Hey honeybees! I have to admit, I read quite a bit of audiobooks because of my dyslexia, attention issues, and migraines. Sometimes this is the only form of reading available to me. I’m very very lucky to be on the Penguin Random House Influencer list with access to digital and now audio titles!
I have to preface this by saying this wasn’t going to be a PRH-focused post at first but I really wanted to share my reviews of all the audiobooks I’ve read from them, since they’ve been so kind as to give me access to so many audio titles. I don’t just exclusively read PRH titles, and you can follow my reviews here for more diverse content, but I have to admit I have been reading mainly from the PRH catalog this year because I do tend to really enjoy the books they publish.
I always give my honest opinions, regardless of a partnership label, but I do need to stress that these are my honest opinions. Thank you, as always, Penguin Random House for the complimentary audiobooks.
Never Coming Home by Kate M. Williams
4/5 stars
The book had all the necessary ingredients for me to enjoy it: social media, engaging narrator, Who Dunnit?, and alternating POVs. I love these aspects in a thriller (I almost exclusively read thrillers on audio). And it lived up to my expectations! I got a bit lost in between all of the characters but it had a Final Destination feel to it that I absolutely loved. The ending was…different. I feel like it’s something I always wanted from a thriller but now that I have it I actually don’t want it? I think the execution of the ending was lacking for me and I would have preferred a more open ending. Otherwise, I ate this story up and it stands as one of the best thrillers I read this year.
Lord of the Fly Fest by Goldy Moldavsky
4/5 stars
I already did mini reviews for this book on Goodreads and Instagram but I feel like it needs more recognition. As far as retellings go, this was a very clever, Gen-Z twist to Lord of the Flies. I appreciate how faithful the author was to the original while still bringing a unique voice and totally different feel to the story.
The narrator for this really upped the ante for me. Barrett Wilbert Weed as in Veronica from Heathers??? Get out of here. She killed it. Even if I didn’t love her in Heathers, it’s obvious that Weed has immense voice acting talent through the emotion and life she brought to these characters. As an avid audiobook listener, I wish every narrator would read the story like a script instead of with a slight monotone that most narrators tend to favor.
You Owe You by Eric Thomas, PhD
3/5 stars
I really enjoyed listening to Thomas’s life story, and I can see why he’s such a beloved motivational speaker. This was just so long and it felt a bit repetitive. It was great to listen to while I was busy with chores, but more background noise than anything. I had a hard time staying focused on the message because I feel like I’ve heard it a dozen times before.
Now Is The Way by Cory Allen
3/5
Where You Owe You was too long, this was a bit too short. I felt like there was great information and I liked the exercises in audio form, but it was such a quick read. I wish there were a bit more depth to really make this a memorable book. In physical form, this would be a great book to annotate and reread from time to time.
Ghost 19 by Simone St. James
2/5
I went into this with zero expectations but it was still disappointing. It’s a novella so everything is pretty surface level and quick, but I didn’t click with main character or like her at all. The plot was super interesting but the execution fell flat for me.
I love audiobooks and they really help me read more when I’m feeling sick or having especially bad attention issues. I really appreciate Penguin Random House Audio for accepting me into the influencer program and approving my requests <3.
Are you a big audiobook fan? Have you read any good audiobooks this year?
Thank you for reading! Find me on Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads for more bookish content and chats. See you soon!
myhoneyreads 