Burn It All Down

By: Nicolas DiDomizio

Narrated by: Mark Sanderlin

Take the ride of a lifetime with this mother/son crime/revenge thriller James Patterson praises as “audacious, addictive, highly entertaining.”

Eighteen-year-old aspiring comic Joey Rossi just found out his boyfriend has been cheating on him for the past 10 months. But what did he expect? Joey was born with an addiction to toxic jerks - something he inherited from his lovably messy, wisecracking, Italian-American spitfire of a mom (and best friend): 34-year-old Gia Rossi.

When Gia’s latest non-relationship goes up in flames only a day later, the pair’s Bayonne, New Jersey apartment can barely contain their rage. In a misguided attempt at revenge, Joey and Gia inadvertently commit a series of crimes and flee the state, running to the only good man either of them has ever known - Gia’s ex, Marco. As they hide out from the law at Marco’s secluded lake house, Joey and Gia must confront all the bad habits and mistakes they’ve made that have led them to this moment - and find a way to take responsibility for what they’ve done.

©2021 Nicolas DiDomizio (P)2021 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Don't try to drink any beverages while reading this laugh-out-loud novel about a mother and son duo who try to exact revenge on their lovers with disastrous results. It's super voicey, entirely too much fun, and full of love." (Good Housekeeping)

"A wild, delightful revenge thriller." (PopSugar)

"This hilarious revenge-filled romp may seem like nothing but fluffy fun at the start, but, on a deeper dive, it's a thoughtful examination of relationships and inherited trauma that will appeal to a wide range of readers.” (Booklist)

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I was sucked in just because it was so unbelievable. Whose that close to their mother? Whose that stupid?
Actually typing that out I realize a lot of people.

Every gay and Italian stereotype imaginable

and the narrator seemed to put little effort into pronouncing the Italian words correctly. I found the two main characters extremely unlikeable. I don't think we need so much reinforcement of queer stereotypes. It was well structured, and the prose was good -- I just felt strongly that this queer mother-and-son, Lucy-and-Ethel adventure would have benefitted from any substantial change in either character's world view by the end.

Fun and Highly Entertaining!

Great listen and amazing storyline! Keeps you on your toes and easy to fall in love with the characters. 5 stars!

All the Thelma and Louise feels

An entertaining, but also uneasy, story that sent me on the same roller coaster ride as when I watched the movie Thelma and Louise. As a rule follower, it’s hard for me to find the humor in felonious conduct.
I kept thinking of how the events of this book would really play out and it tainted much of the comedy. But, when I was able to channel Carrie Underwood’s Before He Cheats I enjoyed the manic wisecracks of Joey as he spirals and ached for his mom’s tough, but oh-so-vulnerable, bravado. I didn’t realize until it was over how much these characters and their story grew on me.

A great, gay listen

My only complaint is that the narrator pronounced GIF with a soft G. We all know gif is pronounced with a hard G.

Other than that, this book had a gay main character and, as a gay man myself, I found him extremely relatable and loved the complex morality of the novel.

*semi-spoiler alert*

The content was written well, narrated well, and overall *really* made me appreciate that I'm not wanted by the police. The dread and the anxiety the character felt in the fallout of the criminal activity really resonated with me.

a fun time ahead

I'm from Bayonne so I had to give this book a go. Entertaining from start to finish and best narration I've heard in a while, if ever.