Member Reviews
Well this book is full of intensity. But, it takes a while to figure out exactly what is going on. The main character, Faith, has some major issues of her own. So, as a reader you are guessing…did she do it? Did she have any part in it? But as the story really unfolds you realize the danger that Faith is actually in. And she gets herself in a heap of trouble. She is a bit of a bad decision maker. She cannot leave well enough alone.
This is a pretty good who done it!
I could not get into this book, sorry. Trying to clean up my netgalley. Didn’t realize that I was forgetting to leave reviews on netgalley itself, My apologies.
Review published on Goodreads, 17 August 2020:
Psychological thrillers are a dime a dozen these days, so it takes a lot to make one stand out above the others. SOMEONE'S LISTENING really doesn't have that "something." The premise is simple but intriguing. I was invested enough in the story to keep reading, but it took me several days to finish the book, which is unusual for me with this genre. Usually, I read them fast and furious. So, while I cared enough to finish this book, it definitely wasn't a can't-put-it-down, edge-of-my-seat read.
Part of the problem is Faith. She's sympathetic but unlikable. I couldn't connect with her. I'm not sure why I found her so unappealing but I did. She wasn't convincing as a psychologist and she just wasn't the kind of person I wanted to spend time with, if you know what I mean.
Considering all this, SOMEONE'S LISTENING was just an okay read for me.
I flew through this book, with a well-thought-out plot and really believable characters. would definitely recommend it!
Faith is a psychiatrist, author and radio show host. She has a husband, a food critic, whom she loves and who loves her; it seems she has it all. But suddenly her world begins to crumble. Following a book launch, there is a car accident, and nobody believes her husband was with her at the time; a teenage client accuses her of sexual molestation; neighbours and colleagues shun her and some eight months after the accident, her husband’s body is found with a gunshot wound. Obviously, Faith becomes the number one suspect in his murder.
Her main area of interest is victims of abuse and how they can gain control of their lives and ultimately leave their abusers. This is the theme of both the book and the radio show, both of which are titled Someone’s Listening.
In the midst of all this drama and upheaval, Faith begins to receive threatening letters that contain quotations from her book.
We are introduced to some other characters and I was totally wrong-footed when the perpetrator of most of her problems was revealed to be somebody on whom she has been relying.
I found the book interesting and fast-paced in the opening chapters but somewhere in the middle, it fell apart. Then at about the 80% mark, it resumed its fast pace to the end.
At times, I found myself going back over some pages because I got a little lost, so I would class this as a book to read on a rainy winter afternoon when you have nothing else to do.
Seraphina Nova Glass is a professor and Playwright-in-Residence at the University of Texas-Arlington, where she teaches Film Studies and Playwriting. She holds an MFA in playwriting from Smith College and has optioned multiple screenplays to Hallmark and Lifetime. Someone's Listening is her first novel.
For a Q & A with Seraphina, giving background to her, her writing style and this novel's inception -click this link.
And head over to Goodreads for more reviews of this book.
A somewhat disturbing read with alternate timelines which was interesting. I enjoyed this one and hope to read more from this author in the future!
This story begins with the beautiful relationship between thriving psychologist and radio psychological advisor, Faith and her husband. They go to a book signing, where she is to speak and sign her recent book and on the way home, they are in a terrible traffic accident. Faith wakes up in the hospital and has severe injuries to rehabilitate. She is told that her husband was never found and that the police either believe that he wasn’t in the car with her or that he wanted out and vanished. She becomes the prime suspect in the case because she was the last one to see him. She is an unreliable narrator due to her poor reputation (based on an accusation by a former patient), pill popping, and binge drinking. At the same time, she cannot sit still and put the case into the hands of the police. So, she investigates what she can on her own.
This story has several tropes that are common in thrillers, unreliable narrator who loses everything and must claw her way back to normalcy, a stalker, questionable relationships, and drug addict parents. The story flies and is a fun read. I also enjoyed the way that the author gave enough information but not too much, so that I came up with the name of the stalker (not the motive), just before Faith was alone with that person. I don’t like a thriller to have an ending that isn’t enough of the story and then magically, “here’s who done it”. To me, I want to be actively deciding who I think the “bad guy” is all along but not sure until the reveal or close to it. This story did a fabulous job with that.
Definitely recommend this if you want a quick thriller with good twists. The audiobook is fabulous.
#SomeonesListening #NetGalley #Harlequin #Graydon
Someone’s Listening by Seraphina Nova Glass is a thriller read. The story in this thriller is one that is told by alternating the timelines between a now and then with the chapters marked as to which timeline.
At one point in her life Faith Finley really thought that she had it all. Faith was a successful psychologist that had become a bestselling author and was hosting her own radio program and was happily married. Faith’s husband, Liam Finley, was a food critic and the perfect man for her.
One night however things went completely wrong for Faith when she was involved in an automobile accident. Faith had been driving and wakes in the hospital wondering about her husband. However, Faith is told that she was alone in the car. As time goes by Liam is still missing and the police have had no luck. But then the notes begin to arrive for Faith.
In my opinion Someone’s Listening by Seraphina Nova Glass was an engaging thriller with a decent pace to it. The main character, Faith, of course is the unreliable narrator type and I found her to be not necessarily likable but not unlikable either. The story in this one though was compelling to follow and I couldn’t wait to figure out how the husband ended up disappearing or whether he was really in the car or not. When finished I would definitely read this author again in the future.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
I really like this authors style and am looking forward to reading more from her, she has a way of faking ordinary people and putting them in crazy situations that appeals to me. This was twisty and yeah, maybe implausible but it was fun and lately that is what I am in the mood for.
Unfortunately I did not enjoy this one. It seems to be maybe just not a good fit for me and there are a lot of positive reviews -
*Thanks to Graydon House and NetGalley for the complimentary copy for my honest review*
I must be in the minority on this book because I really, really didn't enjoy it. Honestly I skimmed from about 70 pages until the ending because I was bored, sorry to say it. The beginning really intrigued me and honestly shocked me a little. I mean, the chick's husband up and disappears without a trace, that will pull anyone into a book and leave them wanting more. But then the intrigue of everything went away and this story dragged on and on. I held out hope that the ending would be a big huge plot twist but compared to the rest of the book, it went way too fast and I wasn't even super shocked at the big reveal.
SOMEONE'S LISTENING is a bit of a disturbing read but in a good way. Seraphina Nova Glass constructs a story that is suspenseful and terrifying.
Faith is a radio psychologist, giving relationship advice to women in their time of need. However, when her husband goes missing and pages from her book begin to appear she realises she might be the one in need of assistance….
Faith Finley is a great main character, as a psychologist she understands what she should do but so often ignores her own advice. She’s sarcastic and has a lot of flaws which makes her feel human and realistic. There were some points where I was internally yelling at the choices she was making though.
Someone’s Listening is a well-paced thriller that kept me guessing throughout. There were definitely a few red herrings that tripped me up and I wasn’t expecting the ending! I liked how it didn’t just wrap up neatly – there was still a real sense of loss which was appreciated. I’m not a fan of books that tie everything together with a happy ending (psychologists make of that what you will!)
I really liked the idea of someone using Faith’s psychology advice against her but I would have liked it to have been taken a little further in this regard. I think the book pages only really crop up once or twice but I think they could have been used more to a greater effect.
Overall, Someone’s Listening is a well-paced thriller with an engaging main character. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin – Graydon House for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Dr. Faith Finley has achieved the level of success she’s always dreamed of. Not only does she host a radio spot dispensing advice, she’s also penned a self-help novel, all but guaranteed to launch her career even further.
So what happens when a former client accuses her of the unthinkable? Will all she’s accomplished go down in flames? Who’s willing to chance standing by her side? Her publisher? The radio station bigwigs? How about her husband?
Not enough problems for poor Dr. Finley? Okay, maybe just one more little issue to deal with… her husband has suddenly vanished.
This was a very clever, well developed thriller that held me right to the end. Filled with lots of surprises and twists, this book will keep you on your toes!
Looking forward to more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing - Graydon House.
Faith has worked her ass off to get where she is in life. She's proud of the woman that she has become and the life that she has built for herself and her family. Then like everything in life...one night changes everything.
Now Faith's husband is missing and she's having a hard time remembering the night of his disappearance. Not only is her memory flighty, but she's also suspect in the police investigation. One by one the building blocks of her life start to fall down and crumble. Leaving behind shambles where pride once stood.
It's up to Faith to find out the truth behind her husband's disappearance and why someone is intent on ruining the life she has worked so hard for.
Intriguing and thought provoking. Someone's Listening is a great suspenseful story.
Someone’s Listening, by author Seraphina Nova Glass is a standalone thriller. Faith Finley is a famous psychologist who is also a bestselling author and radio show called Someone’s Listening. She coaches women into how to leave abusive relationships. The story switches between then and now. The story really begins in the then when Faith and her husband Liam are in a horrific crash and he allegedly disappears without a trace after withdrawing a large sum of money and later a suicide note is discovered.
As Faith is trying to find Liam, the cops believe that he was never in the car and she made the entire story up. And then the notes start to appear; notes with quotes pulled straight from her own book. The ‘Now” part of the story deals with Faith having recovered from the accident and desperately trying to find out what happened to Liam. She has lost all her friends, her radio show has been cancelled, her life and career is in ruins, she drowns herself in any bottle of alcohol she can find, but thankfully she doesn’t jump bed to bed with the next thing that comes along just to make herself feel better.
As we switch back to the then, Faith is accused of having sexual relations with one of her clients. She knows it’s a lie, her sister knows it’s a lie, Liam knows it’s a lie, but in the era of the Me-Too movement, any hint of sexual inappropriateness leads to a career being destroyed, and friends turning their back on you. The only positive she can fall back on is her book signing which is well attended. About halfway through the book, the story finally settles in the Now as Faith moves forward and makes friends with some pretty strange people in her complex and wonders why she ever walked away from her former flame Will Holloway who is a successful lawyer.
The last third of the book is a basket of mixed feelings for me. Faith was a good character but did come across not totally likeable. I felt for Faith but also had my suspicions about her and didn’t know who to trust. I had my suspicions about who the culprit was but that was only because I suspected pretty much every character at one point or another. I thought the story started a bit slow, and confusing at times, going back and forth, and I really felt mad when the truth about what really happened the night Liam disappeared.
Faith has a life most people dream about...she’s a psychologist, a best selling author and hosts a local radio show. She’s happily married to Liam, a food critic, that is until the night that her world fall apart. On the way home one night Faith and Liam are in a car accident. When Faith wakes up in the hospital, she’s asks about Liam but she’s told he wasn’t with her. Faith knows he was and argues but it’s no use the police are suspicious of Faith’s every word.
Faith best selling novel is all about escaping a predator and now it seems one has her in their sights. She’s receiving notes from someone...notes from Faith’s own book. Lock your windows...invest in a steel door. Terrifying!
This was an intense, quick read. I didn’t love Faith but it didn’t take away from the mystery. I had so many guesses but none of them were quite right. I will definitely read more by this author.
Faith did have it all, the first few pages you get to meet her and her life. Her husband Liam goes missing after she gets accused by one of her teenage patient of having a sexual relationship with him. Liam was always showed his support for his wife Faith, so when he disappears with out a trace people start to wonder if she might be a suspect and if their marriage was in trouble. I found Faith to be very funny and had a lot of great thoughts. The writing was good and the story was fast paced. The plot came together in the end and the I should of seen the reveal in the end, but I’m glad I didn’t. Seraphina did an amazing job with this mystery, and made sure to cover up any questions you might have. from the first page I couldn’t put my kindle down. With out giving away to much of the story, I’ll add an excerpt for you.
Thank you netgalley and Graydon house books for the blog tour
Alcohol and Klonopin-loving psychologist Faith Finley wakes up in the hospital after a car crash only to learn that her husband is missing, so she sets out to find the truth about what happened before and after his demise.
Although it is a slow-going ride, told solely through Faith's perspective, it is so expertly-paced that it keeps you interested and guessing until the end! Full of twists and suspense so that you just want to keep reading and reading. I look forward to more from this author!
Thank you to NetGalley, Seraphina Nova Glass and the publisher for this great thriller!
this was a great mystery novel with great characters and I enjoyed going on this journey with the characters. I look forward to more from the author.