Ali M. Fitzgerald

Mystery snob finds gem, demands more

Revisado: 02-07-23

This was a freebie from the plus catalog, and I can't believe my marvelous luck at having the wherewithal to add it to my library. I've never read a suspense story so grounded in reality yet harrowing at the same time. There were so many directions the storyline could have gone, and my American brain tested one rabbit hole after another to guess the plot, but in the end the reality of it proved to be the most uncomfortable twist. This story is so believable and so relatable - and so very sinister. I am beyond impressed with this author. She needs no tropes, gimmicks, or suspensions of belief to make life - plain old life like you and I know it - a scary, dark place. I will definitely be looking - and pining - for more from this author.

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Painfully long ode to toxic femininity

Revisado: 04-09-22

It's rare that I do not finish a book. Even the clinkers - heck, I paid for them, if they're awful at least it's background noise for when I have to do chores. This book though...I cannot. I'm about six hours in and I'm going to shut this blubber-fest down and return it. Maybe I'll get myself a riveting tale about paint drying. So, six hours in - exactly nothing has happened. It's all dialogue, mostly the thinky-thought kind that happens inside the main protagonist's head, which is predominately the most pathetic, slobbering, navel-gazing drool of what a "nice" girl should do. Or shouldn't do. Oh gosh, should I? What if I do? What will everyone think? Should I? CAN I? What if I hurt the feelings of a chest-thumping man? Golly, that would be bad...or would it? Then people might not think I'm a super nice lady who everyone thinks is nice. I'm nice, right? Super nice! Do you think I'm nice? Can I sit at your table? What does it mean if I sit at your table? What does it mean if I DON'T? Will my boyfriend still like me if I...

...ad nauseam. The narrator did a well enough job of spitting out this drivel, which is supposed to see-saw between teenager-dom and big lady-hood, but it's all super maudlin and wrought with the thickest, most disgusting spackle of FEELINGS and people-pleasing, and at this point it all sounds the same. Super emo. Drippy. Whining for ages. I feel like I need a shower.

If this book was adapted for a movie it would be two minutes long. Literally nothing happens. If you want to be inside the head of an enormously insecure, spineless woman who's still scared of the "mean girls" in her adulthood, cheers and have at it, but there isn't really any activity - it's all just a terrible, terrible, overly long therapy session of the most boring person in creation. It's like the whole book is just her talking to herself about the horror of not being popular in high school, and her desperate bid for approval. Yuck yuck yuck.

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Laugh out loud always gets five stars

Revisado: 04-01-22

Any audiobook that makes me laugh out loud is a winner. This book had me in a couple straight up cackle-fests. The story line is very good, but the combination of the main character's smarmy asides and non-bravado paired with the narrator's up-to-no-good tone is pure magic. Getting the next in the series now - I plan on bingeing them all. Just hope I don't snort in public.

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Better than I though it would be

Revisado: 03-23-22

I very much enjoyed this book for a variety of reasons - the storyline was interesting with some good twists and turns and there was just a hint of the paranormal without being silly or over-the-top. The main reason why I liked this book so much is the narrator - she is by far one the best I've heard so far (and I have almost 800 audiobooks in my library) - easy on the ears, completely unobtrusive so the story is center stage, good differentiation of characters, and can do accents without sounding ridiculous. All the while I was listening to this audiobook I kept thinking to myself how well this narrator did and how well the story shined through because of it. I'll be looking for more titles by both the author and the narrator.

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Interesting subject matter but not in depth

Revisado: 03-19-22

I would have liked this book better if it had gone into more of the complexities of the condition of sociopathy, but I understand that such an undertaking might not make for an interesting storyline. As for "Never Saw Me Coming," I don't see how such a blundering, over-the-top mess like the main character could sneak up on anyone incognito. The blend of characters made for an interesting study in sociopathy, but the "whys" of the differences in pathology were not delved into. I questioned the choice of narrator - her voice is high and bubbly, think vapid valley-girl meets church soprano - so the danger of the main character's disposition was quite lost in her chirpy dialogue. I do have to hand it to the narrator - she did a fine job of differentiating between the various characters - but the near glass-shattering pitch of her voice is hard to listen to at times. The storyline itself was quite good and realistic - not everything goes exactly as planned for these beautiful monsters. The character development has a hefty dose of authenticity in that someone who might've been "bad" is indeed not...and vice versa. The ending is a surprise in that new characters are introduced late into the story (is that cheating? because I felt like that was cheating), but it's merely a twist on the way to the reveal. The slow leak of information on who and what everyone is and what their role is in the mystery is just enough to keep the reader guessing. I would hesitate before buying another title by this author - especially if it's with the same narrator - but I could see myself going for it again.

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Iiiiinteresting

Revisado: 03-19-22

This book was very interesting, not just for the storyline that wound all over the place like a syncopal snake, but also for the premise of the book in its entirety, a subject of which is read by the author as an afterword. All in all, it's an in-detail description of a particular human condition which needs much more exploration, and I give a "hats-off" to the author for tackling such a misunderstood, complex phenomenon. The reveal is one surprise after another, which all make sense in light of the overall premise (you'll get it if you read it all the way through). The writing is smooth with some choppy transitions, but I don't think that can be helped due to the complicated theme. You have to listen rather closely to this one. I thought I could listen to this book as background noise while doing chores but I had to rewind several times to re-orient myself - particularly for the last fourth of the book, which was one "aha" moment after another. All in all, pretty interesting, if not a little sad. Definitely not what I expected.

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Interesting, if you can suspend your truth-o-meter

Revisado: 03-19-22

This book was interesting enough with a little historical detail, but is dubious in that you have to suspend disbelief for most of it. The writing itself goes well enough - smooth dialogue and transitions, although the attempts as historical vernacular are awkward and intermittent. I read this more like a romance novel, which is why I won't be buying any more titles from this author, but if you like romance novels with a little bodice-ripping that are short on historical reality, this one is for you. As for me, I want historical accuracy (a la Susanna Gregory in the Matthew Bartholomew series, which include as many actual people and circumstances in lengthy bibliographies) and the hard, gritty truth - none of which are included in this book. I found the ending quite silly and implausible, but again if you can suspend disbelief it might be a nice surprise. The storyline itself is simplistic and basic - the good guys wear white hats and all that - which I found annoying in that I felt like that author worked a little over-hard and designating who was "good" and who was "bad." I read this title while occupying myself with other activities and was able to follow along without listening too closely. It was an adequate distraction, but I still found myself chuckling at the obvious literal tropes and directives.

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Good snarky fun

Revisado: 03-19-22

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - the beginning is filled with over-the-top ridiculousness that pertains to today's prestige consumption as well as some top notch snark. There are several twists and turns that slowly reveal the mystery throughout the book, all of which lead to an ending that is as illuminating as it is unexpected. The narration was excellent, particularly in the expression of subtext - *how* something is said comes through as clearly as what is actually said (which may have quite opposite meanings) - and that takes talent. As soon as I was done listening to this I quickly looked up the author to see if I could download another book, but I only saw one other title that didn't catch my fancy. I will definitely be on the lookout for more works by this author, and I am one hard-to-please reader. If you want a fun, funny book with a mystery that'll keep you guessing until the final reveal, get this title. You won't be disappointed.

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I give it a good solid meh

Revisado: 03-19-22

I'm about four hours in to this book and I'm thinking I'll be able to finish it...hopefully some of the female characters in it will develop some backbone. As a women I get so, so tired of reading about women who tolerate bad behavior from their partners ranging from lying to financial manipulation to physical abuse to straight-up rape. So far every woman in this story is a good little doormat for her man, hiding bruises, making excuses, blaming themselves for their man's shortcomings. The narration is OK, but all read in a sweet, June Cleaver-esque way, which is appropriate, I guess, since the children treat their mothers about as badly as the men, the only maternal discipline being a slightly harsh "Honey!" I'll come back and edit this review if any of the women decide to stand up for themselves. If not, I'll just leave this here and skip anything else by this author in the future.

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Narrator was perfect

Revisado: 11-10-20

I kept wondering if this was an awful narrator...nope. The narrator was perfect. If I say any more I'll give it away. Between the cadence, tone, and vague language, it all comes together in a nice creepy little package. Well worth your time.

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