Audiobook Review: The Inmate by Freida McFadden
The Inmate
Author: Freida McFadden
Narrator: Leslie Howard
Published: June 13, 2022
Audiobook: 8 hours 5 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: November 28- December 1, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Audiobook Description:
There are three rules Brooke Sullivan must follow as a new nurse practitioner at a men’s maximum-security prison:
1) Treat all prisoners with respect.
2) Never reveal any personal information.
3) Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates.
But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary’s most notorious and dangerous inmates.
And they certainly don’t know that Shane was Brooke’s high school sweetheart—the star quarterback who is now spending the rest of his life in prison for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke’s testimony was what put him there.
But Shane knows.
And he will never forget.
Jessica’s Review:
This is my fourth book by Frieda this year, and I can say I am enjoying them! The Inmate is definitely a book that could actually NOT happen: My college internship was at a men’s prison and it was so hard for me to let go of certain things. Another problem I had was with Brooke herself. How dumb can one FMC (female main character) be? She was a prime example of everything to not do! Once I was able to drop my previous experience and my annoyance of Brooke, I was able to enjoy this ride that McFadden took me on!
Her books all seem to have short chapters and just have something addicting to them that you just have to keep reading! Or in my case: Listening! I was so close to the ending that I just had to pull out my ear phones and finish it during my lunch break! And with typical Freida I was thinking the book was going in one way, so I knew I was going to be wrong! I was partially right, but still: I was wrong! And then we had a final twist in the ending that I wasn’t expecting!
The narrator was Leslie Howard and she did a good job. If you enjoy thrillers at all give all of McFadden’s books a try and if you like a couple of them, before you know it you will want to read all of hers! I will be working towards that for next year.
Audiobook Review: The Name Drop by Susan Lee
The Name Drop
Author: Susan Lee
Narrators:
Greta Jung
Keong Sim
Published: September 12, 2023
Audiobook: 8 hours 8 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: November 5-8, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Audiobook Description:
From the author of Seoulmates comes a story of mistaken identities, the summer of a lifetime, and a love to risk everything for.
When Elijah Ri arrives in New York City for an internship at his father’s massive tech company, Haneul Corporation, he expects the royal treatment that comes with being the future CEO—even if that’s the last thing he wants. But instead, he finds himself shuffled into a group of overworked, unpaid interns, all sharing a shoebox apartment for the summer.
When Jessica Lee arrives in New York City, she’s eager to make the most of her internship at Haneul Corporation, even if she’s at the bottom of the corporate ladder. But she’s shocked to be introduced as the new executive-in-training intern with a gorgeous brownstone all to herself.
It doesn’t take long for Elijah and Jessica to discover the source of the they share the same Korean name. But they decide to stay switched—so Elijah can have a relaxing summer away from his controlling dad while Jessica can make the connections she desperately needs for college recommendations.
As Elijah and Jessica work together to keep up the charade, a spark develops between them. Can they avoid discovery—and total disaster—with their feelings and futures on the line?
Jessica’s Review:
The Name Drop was such a sweet, cute, and fun read that was a pleasant surprise for me! The cover is so cute too! We have a rich/poor trope and mistaken identities tropes among others. Both Elijah and Jessica have the same Korean name and it causes confusion from the beginning! I don’t know how Korean names are, but know how common names for English are: My first and last names both being extremely common at my doctors, dentist, veterinarians having multiple people with the same name (and not getting them mixed up!) and also names that could be both genders: My husband’s name could be either gender. Once they realize the mix up, both Elijah and Jessica (See that’s my name too!) decide to keep it the way it is: Elijah is the rich son of the CEO and will one day be CEO while Jessica is far from rich and has worked hard to get where she is. Elijah can have anonymity and Jessica can get some connections to help her in her future. Of course things get out of hand and drama happens throughout the novel up to the end. Did they make the right choice by staying ‘switched’? You will just have to read this one and see! In reality this mix up just wouldn’t happen, but that’s what reading is: a break from reality. If by some chance a mix up like this happened, it would be found out and fixed. We had two narrators who did a good job mostly. When Greta Jung did male voices it just didn’t sound right for me. It seemed like she just lowered her voice and made a funny face as she was doing the male voices. Keong Sim really brought Elijah to life for me! Both Elijah and Jessica acted their age of young adults. There wasn’t any extreme drama that can happen in YA novels. If you like sweet and fun YA books with some drama and a little romance then give this one a shot. I am glad I did!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Review: Triumphant! By Jessica Roberts
Triumphant! One Woman’s Journey from Prison to Purpose
Author: Jessica Roberts
Published: January 12, 2019
224 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: October 24-31, 2023
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
I tried to live my life the way I’d been shown, and early on, it wasn’t as hard to do. But as I got older, choices weren’t so black and white. Love can make you do things that you otherwise would not do. Haven’t you ever done something that you really didn’t want to do, but it was for someone you really loved? I’ve come to understand that sometimes, the places we find ourselves and the experiences we encounter serve to prepare us for our purpose. Now that I have the benefit of age, experience, and wisdom, I can see how the things I went through has shaped the woman I am now. The dreams and goals I have now were not the dreams I started out with. My love and my choices left me facing a ten-year prison sentence! In spite of my choices and what I thought I wanted for my life, my dreams took a different turn. My new dreams have been directly influenced by the direction my life took.
Coincidence? Read my story and then you can decide.
Jessica’s Review:
I met the author at an event for authors from Georgia telling you about the books they wrote. At first I didn’t realize that Jessica’s book was telling her story, but when I did, I had to get it and read it! Fortunately, I was finishing my current read and I was able to pick up her book and read her story.
Roberts’ story is a quick read with short chapters and once I got started I wanted to keep reading! I inhaled it as a “read in my free time” selection. If you are short on time this would be a memoir that can be read very quickly.
Jessica tells her story to us directly and candidly. We see how the decisions she made shaped her life, and pointed her in the direction her life eventually goes. The reader sees what happens through her words, and the book evokes strong feelings to go with it: It just didn’t seem like the attorney really wanted to represent her. Your lawyer is supposed to be #TeamClient and Roberts’ lawyer appeared to be working against her. Why take on the case then? This wasn’t a court appointed attorney but a privately hired one.
We go through the criminal case as Jessica tells her story, and her life after she is released. She has people who helped her and her young daughter, and now Roberts is working to help those women who need it as she did. Through everything she had Faith and still does.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
