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reiding's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
ladytiara's review against another edition
4.0
I Hope You're Listening is a compelling mystery, and a quick and entertaining read.
When Dee was 7, her best friend Sibby was taken, grabbed by two masked men in the woods where she and Dee were playing. Dee was left behind, and Sibby was never found. Dee is now 17 and she's lived with the guilt of being left behind for 10 years. She presents a tough exterior to the world, and she's something of a loner, with just one close friend. But Dee has a big secret: she's the anonymous host of the popular true crime podcast Radio Silent. Known as the Seeker, Dee uses her podcast to investigate missing people. Solving other people's disappearances brings her some peace, but when a little girl who lives in Dee's old house goes missing, it seems like the past is repeating itself.
I really liked this book. It has two interesting mysteries: what happened to Sibby all those years ago and the new disappearance of the little girl. The two cases appear to have similarities, and it forces Dee to revisit Sibby's disappearance. Dee is a great character. She's closed herself off from the world, and her podcast has become something of an obsession. Her listeners are referred to as the Laptop Detective Association, and the podcast has led to a number of solved cases. The concept of the podcast and the work that Dee is doing is very cool, and I really enjoyed this aspect of the book.
Dee has a lot of character growth. She has to face what happened in the past and find a way to move forward. She finds herself on the outs with her only friend because of her reluctance to use the podcast to investigate Sibby's disappearance or the new mystery, while she opens herself up to a possible romance with a new girl who moves in across the street (both girls are unapologetically queer, and it's refreshing that it's not an issue at all in the story). Her journey in figuring out how to deal with trauma and move on is really well done.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.
When Dee was 7, her best friend Sibby was taken, grabbed by two masked men in the woods where she and Dee were playing. Dee was left behind, and Sibby was never found. Dee is now 17 and she's lived with the guilt of being left behind for 10 years. She presents a tough exterior to the world, and she's something of a loner, with just one close friend. But Dee has a big secret: she's the anonymous host of the popular true crime podcast Radio Silent. Known as the Seeker, Dee uses her podcast to investigate missing people. Solving other people's disappearances brings her some peace, but when a little girl who lives in Dee's old house goes missing, it seems like the past is repeating itself.
I really liked this book. It has two interesting mysteries: what happened to Sibby all those years ago and the new disappearance of the little girl. The two cases appear to have similarities, and it forces Dee to revisit Sibby's disappearance. Dee is a great character. She's closed herself off from the world, and her podcast has become something of an obsession. Her listeners are referred to as the Laptop Detective Association, and the podcast has led to a number of solved cases. The concept of the podcast and the work that Dee is doing is very cool, and I really enjoyed this aspect of the book.
Dee has a lot of character growth. She has to face what happened in the past and find a way to move forward. She finds herself on the outs with her only friend because of her reluctance to use the podcast to investigate Sibby's disappearance or the new mystery, while she opens herself up to a possible romance with a new girl who moves in across the street (both girls are unapologetically queer, and it's refreshing that it's not an issue at all in the story). Her journey in figuring out how to deal with trauma and move on is really well done.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.
cchangoor's review against another edition
4.0
Ten years after her best friend gets kidnapped, Dee Skinner is haunted with memories of that day. She secretly created and hosts a podcast to bring attention to current missing persons cases, and to connect members of an online community who work to solve them. When another girl is taken from Dee’s town, there are too many similarities to ignore, so she begins her own investigation into her many unanswered questions.
This book was everything I was expecting – a high interest, well-paced mystery that hooked me throughout, and an ending that tied up all of the pieces into a neat little bow. There were enough clues to keep me guessing, but nothing so obvious that I was able to solve everything on my own.
The story would benefit if the characters were more dynamic and developed throughout the entire book. During the first half I started to get invested in them, and then bam! The best friend is dropped and replaced by a love interest. This shift completely lost me. I was frustrated with the way the main character behaved and handled the friendship, and I couldn’t get into the new character or buy into their romance. Overall it didn’t detract too much from the plot. I still found the book quite enjoyable and would certainly recommend it to middle school mystery fans.
Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was everything I was expecting – a high interest, well-paced mystery that hooked me throughout, and an ending that tied up all of the pieces into a neat little bow. There were enough clues to keep me guessing, but nothing so obvious that I was able to solve everything on my own.
The story would benefit if the characters were more dynamic and developed throughout the entire book. During the first half I started to get invested in them, and then bam! The best friend is dropped and replaced by a love interest. This shift completely lost me. I was frustrated with the way the main character behaved and handled the friendship, and I couldn’t get into the new character or buy into their romance. Overall it didn’t detract too much from the plot. I still found the book quite enjoyable and would certainly recommend it to middle school mystery fans.
Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest review.
okafon's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book was really good. I would definitely recommended it. Although the romance felt very rushed. They kissed and were inlove a few chapters later. Also the resolutions of the people kidnapped left me feeling a sense of “Oh, it’s solved. Ok I guess.” But the plot was unique and the writing was very good.
jayjoreads's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
alaskaisnotdead's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
abstractkitty0's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookwrm526's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
cterry96's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
ameserole's review
4.0
Okay, so I think it's time that I dive into the wonderful but mysterious world of true crime podcasts. I Hope You're Listening wasn't the first book I've read/listened to that dealt with a podcasts but I'm starting to see a trend. Or maybe a sign. Either way, I will definitely try one (or some) out in the new year.
In this, you will meet Delia (aka Dee). When she was about 7 years old, she witnessed her best friend being abducted. Ever since then, she was trying to figure out what happened and if her friend, Sibby, was still alive. Along the way, there's a new girl missing and slowly but surely secrets come out to play.
Honestly, the mystery was so freaking good. I also liked the little romance that was starting to blossom between Dee and Sarah. I feel like it needed to happen because I wanted Dee to be vulnerable and then grow from that.
In the end, secrets, twists, and clues needed to come out in order to solve the mysteries. I'm happy that everything turned out the way it did and people can start to move on from it all and heal. Definitely happy that I got the chance to finally dive into this and I can't wait to see what my buddy thinks of it as well.
In this, you will meet Delia (aka Dee). When she was about 7 years old, she witnessed her best friend being abducted. Ever since then, she was trying to figure out what happened and if her friend, Sibby, was still alive. Along the way, there's a new girl missing and slowly but surely secrets come out to play.
Honestly, the mystery was so freaking good. I also liked the little romance that was starting to blossom between Dee and Sarah. I feel like it needed to happen because I wanted Dee to be vulnerable and then grow from that.
In the end, secrets, twists, and clues needed to come out in order to solve the mysteries. I'm happy that everything turned out the way it did and people can start to move on from it all and heal. Definitely happy that I got the chance to finally dive into this and I can't wait to see what my buddy thinks of it as well.