3.75⭐ (GRAPHIC AUDIO EDITION) I didn‘t like the narrator in the original version, so I thought I‘d try the GA ed. to see if I could gel with it. Unfortunately, they still had Darrow voiced by someone with an accent, so I still struggled.
Despite my issues, I liked this version more. However, I still didn‘t really understand what was going on in the second half of the book. Is it some sort of test, and if it is, did he pass?⬇️⬇️⬇️

3.5⭐
•This has five-star potential, but ultimately I was left feeling unfulfilled and even low-key enraged with the author‘s idea of closure.
•The narration was performed wonderfully by Thérèse Plummer.

4⭐
•This had a very unique concept and for the most part, it was well executed. Things got a little muddled in the middle, making it difficult to follow but fortunately, I gleaned enough of that muddled part for everything to come together by the end.
•Jennifer Pickens was fine but this could‘ve benefited greatly from additional narrators.

4.5⭐
•A fascinating concept that was almost perfectly executed. Although, I could‘ve done without the turmoil of wondering if the dog would be harmed. It spun the oft-used podcast element on its head. If you‘re a fan of psych thrillers; this one is not to be missed.
•Allyson Ryan and Patrick Zeller both performed excellently.

Light Pick | 3.5⭐
•This was super long and super slow-burn. I think the potential for a heartfelt romance was there but the writing failed to get me invested in these characters enough to justify spending that much time with them. I really like this author‘s time-travel series but this one was just okay.
•I liked Ashley Brice but Will Tulin, while a good narrator, does not have the right voice tone for romance, although he did grow on me.

3.5⭐Light Pick
•Ultimately I liked the story…despite the knife-play scene (ugh, is this a thing?). Also, the characters came off as unrealistic and seriously obsessed with sex/dirty talk. And yet, it ended up entertaining me, what can I say, clearly I‘m a sucker for duet narration…because Elena Wolfe and Jacob Morgan killed it.

4⭐
•How far would you go for your best friend, would you help her bury a body? This turns that phrase into a whole damn story. Complete with nosy neighbors, blackmail, a separate hit-and-run accident, interfering kids, and many red herrings.
•Hillary Huber and Andi Ardnt performed the narration fantastically.

4.25⭐
•This audiobook started with the author assuring us that the pets depicted do not come to harm, which I found awesome. I had just finished another book and worried throughout if anything would happen to the dog. It was nerve-wracking, and not in a good way. This one took me for a ride, and it was an interesting take on the donor-family/donor-recipient relationship concept.
• Gail Shalan and Chris Andrew Ciulla performed the narration well.

4.75⭐
•Ugh…that ending left me reeling in more ways than one. I‘m hella confused about what is going on and wishing that it wouldn‘t be so long (however long that may be) for the next installment to come out. Reading up on stats from the wiki has helped to lessen my confusion, at least a little.
•Rebecca Soler was much improved since the first book…but I still prefer the Graphic Audio editions of this so much more.

This was a worthwhile listen with stories from both sides of the spectrum, and I learned a thing or two about GLP-1s. The audio felt like an actual podcast—it's possible that it was a recording of a podcast, even.

Light Pick (almost) 3.5⭐
•The author set the scene very well in this book, I felt like I was there at times and for me that‘s something. But the slow burn and possibly the plot's outrageousness brought this down a notch or two. This is one of those stories where the side characters are more interesting than the main characters.
• Brittany Pressley and Stacey Glemboski performed the narration excellently.

Here is my #bookspinbingo board for FEBRUARY!

@TheAromaofBooks

My final #bookspinbingo board for January.

I finished all but one book, so a pretty good month.

I had two DNFs; If You Can Hear This & All the Colors of the Dark (yes, I dnf'd ATCOTD, I couldn't gel with the writing style).

@theAromaofBooks

#FEBRUARY #bookspinbingo board

@theAromaofBooks

4.5⭐
• This was surprisingly good for a YA high school drama, especially since lately I think they're all just a little too juvenile for me. It restored my faith that there is good ya out there for adults who like ya. I don‘t want to give too much away so I‘ll add things got a little insane in the end but it was definitely thrilling.
•Lily Ganser was a new-to-me narrator from whom I would love to hear more of.

4.75⭐
A searing look at the world of Ice Dance featuring a troubled romance, fraught with heartbreak both on and off the ice. It was a slightly slow start but once it took off, I was hooked. The full-cast narration with interview commentary was perfectly performed and one of the book's highlights. I highly recommend this for anyone who loves Taylor Jenkins-Reid…it was like a mash-up between Daisy Jones and the Six and Carrie Soto is Back.

4.5⭐
•Well this was super fun, & twisty…right up to very end. The full-cast narration was the icing on this twisty, layered cake. While the story had a repetitive angle, I didn't have an issue with it since it was vastly different depending on whose head you were in.

2⭐
•ya•supernatural-ish thriller•prophetic dreams•murder-y•secret society•

I‘m left wondering if I read a different book than everyone else because it seems like many readers loved this…but I did not. Whatever it was trying to be, and I‘m not sure that it knew what it was trying to be, was too problematic for me, and the characters were too saccharine to be believable.

4⭐
•If you like all of the above mixed with a Miami flair and you‘re okay with nothing too mind-blowing happening, then this could hit just right. Also, the ending surprised me with where it went.
•The full-cast narration was fantastic and made the story more enjoyable by far.

4⭐
•This story is about a rape and so much more. It won‘t be for everybody, but I was fixated on it despite, or perhaps because, it tended to resemble a train wreck.
•Marin Ireland's narration was superb as always.

4.75⭐A perfect ending to the series, leaving just enough to your imagination. I came to care for these characters. The setting of Michigan hit home for me…like literally. While the writing wasn‘t as polished as I would like, I feel it was made up for in other areas. As for the narration; I‘ve said it many times, I wish it had been full cast because it would‘ve been so good. But it was not to be, and Stacey Glemboski did do a good job with it.

4.25⭐
•Despite being a tad long-winded, this was still so riveting. Although, the abuse this girl and her siblings endured was difficult to listen to at times.
•As for the narration, you have to give her credit for telling her own story, and she wasn‘t so bad that I wanted to quit listening or anything that extreme.

2.5⭐

•mystery suspense thriller•amnesia•twisty•predictable•

•I didn‘t fully see the first twist—but I easily figured out the next one, and the climantic ending was too implausible to be believed even a little.
•The narration by Kimberly M Wetherell was fine.

3.5⭐(Light Pick)
•I feel like this was a bit unfocused and lacked depth. Maybe it needed to pick one genre and stick to it. It seemed to want to dip its toes into as many as possible without fully committing to one. Overall, it had elements that worked and ones that didn‘t work for me.
•The narration performed by Deanna Anthony, Carmel Jewel Jones, & Robin Eller was fantastic.

3⭐
•domestic suspense•mystery thriller•heavy stalker vibes•fortunate coincidences•

•This wasn‘t a bad story, but I think I wanted it to end differently. Then again, I‘m not sure I care either way. I guess I‘m mostly feeling indifferent about it.
•The narration by Jennifer Pickens was fine.

3.75⭐
•A decent story despite getting a little difficult to follow towards the end.
•Stephanie Nemeth-Parker and Corey Carthew were both satisfactory.

4.25⭐
•If I rated primarily based on the content, this would get 5 stars…but when I factor in the delivery of the content, I can‘t help but lower it. I‘m not always a fan of how this author writes, but I‘m definitely a fan of the intriguing topics she brings to her books.
•Carlotta Brentan‘s narration was top-notch, she has a wide range of accents.

3.5⭐
•I loved Most Wanted (Han and Qi‘ra‘s origin story) by Rae Carson, so I was all set to love this one. But, unfortunately, it failed to lure me in. Maybe it's because it was a different writer.
•The narration by Oliva Hack was okay.

3.5⭐
•novella length audio•cheating drama•domestic psychological suspense•multiple POVs•full cast narration•

•Honestly, I was bored AF until the ending; it saved it from being completely mediocre. That and the narration…the full-cast narration was solid.

4⭐
The action starts early on and doesn‘t let up till the end. There was something in the beginning that happened that almost made me stop listening but I soldiered on and everything regarding that issue resolved itself in the end. I‘m glad I continued since this was a different kind of book for me, which I needed. This had quite a few elements that reminded me of the movie Con Air. The narration was decent.

P.S. the dog is okay…

I created an A-Z challenge that includes everything you could want in an A-Z challenge. This includes titles, authors, characters, items (on the covers), and a scavenger prompt.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/f958009c-40f5-456a-aef4-4156b6a...

If you have a Canva account, I also made a template to add all your books. That link will be in the comments because it's super long.

use #atozchallenge if you join and let me know

4.75⭐
•This book explores the nature of sociopathy and the moral complexities surrounding the act of killing. It challenges your understanding of sociopaths and their motivations, asking provocative questions about justification and morality. But it does it entertainingly, putting a unique spin on a typical thriller and it leaves you plenty to contemplate.
•Allyson Ryan‘s narration was very well done…she really made this character come to life.

My January #bookspinbingo board.

#bookspin = Raised by A Serial Killer by April Balascio
#doublespin = Lies He Told Me by James Patterson & David Bell (started this one today)

@TheAromaofBooks

It was a good year! Here are my Stats and Fav Books from 2024. (3 posts total).

Some more stats for the year...

THE FAVORITES:

Mystery - Listen for the Lie
Thriller - Kill For Me, Kill For You
Short Story - Mad Love
Dystopian - Edge of Anarchy
Contemporary - Remarkably Bright Creatures
Horror - We Kept Her in the Cellar
Fantasy - Fourth Wing Graphic Audio Edition
Romance - The Surviving Trace
Non-Fiction - Call Me God
Worst Book of the Year - This Might Hurt

MY 2024 Listening Bracket. I knew nothing was going to top The Great Alone.

4.25⭐
•A perfect stand-alone dystopian with a compelling message. It reads well for those that are young all the way to those that are young at heart.
•Another book I found because of the narrator…I love Brittany Pressley‘s narration.

3.25⭐
•While this had everything I was looking for in a Christmas read, not too violent or too fluffy, I still failed to connect with it but it could‘ve been a me thing since I do have trouble connecting with short books.
•Andi Ardnt‘s narration was fantastic and probably what kept me listening.

New Year...New #bookspinbingo list!!!

@TheAromaofBooks

Final #bookspinbingo board of the Year!
DNF'd both The Mountain King ( #doublespin ) & The God of the Woods ( I know a lot of people loved this...what can I say)
#bookspin What Happened That Night (finished)

Since I had The God of the Woods taking up two squares (because of length) and I finished another book that wasn't on my board/list and used up all my free spaces, I changed one of those squares to Everybody is a Liar.

@TheAromaofBooks

3.75⭐
•In my quest to find non-fluffy heartwarming Christmas reads I keep finding overtly violent ones. Overall, the plot was unoriginal at times and the violence was a little much for me, but the intensity was palpable, gripping enough that I found it challenging to look away. If you prefer a violent Christmas-themed book, this might be the one.
•This could‘ve been more engaging if it had had additional narrators.

4.5⭐
•Another heartfelt story by Suzanne Redfearn. While it wasn‘t quite as indelible as In An Instant, it was still quite good. While some characters were overbearing, I think it just goes to show that we all deal with grief in our own ways. I loved the ending.
•The full-cast narration was everything.

4.5⭐
•I'm certain this won't be for everyone, but I was fully absorbed by this woman and her mother-in-law's struggle with their loss. Her portrayal of the five stages of grief is spot-on, and it really connected me to the story.
•The narration by Julia Whelan was undeniably perfect.

2⭐

David Bell is hit or miss for me…and this was most definitely a miss. This story felt like it was going in one direction, which was fairly weak, but then it veered off into something entirely different and ultimately that was weak, too. Everything about it was just weak. Erin Spencer‘s narration was decent, but the other sister should‘ve had a different narrator.

3.5⭐Light Pick
•The chapters were short and easy to read, and I looked forward to reading the next chapter each day despite it being like a train wreck that you can‘t look away from most of the time. Eventually, I caved and read the last ten days in just two days. Each chapter alternates between the Dad, Mom, and the two daughters, and let‘s be real the kids were the real MVPs. But that ending; is so disappointing but typical of the horror genre.

4⭐
•A romance story with something more to it than just romance. I liked.
•I really wish she wouldn‘t use Carly Robins for all her romance books because she‘s slightly annoying, but maybe it‘s just me. Much love for Teddy Hamilton, though.

4.75⭐
•What a hidden gem this turned out to be, this book seems to have slipped off the radar and genuinely deserves to be read by more people. An uncompromising look at the opioid epidemic set in rural North Carolina but could‘ve been set anywhere with how widespread it is. If you liked Long Bright River but thought it was a tad verbose, then this book should hit just right.
•Brittany Pressley knocked this one out of the park, as usual.

4⭐
•This story really opens up the can of worms, it is so very provocative and ultimately scary AF, at least with where my mind went with it. While the story was not without its issues it was still worthwhile.
•Jennifer Jill Araya‘s narration was performed perfectly.

4.5⭐
•memoir•non-fiction•comedian•his life up to age 30•
•Loved it…he kept things real and of course, funny. Memoirs are the perfect December listen.