NetGalley introduced a new app and audio books on their website last week. I went to check it out and saw His & Hers by Alice Feeney was a 'Listen Now' book. I've been hearing great things about it on Instagram, so I downloaded it. This book did NOT disappoint! It's told from the point of view of Jack Harper, a detective, and Anna Andrews, a reporter. There's a murderer in town and the past keeps coming back up for Jack and Anna and it's not pretty. What secrets are they hiding? The narrators Richard Armitage and Stephanie Racine are really good, too. I can listen to a British accent all day long, ha! There voices capture the character so perfectly and really get you hooked into the story. I totally recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspenseful detective stories. Thank you to NetGalley, Alice Feeney and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read and review this title.

This is a story told on two halves. There are two sides to every story - his and hers. His - a small town police officer and hers - a journalist for the BBC, both covering a murder case.

This was amazing.

I could not stop listening to this.

All the twists shook me, there was a point I was screaming at the audiobook because I couldn't believe it!

This is my favourite Alice Feeney. Everyone read this!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook

So, going into this I didn't know what to expect. The premise seemed up my alley, but I didn't really care for the last Alice Feeney book I had read, Sometimes I Lie. From the get go I was hooked. I will say now if you are planning to read this book do it via audio book because there are four perspectives in the book and two of them have creepy distorted voices. It adds so much to the experience of the story and I would hate for anyone to miss out on that the first time consuming it. And I think consuming the story is the right phrase as well when it comes to this book. I devoured it and was consumed by it. The entire time I had all these ideas of who it was and how it was going to end, but no I was so wrong about the twist. I did guess one, but not the big one which I really loved. All in all if you like mystery/thrillers and going on a ride this book is a good pick.

WOW WOW WOW!!!
What a clever, twisted, amazing book this is by author Alice Feeney! I listened to the Audiobook on this one and may I add, it was phenomenal! Told from two POVs, it left me captivated and wanting to know more right from the very beginning!
I was totally and completely blindsided by the ending!!
This is a must read and it’s a Happy Publication Day so go out and get it now!!!
Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillianaudio for allowing me to review such an amazing book.

This audiobook was gripping and fascinating from the very beginning and the story delivered all the twists I've come to expect from Alice Feeny. These his & hers narrators did a wonderful job, and though the third unknown voice was creepy and unpleasant it certainly had a convincing effect.

The plot follows a divorced couple; Anna, a reporter, and Jack, a detective, who both become entangled with a murder investigation.

The book was full of unlikeable yet fascinating characters which kept me compelled to read more.

The ending of His & Hers was nothing short of mindblowing, even for Feeney, and this is definitely going to be one of the twists of the year!

Big thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an ALC of this audiobook!

Creepy! I loved it. You don't want to watch, but you also can't look away! As with any story, there are 3 sides. His, Hers, and the truth somewhere in there. His & Hers kept the suspense and had me guessing the entire time. I was surprised at how fast I was able to listen to this audiobook, as I usually struggle to be able to pay attention while someone else reads. That wasn't the case here. I guessed the whole time and would have never guessed who the killer was. It's worth your time to listen to and/or read! I would recommend it!

WOW what a listen. When it started off I did think to myself that it seemed a little slow paced but then it draws you in and what a rollercoaster of a story that really keeps you on your toes. Loved the dual storyline told from both Anna and Jacks perspective along with snippets from the killer thrown in which really added to the listening experience. Loved the different narrators. The story flowed as it should with a lot of short chapters that left you hanging but waiting 🤦‍♀️🤣. Its that kind of story that I had everyone in the frame as the killer which isn’t easy as I usually have the killers pegged early on. I’m not going to lie my mouth gapped open a few times throughout 🙊. Really enjoyed this one and would highly recommend.

The Netgalley app seemed to have improved greatly since my last listen with it only stopping and starting 3-4 times so fingers crossed the glitches are nearly sorted.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to the ARC and review that will be published on the 28th of July.

Alice Feeney's novel, His & Hers, is a solid whodunit with the twistiest of twists. You keep guessing who it might be, but find yourself changing your mind from chapter to chapter. Even from paragraph to paragraph, toward the end when things ramp up into an explosive encounter.

To be honest, I usually don't enjoy books where the characters are all terribly flawed. Not that anyone needs to be perfect, but when everyone is selfish, self-centered, or a hot mess, I tend to check out and start making grocery lists in my mind instead of focusing on the story. But in this novel, I found myself intrigued and feeling compelled to read on, despite the fact that all the characters are people I'd never want to hang out with. They were wholly unlikable characters, all of them really.

Unlikable characters aside, what really elevated this story and brought it to life was the writing. Alice Feeney gave me exactly what I love about a good fiction novel: insight. I love a book that hosts a trove of quotable gems. His & Hers provided them in abundance.

Here are a few of my favorites:

"We rarely deserve the lives we lead. We pay for them however we can, be it with money, guilt or regret."

"Patience is the answer to so many of life's questions."

"Sometimes I think I am the unreliable narrator of my own life. Sometimes I think we all are."

"I think when we finally get what we think we want, it loses its value. It's the secret nobody ever shares, because if they did, we would all stop trying."

"People who get to know the real me are the ones I need to learn to hide from the most."

"People get preoccupied with the fiction of 'truth'. The lives we lead need to be gold-plated nowadays, a series of varnished truths for the sake of how we appear on the outside. Strangers who view us through a screen, whether on TV or social media, think they know who we are. Nobody is interested in reality anymore. That's something they don't want to like or share or follow. I can understand that, but living a make-believe life can be dangerous. What we won't see can hurt us. In the future, I expect people will long for 15 minutes of privacy, rather than 15 minutes of fame."

"Tell a person they're wrong, and they'll cover their ears. Tell a person they're right, and they'll listen to you all day long."

I’ve seen this book everywhere and new I had to read it as well. There’s a serial killer and the serial killer is killing childhood friends of Anna’s and Jack’s. Also, Anna is the reporter on the case and Jack is the detective. Coincidence?

Plot: This was such a fun story that kept me guessing constantly who was guilty. I didn’t want to put my headphones down (yes, I listened to the audio book – more on that later). I needed to know what happened next and the author did a great job keeping me listening. I thought I knew who the killer was, but I was very wrong!

Characters: The characters were flawed and real. They weren’t the perfect protagonist that’s sometimes found in books. They both had issues they were working through, but this just made them more real.

Writing: This was told in duel perspective… kind of. It was told from Jack’s point of view and from Anna’s, but once in a while we also got to hear from the killer’s point of view as well. This was done amazingly well, because I accused so many people of being the murderer.

Narrators: This was narrated by Richard Armitage and Stephanie Racine. They both did a phenomenal job! At no point was I bored. Also, since I’m familiar with Armitage as an actor, Jack absolutely looked like Armitage in my head. So that was fun.

Overall: This was such a fun read. I highly recommend it to thriller lovers. There were some trigger warnings – animal cruelty and hazing.

I give this book four stars.

Character development is very good.
Plot is amazing, and all the while the author leads you down a few paths that twist together until they break.
When you find out “who dun it?” as the odd voice narrative speaks to you, you thought you had it figured out, but you didn’t! That is what makes this a good story.
On a personal note, I did not enjoy the graphic nature of the adolescent activity. Granted, that part is an important part of the story, motive, if you will. I also couldn’t bear the thought of animal cruelty.
I read and listen to a lot of shocking things, but those two topics both made me cringe. As a result, I ended up not liking this as much as I could have. Authors have a job to make their reader engaged, uncomfortable even. However it made me uncomfortable to the point I considered stopping the listen. I didn’t, I finished the audiobook, and in truth, I’m glad I did.
The twisty plot is great!
Note triggers: animal cruelty, rape

Well hot damn. This was so engrossing I finished it so quickly. The voice actors were spectacular. Feeney wove together a disturbing and riveting story. This had me obsessed until the very end! Highly recommend.

This thriller started off a bit slowly, however, the twist at the end was unexpected. Anna, a TV news presenter, and Jack, a police detective used to be married. Now they are drawn back together for a case that has to do with their youth. Anna's high school friends are being murdered one by one and the reason has to do with the past. As the book progressed, I became sure it was many of the different characters, only to be proven wrong. This was a book that became more enjoyable the further you got into it.

Wow!! What a ride this book was. Two flawed main characters both dealing with issues. A killer on the lose trying to right the wrongs from the past.
I listened to the audio copy of this book and I’m so glad I did. The voices were all very different and the views of his, hers and the killer had me guessing to the very end. The killers voice was done with a voice changer too so you really had no idea who this killer was. I thought I had it figured out but all the twists and turns proved me very wrong by the end.

Dark, twisted and at times down right disturbing. The unknown narrator in this has a voice that would make Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs proud. There are always so many sides to a story but this one truly delivers an ending you won’t see coming. At the finish of this incredible read I hated the majority of the characters but found myself applauding the author for her ability to write a novel that will surely have people talking this year! If your book club doesn’t mind a few graphic scenes this is definitely a book that is discussion worthy.
***the three stars are due the the violence and triggering content
A solid 4 stars if basing only on the writing and ingenuity.

I really enjoyed Sometimes I Lie, so I was excited to get staged on this. It was definitely a slow burn though. Sometimes that can be great - if there’s really great backstory or character development, but unfortunately with this book, it just made me want to get to the next major interesting thing that happened. It ended up being very predictable, which I’m not always against (sometimes the journey is the fun part), but as someone who doesn’t try to figure out the endings in thrillers, I still did pretty early on simply because it made trying to figure out the why a little more interesting.

I also thought that the alternating perspectives was a little strange in this. Either Jack was completely unnecessary as a narrator or the unknown killer as a third narrator was unnecessary, but to to have all 3 really didn’t serve much of a purpose other than to be different & ended up doing a disservice to both points of view. I would rather have had only 2 perspectives but had the non-Anna perspective been more in-depth.

All that said, I did finish this rather quickly & the narration was excellent. It definitely kept me engaged from beginning to end, I will still be on the lookout for Alice Feeney’s next book 🙂

I would like to thank NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Alice Feeney for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Holy matrimony, this was a surprisingly good psychological thriller! I really enjoyed this audio book and especially the English voices. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the twist threw all my theories out the window. The multiple POVs of his, hers, and the killer's, got all twisted up in my head. In order to unravel it, I had to remember that the narrator can be unreliable and a good source of misdirection, then it all made sense.

This book was the perfect summer read because it kept me guessing right up until the end. What a great twist to this story of relationships: mothers & daughters, husbands & wives, and childhood friendships. I highly recommend this if you are looking for a good psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Thank you NetGalley and McMillan Audio for this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3457678728?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Overview:

This book is told from 3 alternating perspectives: his, hers and an unknown murder.
Him:
DCI Jack Harper, a detective assigned to investigate the murder of a woman. He had slept with the victim the night she died and is desperate to keep that from being revealed in the course of the investigation.

Her:
Anna Andrews, a news reporter who recently had to step aside as a news anchor as her predecessor had returned from maternity leave. Anna has a bad habit of drinking heavily during the day, and after work... well just about, all the time.

unknown:
we don't know much about this person except the internal monologues in sporadic bursts that elaborate on why they kill and how they're not going to tell anyone their deepest secret.

the story:

Jack and Anna are divorced, due in majority to the death of their daughter Charlotte, it is not known how she died in the beginning the book, but Jack alludes to his belief that Anna blames him and Anna's point of view is less than a flattering portrait of Jack, but in equal parts acknowledges her own flaws.

Jack and Anna butt heads as they are working on the investigation with very different goals, Anna is looking for the scoop and to break the story and prove herself as a worthy reporter, after the stinging replacement by her predecessor. Jack is trying to solve the murder while at the same time struggling to keep his own name out of the investigation. It becomes clear that both Anna and Jack know the victim.

I can't say much more about the plot without spoiling some major points, BUT I will say that this is an expertly crafted thriller, with an ending that you truly will not guess and will leave your mouth agape and your mind reeling as you struggle to comprehend what you just read. It's like getting off a rollercoaster and struggling to get your feet back under you.

the writing:
This is the first book I've read from Alice Feeney but it absolutely won't be the last, her prose is incredibly evocative and immersive. I have several favourite quotes saved:
"I think when we finally get what we think we want, it loses its value. It's the secret nobody ever shares, because if they did, we would all stop trying"

"grief is always sharpest at the point of impact"

Those quotes made me sit back and take a deep breath because for me, they rang true.
Alice Feeney is an author to watch, because her prose is only going to get even better and her ability to tell stories will become even sharper.

I did take one star off for the graphic depiction of animal cruelty, it seemed necessary and for shock value. But other than that, absolutely fantastic book. I also found the continuous description of the "thin controller's" speech impediment a bit unnecessary. There seemed to be other ways to show that he's an incompetent and irritating boss, it didn't hit the mark for me.


Content warnings:
graphic depiction of animal cruelty, rape and graphic violence, as well as death of a child.

***I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio!!***

This audiobook was just another in a long line of underwhelming thrillers for me this year. It had a lot of promise but it was just never realized. At least the audio of it was well done otherwise I probably would have stopped halfway through.

Both narrators did a wonderful job. I thoroughly enjoyed their reading and felt that they did the book as much justice as they could. I have no problem with anything related to the audio. The problem this book had was a plot problem and a disappointing twist.

So the synopsis lays out that Jack becomes a suspect in his own investigation. Unfortunately for everyone that didn’t actually happen until about 80% of the way through. Anna was also supposed to be a suspect, but that comes up very late in the story too. The lead up to the finale was alright. There was nothing earth shattering about it but nothing overtly bad either. I found the characters lack luster and I had a hard time connecting with any of them.

The ending of this book is where the wheels really fall off. The entire last two hours of the audiobook were an equivalent of a ping pong match. Ten minutes on giving us reason to suspect Jack, then explaining that and giving us reason to suspect Ann, then switching to Priya, then switching to Kathleen, then back to Jack, then back to Priya. And then at the end it’s a whole chapter of the killer breaking the 4th wall to explain to us (the readers) who they are and why they did it. It didn’t work for me. It was such a bizarre explanation that I just kind of sat there listening to it with a very puzzled expression before exclaiming “WTF, that doesn’t even make sense!”

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

There are three sides to every story, his, hers, and the truth. In Alice Feeney's latest, His & Hers, there is his, hers, and a killer out for vengeance.

Narrators Richard Armitage and Stephanie Racine skillfully bring Feeney's thriller to life as a detective and his news journalist ex-wife who are separately trying to solve/report the murders of people from their past while trying to stay out of the crosshairs of a serial killer on a mission. The chapters alternate between DCI Jack Harper and Anna Andrews, which allows us to see the story from both sides as it unfolds. The killer, using a voice disguiser, breaks the fourth wall to explain his/her reasons.

Because of Feeney's clever writing, I was unable to figure out the killer until the big reveal. I switched suspects with each suspenseful chapter I read. Her red herrings were flawless.

Richard Armitage is an actor and audio-book narrator known for his role as Thorin in The Hobbit trilogy. Stephanie Racine narrated numerous novels, including Feeney's three best-sellers, Sometimes I Lie, I Know Who You Are, and His & Hers.

Goodreads lists Feeney's next novel, as of yet untitled, to be released in 2021.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/28/20.

This is hands down the best thriller I’ve listened to this year! The story is dark and disturbing but it will keep you guessing until the end. Both narrators were excellent. If you love dark thrillers, this needs to be on the top of your list. This is my favorite Alice Feeney book so far!