Audiobook Review: The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
The Last One at the Wedding
Author: Jason Rekulak
Narrator: John Pirhalla
Published: October 8, 2024
Audiobook: 11 hours 14 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: October 1-10, 2024
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Audiobook Description:
Frank Szatowski is shocked when his daughter, Maggie, calls him for the first time in three years. He was convinced that their estrangement would become permanent. He’s even more surprised when she invites him to her upcoming wedding in New Hampshire. Frank is ecstatic, and determined to finally make things right.
He arrives to find that the wedding is at a private estate—very secluded, very luxurious, very much out of his league. It seems that Maggie failed to mention that she’s marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Feeling desperately out of place, Frank focuses on reconnecting with Maggie and getting to know her new family. But it’s difficult: Aidan is withdrawn and evasive; Maggie doesn’t seem to have time for him; and he finds that the locals are disturbingly hostile to the Gardners. Frank needs to know more about this family his daughter is marrying into, but if he pushes too hard, he could lose Maggie forever.
An edge-of-your-seat thriller that delves deep into the heart of one family, The Last One at the Wedding is a work of brilliant suspense from a true modern master.
Jessica’s Review:
I discovered Jason Rekulak with Hidden Pictures in 2022 and loved it, so I was eager to read his newest novel, The Last One at the Wedding. You can not go in expecting another Hidden Pictures, the books are extremely different from each other. First, there are no pictures in Wedding, and it’s more of a family drama with suspense added in. For some readers it could be considered a slow burner but I really enjoyed it. It helped that I really liked Frank and he really pulled me into his story and the mystery of just what is going to happen.
I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed John Pirhalla’s narration. His voice was perfect for Frank! I will definitely be on the lookout for more if his narrations.
After enjoying both Hidden Pictures and now Last One at the Wedding I am very interested in reading his debut novel The Impossible Fortress which is yet another different genre!
Many thanks to the publisher Macmillan Audio for granting me a copy to listen to and review. I enjoyed it!
Audiobook Review: The Guilty One by Kiersten Modglin
The Guilty One
Author: Kiersten Modglin
Narrators:
Mia Hutchinson-Shaw
Chad Ackerman
Evan Sibley
Melissa Kay Benson
Published on Audio: September 3, 2024
Audiobook: 6 hours 24 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: August 26-30, 2024
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Audiobook Description:
Your husband was involved in a fatal accident.
One horrific sentence, delivered in an impersonal phone call, changes Celine Thompson’s life in a second. But when she’s asked to identify his body, what she discovers sends everything she thought she knew about her life crashing down.
This man is not my husband.
But who was the man who died driving Tate’s car? How did he have Tate’s possessions and, more importantly, why do they sport identical tattoos?
We’re going to find him.
When Tate doesn’t answer his phone or arrive home after the accident, Celine fears the worst. Still holding on to hope her husband may be alive, Celine is desperate to track Tate down and figure out what’s going on before it’s too late. The only problem? There are dark truths waiting to come out that are so atrocious she won’t ever be able to look away from them.
As she begins to put together the pieces of the mysterious day her husband went missing, it paints a picture of a man she never really knew. Is it possible Tate is still alive, or is she wasting her time searching for someone who will never be found? And if he is alive, how will they ever survive all that she’s unearthed?
With time running out, Celine must push the limits of the law and her safety to shed light on the secrets that have been hiding in the dark corners of their life together. In doing so, she may just uncover the final missing piece to the puzzle surrounding her husband’s fate.
Someone is lying.
Someone is missing.
Someone is guilty.
Jessica’s Review:
This book and this author: Kristen Modglin is a must read/listen for me now! Of her books that I have listened to (I’ve only listened to her novels thus far), they are very quick and intense reads that are not super long! I can’t wait to listen to her backlog of novels and listen to/read her future ones!
The Guilty One begins with a phone call that every wife never wants to receive: A call from the local police department informing you that your husband was in a car accident and did not survive. Then when you go to identify the body: It’s not your husband! But then questions begin to comes up: Why did this person have your husband’s wallet, why was he in your husband’s car, and why do they have the same tattoo!?!?!
This is just the beginning of this fast-moving story. There was no way I would have figured out the way that this one went! You go on a journey with Celine to figure out just what is actually going on!
There are four narrators and they all did a great job with their narrations.
Many thanks to the publisher for granting me a copy to listen to and review!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audiobook Review: The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden
The Housemaid is Watching
Series: The Housemaid #3
Author: Freida McFadden
Narrators:
Lauryn Allman
Ina Marie Smith
Published: June 11, 2024
Audiobook: 11 hours 42 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: July 1-17, 2024
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Audiobook Description:
“You must be our new neighbors!” Mrs. Lowell gushes and waves across the picket fence. I clutch my daughter’s hand and smile back: but the second Mrs. Lowell sees my husband a strange expression crosses her face. In that moment I make a promise. We finally have a family home. My past is far, far behind us. And I’ll do anything to keep it that way…
I used to clean other people’s houses—now, I can’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve.
Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes.
But her cold stare gives me chills…
The Lowells’ maid isn’t the only strange thing on our street. I’m sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors.
Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here?
I thought I’d left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all?
Jessica’s Review:
This is the final book in The Housemaid series and I have enjoyed getting to know Millie over the course of the three novels. This final book is unlike the other two. The focus is Millie’s family. It is also a bit slower paced, but still enjoyable with of course: twists that only McFadden can deliver.
We had a good ending to the series and I liked seeing a character from book one return all these years later! In some way this character helped to move along the story and bring back the first novel.
This final book wasn’t as strong as the other two and was it really needed? No, it wasn’t. Am I glad I read it? Yes. I adore Millie and Enzo and enjoyed saying goodbye to these characters that you grew to love over these three novels.
I started out reading it on kindle but then saw that Lauryn Allman was a narrator again! I was excited for that as she really is Millie for me. Her narration is just brilliant. We also had a second narrator: Ina Marie Smith. I won’t say who her character is as it might be a bit of a spoiler, but she also brought it on 1000% with her narration!
McFadden is one I will keep on reading! Eventually, I will get a copy of this one to add to my library!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK