Allison Hewitt Is Trapped

A Zombie Novel

By: Madeleine Roux

Narrated by: Piper Goodeve

Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

One woman's story as she blogs about - and fights back against - the zombie apocalypse.

Allison Hewitt and her five colleagues at the Brooks and Peabody Bookstore are trapped together when the zombie outbreak hits. Allison reaches out for help through her blog, writing on her laptop and utilizing the military's emergency wireless network (SNET). It may also be her only chance to reach her mother. But as the reality of their situation sinks in, Allison's blog becomes a harrowing account of her edge-of-the-seat adventures (with some witty sarcasm thrown in) as she and her companions fight their way through ravenous zombies and sometimes even more dangerous humans.

Narrated by Piper Goodeve and a full cast.

©2011 Madeleine Roux (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Madeline Roux manages to answer the eternal question all of us must ask ourselves eventually: 'When the zombie apocalypse comes (and it will come), how will I handle it?' For my part, I hope I manage it with as much humanity and determination as Allison. But I would like to make a request for bigger weapons." (Christine Warren, New York Times best-selling author of The Others series)

Enjoyed this one!

Listened/Read for Fun (Audible/Paper Copy)
Tracking Books Read Review (Short)
Overall Rating: 3.50
Story Rating: 3.50
Character Rating: 3.50

Audio Rating: 3.50 (not part of the overall rating)

First Thought when Finished: Allison Hewitt is Trapped was a fun listen that finally made it off my TBR stack!

Overall Thoughts: This book has been on my TBR for quite awhile so I broke down and bought the audio version so that I could get to it. It was so fun! I thought Madeleine did a fantastic job at building the world and making it something that I could actually see happening. Allison was a great leading character that made root for her all the way. The thing I loved the most is that these characters were real. There was no big burly superheroes that busted in and saved the day. There were real people fighting to stay alive. There were lives lost, loves started, hardships dealt with, and quests to find loved ones. It was just a great read!

Audio Thoughts:

Narrated By Piper Goodeve / Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins


Piper did a good job with the voice for Allison but I thought the pacing was a little off in the beginning. Whether that was the story or the narration, it was something that I noticed. I haven't listened to Piper before but I would listen to her again.

Final Thought: Yeah for knocking one off the TBR Shelf and it being worth the money spent!

Just sticks in my head.

While this book is a definite lightweight in the genre of zombie fiction, it's such an easy and fun book I've come back to retread it multiple times. The protagonist is female and both not so masculine I can't relate or so girly I want to root for the zombies. Women in her world do some incredibly stupid, fearful, and hurtful acts so there's no bias towards women over men in the book. I would say it's not as gruesome as some of the books. Basically a really fun read.

Really Enjoyed !!!!!

Would you listen to Allison Hewitt Is Trapped again? Why?

I may, it was a easy listen.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Allison Hewitt Is Trapped?

There were many memorable moments,

Have you listened to any of Piper Goodeve’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first listen by the narrator, she did a really good job :)

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really, this is more a action book.

I Really liked it but where are the zombies?

Written as a blog, this “zombie” book doesn’t actually have much in the way of zombies but is entertaining none the less. The story takes you through the early days of the outbreak and beyond as a small group of survivors as they make their way through this word and try to survive. The voice of its young author come through loud and clear in this one and I think anyone from 20-40 will find this book right up their alley. It’s got plenty of action as the group finds itself in trouble more often than not but it’s mostly from other survivors with the undead making an appearance every so often. Other than some blood lust every once and a while the characters are likable and quickly form a bond that makes you feel as if you’re right in there with them. My only real complaint about the story would have to be that since its told through a blog and the way it’s written (the emotions mentioned) tells you that you’re reading a firsthand account not an observation or retelling so you know that she made it out of that alive. I know that comment is probably bit nit-picky since the hero escapes in 95% of books anyways, it’s really the journey that brings the suspense and this one does a good job.

Ms. Goodeve does a good job all around and the cast reading the comments was a nice touch.

Just OK

This audiobook starts out interesting but does not give you any great thrills.
It is very slow going. The overall story gets summed up in the last 3 minutes of the book.
Disappointing...

I would tell a friend.

If you could sum up Allison Hewitt Is Trapped in three words, what would they be?

Interesting story line.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

i liked how the story started with employees at a book store.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

i think the narrator fit the character quite well.

Any additional comments?

it was worth the credit and i would listen again.

Whew! Exciting and hopeful.

Alison’s struggles and triumphs are believable and thrilling. I cared about all the characters and their hopes and dreams.

Piper Goodeve was a fantastic narrator- I’ll look for more books read by her.

Excellent story, which I highly recommend.

Fun Apoclyptic Zombie Tale!

I enjoyed this book and found the style to be unique and fun - storytelling through her blog, followed by "comments" offered by her blog readers. It fit well. I didn't expect much as i have read many zombie books and figured it couldn't have much of anything new to offer, but the story was different and the characters were fun - even the ones i hated along with Allison. Where many zombie books i have read focus on the action, this novel also paid enough attention to the small details that helped the setting feel more realistic (i.e how and where to dispose of their waste?, trying to track down an internet signal, or trying to invent their version of Molotov cocktails based on what she had seen in the movies)! Allison is a brave, inventive, ax-wielding female who proved she could take care of herself, but never had to do so alone. When the world has fallen to crap - friends are detrimental to one's survival. I would like to listen to this story again someday and would therefore rate this it 4****s.

Great zombie story

I wasn't a big zombie fan until I read Mark Tufo. Madeleine Roux is a VERY good follow up. Interesting characters. The main character is a strong woman that really takes on the situation. I really like that a woman plays the strong hero. That is very rare in a zombie story.

A Good Classic Zombie Story

I liked that this story remained narrow-focussed and intimate. And it kept to that track almost throughout, and only got a little broader towards the end. Allison's survival depended upon making lucky choices a lot of the time, but after a while you start having to wonder when that luck was going to run out.

There was good character development here, and the tragedy and its impact on the characters is explored convincingly.

I've read several zombie novels now that rely upon a "diary" structure, and personally I don't know what the motivation is for that construction. It's not necessary to the story, and in many places punctures the tension due to the obvious "I lived to write about it" necessity of the form. Yes, it's used to bookend the story, but for me it could have been scrapped in lieu of a straightforward narrative and been the better for it.

Overall a very good listen, though, and I will look out for more from this author.