator was adequate. Not amazing, but there wasn't anything wrong with her performance. It just wasn't much of a performance since the entire thing is just the protagonist talking... and talking... and talking. Honestly, this is a plot that could have been really compelling under a better author, but with Hodge's execution it was just really really boring.
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The Toll
- By: Cherie Priest
- Narrated by: T. Ryder Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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State Road 177 runs along the Suwannee River, between Fargo, Georgia, and the Okefenokee Swamp. Drive that route from east to west, and you'll cross six bridges. Take it from west to east, and you might find seven. But you'd better hope not. Titus and Melanie Bell leave their hotel in Fargo for a second honeymoon canoeing the Okefenokee Swamp. But shortly before they reach their destination, they draw up to a halt at the edge of a rickety bridge with old stone pilings, with room for only one car....
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An Enjoyable Listen
- By Tanya Twombly on 11-06-19
- The Toll
- By: Cherie Priest
- Narrated by: T. Ryder Smith
Modern Southern Gothic
Reviewed: 02-25-25
This sat in my list for awhile since the blurb didn't convey much beyond probably horror; I'd not read Cherie Priest before, so her name itself didn't provide much of a draw, either. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this. The writing was much better than I had expected, and the book itself is more than your run-of-the-mill horror. While set in the modern day, The Toll is fully steeped in Southern Gothic. The narrator was also fantastic. Not only was he adept at doing a number of different voices and accents, it was clear he was very connected with Priest's writing style and brought the humor and emotion of her dialogue to life.
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A Special Place for Women
- By: Laura Hankin
- Narrated by: Laura Hankin
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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It’s a club like no other. Only the most important women receive an invitation. But one daring young reporter is about to infiltrate this female-run secret society, whose bewitching members are caught up in a dark and treacherous business. From the author of Happy and You Know It.
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Bunny Did it Better
- By T on 02-21-25
- A Special Place for Women
- By: Laura Hankin
- Narrated by: Laura Hankin
Bunny Did it Better
Reviewed: 02-21-25
If you're into sharp, dark feminist satire in the form of supernatural horror, you should probably skip this one in favor of Mona Awad's Bunny. Not that this is a bad book, but it's at best Bunny Lite. Awad manages a much sharper skewering of patriarchy through well-honed satire, has much stronger writing skills, and dials the horror up to 11.
That being said, Bunny is a bit too weird for some readers. If you're looking for something less intense and a lot less off the rails, but still forces the reader/listener to examine the implications of gatekeeping feminism by wealthy, elite white women, this will still do the trick.
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The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
- By: Grady Hendrix
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Patricia Campbell's life has never felt smaller. Her ambitious husband is too busy to give her a goodbye kiss in the morning, her kids have their own lives, her senile mother-in-law needs constant care, and she's always a step behind on thank-you notes and her endless list of chores. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a close-knit group of Charleston women united by their love of true crime and paperback fiction. At these meetings they're as likely to talk about the Manson family as they are marriage, motherhood, and neighborhood gossip.
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Not my cup of tea
- By NorthernPerson on 04-21-20
- The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
- By: Grady Hendrix
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
This is why I Listen to Audiobooks
Reviewed: 01-29-25
I don’t like vampires. I’ve never understood the appeal. But I will listen to anything by Grady Hendrix and Iʻm glad I listened to this one.
Bahni Turpin is just an absolutely fantastic narrator. She really understands Hendrix’s drama and humor, and brings his characters to life the way they deserve. What sets Grady Hendrix apart from most horror writers is the time and care he spends building his characters before delving into the weird and gory. He creates relatable characters thrust into unrelatable situations, and Turpin is adept at balancing the dichotomy of the two.
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The Grand Hotel: A Novel
- By: Scott Kenemore
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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The Grand Hotel is a horror novel by esteemed best-selling author Scott Kenemore ( Zombie, Ohio) that takes the reader on a thrilling ride through an interconnected series of stories narrated by the desk clerk and the residents of the hotel itself. And while it is not known whether or not the desk clerk is actually the devil incarnate, it is strange that so many visitors who come for a tour of the hotel have a way of never leaving.
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So glad I found The Grand Hotel...
- By Helen The Dog Lady on 09-06-20
- The Grand Hotel: A Novel
- By: Scott Kenemore
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
Old School Chills and Thrills
Reviewed: 01-10-25
Not since I first read Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man nearly 30 years ago have I so enjoyed a connected anthology. These stories harken back to the days of Weird Tales and the original Twilight Zone, when creep factor arose out of what was unexplainable, not what might jump out from behind a tractor and slash you to death. Rather than being genuinely terrifying, the stories are weird and plaintive, emotionally evocative and thought-provoking.
As others have mentioned, the voice actor does a fantastic job. I found his speed for the narrator to be too slow and listened to this on 1.2x, but the voice actor’s range in accent work is truly impressive.
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