4 STARS ★★ ★★✩
This book is for you if… you are, like me, smitten with the genre of young adult (mystery) thrillers. There's a bit of romance, but it's not really at the forefront of the plot. Homophobes stay away please, this is a safe and inclusive space, no room for you here.

⤐ Overall.
The synopsis gave me distinct Sadie vibes and had me helplessly flapping on the floor of my flat.

Of course, I knew that such expectations were almost impossible to fulfil. Nonetheless, I Hope You're Listening is a fantastic YA thriller that beautifully captures the importance of one's own role in making this world a better place for oneself. Being traumatised by childhood experiences sure is a thing for most of us, but I suppose few can say they watched their childhood friend being abducted.

Dee is a very private character, both inside and outside the pages. Meaning, it is sometimes hard to see what's going on inside her head. Together with the fact that I didn't always feel the rise of suspense, this is the reason I cannot give a five-star-review. Apart from that, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this while in Vienna, Austria's capital. I had multiple theories going on at one point and am pleased to say that I only guessed half of the mystery.

⤐ What’s happening.
‘Is there something you can do to help?
Listen up.
Let's try.’

These are the words Dee speaks almost daily, disguised as the Seeker, host of the internationally known podcast RADIO SILENT.
These are the words that make Dee feel like she has power in a reality that loses track of children, sisters, friends, neighbours daily.
These are the words that keep her from spiralling into the case that got her to start a podcast in the first place - her childhood best friend's abduction.
The abduction she witnessed.

When, 10 years later, another young girl in the same neighbourhood goes missing, it seems like Dee has no choice but to revisit the events she tries to stay clear of.

Con:
⇢ desire to keep identiy as Seeker secret
⇢ mean reporter on her tracks
⇢ triggers everywhere
Pro:
⇢ cute new neighbour
⇢ thousands of laptop detectives at her disposal
⇢ them brains

_____________________
4 STARS. Would stay up beyond my typical hours to finish it. I found some minor details I didn't like, agree with or lacked in some kind but overall, this was enjoyable and extraordinary.

While this book starts off VERY strong--great hook, great voice, engaging characters and a twisty mystery--it lags a little as it goes on. The romantic subplot left a lot to be desired in terms of emotional resonance, and while the mystery keeps you guessing, some of the clues feel very coincidental, and (without spoiling) the resolution of some elements felt... cheap rather than clever.

All in all, though, it's a fast-paced book, sucks you right in, I read it in one day! If you're a fan of mysteries and don't mind a very light romantic subplot (lighter than usual in YA at least), give this one a read!

When I read the blurb about this book, I knew I had to read it. I love podcasts, mysteries and YA books, so this seems to be right in my wheel house. I really enjoyed the book overall. Normally a mystery hooks me and doesn't let go until I finish it, but this one was more of a smolder until towards the end. The romance feels a bit forced in there and sort of out of nowhere, but I wasn't bothered by it. The conclusion of the first case was really predictable. The conclusion of the second case seems a bit out of left field, but not so much that it is offensive.

Overall, it was a quick (less than 200 pages) and fun read.

I Hope You’re Listening is a fast paced, tense mystery novel that follows Dee, ten years ago the witness to the abduction of her best friend, when another child is abducted.

Dee has spent ten years with the knowledge that she is the sole witness to an abduction, but unable to recall much about it. To cope, she started a podcast, where she takes an unsolved case and, with the help of her followers, starts to dig up potential leads. When another child is abducted, she is forced to confront the possibility of her identity, and her link to Sibby’s abduction, being exposed.

I will admit that, going into this, I was expecting probably more of a mystery story than I got. That’s not to say I didn’t like what I got, but if you’re expecting something a bit more like Keep This to Yourself, you may be a little disappointed. Because, really, it’s more of a character-driven novel with mystery aspects. Dee doesn’t start investigating herself until about halfway in. But that’s great. I mean, I love mysteries, but I also love mysteries that are used as a vehicle to explore character development and that’s exactly what’s happening here.

But when the mystery does get going, it gets going so well. The tension of the last quarter of the book was exquisite. I never knew quite what was going to happen with it. I mean, I had my guesses, but it still managed to completely blow them out of the water.

So, if you’re looking for a solid YA mystery, that’s more character-driven, and builds up to an excellent ending, this is for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Albert Whitman and Company for the ARC for a honest review.

I don't know if the copy I had was wonky, but layout of this novel looked off through the Kindle app. I tried not to let that hinder me, but there was some parts where sentences would just stop in the middle, and these sentences were kind of important to the story. I know this was an unedited version, so I'm hoping in the final product, it'll be a little easier to read. That being said, the layout didn't detract for the overall story. The pacing and character development did that well on its own.

I found the pacing of this book to be skewed from the very beginning. For the first couple of chapters, nothing really happens. Even when Dee is remembering what happened to her and Sibby, it just felt lackluster. Then the second half of the book vamps up and then it's done. All this stuff happens in the last few chapters of the book that it was hard to keep up. I also found the romance between Sarah and Dee to be highly unrealistic, and it's one of those things that authors tend to do with YA and that's the whole insta-love. These girl barely knew each other minus Dee's secret, and Dee is yelling out 'I love you' when they are in trouble. Like, girl, no you don't. There was no build up either. One minute they meet then they're kissing in Sarah's car then they're dating. It just happened SO fast that it didn't feel believable.

Due to the slow pacing in the beginning, I had to really struggle to keep interested in this book. It wasn't too bad, but it was slow and it wasn't due to character development either. I believe it may have been about 72% of the book where I was finally invested in the story and wanted to see what happened. I will say that the plot twist at the end should have been more jaw dropping, but I felt that with the rest of the book, it kind of fit. I'm just glad that unlike Sadie, which this book continuously gets compared to, this had a happy ending.

How do I even start this review? I loved Ryan’s first book -- it was out of this world amazing. I wondered if this second book would live up to my expectations of the first. I honestly worried that it wouldn’t. I am so pleased to report that it did! This book was everything I could have wanted in a book featuring a mystery and a podcast. I really enjoyed the whole book all the way through. There was something about the book that worked for me, and I find it incredibly hard to put into words what that something was.

The writing in this book is excellent. Ryan is a talented writer and his writing style is easy to read and get caught up in. He makes it so you get lost in the book and are unable to put down the book. He evokes atmospheric chilliness, and confusion. You want to know more, and his writing leads you towards the answers, only dishing out things slowly over the course of the entire book. I also liked the dialogue and how the podcast was interspersed among the chapters. It all melded well to me. The writing also worked well with the plot of the book.

The plot of this book was serviced well by the writing. As mentioned, the writing kept you on your toes. The pace is slow, but not uninteresting. The plot of the mystery and what happened on that day draws you in. Little by little the answers are exposed through the book and the other characters. You're curious about how it all ties together. My only comment would be I wish that the podcast had tied a bit more tightly into the actual mystery of Sibby than it did. It's a small thing, but in the end, it doesn’t matter because I think it was a well thought out plot.

The characters – Dee, Burke, Sarah for the most part all played cool roles. We have some nice relationships here, both romantic and friendship, and I liked it. I think it was nuanced enough to give some interest to the characters. Sometimes characters can land flat, but that wasn’t the case here. I was really invested in Dee’s story and I wanted to know more. I wanted to find out what happened. I also really loved the concept of the podcast and how she uses that to help herself.

Overall, I think this book was a fantastic read. I highly recommend it as if you like books with mystery, podcasts, good relationships and YA, I think this will fit those needs nicely. I will say that it is a slower paced book. Don't expect a lot of action, but do expect a lot of slow plot reveals and surprise moments. It is definitely worth a read, and I think it will be enjoyable for a lot of people who like crime books or are looking for a nice YA mystery. As I said at the beginning, it is very hard to put into words why I fell in love with this book, and what I connected to...but there is just something so alluring about this book.

I received a copy of I hope you're listening from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

I really wanted to read this one because I saw a few reviews where people said it reminded them a lot of Sadie by Courtney Summers, and that was one of my favorite books last year it completely devastated me so I knew I definitely wanted to check this one out.

I really enjoyed the whole story and it hooked me in from the very beginning and didn't let me go till the very end. I loved the whole podcast section to the story and I can imagine that the audiobook for this book will be great and definitely wouldn't mind listening to it in the future.

How does one deal with the guilt and grief of your best friend's kidnapping? This is was Dee Skinner has been grappling with for the last 10 years. She was there when the kidnapping happened and has never forgiven herself for not doing more, even though she was 7 at the time. She deals with it by creating a podcast, as the Seeker, the anonymous host who helps solve other missing person cases. She's encouraged by her new neighbor and love interest, Sarah, to help with the new case that has arisen in her town. One that is way too similar to what happened to Sibby.

The story was well written, a different take on the aftermath of a horrific event, having Dee deal with everything by becoming a podcaster I liked the use of the flashbacks to the day of the kidnapping. It helped build tension in the story. Dee comes off as selfish, quick to respond, a bit abrasive in how she deals with others. Again, this is due to the emotional trauma she has had to deal with for the last ten years. I would have liked to have had Burke's character fleshed out a little more. He's definitely strong support to Dee and there is more than meets the eye with him. The burgeoning romance between Dee and Sarah came off a little quick, especially with Sarah discovering who Dee was a little too quickly! I would still recommend this to students as a quick, suspenseful read.

This was such an enjoyable mystery! Dee was such a breath of fresh air main character. The story was creepy and stunning. I loved the romance so much. And the ways the mystery unfolded. Definetly pick this one up.

I Hope You’re Listening is an amazing YA thriller that will hook you from the first page. Ten years ago Delia Skinner witnessed the abduction of her best friend Sibby. Sibby was never found. To cope with her feelings of guilt, Dee anonymously started a podcast dedicated to finding missing people. When another girl goes missing, Dee decides to investigate and find answers.

Dee’s journey is full of mystery and her own character’s exploration of her feelings of what happened to her and Sibby. I loved how realistic the story was and I loved the queer aspect of this story. I’m excited for this book to have an audiobook. The podcast portions of this story would be amazing. I’ve fallen in love with podcast YA thriller books recently, and I hope that this trend continues.


I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received a copy of this book via the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I couldn’t hit the request button fast enough. Seriously. Not only is the cover stunning and eye-catching, but the blurb drew me in and made me want to immediately sink my readerly teeth into this story. And I’m not even a YA fan, generally speaking. However, I Hope You’re Listening by Tom Ryan is a superbly handled story about a seventeen-year-old who feels seventeen. Not in that annoying way where authors of YA sometimes try to age their own voice down simply by being bratty or whiny or impossibly immature. No, Ryan has a clear handle on the YA genre and manipulates his prose to feel both genuine for a character of that age and well-written so readers at any point in their lives can enjoy his words.

I went into this read assuming I’d enjoy it, which was such a pleasure. That isn’t always the case, but I just had a feeling about this book and about the MC Dee. And boy, was I ever right. I was thoroughly engrossed in the story and related surprisingly well to Dee, considering I’m twice her age. (Again, that’s all on Ryan and his mad YA voice skillz.) And the plot, conflicts, and side characters were all so intriguing and real that I had one of those rare reading experiences where I took a break to get some water and had to reorient myself to the real world.

I was pulled along by the mystery and thrill of the story from the very opening page. I felt every tense, apprehensive moment right alongside Dee. It was such a delightful rollercoaster ride and one I will highly recommend. The only “down” side for me, on a personal level, was that—despite relating to her—I was frequently frustrated with Dee as a character. While part of this has to do with her age (again, that realism in action!), a lot of it was just her, as a human. She was selfish, abrasive, and often unkind to her friends. I understand she has been through a lot, and she’s still young with a lot of years left to grow into a better person, but as our protagonist, it made it a bit difficult for me at times to stay in the story when I wanted to throttle the person I was supposed to be rooting for.

Other than that—and it truly is a personal issue, and one I think the other qualities of the story manage to prevent from being any kind of deal-breaker—I would definitely recommend this book. Readers who enjoy a good thriller-mystery will love this, and I believe stalwart YA readers will be thoroughly impressed with Ryan’s skill.

This book is captivating, engaging, and had me hooked from the beginning.

When friends Sibby and Dee are 7-years-old, they are playing alone in the woods when Sibby is kidnapped. Dee survives but blames herself, and now, 10 years later, is trying to make a difference by hosting a true crime podcast focused on solving missing persons cases with the help of a fanbase of laptop detectives. While she couldn't help Sibby—and tries to distance herself from her personal brush with tragedy— she can help others.

Then another young girl goes missing, and Dee realizes she cannot hide behind her microphone. She has to face her own tragic past, if she wants to help find 11-year-old Layla.

I loved how the mystery was laid out and think incorporating the true crime podcast + devoted fanbase is such a timely and relevant way to frame this story. Bolstered by a supportive family and friend group, along with a new girlfriend, Dee finds the courage within herself to answer lingering questions and pursue justice.

The ARC did have a couple formatting issues (some areas where text was missing or laid out incorrectly) which I hope would be addressed, but overall this was one of my favorite books of 2020 so far.

3/5 stars

It follows Delia Skinner in her quest to bring justice to missing people from all over the United States in her role as the mysterious Seeker on her podcast Radio Silent. Simultaneously she has to deal with the trauma she suffered as a child when her best friend was taken as they were playing in the woods. Another missing girl in her home town brings all the old feelings flooding back to the surface and reignites Dee's desire to find out what happened to Sibby. Fascinating but a bit too dense for me. The file was also a bit damaged.

[Thanks to @netgalley and @albertwhitman for the ARC!]

I picked up #IHopeYoureListening last month because I wanted a fun and light mystery to read. And this book definitively delivered!

It follows Delia "Dee" Skinner in her quest to bring justice to missing people from all over the United States in her role as the mysterious Seeker on her podcast Radio Silent. Simultaneously she has to deal with the trauma she suffered as a child when her best friend Sibby was taken as they were playing in the woods. Another missing girl in her home town brings all the old feelings flooding back to the surface and reignites Dee's desire to find out what happened to Sibby.

Tom Ryan builds the tension surrounding the disappearances and Dee's desperation to hide her identity as the Seeker beautifully. I felt drawn to find out more about the characters and the story itself. It is also clearly laid out how disappearances rock families and communities as well as the different aspects of coping with such an event.

Most of the characters that inhabit these pages are typical teens and inevitable teen drama happens alongside the main plot. And I know teens are very tech advanced these days, but I can say very little in terms of if it is realistic that a teenager can hide her identity on a podcast for so long as I have no clue about podcasts 😅

I also loved how Dee's sexuality wasn't a big topic. She is lesbian and that's a fact and she is accepted. Even her parents tease her about liking the new girl across the street, Sarah. I like books that deal with sexuality and the hardships and challenges it brings as much as the next person, but sometimes it feels nice to read a book where it's just a fact, a part of the character but not a central reason for the plot.

One thing I'd remark as a criticism (without giving too much away) is that the twist near the end felt a bit sudden. I feel like some clues about a bigger conspiracy should have appeared earlier. Then again maybe they were there and I just missed them. 🤷‍♀️

Overall a great, light book to pass the time. 😊

At seven years of age, Delia Skinner witnessed her best friend Sibby being kidnapped and could do nothing to help her friend, both during the event or afterwards when the police were desperately looking for clues and find Sibby. Ten years later Dee is still haunted by the incident and pours her guilt into her podcast where she is the Seeker who shines the light onto other missing people mysteries to try and solve them with the help of her listeners, who she calls the LDA (Laptop Detective Agency.) No one but her best friend knows that it is Dee behind the secret podcast radio Silent, but she claims several success stories and channels all the leads that the LDA find to the police in an effort to make a difference and ease her guilt. The most troubling reality facing Dee is that a similar crime to Sibby’s abduction happens to a little girl who was living in the same house that Dee lived in when Sibby was kidnapped, and once again all the towns focus is upon her and her reactions and her friend questions why Dee won’t use her influence with her podcast to help find this newest missing girl. Dee wants answers but is afraid to reveal too much of herself, but it may take revealing herself completely to solve the two inextricably related crimes.

Perhaps the biggest issue with this book being labelled LGBTQIA is that the so-called love story between Dee and Sarah felt too ‘instalove’ and the whole premise of their being gay added nothing to the story overall. It seems as if the author won a Lambda Literary Writers Retreat in 2017 to write LGBTQIA fiction and just threw in the romance to fulfil the demands of the writing grant. The girls love story added nothing to the story arc overall. There was no reason to even mention that there was a gay love story in the book, it was just that unimportant. Perhaps if it weren’t a selling feature of this book it would have been a little more authentic to see a gay couple honestly portrayed in a novel. Just a by the by… nothing special. Just another couple. But the marketing of this novel is strategically played at the LGBTQIA market, for its intrinsic trendy value and that is frustrating and annoying, in that once again gay couples are used as a marketing ploy rather than a true representation of our society as a whole. It is a marketing strategy of the tackiest kind.

The ending of the story doesn’t hold the prerequisite wow factor and feels anticlimactic as if it were too obvious where the story was going and how it was going to reveal itself. There just wasn’t the ‘edge of your seat’ thrills nor an unexpected twist in the tail within the story to warrant the title of mystery or thriller that it aims to be. Squarely aimed at the Young Adult market, this novel falls short in that it isn’t grown up enough to warrant the interest in a 20-something person who is a young adult, with the storytelling falling more into a young teenage range. Somehow it feels as if the reader will be shortchanged on all aspects of this story. Not a strong LGBTQIA interest, not a strong mystery or thriller, it falls down at every turn.

It could have been great.

I was heartbroken for Dee who was living in constant turmoil over the day, 10 years ago, that her beat friend was abducted. I l9ve how raw and dark the writing is. I love the ominous feeling that creeps up as you read on. I do wish that there was more back story or detail. I think some of the solutions were a little cumbersome and drawn out. Having to explain how and why takes the fun out of it.

Just finished this YA thriller, I Hope You’re Listening which might appeal to fans of The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. When Delia Skinner was 7 years old, she was playing with her friend Sibby alone in the woods when Sibby was kidnapped. Ten years later, Delia still blames herself for not being able to help the police and bring her friend home. To deal with the guilt, she starts an anonymous crime podcast Radio Silent that helps solve missing person cases. But when another young girl goes missing in Delia’s small town, a note left at the scene ties the two crimes and Delia must decide how far she’s willing to go to find out what happened.

If I’m being honest, I didn’t love this one. Another book by the author, Keep This To Yourself, was on my YA top ten list last year because the ending shocked me so much. I just didn’t see it coming. With this book, the ending sort of came out of nowhere. I’m not sure it was something a reader could figure out on their own. And that’s the mark of a great thriller for me. An ending you don’t see coming, but should have. The insta-romance between Delia and Sarah, the cute girl who moves in next door also didn’t work for me, but I really wish it had. I love the LGBTQ+ representation in this book and I think a lot of people will like the true crime podcast aspect and the missing girl storylines. It’s also really interesting to explore a story from the point of view of the girl who was left behind.

Thank you to @netgalley , @albertwhitman , and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is perfect for YA readers and has a great storyline. If you are wondering why my rating doesn't reflect what I've just said, its because I had higher expectations for this book. I love mysteries, and especially in the YA genre, they can be amazing. This book just didn't live up to how it started. The ending was anticlimactic, so it kind of ruined the entire book. But don't only take my word for it, I am pretty judgemental.... overall it's a decent read and worth it if you are at all interested in the plot.

3.5

Delia "Dee" Skinner was seven years old when she watched her best friend get kidnapped right in front of her. That day has haunted her ever since, and to help cope with the feeling of helplessness and guilt that followed after her for not being to help find Sibby, she created an anonymous podcast to help those find their missing friends and family. Mysteries that only the public can solve.

While it did take me a few chapters for me to get into, I thought this was a decent YA mystery. It kept me interested throughout the book, and I like our main character, Dee. There is romance in the book, and while I loved that it was a sapphic romance, I thought it felt rushed. The characters haven't known each other long, and haven't interacted enough in my opinion. Some aspects of the book just didn't make sense to me either, like some of the big reveals. I think maybe it just needed to be tweaked a bit, and more questions asked and then answered. But overall, I enjoyed it. I didn't find myself skimming through pages, I was generally interested in the story.

If you are looking for a book that is very out of the ordinary but still has an LGBTQIA theme, this is the book for you. Yes, it is geared toward the YA audience. However, I am not the YA audience and I enjoyed it a great deal. The story revolves around Dee, who witnessed her best friend, Sibby, being abducted. Instead of waiting years (or never) for the police to find who the abductors were and her friend were, she begins a podcasts that highlights crimes that were never solved.
She doesn't ever highlight what happened to her friend, until it happens again in her town. This opens up new information about her friend and she begins an investigation all her own. What she finds, shocks everyone.
I would recommend this!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.