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.

3.75⭐
•After not liking The Locked Door by this author, I found it difficult to try another by her. I finally caved in the spur of the moment and tried this one after a couple of DNFs of other books. And guess what, I didn‘t hate it, although the narrator was much better in this one. Also, the twists weren‘t completely out of left field so that helped.

3.75⭐
•The writing could use some polish but the story was engaging nonetheless.
•Karissa Vacker was amazing and Joel Richards wasn‘t too bad, either.

3.75⭐
•The author weaves an intricate web of pure insanity, there‘s a lot to unpack with this one…possibly a little too much. Although, there was never a dull moment.
•The narration by Emily Lawrence, Teri Schnaubelt, Eric Yang, Pete Cross, Gabriel Vaughan was amazing.

4.5⭐

•I never want to see this sort of scenario play out, this series has really driven that home for me. Especially since the setting of Michigan IS home for me. This was another exhilarating and terrifying addition to the series.
•Stacey Glemboski‘s narration was sufficient.

4.5⭐
•memoir•non-fiction•Elvis Pressley‘s daughter & grandaughter•dual POVs•

•Lisa Marie Pressley passed away before she could finish her memoir, so her daughter filled in the rest of what she didn‘t get to and she did an amazing job. While it had eccentricities it was also undeniably interesting.
•Riley Keough was amazing and Julia Roberts was phenomenal.

5⭐
•Honestly, Marcellus and the ending were everything in this book. It can be a bit of slow-burn but the payout and the snippets from Marcellus made it all worth it.
•Marin Ireland was the perfect narrator for this and she never disappoints. Michael Urie was also excellent as Marcellus.

Light Pick - 3.5⭐
•I expected this book to be as hard-hitting as a Kristin Hannah or a Taylor Jenkins Reid book. Unfortunately, it didn't quite get to that caliber. The slow-burning pace in this book was ultimately too slow for me, although, it did have its moments.
•I neither hated nor loved the narration, so it was sufficient.

4.5⭐
•An interesting conclusion to Nick and Quinn‘s story, although things did get a touch difficult to follow, what with the back and forth between the parallel dimensions. Overall, I recommend this to anyone who enjoys time-travel romance.
•Samantha Brentmoor & Jason Clarke‘s narration was excellent.

2.75⭐
•domestic suspense thriller•dual POVs that eventually converge•neighborhood drama•

•While the ending had some satisfying elements…most everything leading up to it was just, I don‘t know, underwhelming.
•The narration by Emily Ellet and Gail Shalan was good.

4.5⭐
•An amazing, heartbreaking story that sometimes gets difficult to listen to because it‘s so gut-wrenching.
•Not going to lie, I really wanted additional narrators for this because honestly, it deserved it.

4.25⭐
•Well this was different, weirdly maniacal, which is a good thing. The plot is intricately woven and keeps you on your A-game with the many unforeseen twists strewn throughout.
•The narration was performed quite well by Reba Buhr, even with the multiple POVs.

2.5⭐
ya mystery•slow-burn thriller•missing; presumed dead•reads like true crime•podcast•twisty•

• The less-than-likable characters, the overwhelming length, and the unrealistic ending all combined to leave me feeling underwhelmed. While it didn‘t work for me, I can totally see it working for others.
• The narration by Sophie Amoss was decent. She does a teenage character quite well.

3.5⭐ Light Pick.
I watched Magnum P.I. as a kid, I remember my mom had a thing for him. That said, I think he may have spent too much time and pages on his days during that show. It got a bit tedious and overall it made the book longer than necessary. He also wasn‘t the best celebrity narrator I‘ve heard.

2⭐
•This is the second “adult” book by Kara Thomas that I‘ve listened to and not been able to connect with the story. I love all her YA stuff, so I don‘t know what the deal is. Does she write that differently or is it a publisher thing? I seriously don‘t know.
•Helen Laser was fine but I did not care for Marli Watson.

Here's my #bookspinbingo board for DECEMBER 2024.

@TheAromaofBooks

5⭐
•I mostly loved it, just a few minor issues…like the jealous ex-lover, and the “he doesn‘t love me because he isn‘t truthful” & the length…holy crap it was long. It was a whole 8 hours longer than book #1. That ending, though…😲 I still love Tairn & Andarna the most…they seriously steal the show.
• I love the narration by GA so much more than the OG recording of this series. The story is only 4.5 stars, but I upped it to 5 for the narration.

3.25⭐
•This didn‘t really impress me much but I didn‘t hate it, either. Overall, it was quick and entertaining enough.
•Gail Shalan‘s narration was decent.

3.75⭐
•This is one of those stories where you already know who the killer is, but the mystery is in how the people in the story will find out and whether they will survive finding the truth. Overall, this was not without its issues, but I still found myself invested in the story.
•It was great that each POV had a different narrator and each of them gave a decent performance.

I didn't really get close to finishing my board this month but I still did pretty well (faded ones are the ones I didn't get to). I did finish both my #bookspin and my #doublespin, though.

@TheAromaofBooks

2.25⭐
• This could‘ve been slightly better, without Willa‘s POV. Well, maybe. Her point of view felt like it only served to confuse me. Plus, I didn‘t like her. Mary was a little too insipid for me to even care about her. I‘m left feeling underwhelmed with the story, overall.
•Not even my fav narrator, Karissa Vacker, could save this…Reba Buhr gave a confusing performance which wasn‘t her fault.

The final #bookspin list of the year!

In Michigan, we have our first snow of the season, and I had to drive to work in it this morning.

@TheAromaofBooks

3.75⭐
•As long as you are willing to suspend disbelief at times, this one can be both wildly entertaining and jaw-droppingly messed up.
• The multiple narrators brought this unhinged story to life.

2⭐
Ugh…well this didn‘t work for me. The narration was great…the story, not so much.

4⭐
The author gives us twists that are just omissions of truth, and I‘m not a fan. Gatekeeping thoughts for the sake of a twist is deceitful, and it doesn't work for me. But, on the other hand, she writes her characters so compellingly that I was completely hooked; that was on top of them being completely unlikeable. So, in a nutshell, this was completely bingeable but not without its issues. The narration was okay.

3.75⭐
•While nothing really stood out for me, this was still an interesting look at what a cult is and how it could affect one psychologically. Since it centers on mind manipulation it was very aptly titled.
•The narration by Julia Atwood was decent but it could‘ve benefited from additional narrators.

4.5⭐
•This was great in the way it shed light on a woman‘s role in Vietnam and in the way it opened my eyes to the horrors of the War in general. However, I wasn‘t always a fan of the story's direction. I mean, how much heartache can one woman take?
•The narration by Julia Whelan was wonderfully done.

4⭐
An interesting look at the rise of Van Halen through the eyes of Alex Van Halen (the drummer). This wasn‘t too much of a deep dive, more like a skimming of the surface. Mostly though, this was a homage to his brother and his talent, I felt the immense love he has for his brother, Eddie.

His narration would've been better if he told his story rather than “reading“ it, and yet, I'm still glad he narrated it, himself.

4.75⭐
• This book was maybe my favorite because Etienne travels to the future/Selene‘s era and his insatiable need to soak up every little thing he can was so fun to observe. This also had the perfect ending to a time-travel series. Perhaps, the most surprising thing about my reread/listen is that I enjoyed the series so much more the second time around.
• Mason Lloyd & Courtney Patterson both gave amazing performances.

4.75⭐
• I‘m fairly certain that I loved this series more the second time around, I think maybe it's because I didn‘t stress about the time-traveling making sense and just went with it. You have to be able to go with it. Also, I love these characters.
• Mason Lloyd & Courtney Patterson both gave amazing performances, especially with the French language.

2.75⭐• Every time I thought I was close to finishing the book, the author would throw a new twist, and it kept getting crazier with each new reveal. Also, all the covid bullshit dragged this down for me but I‘m not sure that the author could‘ve sold this scenario without a lockdown. Overall it was outlandlishly entertaining in a popcorn-y thriller kind of way.
• The narration by Brittany Pressley is the only thing that made this story worthwhile.

3.5⭐ --Light Pick
• Again, this was even more difficult to follow than the first two. The female characters all sound the same to me, so I almost never really know who is talking. I‘m sure the English accents aren‘t helping me differentiate either, but it‘s definitely not just that. There‘s a really good story here that I‘m struggling to comprehend, and I really wish I wasn‘t.

4⭐
•••A winter storm is the perfect scenario for a locked-room mystery and this one didn‘t disappoint. Some characters were off-beat but maybe that was a part of their appeal.
•••Hillary Huber is a favorite of mine…but it would‘ve been better with additional narrators.

3.5⭐
• I enjoyed the first book in this series, but this sequel didn‘t quite work for me. I‘m more than willing to say that this might have more to do with me than the book itself, since the first book was so good and because everyone else seems to love it.
• They switched narrators and I don‘t think I liked her as much as Stacey Glemboski.

4.25⭐
• This was an emotional read but lacked the punch to make it a true gut punch. It was good but lacked something that could‘ve made it great; so I liked it a lot but didn't quite love it. Ask For Andrea is still my fav, although this one is probably my second favorite by this author.
• Will Damron & Megan Tusing both give good performances.

3.75⭐• This book relies on a certain element (I‘m trying not to spoil it) that often does not work for me, but in this, I wasn‘t hating it. While it did feel a little campy at times, it was an entertaining and quick listen.
• The narrators gave decent performances but the best part was that each POV had its own narrator.

3.5⭐ • The sound effects were too much for me because I couldn‘t always hear what was being said. Also, it was difficult to follow who was talking because many voices were similar. Other than that this was quick and interesting for the most part. Very Invasion of Body Snatchers-esque.

5⭐
•I could not stop listening, as each detail was revealed I was shook. I remember how scared I was when I heard about the DC sniper attacks and I didn't live anywhere near the DC area, but this book brought back the chilling details of that crime. It's a gripping account that I won't soon forget.
•The narration by Maureen O‘Connell was perfect and the full-cast for the interview style format was absolutely fantastic.

2.75⭐
I usually like Margot Hunt's books, but “The Guests“ had some issues that left me feeling underwhelmed. The characters, the plot, and the many twists and turns all failed to inspire me. Only two elements stood out and they were the full-cast narration and the setting of a category 5 hurricane.

4.5⭐
⬗ I had sworn off Megan Miranda after a string of disappointing books. So, I guess the FOMO was bad because I decided to give this one a try, and hey, I actually liked it. I think it‘s even her best yet. It has loads of tension, family secrets, and an ending that took me by surprise.
⬗ The narration by Inés del Castillo was performed quite well.

4.75⭐
⬗ There is a way to make a love triangle work and this one hit it on the head. I seem to be really into time-travel romance, lately. I like that the science elements are done in a way that you don‘t have to think too deeply about them. Just go with the flow.
⬗ The narration by Samantha Brentmoore and Jason Clarke was decently performed.

NOVEMBER #bookspinbingo board. I'm looking forward to these books.

@TheAromaofBooks