This is a great pick if you love conspiracy theories, the Bermuda Triangle or are a fan of Stranger Things. Lia is a budding journalist who just wants a straight answer about what happened to the uncle she barely remembers and her parents won't talk about. Why did her uncle Emile and scores of others simply vanish one day from a strange nearby facility? Why won't her parents tell her anything?
We alternate between present day and Lia's search for truth and what happened years before when Lia's dad and his brother were young and Emile's story after. I haven't heard the podcast but the storyline here is promising, the tension ramps up and my curiosity is peaked. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

*Spoilers
I wasn't familiar with the podcast before reading this book so my opinion is solely based on the book alone. I thought the suspense was better than the mystery. The premise of a mysterious town seemed like my cup of tea, however, upon learning what the mystery of the town was about, I was left feeling disappointed. The whole psychic research facility storyline has been overdone and due to the mega success of 'Stranger Things' there have been more and more of these kinds of stories making their way into popular culture. I struggled getting through the whole book because parts of it were really boring for me because I've never found books exploring the dream state to be compelling enough to keep me engaged. I appreciated the interweaving of Lia and Emile's storylines and I liked some of the weird characters but that's pretty much it. Limetown needed a heavy dose of science fiction. It could have been something in the realm of 'Twin Peaks,' which is what I was expecting, but all it provided were some bad psychological experiments gone wrong. It needed aliens, alternate dimensions, or some type of supernatural element to really do the suspense justice. It seems like the podcast has been successful, so perhaps this type of story is better suited for that platform because I can see how it could be creepier when narrarated. It could be one of those stories you tell your family and friends late at night or on a road trip that leaves them feeling a little uncomfortable. So while I didn't enjoy Limetown, I am not discounting the fact that the podcast might be a more effective way to tell this story.

WOW! Talk about a wild ride. Limetown is the book prequel to a podcast that I’d never heard of. It is a head scratching, mind bending, amazing trip through the lives of Lia and Emile. Lia is Emile’s niece. Of course that’s probably the easiest thing I can explain about this book. You’ll have to read the book to get the rest.

We start with Lia, in high school, writing for the school paper. We start with Emile, in high school, considered a weirdo and a loner. His only friend is his brother Jacob. Jacob and his wife Alison are Lia’s parents. There is your family tree. Along the way through Emile’s years, we meet lots of other shady and incredible characters. Emile is special. Special in a way that scares people. Special in a way that some people want to study and learn from. Special in that no one Emile’s age ever understands him.

Jacob is your average teenager. Outstanding athlete, good student, caring big brother. Jacob & Emile live with their mom in Lawrence, Kansas. At least for a while they live with their mom. Eventually that relationship is broken and the boys run off to live with their aunt and uncle.

Lia isn’t outstanding or special in any particular way. She does have a keen mind for investigation, however, and when she comes across her uncle’s belongings in the attic, it sends her on a mysterious tour of figuring out where he is or what happened to him. She finds out things along the way that both frighten and excite her. It’s Lia’s discoveries that cause this story to twist in ways you can’t imagine.

I won’t give away much else, other than Limetown is a town that has vanished. Not the town itself, but it’s people and inhabitants. One day they are there, the next gone. Where they’ve gone is anyone’s guess. That’s one other little mystery to be uncovered.

As I said, I’d never heard of the podcast, but you can bet I’m going to start listening now, just so I can uncover more secrets and surprises. Read this book. It’s fabulously written and the storytelling is simply unreal. Worth every minute.

I could not get into this book and found it frustrating enough that I only read the first few chapters and quit. Too many good books out there to waste time reading one that annoyed me.
thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

On an ordinary day, over three hundred people disappear from a research facility and town 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. 'Limetown' is a prequel to the hit podcast by the same name and builds quite a bit of excitement for the new season coming sometime in 2018.
Full disclosure: I adore the podcast Limetown. It has great pacing, great narration, and keeps listeners hooked. I thought the prequel to the podcast was a neat addition and it was interesting to read about Emilie's journey and how Lia found out about the events at Limetown. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves the podcast or even someone who is interested in the podcast or the mystery surrounding a research facility, missing people, and a secret that people refuse to talk about. Pick this one up!
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for letting me read this one early!

This novel is a prequel to a podcast, a very famous podcast which I’d never heard of. In my opinion, the hallmark of a good book series is when any volume can be read as a stand-alone without any obvious gaps or repetitions; establishing the relationships amongst the characters, their history and personality with just a few strokes. This same principle would apply here. Limetown is not repetitive but I’m afraid that I had no idea what was going on. A teenage girl who wants to be a journalist follows the steps of her uncle, who disappeared from a research facility along with 300 other people. After that, maybe it’s me, but the plot was very confusing. Maybe the twists were great but they were lost on me because I’ve never listened to the podcast. In short, maybe fans of the podcast will rave about this novel but, as a regular reader I was lost.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ Simon & Schuster!

Great prequel to the podcast and ties right into the story development of Limetown. Well worth the read!,

Thanks for the early review copy!

I recommend this novel to fans of mystery fiction. It was well-written and interesting novel. I mainly picked it because of the cover.