Limetown was my first read by Cote Smith. Before reading, I was made aware that this was a prequel to an actual podcast. This made it even better as I was going into it completely blind. This may have also been my downfall. I've never listened to it. With this being said, I did enjoy the alternate timelines. Some of the story was a little bit unrealistic and I found myself wondering what genre this book actually fits into. I will be sure to check the podcast out in the future.

*I received an eARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

*3-3.5 stars. I was offered an arc of this prequel to the popular Limetown podcast series from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review. I had never heard of this series but the premise sounded quite intriguing so I accepted: Three hundred people living near a research laboratory in Limetown, TN, suddenly disappear without a trace. Among them is Lia Haddocks' uncle, Emile. The government is not releasing much information and her parents will not talk about it, so Lia does some investigating on her own. The mystery dips into the paranormal with Emile's backstory, told in alternating chapters.

Good story-telling! With a cliff-hanger-type ending, I'm totally hooked, wanting to know more, so will probably HAVE to listen to the podcast now.

A great read for fans of the podcast and for new fans a like. The book starts off a tad slow to set you up for things to come. As a fan of the podcast I was greatly looking forward to this book and recommended it to many others!

As someone who has never listened to a podcast before (I know, I know.. I'll get there!), I was a little hesitant to read this book. However, as a prequel, it states you don't need to listen to the podcast to read this. I'm not sure I entirely agree with that, but how could I really know since I never listened to it, right?

There's two POVs - Emile and Lia, uncle and niece. He's disappeared in the mystery that is Limetown and Lia is looking for answers. Honestly, I felt lost most of the time. I was intrigued with certain topics that came up and the thought of opening up intellect and brain power from those who are gifted. Maybe the back and forth in timelines, or the offset potential romantic (though extremely slight and left somewhat hanging) parts left me a bit bewildered.

The cliffhanger wasn't quite what I wanted or needed from this book. Sometimes I don't mind them, sometimes I do. I'm not sure how I feel particularly in this case since clearly it's a prequel and my thinking is that they're leaving it wanting for those who haven't listened to the podcast to search it out. Unfortunately it just didn't quite work for me and I can't quite pinpoint the exact things that did not. Maybe it was the confusion of the back and forth timelines. Maybe it was the interweaving of what seemed like a variety of different things... or maybe it just didn't clique for the me the way that I hoped that it would. I don't feel the need to run to the podcast to see what happens but if you've listened to it and want to enlighten me, please do ;)

I had no idea that this was an actual podcast. Perhaps if I knew/listened to the podcast, I may have enjoyed the book more. I know the podcast and the book are tied together and perhaps I missed keypoints by never listening to the them. The book was not a bad book at all, I would just suggest listening to the Podcast before reading this book.

Lia Haddock is a teenager in high school when she hears of Limetown - a town of over three hundred people, including her uncle Emile, who simply vanished overnight. She decided to try to investigate a bit on her own, but she wasn't the only one trying to find answers.

This is a prequel to the podcast "Limetown," which you can find on their YouTube channel or on their website. It can be read by those that hadn't heard the podcast, which is what I did. The novel tracks Lia through her senior year of high school when she first hears the news reports and alternates with chapters told from her uncle's point of view when he was in high school himself. She had no idea her uncle was even in the town when everyone disappeared, as he had largely been estranged from her father. Every time she tried to ask what was going on with her mother's growing isolation and why no one would talk about her uncle, she was shut down, which only added to her frustration. It hadn't occurred to her at that time to wonder why she didn't really know about where her family came from, but now the absence of relatives seemed to take on a more sinister note.

Emile had always been the odd one in his town and didn't have any friends other than his older brother Jacob. Their mother had essentially gone missing, leaving them with their guardians, who never talked about her and only did the minimum to keep the boys cared for. Emile had an odd talent his brother didn't share, but he innately seemed to know that he shouldn't discuss his ability to know the thoughts and feelings of others around him. He went through a lot of difficulties when on his own and trying to stay ahead of the mysterious person trying to study him, and his storyline eventually dovetails with Lia's.

Reading this book made me curious about the podcast, and I started listening to it. It starts off rather innocuously, with reporter Lia Haddock doing a ten-year anniversary series to cover what is known about the disappearance at Limetown. This draws survivors out of the woodwork, who will only speak with her about what research was being done there, as well as creepy goings-on that try to dissuade her coverage. The podcast has very good production quality and gradually increases the creepy aspect as the episodes go on. Certain aspects of the book make more sense when you listen to the podcast, but it does stand alone as a very creepy conspiracy novel.

Season 1 is six episodes, so it's easy enough to get caught up, especially now that Season 2 started. It's a fascinating podcast, especially if you have a good enough imagination to think about what's happening behind the scenes that is only hinted at in the actual audio. There is also news that it is filming a television adaption starring Jessica Biel for Facebook Watch.

'Limetown' is a prequel to a hit podcast by the same name. I've never heard of it, and while only recently starting to listen to podcasts, I really enjoy them. The story centers around three hundred people who disappear from a research facility in Limetown, Tennessee. One of the people who disappeared without a trace was Lia Haddock's uncle Emilie. Lia is captivated by the mystery of the missing people, spending all of her time looking for both answers and Emilie. Her parents refuse to talk about Limetown and Emilie, leading Lia further into her search for answers. I admit that less than half way into the book I became disinterested. I'm positive that listening to the podcast and THEN reading the prequel might have made the experience different and perhaps more enjoyable. On the other hand, I don't usually enjoy prequel's. They just don't seem to answer questions I have! The writing in this book while at first was quick paced and enjoyable, became rather dense and slow which also increased my disillusionment in the story line. I did finish it however.

I have to admit to being a little out of touch & never having heard of the podcast before reading this. In the absence of any background understanding, this was still a fantastic read. Captivating, unique and a compulsive page-turner that kept me reading late into the night. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I have never heard of the Limelight podcast but was intrigued by the description of the novel. I thought it was well written and could see how it leads to an interesting and mysterious story/podcast. I, however, lost interest about half way through and was ready for the book to be over. It was just not my style and I couldn't stay connected or interested in the characters and their stories. I got bored with Limelight and found it out that this mother and wife kept running away from her family to trace down this lost town. Finding her connection to the story did make more sense of it, but didn't take away my annoyance with it. I can see why fans of sci-fi could really like this book and podcast, it just wasn't for me.

So, didn’t listen to the podcast and received the ARC and thought it looked interesting. Now I have to get the podcast! Really liked the book. Could use a final edit, but the book hooked me. If you haven’t read the podcast, like me, don’t worry - the boom will pull you in.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Very good book. Loved the characters and world building! There were a few moments where I found the story to be moving a long a little slow, but they definitely didn't last very long. Definitely a to-buy!

This was a cool story. I hadn't actually listened to the podcast before I read the book, but I love Nightvale and it was mentioned in a few teasers. Very creepy at times and good for readers who like suspense and don't mind less sympathetic narrators (some of our readers have issues with that). None of the characters are completely sympathetic, but you can cheer for them to succeed at times. I binge-listened the first season of the podcast after, so I think it did its job.

Lia is a high school senior when she hears the news about Limetown. Limetown is a town where three hundred people disappeared without a trace. Among those who disappeared, Lia’s estranged uncle, Emile. Fueled by the need to find out what happened, Lia starts an investigation. What she finds during her investigation makes her question everything that she has been told. What happened at Limetown? Why is Emile at the center of it? How is her mother involved? Who can Lia trust? Where did those people go?

I was pretty excited to start reading Limetown. Even though I haven’t heard the podcast, I figured that I could follow the prequel easy enough. I mean, prequels give information that’s isn’t known in series that follows. Yeah, well that didn’t happen. While Limetown was an interesting read, it left me with more questions than answers.

I didn’t care for Lia. She came across as self-centered the entire book. I did admire her tenacity. She stuck with finding out with what happened to the people in Limetown and her uncle Emile. But her personality was awful. There are very few times where I don’t like the main character and this is one of them. I also didn’t get why she treated her mother the way she did when she found certain things out. She failed to see that everything her mother did was for her. Saying that I do wonder what she is like in the podcast.

I did like Emile. Actually, I pitied him for 75% of the book. His ability made him an outsider. Anytime he even got close to someone, they either got hurt or turned out to be not what he thought they would be. Even his relationship with Lia ended up badly and she was a baby. I did wonder what happened to him at Limetown at the beginning of the book. I can’t say what I thought by the end of the book because I will give away the ending. Let’s say that any pity I felt for Emile went out the window.

I did find the storylines well written. But they failed to hold my attention. My mind kept wandering off mid-paragraph and I had to force myself to focus on reading. Which, in turn, took away from my pleasure in reading the book.

The end of Limetown confused the heck out of me. This is where I wish I had listened to the podcast because I had zero clue what was going on. But, I did know that Lia’s foray to Limetown wasn’t going to end up well. I didn’t expect it to go that bad.

I have Limetown a 3-star rating. I thought the book was well written and an interesting read. But, it failed to hold my attention and left me with more questions than answers. Even though it is a prequel, I would recommend listening to the podcast first.

I would give Limetown an Adult rating. There is no sex. There is violence. There is language. There are triggers. They are child abuse, drug use, parental abandonment, the death of a parent, unsolved disappearances of the loved one. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21.

I am undecided if I would reread Limetown. I am also undecided if I would recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Limetown.

All opinions stated in this review of Limetown are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.

Limetown is an intriguing book. It is the prequel to a Podcast series and helps set up the remainder of the tale. I read the book unaware that there was a podcast and was delighted to find there was more to this story. The book introduces us to Lia and her family. Particularly her uncle Emile, her father’s brother, who has disappeared under strange circumstances.

Lia’s mother has spent many years searching for her brother-in-law and as we discover, has left clues for her daughter to follow hoping that Lia will continue the search and eventually find him. The book takes us along with Lia as she does, indeed, follow those clues and becomes entangled in the search.

Upon finishing the Limetown book, I listened to the Podcast and was happily caught up in the continuing search for Emile and look forward to answering the why. The book and podcast combination is very entertaining and I look forward to more podcasts.

I am an avid listener of the podcast version of this book. This is a prequel to the podcast.

The novel is told in alternate POVs: Seventeen year old Lia and her uncle Emile. I really loved Emile's perspective versus Lia. I just didn't connect with her. I was talking with someone else who read this novel as well. and we both agree that the one thing we would change is to have separated the two view points into two separate novels. That way maybe it could have delved deeper into the personalities of the characters rather than a highlight. The writing was wonderful and I hope to see more novels from Cote Smith and this story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel- as I did the podcast.

4 Stars.

I received a copy of this novel from Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

Limetown was a slow starter for me, and it took me a while to get into it. It does build in intensity as the story progresses, but there were still times that it lagged. Lia's chapters felt stilted and sometimes convoluted. I felt like maybe the author was trying to convey her thought process, but it missed the mark with me. Mostly, it just felt like someone talking at me rather than to me. Emile's timeline was much more interesting, and his character felt more approachable. There are a few things about the book that don't quite line up with the podcast, particularly what Lia knows and what she doesn't. In the end, the book left me with some questions, and I'll be interested to see where the podcast goes. As far as my reading experience with this one, I didn't hate it, but it didn't wow me either, leaving me with a middle of the road feeling.

I tore through the "Limetown" podcast in a matter of days, really enjoying the mythology and the framework of a 'Serial'-esque podcast that has a supernatural spin to it. I went into the "Limetown" book hoping to see an expansion of the story of Lia Haddock and a town that up and disappeared almost without a trace. And while I did like seeing some of the expansions that this book brought (mostly the Emile storyline), overall it didn't feel like I was getting THAT much beyond what the podcast has already put forth. If anything it kind of retconned a couple of things, or perhaps just made the podcast a far more unreliable narrator than it presented itself as. Not only that, I don't know if people who don't listen to the podcast would get much from this book on it's own. But keeping those things in mind, I enjoyed the read for the most part, but it didn't find myself totally enthralled by it. I did like getting more background to Lia beyond what is presented in the podcast, and I liked seeing what Emile's background was like since he was more of a hypothetical fixture in the podcast. I just wish it had been a little more engaging overall.

That said, Season 2 has started and the mythology is still great. "Limetown" is a fine expansion of the podcast, but I think that you need to know the podcast to read it, and I think that if you do know the podcast it won't necessarily feel vital for the overall experience.

Limetown is one of my favorite podcasts and I was absolutely thrilled to be approved for this prequel novel on NetGalley. While I liked the premise of the this story, it never managed to quite live up to the premise or my expectations. It tries to copy the style of the podcast, but here it comes off as too choppy for my tastes and it doesn't quite pull off the sense of unease as the original podcast. Plus, there seemed to be some differences in the timelines between the formats as well which got kind of frustrating. All this being said, this prequel still manages to be a compelling read regardless of its flaws. Even if you aren't familiar with the podcast, I have a feeling you'll be after to along without too much trouble. Personally, though, I recommend giving the podcast a try first.

Fans of the Limetown podcast rejoice! Many of your lingering questions are answered within these pages. Plus there are no spoilers for future podcasts.

Lia wants to be a reporter. Her first investigation is of the missing residents of nearby Limetown. She discovers that her Uncle Emile is somehow involved, which makes it personal. Her father and uncle’s origin stories are told in flashbacks. What type of experiments were done at Limetown? Who were the people behind the experiments? What were their motivations? Why was Lia’s family so intimately involved?

I had heard of the Limetown podcast but hadn’t listened to any episodes before acquiring this book. I had only read about 20% when I decided I couldn’t wait any longer and binge listened to season 1. The podcast is formatted as interviews with survivors of the Limetown disaster. This book starts before Lia is a reporter or Emile has joined the Limetown project. By looking back, the podcast is inherently more mysterious and shocking than the book that is more linear. However, they complement each other well regardless of the order they are imbibed.

If you like mysteries with a creepy scientific setting, both the Limetown book and podcast are highly recommended. 4 stars! If you are already a podcast fan, you have to read this book!

Thanks to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to all of Limetown Season 1 in a day and was immediately devastated to be finished with it, so when this popped up on NetGalley, I was thrilled! The book follows Lia Haddock and her uncle, Emile Haddock, on their alternate journeys to discovering Limetown.

Unfortunately, I think the book is not nearly as good as the podcast. Each podcast episode ends on a slight cliffhanger, where the listener (or the reporter) is just discovering something deeply unsettling. The book tries to replicate this, but instead of making the story more compelling, it just becomes more and more frustrating as new mysteries appear without resolution. It was definitely compelling - I read it in two days - but it wasn't nearly as good as listening to the podcast.

(An aside: can we all agree that not every story needs to be told in *every* medium? Podcasts are being adapted to television shows, FFS. This is getting nonsensical.)