Audiobook Review: The Only Girl in Town by Ally Condie
The Only Girl in Town
Author: Ally Condie
Narrator: Elena Ray
Published: September 19, 2023
Audiobook: 6 hours 36 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: October 2-5, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 2.5 stars
Book Description:
What would you do if everyone you love disappeared? What if it was your fault?
For July Fielding, nothing has been the same since that summer before senior year.
Once, she had Alex, her loyal best friend, the one who always had her back. She had Sydney, who pushed her during every cross-country run, and who sometimes seemed to know July better than she knew herself. And she had Sam. Sam, who told her she was everything and left her breathless with his touch.
Now, July is alone. Every single person in her small town of Lithia has disappeared. No family. No Alex or Sydney. No Sam. July’s only chance at unraveling the mystery of their disappearance is a series of objects, each a reminder of the people she loved most. And a mysterious GET TH3M BACK.
Jessica’s Review:
This book was not what I thought it would be: When I finished it my reaction was “That was depressing”…..
The Only Girl in Town seemed like a YA contemporary with a mystery to it. It is actually a novel that deals with and is also a metaphor for loneliness, detachment, and depression. I really wish I had known that as I wouldn’t have chosen it to listen to. Trigger warnings if you deal with any of those issues: I would stay away from this book because it really brings about those feelings.
I did like that the book had extremely short chapters which kept my interest… Just one more chapter! The writing is verse-like in nature despite the heavy content. I was intrigued as why did everyone disappear and who is leaving the sign up for July to read? But the end result just did not work for me.
We have July as our narrator and the story goes back and forth in time from the here and now and the events that lead up to everyone disappearing. The best part of the novel was her unexpected sidekick Yolo. Yolo is a typical cat and if you love cats like I do then you will adore Yolo! My adoration of Yolo had me giving the book and extra .5 star.
The narrator Elena Ray did a good job portraying July. But there were a few times where there is singing and that was painful for me!
Overall, if you are prepared for the trigger warnings and how you might end up feeling with this book, go for it. You might actually enjoy it. For me the book was all about Yolo!