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Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio version of this book for review.
I chose to review this book for two reasons:
- I’ve listened to a book by Kiersten Modglin before and totally enjoyed it.
- It’s about a group of book bloggers who meet IRL for a weekend get together. How could I not?
And, bonus, I’ve discovered that I really like psychological thrillers. Especially ones with a twist or unexpected ending, which this one has.
BOOK DETAILS
Title: You’ll Never Know I’m Here
Author: Kiersten Modglin
Narrator: Stacy Gonzalez
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Publication Date: 27 February 2024
Genre: General Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Format: Audiobook
Listening Time: 5 hours and 48 minutes
ABOUT THE BOOK (from the book)
When six book influencers take a weekend getaway to connect with their fellow creators, it’s meant to be a chance to relax, collaborate, and discuss all of the books they love. But from the start, something’s clearly amiss.
From the host’s mysterious absence and an unexpected guest to an odd occurrence in town and the strange and worrisome behavior of the neighbors, what starts out as an innocent and lively vacation quickly becomes a weekend filled with terror. And when one of the group members believes they see something horrifying at the house next door, their carefully laid plans begin to unravel.
Drawn into a mystery that runs far deeper and is more sinister than they could’ve imagined—and surrounded by those who refute their story—the group struggles to unearth the truth about the house and the couple next door before it’s too late. As new questions and shocking revelations surface, the group must decide if they can trust each other—not only with their safety in the house but also with their lives entirely.
Listeners’ worst nightmares come to life in this terrifying new thriller that tests the limits of friendship, explores the power of social media influence, digs into the depths of trust, and examines the desperate and dangerous lengths of obsession.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from her website)
Kiersten Modglin is an Amazon Top 10 bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her books have sold over a million copies and been translated into multiple languages. Kiersten is a member of International Thriller Writers, Novelists, Inc., and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She is a KDP Select All-Star and a recipient of ThrillerFix‘s Best Psychological Thriller Award, Suspense Magazine‘s Best Book of 2021 Award, a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Suspense, and a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Overall Book of 2021. Kiersten grew up in a rural western Kentucky and later relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where she now lives with her family. Kiersten’s readers across the world loving refer to her as “KMod.” A binge-watching expert, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her favorite people and evenings with her nose in a book.
Keep up with Kiersten Modglin on Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, and Twitter.
ABOUT THE NARRATOR (from her website)
Stacy Gonzalez has performed over 300 audiobooks, under several pseudonyms. She loves work where she can connect with her Colombian heritage. Stacy’s mother immigrated to the United States after meeting Stacy’s father, a Finnish American, as pen pals, trying to learn each other’s language. Stacy loves to exercise her conversational Spanish in her narration.
Stacy knew from a young age that she was going to be a performer. After studying under JoAnne Akalaitis at Bard College, Stacy spent years performing in live theater, performing in tiny Chicago storefront spaces that seated 15 people, to large theaters seating 100s. Her love of performing the language of Shakespeare and Moliere and the passion of Federico Garcia Lorca and Miguel Pinero set her up for an easy transition to audiobooks.
Stacy loves to play sassy, strong, smart female characters, whether it be in a contemporary romance, a book aimed at tweens, or a dark sci-fi/fantasy. Audiofile Magazine has praised her pace, ability to create bold characters and emotional connection to the characters. She has been nominated for a SOVAS and an Independent Audiobook Award. She has a great love for Old Hollywood—watching the movies and listening to audiobooks about any and every aspect of it! Her guilty pleasure is the Real Housewives of (Anywhere).
BOOK REVIEW
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Three-Star Read
The premise of this book was exciting — a group of book influencers get together for a weekend of fun and book reviewing, and things don’t go as planned. The dialogue was fun and slightly campy, it kind of reminded me of the opening scene of Friday the 13th or one of those type of movies. It felt distinctly nostalgic in that grab a bowl of popcorn and watch all the vintage horror movies at Halloween kind of way.
The characters were entertaining and just this side of quirky. I really couldn’t pinpoint who the killer was because everyone was pretty shady. And, honestly, that just made this book all the more enjoyable.
Then came the plot twist and, y’all, I lost it. The twist wasn’t plausible at all. It felt rushed and thrown together, almost like Modglin was writing two different books and they accidentally got mashed together.
If Modglin separates the beginning from the end and writes two separate books, she’d have a hit on her hands, because both premises are thrilling.
Narration
This was my first time listening to a book narrated by Stacy Gonzalez, and I’d definitely listen to her again. She did a wonderful job with the narration. Her voice was even with enough variation to distinguish between the different characters. There were points when she was plucky and upbeat and others when she was low-key and sinister, every voice and accent matched the character.
The pace of the audiobook was perfect. The chapters flowed evenly because of the subtle pauses, so there was no confusion when a chapter ended or a new one began. I should note there’s an option to speed up the reading, but I tend to leave it at the default setting and that hasn’t been a problem for me so far.
Recommended For…
Because this book is an easy listen and does have some interesting and timely topics, I’d recommend this audiobook for book groups and solo listeners. Some of the areas to explore are what it means to be a book influencer {or a social media influencer}, the politics around book banning, the “realness” of online relationships, and so much more.
Trigger Warnings
Sexual assault, murder, kidnapping
IT’S YOUR TURN
Have you listened to this book? What are your thoughts? Let’s discuss in the comments below. If you haven’t, feel free to purchase the book using the link below.
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