Peeking Between the Pages

...escape into the pages of a good book

Audiobooks

Keep Your Friends Close by Paula Daly (Audiobook)

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Goodreads Description

Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel of the Year

From breakout thriller writer Paula Daly, the story of a husband and wife and the devious best friend who comes between them.

Natty and Sean have a rock-solid marriage—with two daughters, a successful business, and a beautiful house, they are a model family. When their younger daughter falls ill on a school trip, Natty rushes to her side. Luckily, Natty’s best friend from college, Eve, is visiting and offers to stay with Sean to lend a hand in the household. But Natty returns home to find that Eve has taken to family life a little too well: Sean has fallen in love with her. With no choice but to put on a brave face, Natty attempts to start anew—yet no matter how hard she tries to set herself upright, Eve is there to knock her down again. Then Natty receives a mysterious note that says Eve has done this before—more than once—and the consequences were fatal. On a mission to reveal Eve as a vindictive serial mistress, Natty must navigate through a treacherous maze of secrets and lies that threatens her life and the safety of her loved ones.

My Thoughts

I’m so hooked on psychological thrillers now. Well I have been for a while. I love all kinds of books but there is nothing like a great thriller to keep you occupied in such a good way for hours. Keep Your Friends Close is one of those books! This was such a good listen for me. It sure leaves you wondering if you ever really know your friends. Sure you know them but do you know the inner workings of their minds… probably not.

I loved the characters. Natty has a great marriage and family. She’s someone people love. On the opposite end there is her best friend Eve who personifies evil. The Eve that Natty thought she knew is not the person she actually turns out to be. When Natty is called away to tend to her sick daughter Eve pushes right in to take over Natty’s husband, family; her life. It’s really pretty scary just how easily psychopaths can worm their way into your life and destroy anything and everything you ever thought you knew.

Audio Thoughts

This was a fantastic audio. It’s narrated by Colleen Prendergast and she does a great job. I haven’t listened to anything narrated by her before but I wouldn’t hesitate to again.

Recommended

Absolutely! Yet another great psychological thriller and an awesome listen for me!

I Know You by Annabel Kantaria (Audiobook)

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Gooddreads Book Description

You trust her.

You shouldn’t.

That picture you just posted on Instagram? I’ve seen it.
The location you tagged? I’ve been there.

You haven’t been careful enough, have you?
Because I know all about you.

But when I meet you, I won’t tell you that.
I’ll pretend. Just like you do.

You’ll like me though. You’ll trust me enough to let me into your life.

And then I’ll destroy it.

My Thoughts

This was a great psychological thriller that will leave you thinking about the things you post on social media sites. People are always posting about their personal lives – what they are doing and where they are going. Personal photos of family and their homes. The question is do we ever really know who is reading all this information. Who is studying our every move for their own disturbed reasons. There is no way of knowing who we are letting into our lives.

That is the premise for I Know You. The characters are great and the story line is an addictive one that kept me listening until I finally reached an ending that had a surprising twist. I listened to the audiobook which I think added so much more to the story. The narrator, Jessica Ball, was fantastic. I don’t think I’ve listened to her before but certainly would again. She adds that certain something that I think makes a psychological thriller even better to listen to.

I really enjoyed listening to this one. It would make a great read as well. If you like psychological thrillers I would recommend adding this one to your reading or listening list!

 

Source: Personal Copy

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney (Audiobook)

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This was a fantastic psychological thriller with some twists that took me very much by surprise.

The novel begins with Amber Reynolds telling us three things we need to know about her: 1. She is in a coma. 2. Her husband doesn’t love her anymore and 3. Sometimes she lies. This sets the tone for the whole novel as it goes back in forth from past to present in Amber’s life. As Amber lies in a coma she can hear everything going on around her and she struggles to piece everything together as she remembers nothing. Lying there unable to help herself she realizes she’s in danger but from who?

This novel is full of twists and turns that keep you from wanting to put this book down. I listened to the audio which is narrated by Stephanie Racine who did such a great job building the suspense in the story. I haven’t listened to her before but she has the type of voice I love listening to so I wouldn’t hesitate to again.

If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers as I am grab a copy of this one!

 

Source:  Library copy.

The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer (Audiobook)

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What a thrill ride The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer is! I really enjoyed The Twilight series by her and at first I was leery of reading this as I didn’t want more of the same. After reading the description though I gave it a go and I’m so glad I did. I was glued to this book from the first chapter to the last and listening to it on audio made it all the more exciting. It is narrated by Ellen Archer and she does a fabulous job of bringing this suspenseful story alive.

Juliana is an ex-agent who has been on the run from her former employers who want nothing more than to see her dead. Juliana worked for the government with a highly secretive agency and when she became what they thought a threat they sought to eliminate her. She’s become adept at staying alive and under cover. When her old boss contacts her telling her he needs her to do one more job and after this job the agency will never bother her again she realises that she has no choice other than to take it. In doing so though she meets someone who becomes important to her and in her line of work this is never a good thing. As the situation becomes more and more dangerous Juliana finds herself using her skills in ways she never imagined just to stay alive.

I really enjoyed this book especially in audio and seventeen hours just flew by. I liked Juliana as a character being that she’s a strong and capable woman. It was fast paced and exciting and well worth the hours spent on it. Recommended for fans of Stephenie Meyer and for those who enjoy a good thriller.

 

 

Source: Library copy.

My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella (Audiobook)

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Sophie Kinsella’s books are always such a fun read and My Not So Perfect Life was no different. I love the charm and wittiness of her novels and her books always leave me feeling good having had more than a few laughs.

Katie lives the perfect life in London… or does she? Not really. She has this tiny flat, a made up life on Instagram, and while the company she works for is glamorous her admin job is not. She keeps hoping that one day with hard work and perseverance her dream job will come her way. However that may have to wait a while since losing even her low paying admin job courtesy of her boss Demeter. Demeter who has it all – the high paying glamorous job and the wonderful family. Katie has no choice but to move back home for a while and help her father with his new glamping business. It turns out Katie is pretty successful with helping her father get his business up and running. Even better is the day that her old boss Demeter shows up for a holiday with her family and Katie can see revenge before her eyes. Yet as she sees another side to Demeter revenge suddenly doesn’t seem as important to her as it once did.

I loved the lightness of this novel but also that it shows as that a not so perfect life is sometimes the most perfect one we can have. I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Fiona Hardingham and she was just wonderful to listen to. She was just perfect as Katie. My Not So Perfect Life is most definitely another winner for Sophie Kinsella!

 

 

Source: Library copy.

When I’m Gone by Emily Bleeker (Audiobook)

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 Having read Emily Bleeker’s first novel Wreckage and loving it I was really excited to read her newest one called When I’m Gone. Once again I found myself loving another piece of her work. She is very talented at weaving a story that captures your interest from beginning to end. When I’m Gone is a novel of love, loss, and deeply buried secrets.

When Luke arrives home after burying his wife Natalie he finds a blue envelope addressed to him on his floor. It turns out to be the first of many such letters that his wife wrote to him before she passed. As Luke struggles to learn how to care for his three children on his own the letters begin to increasingly take over his every thought. He’s left questioning the relationship he had with Natalie and the life they’d lived foe the past sixteen years.

This novel very much reminded me of P.S. I Love You with the letters being left to a remaining partner but in When I’m Gone there is a much more serious twist. Another thing I find is that I don’t always enjoy a novel from a male perspective but Luke is such a well written character that I found myself connecting with him right from the beginning and liked him throughout.

I listened to the audio version of When I’m Gone which is narrated by Dan John Miller and he does a fabulous job of portraying Luke and the various emotional upheavals occurring throughout the novel. I highly recommend When I’m Gone. Emily Bleeker is an author who has been added to my favorites for go to authors. On another note you may want to have a few tissues handy for the end of the novel- there’s a definite weep worthy moment or two.  Absolutely excellent!

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Source: Digital review copy received from the publisher for an honest review. Audiobook personal copy. No compensation was received.