Audiobook Review: The Tenant by Freida McFadden
The Tenant
Author: Freida McFadden
Narrators:
Will Damron
Christine Lakin
Published: May 6, 2025
Audiobook: 8 hours 50 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: July 28- August 1, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
There’s no place like home…
Blake Porter is riding high, until he’s not. Fired abruptly from his job as a VP of marketing and unable to make the mortgage payments on the new brownstone that he shares with his fiancee, he’s desperate to make ends meet.
Enter Whitney. Beautiful, charming, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent. She’s exactly what Blake’s looking for. Or is she?
Because something isn’t quite right. The neighbors start treating Blake differently. The smell of decay permeates his home, no matter how hard he scrubs. Strange noises jar him awake in the middle of the night. And soon Blake fears someone knows his darkest secrets…
Danger lives right at home, and by the time Blake realizes it, it’ll be far too late. The trap is already set.
Jessica’s Review:
The Tenant is Freida McFadden’s newest novel and I enjoyed it. McFadden always seems to have a few things that stick out in her novels and this time I counted four: Limonene (which I had never heard of until this novel), fruit flies (ewww!), Snickerdoodles (nom nom), and Goldy the fish! (Small spoiler alert for the animal lovers: Goldy does not make it to the end of the novel. END SMALL SPOILER).
The three main characters of Blake, Krista, and Whitney were not likeable at all. And I kept thinking “Do we have an unreliable narrator in Blake?” My favorite character was Goldy. We have short chapters as always and two narrators, along with twists throughout the novel. This time the twists weren’t shocking or big for me. I got to the final twist and thought, “Yeah, I can see that”.
It’s not my favorite McFadden novel, but definitely not my least favorite. I need to read more of her backlog of novels she has written. (The Surrogate Mother is on my list of her to listen to next).
We had two narrators in The Tenant and they both did a very good job! Their voices fit the personality of the characters.
I enjoy McFadden’s novels, but hope she isn’t becoming burnt out. She has devoted fans that just seemingly demand more from her and “don’t know what they are going to do!” until her next novel comes out because they have read all of her novels. McFadden is also very active in her Facebook group which I am in. Please Freida, take a break if you really need it!
Audiobook Review: The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen
The Locked Ward
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Narrator: January LaVoy
To Be Published: August 5, 2025
Audiobook: 9 hours 4 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: July 11-17, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Was it bitter, all-consuming jealousy? Pathological sibling rivalry? Pure insanity? Whatever the cause – and everyone has a theory- it was the Crime of the Decade when glamorous Georgia Cartwright, who was adopted as a newborn, killed the younger, biological daughter of her wealthy, Southern family.
Georgia is locked in a psychiatric institution where the most violent offenders are held while she awaits trial. The only words she whispers when her estranged twin sister Amanda visits are, “You’ve got to get me out of here. I didn’t do it.” Amanda doesn’t trust Georgia, but she can’t abandon her in a place so eerie and menacing it seems to exist in another dimension.
Is Georgia the victim of a powerful family so depraved that murder is the least of their crimes? Or is Amanda being led down a path of madness and into the web of a master manipulator?
Jessica’s Review:
The book description of The Locked Ward intrigued me, I just love the cover(!), and January LaVoy is the narrator (!!) so when I was granted an alc (advanced listening copy) from the publisher, I was ready to listen to it; And I enjoyed it!
In addition to what I already mentioned, we have dual povs (the sisters Amanda/Mandy and also Georgia), and this is a fast-paced book. I have read some Pekkanen before, when she collaborated with Greer Hendrix, but this was my first with her as the sole author.
We have murder, intrigue, a wealthy family, a psychiatric institution, and twins all in this novel! I never lost interest in the stor, I just had to make sure I paid attention to which pov each chapter was.
We go along on the journey with Mandy who is just trying to figure things out. And we have Georgia in the institution. Does she actually need to be there or not? Did she kill her sister or not? We get to experience ‘life on the inside’ of the institution through Georgia. And even though there is staff all around, things are not always safe. It is an eery setting and not one a sane person would want to be in.
The second half becomes more about family dynamics and a bit like a soap opera. But I enjoyed this novel. It shows the bond that sisters can have, let alone the twin bond which can be intriguing.
Again, I mention January LaVoy is the narrator and I adore her! She did a great job with her narration, as always. The only thing I feel could have improved the narration was to have two different narrators, one for Georgia and one for Mandy. To better differentiate the chapters other than the name of the sister at the beginning of each chapter.
Many thanks to the publisher Macmillan Audio for granting me an advanced copy to listen to and review.
Pre-Order Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audiobook Review: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Listen for the Lie
Author: Amy Tintera
Narrators:
January LaVoy
Will Damron
Published: March 5, 2024
Audiobook: 9 hours 18 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: June 25-29, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn’t matter?
After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.
But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast “Listen for the Lie,” and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.
The truth is out there, if we just listen.
Jessica’s Review:
Listen For the Lie is a fast moving and fun book that needs to be listened to! An interesting premise that has mystery, suspense and well… a girl murdered and her BFF is the suspect. And this suspect doesn’t remember anything! Now, years later a popular podcast creator is interested in the case and determined to solve it!
We go between the story and the podcast. And the narration keeps the listener fully involved in the story. Both January LaVoy and Will Damron did a fabulous job with their narrations. LaVoy is one of my ‘must listen to’ narrators and Damron really pulled me into the podcast sections!
Who the killer was didn’t totally work for me, but otherwise I enjoyed this audiobook! Definitely listen to this one!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK