A group of university friends meet up to spend the millennium New Years year together when tragedy occurs. To commemorate the loss of their friend they continue the tradition every 2nd year until strange things start to occur on the 20th anniversary.
And I can only ask…….why? This is basically a heap of rubbish. It is very short only a little over 200 pages and even at that it had to be bulked out with stories of the Berlin Wall coming down and volunteerism in Africa which had nothing at all to do with the basic story. Thankfully I listened to this which meant I could get on with other things because it would have been a complete waste of time sitting reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

Odd Numbers by JJ Marsh is a good mystery with a very interesting premise! Lots of characters and good complexity of plot.

I could not connect to the characters and found it a bit to predictable. I’m just not the target audience for this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 Stars for a book I see the potential in but didn’t connect to personally

Great slow burn mystery. I love it when the characters are secluded like this and one ends up dead- just like an old fashioned “who done it”. Great twist adds a lot!

Why I picked up this book?
- the title
- the cover
- the tagline
- audiobook less than 10 hours
- mystery/thriller

What I liked about the book?
- multiple POVs
- more than one narrator, and they did different voices for each character
- interesting character arcs for the protagonists

What 'spoilt' the book for me?
- it was very easy to guess what had actually happened, and the ending

I enjoyed listening to this book.

Oh, I didn't like anything about this book except for the narrators. I wanted to slap half the characters across their faces, the plot was soooo easy to read I could tell you how the book will end on page 2, and overall, I didn't enjoy my experience reading it at all.

Every year a group of former students travel to a different place to get together to celebrate and reminisce. This year, a snow covered chalet, brings make that terrible tragedy where they lost one of their own!

This story has quite a few characters to keep up with. However, they are each unique and have their own little quirks. In other words, every single one is flawed and has their own issues. This really keeps the reader guessing!

This novel moves quickly and is definitely intense! Plus, it will down right make you mad at the end! I so wanted to hurt one of the characters! Don’t you love a story which can cause big emotions. This one does!

The narrators, Jess Nesling and Paul Panting did and excellent job with all the characters and their voices. I will be on the look out for more books narrated by these two!

Need a good thriller with a big twist! THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

One night, six friends, a lifetime of regrets.

A new millennial has divided the lives of six friends into "before" and "after". A new years eve that was supposed to be a grand occasion resulted in a tragic accident. Since the fatal NYE, the friends made a promise, to meet and spend every other NYE together. As the twenties anniversary, and their tenth reunion approached, the friends met in an isolated snowy chalet. And since their arrival, strange things began to happen.

This was an amazing phycological thriller. Loved all the characters and their connection to each other's lives. The twist at the end was outstanding, although if you read the novel thoroughly and pay attention to the storyline - the clue to the grand twist is at the very beginning of the book. I enjoyed the build-up of the plot. And think the multiple narrators are a great touch to the novel, helping the reader to relate to each character. I'm very happy I came upon this novel, it was a very thrilling read. Thank you NetGalley and Prewett Bielmann Ltd publisher for a free and advanced copy of the novel.

A gripping mystery told from multiple POV that worked very well as an audiobook due to the great narration and the distinctive voices of the characters .

Six university friends continue to meet every other year in various locations around the world to celebrate the New Year together. We follow the individual members of the group and the changing group dynamics as they come to terms with a tragic incident and gradually uncover the secrets they each hide.

This was only the 2nd audio book I've ever listed to but I really enjoyed it. The main event of the story was early on and then it follows the main characters throughout their lives. The characters were different in a way that made it easy to distinguish on an audio book and it was great to see how all of their lives changed over time and their relationships with each other. It is a slow burner but I'd definitely recommend this and I'd like to thank Saga Egmont and NetGalley for my advance copy.

Six friends go away for new years eve and only five live to tell about it. They then reunite every other year to mourn the tragic death of their friend. The story unfolds over the years and is told from all of their points of view, slowly giving the reader facts from the past that have been hidden away.

This was the book I listened to while I walked and it kept me going. Jess Nesling and Paul Panting do a great job voicing all of the friends and their accents. They made it easy to keep it straight which head we were in.

I really saw the twist coming long before it happened, but nonetheless found it an interesting listen. Just one word of warning, this is a really slow burn mystery and not a thriller.

I listened to the Audio version of this and really enjoyed it

This book spans over 20 years of university reunions for six friends after one terrible and tragic reunion

The book is divided with different chapters and perspectives from all of the friends so you do have to keep your wits about you to keep track but it was done well

I did guess the mystery but it didn't deter me from enjoying the book

JJ Marsh takes a left turn into psychological drama and succeeds. This is a very interesting read, set in different locales mostly around Europe with complex and well-rounded characters. They had a shocking and tragic New Years at the end of university/college and have been for New Years every two years ever since now the 20th anniversary of their fateful New Years is coming up. Each character tells the story from their unique point of view in their own chapter, and while it is sometimes confusing keeping everyone straight, I think the format works well to get to know the different “players” and their potential motives especially for the audio with both a female and a male narrator.
The audio is out today by Saga Egmont, the book has been out for a while already !

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

A group of six friends gathers in the Czech Republic to celebrate the start of the new millennium. Sadly, one of them disappears and is presumed dead. Since then, the remaining friends meet up every new year to remember the missing friend. Because of the guilt and of life changes, the relationship between the friends slowly changes, until they start thinking about the night their friend went missing in a new light... who is to blame? Can they trust each other?

This was a very nice thriller, that kept me guessing throughout. I loved the characters' different personalities, and the narrators did an excellent job giving each one a different voice and accent. Definitely made it easy to follow since the characters were numerous.

The ending was unexpected, and although it gave closure, I was hoping to get a bit more details of the 'how' and the 'why'. The conclusion felt a bit rushed, but all in all I enjoyed the story and would recommend this book to people looking for a snappy thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Saga Egmont Audio for providing me with this ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Odd Numbers is the epitome of a slow burn mystery. I appreciated the shocking twist and that was what brought my rating up. The narration by Jess Nesling and Paul Panting was superb. They both did an amazing job bringing the story to life and adding a layer of intrigue and suspense. Six friends get away to celebrate New Year’s Eve, but only five live to see New Year’s Day. Was the death a tragic accident, or is something more sinister at play? Thank you NetGalley and Saga Egmont Audio for my audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Egmont Audio for the chance to listen to this audiobook.

2.5 ⭐️

First off, the narrators were fantastic! They really brought this story to life.

Second, I’m sadly disappointed. At first the story had a lot of potential. I was intrigued when their friend dies and loved the idea of them meeting up to celebrate his life. However, the lack of character development and really any substance to them, I lacked the connection to story. I wasn’t surprised by the twist and when it was revealed I felt disappointed because it didn’t fit the story that was told leading up to it.

Author: JJ Marsh

Read By: Jess Nesling, Paul Panting

Length: 5 hours and 57 minutes

ARC provided: Yes

Plot

A group of friends gather for their traditional New Year Celebration but this 20 year tradition hides a dark secret. 

Positives

+Fast paced

+Descriptive 

+Well written characters

Negatives

-Needed to be slightly longer

Narration

Jess Nesling and Paul Panting bring the story to life beautifully. Nesling, in particular, reads at a quick pace while still giving the characters different accents and distinct characteristics.

Overall

Odd Numbers definitely does not overstay its welcome. It is a fast-paced mystery that unfolds rapidly. The characters are interesting and believably flawed. Even though the book is about a group of friends each member of the group has a distinct personality which is impressive given the audiobooks short runtime. 

The story is occasionally convoluted because of the large cast of characters, but the mystery takes some unexpected turns. My only real complaint is that it needed to be longer or maybe I just wanted it to be longer because I liked the characters so much. Regardless, it is refreshing to listen to a story that respects your time as much as this one does. In a sea of mysteries that are way too long, Odd Numbers definitely stands out. 

Rating 4/5

https://www.rapidfireaudio.com/review/odd-numbers

Six friends of different nationalities who meet at university get together for Y2K celebrations in a cabin near a snowy Czech lake. One of them drowns and the remaining five meet every other New Years Eve. Things come to a head at their 20th Anniversary reunion.

The six friends are a mixed bunch and most were quite unlikeable, with the exception of Gael, and it was interesting to learn about the group dynamic. Odd Numbers is a very well written and plotted slow burner and I was intrigued by the mystery of Dhan's death, though I did figure out the plot twist well before the end (but not the 'why'). The story is told mainly from Gael's POV, though each character does tell their story and at times I found it difficult to follow.

The narration by Jess Nesling and Paul Panting was top notch, and the different accents made it easier to differentiate between the characters.

This book was interesting and intriguing but what really made it for me was the narration.
The different accents and points of view from the various characters definitely brought the book to life. As there are five main characters the reader/listener gets to view things from different perspectives which develops your understanding of the characters involved and adds impact to the story.
Once the reader gets into the flow of the various chapters (present day sandwiched between reminiscences of the previous reunions, taken in chronological order) it all begins to come together beautifully. We find out more about the differing characters lifestyles along with the dynamics of the group and the secrets they keep hidden.
There were one or two occasions where your credibility had to be suspended a little but not enough to spoil a good yarn.

Maybe a 3.5 I guess, but rounded down...

I enjoyed this, but the ending was quite anticlimactic with a lot of illogical happenings.

Also....one of the main characters is Irish and her and her family are referred to as such multiple times, and the narrator is an Irish woman for her character....but she gets called and calls herself a brit a few times??? It really took me out of the story because no one who is Irish would call themselves a brit or let themselves be lumped in with "you brits"

I think it could have benefitted from spending more time in the present day and in university in the start of their friendship, it just lacked something and the ending would have benefitted from another couple point of views, I think.