I literally FLEW thru this audiobook. Once I got started, every spare second I had was spent listening to this.
Can I just say it’s SO REFRESHING to hear a story about a girl who isn’t rich and gorgeous and has everything she could ever want?! About time some of the Lower income characters get a main stream title!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Katherine Tegan Books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Interestingly, this was my first audio book with a synthetic voice instead of narrated by a human voice actor. While not as good as an actor, it didn’t take away from listening to the book.

Tress and Felicity are best friends until Tress’s parents go missing while driving Felicity home in the middle of the night during a sleep over. Felicity has no memory of what happened. Seven years later, Tress buries Felicity in a coal chute trying to get her to remember what happened. The story goes between Tress, Felicity and a panthers’s point of view (yup, a panther) and back and forth in time.

There were so many plot holes for me. Why would both parents drive home a guest in the middle of the night and leave their young daughter home alone? Why would no one in town, including Tress’ other relatives, intervene to help her from the awful and unsafe living conditions? Why is Tress so mad at Felicity?

I was insanely excited to get my hands on an early copy of a Mindy McGinnis novel. But sadly, I could not listen to it because the audiobook would not download on my phone. I will not be requesting any more audiobooks from now on.

The build up to the end was masterfully done and the town delightfully dysfunctional. But the end! Please tell me there will be another installment. I have so many questions.

Book 190 towards my goal of 280! 4.5/5 stars for this YA Mystery read. Like the Tiger King, plus more family drama, plus a mystery thrown in! Loved the characters and the story! Definitely recommend once it releases! Already wanting book 2!
*I received this book in exchange for honest review from Netgalley*

This book was so good but the end just fell flat. Maybe this this the first of a series. I loved the two perspectives, the cat not so much. Definitely would love to find out what happens to these characters.

This is a story about the love & hatred only a best friend can inspire.

I adored this book! It was creepy, beautiful, and tragic. The story was reminiscent of Poe without being derivative & was full of the unique, strange, violent touches I’ve come to expect & love from the author.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Note: I cannot provide a review of the finished audio book product as this was a synthetic voice, so the above review is in reference to the content.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary audio copy of THE INITIAL INSULT by Mindy McGinnis in exchange for my honest review.***

Small town hi-jinx, secrets and mystery permeate this atmospheric mystery centered around family, friendship and class. Teen girls acting badly, yet they’re portrayed in a sympathetic way that doesn’t excuse their behavior that only Mindy McGinnis can do. “Yes, I can understand why she knocked out her former friend with a brick” is a phrase I never imagined thinking.

I’m usually someone who can only do audio books an hour at a time, but I couldn’t stop listening to McGinnis’s newest masterpiece. I’m usually a creature of habit when it comes to reading. I like my favorite writers’ books to feel familiar and don’t usually enjoy when they stray too far from the genres I love. McGinnis has a way of writing truly different books, ones I wouldn’t normally pick up after reading the blurb. But she’s Mindy Friggin McGinnis and I’ll can’t not read.

THE INITIAL INSULT is the first of two in a series, which means readers will get to read (or listen to) more of these flawed, yet easy to root for characters.

I enjoyed THE INITIAL INSULT so much I’m going to purchase the book.

Tress is in middle of nowhere . I liked the descriptions . I didn't like the foul language. I liked tresss owork withth the animals.