Anonymous
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Snitch
- By: Olivia Gatwood
- Narrated by: Olivia Gatwood
- Length: 59 mins
- Original Recording
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Gianna Costa is an infamous attorney who has made a name for herself defending high-profile celebrities from sexual assault allegations. But what occurs in the private life of a woman who is known by some as a traitor to her own gender and others as a fast-pass to absolution? When a man from Gianna's past walks into her office looking for support, she is forced to reconcile with a memory she thought she'd left behind.
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Everyone needs a dog
- By Dr Rick on 12-31-20
- Snitch
- By: Olivia Gatwood
- Narrated by: Olivia Gatwood
Where's the Story?
Reviewed: 06-19-25
Like many others have said, this doesn't really go anywhere. It feels like a writing exercise where the author was asked to create a character using specific prompts. To that end, the protagonist is extremely interesting and well-crafted, albeit unlikeable. I would have liked to have seen her actually go through some sort of character arc.
The author has a pleasant voice, but is a terrible narrator. I thought her emotionless, deadpan reading was perhaps a choice to match the protagonist's extremely walled-off personality, but no: I tried a sample of some of her other work, and the author narrates her other books with the same flat monotone.
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2 people found this helpful
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Very Unbecoming
- By: Emily Kron, Kate Hopkins
- Narrated by: Zoë Chao, Esther Povitsky, Amy Sedaris
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
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When two childhood best friends blow up their respective romantic relationships, they make a time-sensitive pact: serial-cheater Chuck cannot sleep with anyone as she attends a three-month-long recovery group for cheaters, while sex-deprived Sofia vows to hook up with as many people as possible before recommitting to monogamy and tying the knot with her long-time fiancé. To keep things interesting, Chuck and Sofia decide to revive a past tradition from their summer camp days—also known as the dawning of sluthood.
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Hilarious
- By Rachel on 11-21-24
- Very Unbecoming
- By: Emily Kron, Kate Hopkins
- Narrated by: Zoë Chao, Esther Povitsky, Amy Sedaris
Broad City Vibes
Reviewed: 06-08-25
If you like Broad City, you'll enjoy this. It's a story of friendship between two smart and fun, but messy and inappropriate women. I don't usually like raunchy humor (not because I have a problem with sexual humor, I just prefer innuendo and double entendre), but the scenes were funny enough for me to get past the... sounds.
Voice acting was excellent. I love Zoe Chao, but I think she often gets typecast because of how wholesome she looks. It was fun hearing her play a role that's not in her usual wheelhouse.
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3 people found this helpful
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Murder at the Patel Motel
- By: Maulik Pancholy, Zackary Grady, Achilles Stamatelaky
- Narrated by: Maulik Pancholy, Murray Bartlett, Poorna Jagannathan, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
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When Milan Patel visits his parents at their family-run motel in Montana, he's expecting the usual drama. But shortly after he arrives, his father mysteriously dies in the motel pool. Now everyone's a suspect. What was meant to be a quick trip becomes Milan's worst nightmare, as he races to solve his father's murder while confronting the past he tried to leave behind.
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So Much Fun
- By Amazon Customer on 06-07-25
So Much Fun
Reviewed: 06-07-25
I really enjoy these "radio play"-style Audible Originals. The acting is always phenomenal, and the writing tends to be ridiculously over the top. This is a decent mystery with a bit of emotional depth thrown in, but mostly it's just entertaining and fun. If you enjoy Only Murders in the Building, or the movie Clue, you'll like this comedic murder mystery.
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4 people found this helpful
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The Family Chao
- By: Lan Samantha Chang
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The residents of Haven, Wisconsin, have dined on the Fine Chao Restaurant’s delicious Americanized Chinese food for 35 years, happy to ignore any unsavory whispers about the family owners. But when brash, charismatic, and tyrannical patriarch Leo Chao is found dead - presumed murdered - his sons discover that they’ve drawn the exacting gaze of the entire town.
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An American Family Saga of Love and Loyalty
- By Mary Tsao on 04-14-22
- The Family Chao
- By: Lan Samantha Chang
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
Whose Immigrant Experience is this Supposed to be?
Reviewed: 06-03-25
As a Taiwanese American, I thought this book would resonate with me, even if the author is a waishengren. I thought the story and writing would be infused with the additional complexities of the waishengren experience on top of the Asian American immigrant experience, but these characters don't even feel like real people.
I don't know how much of that is due to the narrator, who clearly does not speak Mandarin. His pronunciation is so bad that I couldn't understand what some of the words were supposed to be, and it isn't until Dagou's name is explained that I finally have confirmation, as I had been suspecting, that the narrator had been pronouncing his name wrong the ENTIRE TIME.
The "Americanized" family members don't sound American, or young. They all speak as if they themselves are older Asian immigrants of non-specified nationality, and the accent choices in English are... odd.
The patricide plot is apparently adapted from Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamozov, which incidentally, is the first book I ever DNFed, after slogging through 500 pages of... extreme attention to detail. Attempting to retell such a distinctly Russian classic from the lens of the Chinese American experience is... again, odd.
I wanted to love this, but the pieces just didn't mesh. The author was perhaps too ambitious in her endeavor and unfortunately missed the mark, as she's no Dostoevsky.
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3 people found this helpful
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A Tangled Web
- A Cyberstalker, a Deadly Obsession, and the Twisting Path to Justice
- By: Leslie Rule
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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It was a bleak November in 2012 when Cari Lea Farver vanished from Omaha, Nebraska. Cari, 37, was a devoted mother, reliable employee, and loyal friend - not the type to shirk responsibilities, abandon her son, and run off on an adventure while her dying father took his last breaths. Yet, the many texts from her phone indicated she had done just that. While Cari's boyfriend, Dave Kroupa, and her supervisor were bewildered by her abrupt disappearance, they accepted the texts at face value. Her mother, Nancy Raney, however, was alarmed and reported Cari missing.
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Unbelievable and impossible but sadly all true.
- By maggie mae on 05-12-20
- A Tangled Web
- A Cyberstalker, a Deadly Obsession, and the Twisting Path to Justice
- By: Leslie Rule
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
Blah Blah Blah Blah
Reviewed: 06-02-25
It never ceases to amaze me how some people can take a topic like stalking and murder and make it intolerably boring. This is just hours upon hours of irrelevant details. And while I understand that the crime took place in 2012, the book was written as if in the same year, despite being published in 2020. We don't need you to explain what the internet and dating websites are, thanks. There's no reason to go into detail about what Baptists believe, only to tell us that Dave Kroupa and his brother didn't really subscribe to the church they grew up in. This book is completely bogged down by lengthy explanations and details that have nothing to do with case, which is hidden in little snippets underneath the piles of minutiae.
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3 people found this helpful
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Aren't We Lucky
- By: Sarah Forbes Stewart
- Narrated by: Nicola Coughlan
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Life’s not going well for forty-year-old Abby. When her beautiful and charismatic best friend dies suddenly, she’s left reeling. Hetty’s always been such a dominant force in her life; now Abby must figure out who she is – and who she wants to be – without Hetty by her side. Abby has always been the odd one out in Hetty’s wealthy, privileged friendship group. Despite their differences, Abby has managed to carve out a place for herself. But Hetty isn’t an easy friend to have. She blows hot and cold, alternating between fierce loyalty and unwarranted cruelty.
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Why the Mystery?
- By Amazon Customer on 05-24-25
- Aren't We Lucky
- By: Sarah Forbes Stewart
- Narrated by: Nicola Coughlan
Why the Mystery?
Reviewed: 05-24-25
I really enjoyed this book. It's well written, and the narration is as flawless as everyone says.
My only negative is the ending, which is both predictable and unnecessary. It isn't even satisfying. This book is an exploration of toxic female relationships and the toll they can take. There was nothing added by making this a suspense or mystery novel.
I don't think the "twist" takes away from the story, but it doesn't add anything either. It just makes it seem like the author fell into the trap of thinking every book needs a big reveal. Considering that this book is really about the protagonist's ambivalence to her relationship with her "frenemy," the reveal could have come much sooner, and those implications could have been explored. Or it could have be handled completely differently, in a way that would have given the antagonist more complexity. I personally would have preferred a scene where mean girl Hetty is given the choice between growing, or being "cancelled." Yes, this is told from Abby's point of view, but as the entire book is about a codependent, symbiotic relationship, it would have been nice to have more insight into Hetty's character beyond just her capriciousness.
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Carrie Soto Is Back
- A Novel
- By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Narrated by: Stacy Gonzalez, Mary Carillo, Patrick Mcenroe, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular. But by the time she retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Grand Slam titles. And if you ask Carrie, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father, Javier, as her coach. A former champion himself, Javier has trained her since the age of two.
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Not great, disappointing
- By Chrisbunny on 09-01-22
Carrie Soto is Exhausting
Reviewed: 05-18-25
Carrie Soto is exhausting. And I don't mean the amount of tennis details in the book. I know some reviewers have said they found all the tennis exhausting after a while, but as someone who's never played a game of tennis and understands nothing about the sport, I actually didn't have a problem with how much of the book is devoted to describing the game.
What I mean is that Carrie Soto, the character, is exhausting. So much of the book is listening to her go in circles because she refuses to listen to anyone OR do any self-reflection. The result is a 37-year-old woman who acts like a spoiled 17-year-old going through their emo phase. She is actively mean to others for no reason, makes everything far more complicated than it needs to be, and throws actual temper tantrums. Exhausting.
I know this is supposed to be a personal growth story, but that could have been accomplished without making the main character this level of unlikeable. Nor did the book have to be anywhere near this long. The same end could have been achieved with 1/3 less whining, spitefulness, and tennis detail, and would have been much more enjoyable.
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3 people found this helpful
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Black Mouth
- By: Ronald Malfi
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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For nearly two decades, Jamie Warren has been running from darkness. He's haunted by a traumatic childhood and the guilt at having disappeared from his disabled brother's life. But then a series of unusual events reunites him with his estranged brother and their childhood friends, and none of them can deny the sense of fate that has seemingly drawn them back together. Nor can they deny the memories of that summer, so long ago—the strange magic taught to them by an even stranger man, and the terrible act that has followed them all into adulthood.
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Great Listen
- By SONYA on 09-19-22
- Black Mouth
- By: Ronald Malfi
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
DENNISSSSSS DennisDennisDennisDennis
Reviewed: 05-16-25
I think that I, like many of the other reviewers here, may be done giving Mr. Ronald Malfi chances. This is the fourth of his works I've finished, and I'm feeling pretty unsatisfied.
I think the reason many of us keep trying Malfi's work is because he writes quite well. And if I'm honest, Black Mouth has all the elements of a good book, but it lacks the magic that has made Stephen King a popular writer. Black Mouth just sorts of plods along, lacking any sense of urgency or emotion.
I think the other reason I've kept trying Malfi's books is because I really enjoyed the first one I listened to, Ghostwritten. The difference, however, is that Ghostwritten is a collection of short stories. There are some truly creepy scenes, and I think the shortened format forced Malfi to tighten up his story telling. All his other works I've tried, however, have been novels and haven't had the same imaginative quality as his short stories.
While I wouldn't say this was a bad book, it could have been made hours shorter by trimming a lot of the fat. Starting with the amount of time the protagonist spends shouting/saying/calling his brother's name. Be prepared to reach semantic satiation with the word "Dennis."
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Stranger
- By: Ben H. Winters
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam
- Length: 2 hrs and 33 mins
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Meet Harry, aspiring tech entrepreneur. He’s a would-be Steve Jobs trapped in a cubicle gig at an angel investor firm, so close and yet so far from his dreams. His marriage is foundering, his career is stalled out, and all he wants is to create an app like Uber, or Tinder, something to make real change in the world, and change his own life forever. Now meet Peter, a deeply troubled computer genius who lives in a basement apartment, chugging red wine, nursing old grudges and writing code. When Harry meets Peter, it’s both of their lives that will change, when they invent an app for murder.
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Be careful the ideas you share
- By Noah chapman on 07-11-23
- Stranger
- By: Ben H. Winters
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam
Deliciously Unhinged
Reviewed: 04-26-25
I honestly donʻt know if this would have worked without the talents of the narrator. On paper this probably reads as super corny, and Vikas Adam leans into it, HARD. Adam opts for a hilariously psychotic, Rumpelstiltskin-esque reading of the antagonist, and the result is a cautionary tale that is as entertaining as it is chaotic.
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Mister Magic
- A Novel
- By: Kiersten White
- Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman, Kiersten White
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children’s program Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to move on. But just as generations of cultishly devoted fans still cling to the lessons they learned from the show, the cast, known as the Circle of Friends, have spent their lives searching for the happiness they felt while they were on it. The friendship. The feeling of belonging. And the protection of Mister Magic.
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pleasantly surprised
- By Garland on 04-02-24
- Mister Magic
- A Novel
- By: Kiersten White
- Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman, Kiersten White
I Loved This
Reviewed: 04-18-25
As far as "horror" novels go, this could be considered a take on Stephen King's classic "adults old enough to have their own children are reunited with their childhood friend group to confront a supernatural entity from their childhood in order to overcome it with the power of their friendship" trope.
That being said, I wouldn't really categorize this as horror or fantasy. Yes, this centers around the supernatural, but I'd say this is more accurately an allegory, and will be best enjoyed as such. While there are a few throwaway comments about the program's ties to Mormonism, or a Mormon Church offshoot-type cult, you don't have to know anything about Mormonism (I don't) to appreciate the novel's commentary on the use of popular media to indoctrinate children into becoming "good" members of their society, for the benefit of those in power.
The book adds an additional layer that is both sinister and sad: unlike many stories of childhood friend groups who band together to defeat evil, where the children aren't able to enlist the help of adults as the adults don't believe in the magic/supernatural entity, the children in this book are subjected to the entity because it's what their parents want. The book examines a number of reasons why this could happen, but they all essentially boil down to the parents doing what they think is best, however much misguided their reasons are. If you're into deep literary analysis, some pretty complex discussions could be had surrounding the interplay of media/indoctrination/generational trauma/religion/religious trauma, etc.
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