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Used

By: Kate Dunbar
Narrated by: Stella Hunter
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Publisher's summary

Heartbreakingly beautiful and completely engrossing, Used is packed full of twists, turns, and a gripping romance sure to leave listeners emotionally spent and asking for more.

At the age of 17, after a decade of lies, hurt, and severe abuse by her brother, Lucas, Sabra Valentine is able to breathe.

Lucas is behind bars, thanks in large part to Sabra's quick thinking and self-preservation - even if that's one more secret she has to keep.

Now, seven years later, life is moving forward, and Sabra is starting to heal, live, and love again with her friends and Trevor Collins by her side. He's tall, dark, and sexy, and he doesn't fall for Sabra's games. The future is finally looking bright - until one phone call shatters everything.

Used is a romantic suspense with domestic-thriller elements. Please be aware that there are topics that may be triggers for some listeners, and this work is meant for mature listeners.

©2020 Kelly P. Simmon (P)2021 Kelly P. Simmon
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What listeners say about Used

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Just Phenomenal!!

Used by Kate Dunbar is an absolutely page turning read. Couldn't put it down for a second. Loved the Audiobook and ebook as well.

Highly Recommend it to all readers.

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Good book

*Warning this book has triggers
with that being said it was a good book.

At first I had a hard time with it and the content but once I got past that it is a very well written book.

I enjoyed it for the most part. There were a few scenes that did seem right or believable but not having ever experienced the h situation i cannot honestly say.

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Beautiful story

I was pulled in from the beginning with Sabra’s story. At times I wanted to hug her and keep her safe -and then yell at her for pushing Trevor away and keeping this secret from everyone...but as the story progresses, I understood her shame and fear.
This story hits on such an emotional level while still bringing the love and humor to the characters.
I can’t wait to read more from this amazing new author!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Just Missing Something

I really wanted to enjoy. I have a love for dark stories and taboo subjects. But I just couldn't get into this story. Narrator was fantastic though.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Suspenseful!

This book was interesting because it was very dark at times and very light at others. It was an interesting juxtaposition and it really added to the suspenseful nature of this book.

Sabra was a bit of a confusing character to me because sometimes I liked her and other times I didn't. I didn't like that in the opening chapter it seemed like she was playing games with Trevor. It really bothered me that he was such a good guy and supposedly one of her best friends, but then she admits to stringing him along for the last 4 YEARS. I ended up having to push myself through to get past that. Another thing that bothered me was her surprising lack of self-preservation. The situations she put herself in that are dangerous for a woman WITHOUT a stalker, let alone one WITH a stalker were pretty mind boggling. Ex: walking in parking lots at night with her face in her phone, going to semi-isolated places alone with strangers, etc. It just seemed like she didn't have a care in the world at times, while other times she was scared out of her mind (understandably so, of course). It was odd to me and it kind of took away from the overall dangerous vibe of the story. One of the things I did like about her though, was her friendship with Micah and her overall strength. The end of the book was really impactful and truly showcased how far she has come and how much stronger she was now than she was in the beginning.

On to Trevor, I liked him a lot. He had the patience of a saint. I honestly don't know how he put up with Sabra in the beginning because she was a mess and wouldn't tell him why. She just kept ghosting him for weeks on end and it drove me crazy as the reader. He was genuinely a great guy and probably my favorite character of the book. His protectiveness and his friendship were beautiful to witness.

The suspense aspect of this story as well as the flashbacks were really interesting and gripping. I do wish the flashbacks had a little bit more to them because we don't even know with 100% certainty what was going on with Lucas and Sabra. It's barely even eluded to, so we never get to understand how it started and evolved. I don't need any of the situations in explicit detail, but I think a little more information and a little less guessing would have taken this book to a whole new level. That being said, Kate Dunbar did a really great job of showing us how dangerous Lucas was without the extra detail and that is the sign of a pretty amazing writer, in my opinion.

One thing I didn't like, which is ultimately why I knocked a star off, was how once we get to the middle of the book it's just all about Trevor and Sabra's relationship. It felt like a romantic college-aged romance at that part and I felt like the Lucas aspect was lost a bit. However, when it came back, it came back with a vengeance. And even though I wanted to throw my AirPods across the room when Sabra made the incredibly idiotic decision (re: lack of self-preservation) I still couldn't find it in me to stop listening.

I've never listened to anything by Stella Hunter, but I can say that I will definitely look up other books she's narrated. She had a great voice and a pretty good male voice. She did a really good job acting out the parts, particularly the parts with Lucas. I do think there were moments where she made the characters sound seductive when they weren't trying to be and that kind of took me out of the moment.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book. It was very gripping and very much kept me sitting at the edge of my seat. Whether you listen to or eyeball read this book, you will most likely enjoy it.

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I was sucked in from the very start!!

Used is Kate Dunbar's debut novel and I absolutely loved it! I had the pleasure of listening to it on audio and Stella Hunter was fantastic. This story isn't always easy, but the romance is worth it. Sabra is trying to live her dream, friends, Trevor. Things are looking up until she gets a phone call that changes everything. Now she's pushing Trevor away because she doesn't want him to learn about her past. What happened to her. She's better off just being alone so no one finds out. But Trevor isn't going to let that happen. He wants to show Sabra she's worth it. Worth everything. This is a hard subject and Dunbar did it so well. Not too many details, but just enough to know what Sabra went through and how hard it was for her to overcome. She has a lot of healing to do and now that's she let Trevor in, she isn't alone anymore. I was sucked in from the very start and thought Stella did this emotional story justice and then some. Looking forward to more from Kate!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Deeply Emotional Book

There are a Lot of hard emotions in this book. It made me happy when Sabra started healing but it made me cry for the fact that she suffered at Lucas's hand so much.
Standalone with no cliffhangers.
Sabra grew up in the perfect family with a brother from hell, and her parents never new.
Now she is moving forward with a great guy, Trevor who refused to give up on getting her attention.
Then he'll came back into her life. Can she survive this time.
I received a free copy of this audiobook for my unbiased opinion.
Some parts are hard to hear but Kate did an amazing job.

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Intense story

I appreciated the author’s note at the beginning of this story. This is not a lighthearted story. It is very intense and shares the domestic abuse the heroine suffered growing up.

With this being said the book is well written, the characters are well developed. It has a well deserved. HEA.

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10 Emotionally Turbulent Stars!!!

There are moments as a voracious long-time reader that when I’ve finished a book I just sit back and marvel at how much the author’s words touched me. Used, a debut novel by author Kate Dunbar is one of these books.

This is a story that is not easy to read. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. I knew this going in and thought I was prepared for what this story was about. Let me tell you, this book is so much more than what I was expecting. Ms. Dunbar has written a book that is filled with moments of agony and pain unlike any I’ve felt in a very long time. Sabra, our Heroine is a woman that has lived through moments in her life that could truly end some people. But she continues to fight to find a happiness she thought was just out of her reach.

One of the things I love so much about this book is that Ms. Dunbar leaves things to our imagination. She leads us in the direction of what’s happening at that specific moment but doesn’t reveal everything which for me made those scenes so much more intense. I let my imagination run, picturing in my head what was implied as happening and nearly every single time, I cried. I cried in anger for what Sabra was experiencing and I cried with the pain that she was living with.

But in the darkness of this book are many moments of happiness thanks to Trevor and Micah. Both of them are Sabra’s best friends and they bring a lightness and reprieve from the heaviness of her life. Trevor is the man that loves her, but Sabra doesn’t feel like she deserves to be loved by this man, especially when the suspense of this book makes her question if it will ever be over! Micah is a girl that is the friend we all want in our lives…. She loves Sabra no matter what and will always be there for the light and very dark times.

I highly encourage you to read this book. You won’t be the same when you get to the end. If you’re like me you’ll be amazed at what I’ve come to find out is something that is not talked about enough in our society and I’m guessing is happening and/or has happened to someone you know. You will be overwhelmed with the beauty of this painful story and like me, anxiously awaiting what comes next from what I’m confident is an author that is on her way to the top of indie book community.

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✫✫ 4.5 Stars ✫✫

What a great debut novel for Kate Dunbar! I was unsure if this was going to be a very dark book because of the warnings but in the end it really wasn't IMHO. Yes there were dark themes and situations but most of them were in the past and even in the flashbacks we didn't get more than a quick retelling without descriptions or details. So while I am sure this book needs trigger warnings for some, it wasn't an issue for me at all.

In the very beginning I thought the story was going to be very different and I am so glad I was wrong. I really enjoyed the love story between a girl with a bad past and a boy who just wanted to love her. For me this was a story about sexual abuse, family dysfunction, shame and growth all in one. We learn that no matter how bad the past, if you find the right person to trust and share your issue with, you can come out of it a stronger person. Loved that so much!

Stella Hunter's narration was great, she has a young voice and was perfect for these characters. She hit all the emotions spot on and her voice for Lucas was creepy.

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12 people found this helpful