4.5⭐
•I never know what I will get when I try a book on KU, it‘s definitely a crapshoot. But this book, and it‘s a short one at 140 pages, completely shook me. I‘m so invested in these characters…especially Auden, when he comes into the story, I was so emotional. Something about this kid reminds me of my grandson. I really like Frankie and Yorke, too, and I‘m looking forward to the rest of their story.

4.25⭐
•Honestly, this has everything a good missing person mystery thriller needs, and I might‘ve rated it even higher if I weren‘t in such a funk lately. Also, I‘m feeling fairly burned out on Saskia Maarleveld‘s narration lately; it feels like she‘s narrating everything.

2.25⭐• Ursula‘s back story • with mentions of many other Disney characters •
•The only reason I picked this up was for the U character name to go in my A-Z book challenge, and there could‘ve been a decent story here for all I know. Unfortunately, the narration killed it for me. I disliked the accent, which, to be fair, is most definitely a me thing, but her voice tone was also horrendous. Her character voices were just a high-pitched mess.

3.5⭐(Light Pick)
•I believe this book is scary, and if I had watched it on TV, I‘m sure it would‘ve had me terrified. But in this medium, my connection to the story and the characters was really only surface-level. I wonder if I didn‘t let myself get too immersed because I didn‘t want to be freaked out when I go camping in these particular mountains in a few weeks.
•Leanne Woodward was fine, but I would‘ve liked additional narrators.

4.5⭐
•This isn‘t the first book I‘ve read about the Chowchilla bus kidnapping, but it is, by far, the better of the two. The other one is 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 3𝘉. Both are only loosely based on that incident, and each went in fairly different directions. You can read both and get a distinct story.
•All four narrators did a phenomenal job with the narration. The full cast of narrators put this version over the top for me.

2.25⭐
•What started decently quickly descended deep into the murky darkness. Just like these girls and their deep dives. The characters failed to draw me in, especially after she broke up with her long-time boyfriend, East. It felt all wrong, and I didn‘t buy the relationship between her and Rio; it felt forced/contrived. Unlike many readers who quickly guessed the killer, I wasn‘t even motivated to try.
•Sophie Amoss gave a decent performance.

4⭐
This was my first finished e-book of the year. Since the hold for the Audio was so freaking long, I decided to read this on KU.
This is one of the better Freida books I‘ve finished. Maybe reading them is the way to go since I don‘t usually like her choice of narrators. It surprised me and kept me engaged, and I loved the easy-to-read writing style. I will be continuing the series…, but whether it will be on audio or Kindle remains to be seen.

4⭐
•The overall theme at work here was solid, but sometimes it went off on unnecessary tangents that pulled me out of the story entirely too often.
•Helen Laser‘s narration was fantastic.

4⭐
•This is the kind of story that delves into the unexpected corners of the heart, proving that rescue comes in many forms and speaks in myriad tongues (think medieval knight). And just maybe, Gentry is exactly what Zee never knew she needed.
•The full cast of narrators made this a very worthwhile listen.

4.5⭐
•This was an endearingly sweet story that hit all the feels, but it didn‘t quite hit me like Dark Room Etiquette did. While it had a similar feel to it, I still wasn‘t quite as hooked. Although it‘s still completely worthwhile because the love in this seriously shines.
•Graham Halsted & Christopher Gebauer‘s narration was excellently performed.

3.25⭐
•Lately, I‘ve not been easily pulled into a book…it has to be really good. Unfortunately, this didn‘t manage to pull me in. That‘s not to say it isn‘t worthwhile, as many others have found it satisfactory. If toxic female friendship mixed with books about people who write books is your jam, this could be your story.
•Yu-Li Alice Shen, Saskia Maarleveld, Leiana Bertrand, & Eunice Wong were all fantastic.

My MAY #bookspinbingo board.

#bookspin = Tell Me What I Am by Una Mannion
#doublespin = Across Time by Elle O'Roark

@TheAromaofBooks

2.5⭐
• 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 • 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐧 • 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬, 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐬 • 𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐎𝐕𝐬 •
•Sometimes KMod‘s books are a hit, and sometimes they are a miss…this one was definitely more of a miss for me. While it was suspenseful, there were too many improbable events for me to get behind what was happening here.
•Craig Van Ness and Lauryn Allman‘s narration was decent enough.

My only 5-star book this month was Don't Tell Me How To Die.

Currently, Sunrise on the Reaping will be #1 for the first half of the year. I also feel it could easily be my #1 for the entire year.

4.25⭐
•For me, 6:30 (the dog) stole the show and I loved his POV. The other characters weren‘t too bad, either. Elizabeth Zott was an intriquingly quirky MC that really broke the mold of the typical female of her time. It did get a little monotonous at times, especially towards the end, but for the most part this was an engaging feminist-centered story.
•Miranda Raison‘s narration was fantastic.

April #bookspinbingoboard. 4 Bingo's and 4 DNFs total. I only finished 14 books this month, which is down 6 books from last month. I think I'm in a rut😟.

#bookspin = completed (The Defense by Steve Cavanagh)
#doublespin = completed (Retreat by Krysten Ritter)

@TheAromaofBooks

Here's my #bookspinbingo list for May.
I tried to keep it small, like small books, and broke up anything over 13 hours in length into two entries since I'm going on vacation at the end of this month, and I usually don't get much listening time in when we go UTV riding for the week. We are going to West Virginia this year, and we have a large group of people going, so l'm looking forward to it.

@TheAromaofBooks

3.5⭐Mostly A Pick but also So-So.
•This started great, and I was fully invested, but eventually, the witchcraft elements got a bit out of hand, which I feel is typical for Hendrix. It got to the point that I couldn‘t follow what was going on. I don‘t think the narration did this issue any favors, either. Overall, for me, it dragged something fierce.
•The narration for the birthing sections was atrocious to listen to.
⬇️⬇️⬇️

3⭐
•This author‘s books are either a hit for me or a near miss…this one falls into the latter. Despite wanting to, I never connected with the characters or the story. I‘m willing to admit it might be a me thing.
•Christine Lakin‘s narration was decent.

3.75⭐
•While the writing fell a bit flat for me at times, I‘m still rather impressed with this. A formidably scary premise, and I can‘t help but feel that it would be totally plausible in the very near future. This and more—yikes!
•I love separate narrators, but a greater contrast between voices would‘ve hit more effectively, otherwise, all three were quite good.

5⭐
•A clever story that holds you in suspense and will keep you on your toes because you‘ll be wondering where it's going. Things start in the past and feel quite contemporary, which some might say is slow burn, but I thought it worked out really well. Then it moves to the present and begins to slowly change into something far more ominous, which I was definitely here for.
•January LaVoy is a queen!

4.25⭐
•What a gruesome little dragon tale. One that involves dragons suddenly appearing in real life and doesn‘t shy away from death and dismemberment, not even with animals (I could‘ve done without that kind of imagery). This story could definitely be elaborated on or continued. Also, it would make an excellent movie as long as it‘s not done in the interview style of this book.
•The narration was fantastic as long as you like full dramatization.

2.75⭐
•I tried this while knowing it probably wouldn‘t work for me, despite really liking Kill For Me, Kill For You. Inevitably, it was a combination of the narration and the storyline that didn‘t work for me. It wasn‘t my style of book, I believe. When it comes to thrillers, I‘m more new-school than old-school, and this felt old-school to me, which more than likely translates to it being liked by many others.

3.25⭐
•Kysten Ritter‘s narration was fantastic, at least I believe it was, but something about this left my mind wandering. Maybe it was the glibness of the characters that pulled me out of the story. I wanted to like this more than I actually did, but that‘s not to say that it won‘t work for others.

1.5⭐

• horror • cursed film • mixed media • past & present timelines • multiple POVs •

•This is one of those books that either works for you or doesn‘t. It‘s obvious where I fall on this spectrum. I was completely adrift; for me, the writing was too disjointed, the narration too oddly done, and overall, it felt like there wasn‘t really a story here. Was it scary? I have no f-ing clue.

3.5⭐Light Pick
•An engagingly diabolical story where you‘re left trying to figure out who was the unreliable one. Unfortunately, I did have a few issues. 1. I‘m pretty sure the covid stuff was a turn-off for me. I lived through it, don‘t want to read about it. 2. The MC's meddling ways were overly annoying, & 3, I saw the end coming, although I didn't see that extreme, because wow, it was unhinged.
•Maggi Meg-Reed brought her A-game with this one.

3.75⭐
• This is an interesting look at an impossible situation: where you bury your significant other and win the lottery on the same day. While it was a tad slow at times, I still found myself intrigued by where the hell this was going, and it managed to go in a direction I didn't see coming.
• Gary Bennett‘s narration was fantastic.

3.75⭐
•While she did get on her soapbox again, and I‘m seriously not a fan of that sort of thing, I still mostly enjoyed this second edition of this duo. It has the same fast-paced craziness that the first book brought, and continues Ness‘s journey of self-discovery in a world that seems hell-bent on bringing her down.
•Saskia Maarleveld‘s voice isn‘t a favorite, but she is always consistent.

3.5⭐Light Pick
•Overall, this was a moderately engaging story with an interesting family dynamic and some tense, eerie moments culminating in a somewhat lackluster ending.
•But hey, I found another accented narrator with whom I can stay in the story with.

My third completed letter in my #atozultimatechallenge is X!

X~ Title = Baby X
X~ Author = Cindy R.X, He for Perfect Little Monsters
X~ Character = Xaden (Riorson) from Onyx Storm
X~ Item = Lights Out
X~XEROX Book where the Plot, Title, or Cover is the same as a book you've previously read = The New Neighbor (in this case, I've read another book with this title)

3.25⭐I think this one tries to throw you off with the synopsis, which can be good or bad. Despite having similar cover art, having a pregnant MC, & coming out simultaneously, I can say that it‘s quite different from “The Crash” by FM.
I had no idea what direction it was going in, & I was completely taken by surprise with where it went, so much so that I was left scrambling to figure out what was going on. By the time I figured it out, it was over.

5⭐
•Now this is the character backstory I wanted, not Coriolanus Snow. This was so freaking good, even knowing, for the most part, how it ends. The journey it took to get there, the characters from past Hunger Games books, and the easter eggs of info, all made this a standout prequel.
•Jefferson White (Jimmy from Yellowstone) was super fantastic.

My second completed letter in my #atozultimatechallenge is F!

F~ Title = Finding Tessa
F~ Author = Layne Fargo for The Favorites
F~ Character = (Eddie) Flynn from The Defense
F~ Item = Fence on the cover of Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave
F=FEATHERS Has a Bird on the Cover = Bluebird

Light Pick
3.5⭐
•Wow, such a strange experience, and I‘m unsure how I feel about it. It was ambitious with everything packed into it, and I was mostly there for it, even though I was sometimes confused. I‘m just not sure about that last little twist at the end, I think it was too much and maybe unnecessary.
•The narration performed by Emily Lawrence & Ashley Klanac was sufficient.

4.5⭐
•This has a couple of hard twists that I didn‘t see coming, and they made for a thrilling story that had me hooked, which is a rarity these days. The ending was a somewhat difficult pill to swallow, but it was fun in a completely unhinged way.
•Andrew Eiden, Devon Sorvari, and Emily Tremaine gave great performances, and I thought the way this was narrated was pure genius.

2.75⭐
•This book started interestingly enough, but then it became monotonous and only seemed to grab my attention here and there, and not enough to leave me satisfied with it overall.
•It might‘ve worked better for me if it had a full cast of narrators.

3.25⭐
•While this is a decent enough story, much of the conflict could‘ve been avoided if they had just told the daughter more about what was happening. It relied too heavily on something that could‘ve been an easy fix.
•James Anderson Foster gave a decent performance.

5⭐
•I have learned what makes me really love a thriller—it‘s caring about the characters and being completely surprised by how everything plays out in the end. This did both flawlessly and while many others only liked this, I thought it was so freaking good. I will be adding more of his books to my TBR, posthaste.
•Jennifer Jill Araya did a splendid job of narration but I would‘ve really loved to have a male narrator to go along with her.

2⭐

•𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑦•𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒•𝑝𝑠𝑦𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑟-𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡•𝑏𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑑𝑚𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 & 𝑜𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛•𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑂𝑉•

•This felt awkward, clumsy even, an there wasn‘t much to inspire me, here. Nothing about is memorable except how it left me feeling, which is basically—meh.

3.25⭐
•What an unbelievable premise this has, the lie they told the MC to get her to go along with their plan was so implausible that I almost DNF‘d this early on. While I‘m glad I stuck with it, I still believe it was plagued with issues. Although I did learn that gecko smuggling is, in fact, a thing.
•Siho Ellsmore‘s narration was quite good with only a light accent, which was easy for me to decipher.

APRIL #bookspinbingo board is all set.

I'm already listening to Retreat (#doublespin) and The Defense (#bookspin) next up from the library. So I'll get those books out of the way quite quickly😊

@TheAromaofBooks

4.25⭐
•This may have hit differently if I hadn‘t seen that first twist coming from a mile away. Despite that, I enjoyed the ride, especially the ending.
•Andrew Eiden and Kasha Kensington were on fire.

Final March #bookspinbingo board.
Almost a full blackout, minus 3 squares.
2 of these were DNF's (I had 2 other DNFs not shown on here)

#bookspin =✔️ (Where Are You, Echo Blue?)
#doublespin = ✔️ (Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave)

@TheAromaofBooks

I loved Sunrise on the Reaping!!!

Light Pick
3.5⭐
•The title suggests that this is a romance, but it‘s not a traditional type of romance, not by any means. This won‘t be for everyone, and it‘s short, so you won‘t waste much time trying it. Overall, it is uniquely weird, slightly gross, and the MC is rather unlikable. However, she does manage some personal growth by the end.
•Eunice Wong does depression/dry wit well; despite that or because of that, I like her as a narrator.

Here's my April #bookspinbingo list.

@TheAromaofBooks

4.25⭐
•On the one hand, I really loved this edition—Mrs. Haggerty stole the show with her hijinks—but on the other hand, I‘m wondering why Finlay & Co. can‘t catch a flipping breath already. We‘ve segued from one crime to another with no let-down. Is it her fate to always be fighting crime and injustice?
•Angela Dawe has become the voice of Finlay Donovan, which can be both a good and a not-so-good thing.

4⭐This was seriously compelling but oh so very dark and demented. Like f*ck-with-your-head demented. I‘m not sure I was always so willing to be inside this unhinged woman's head. And that ending, yikes.
I love multiple narrators but they should sound different. All three of them sounded the same and at first, I thought it only had one narrator who changed up her voice a slight bit for each POV. Turns out, they're were 5 narrators, oof.

4⭐
While this has more of a focus on the murder mystery and a missing girl than the solar storm that‘s taking out the grid, I do believe the further installments will focus more on the world-ending survival aspect. Being from MI, I love that the story takes place in my home state. The cities and surrounding areas feel very familiar, and I‘m here for that.
•I wish she would‘ve switched it up to a different narrator, Stacey Glemboski performs well.

I created an #atozultimatechallenge that includes everything you could want in an A-Z challenge. I also created graphics in Canva.

My first finished letter is Letter C!
C~ Title = The Crash
C~ Author = Suzanne Collins for Sunrise on the Reaping
C~ Character = Calvin from The Last Trip
C~ Item = Cruthes On Scythe & Sparrow
C=COLOR BOOK TITLE WITH A COLOR WORD IN IT = Pink from Pink Glass Houses

Links in comments.