Immersive…
Packed with atmosphere and with a solid mystery at its’ heart this psychological suspense in audio format makes for an immersive listen. Claustrophobic and compelling, character led drama. Narration is well done, expertly performed and perfectly nuanced. Most enjoyable.

I tried very hard to care about this story. It jumped narrators and didn't have a single character that I liked. Just a bunch of pretentious and self centered people who needed to grow up. The story itself could have been good. A group of friends from college meet for New Year's Eve every year. They work their way through different countries being very judgmental and obnoxious.

Not only do they cling to their college friend group like only people in books do, but they continue after their little adventures end up with one of them dead. Every year they try to outdo each other but still it doesn't seem they really even like each other. If there had been more about the incident and the how and why of it all then it could have still been good. But you get more than half way through before there is really any movement in this part of the story. The rest is just people sleeping around and acting like horrible rich kids.

The narrators did do an admirable job of changing characters and helping the listener keep them safe. They could not make the story itself very interesting. Nor could it take the characters interesting.

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Odd Numbers” is a psychological drama told from the perspectives of five friends across timelines. In 1999, six friends gather to celebrate the New Year, but tragedy strikes and one friend is lost. Over the following twenty years, the remaining five gather every other year to ring in the New Year together and commiserate in their shared grief.

As the past unravels into the present, the stories of each of the characters are revealed, spinning tales full of loss, grief, secrets, and lingering doubts. On the twentieth anniversary of the loss of their friend, Dhan, the five once again meet in a snowy chalet in the Swiss Alps. The past echoes into the present as events bring forth memories that they have tried to move beyond. Not everything is as it seems, and as secrets are revealed, nothing will ever be the same.

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. Based on the description, I expected a fairly standard psychological thriller. What I didn’t expect was the beautifully flushed out characters that drive this novel. With five main characters, this book could have easily gone off the rails. However, each character is presented in such a way that the reader becomes immersed in their stories and fully engaged in their lives. Time is appropriately allotted for each character, offering a full picture of each person. The individual perspectives and stories are intermeshed with the group’s biannual meetings and the dynamics resultant thereof. I couldn’t help but go along for the ride with each of them.

On top of a great cast of characters, the story itself is solid. The impact of losing a friend in the prime of their lives echoes throughout the friends’ lives as they try to move forward. The strange circumstances of the loss of their friend, Dhan, would be enough to drive the narrative in this book. However, there is an undercurrent of secrets held by each of the characters that leads to question after question. As the group gathers one more time, new questions emerge and the plot twists and turns to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book. I must note that I received an audiobook copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review, which I also recommend due in part to excellent narration. As for the book itself, it was a refreshing spin on a psychological drama full of twists, turns and unforgettable characters. The author has an easy style of writing that pulls the reader (or in my case, listener), in and along for the ride. I believe this book would appeal to a wide audience. Check this book out if you’re looking for a refreshing character-driven read. You won’t regret it!

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I definitely recommend it as a good mystery thriller that is quick to read and entertaining. But then there are some things about the novel that I'm not a big fan of.

Let's start with the good. The story itself is not the most original, but it's a plotline I'm always interested in. A group of friends where one disappears under strange circumstances? Here for it always.
However, the plot twist didn't feel very shocking.

It was very interesting to have characters from different places and with different cultural backgrounds, which can enrich the story. However, I feel like the depictions of those characters was a big cliché sometimes. In a way that can be quite offensive for people of those places, to be honest.
And that leads me to my least favourite part of this book: the casual biphobia. The way both bisexual characters are described and describe themselves was very offensive to me. It just helps perpetuate damaging ideas about this particular sexual orientation and it's something that shouldn't have made it past the editors.

Overall, the story and the book is good. But bear in mind some of those negatives can affect your enjoyment of the book.

The audiobook was fantastic. All narrators did a great job and it was very easy to follow the story.

#oddnumbers by #jjmarsh has all the right ingredients of a great thriller but for me it just wasn’t executed in the way I wanted. The plot twist was not a surprise. I did like the use of accents by the narrators to really define the characters and helped to not get lost in the narration, which can be problematic when multiple points of view are involved. I like that the characters were questionable ….
Many thanks to #netgalley for gifting me this #arc in exchange for an honest review. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #netgalleyuk #sagaegmontaudio #thriller #generalfiction #booksta #readersofig #goodreadschallenge #riereads #oneadventureafteranother

I really enjoyed listening to this title and would definitely try this author again. The narrators were brilliant bringing all the different characters to life with the different accents. I guessed the story plot, but it didn’t matter, as how it played out as I was listening was captivating due to the narration. It isn’t a psychological Thriller, more of a really good drama! But a great one to listen to.

1999, new years eve. Six university friends go on a trip to Prague to celebrate the new year and the new millennium together. A tragic accident occurs and only five of the friends return...Dhan is missing and presumed dead.

Bonded by their grief over what happened that night, this remaining group of five friends gather at a different location chosen in turn by each friend, every 2 years on new year's eve to catch up and to celebrate Dhan's life.

The story is told from five different perspectives and as it continues over the years, secrets come out and, ever so slowly, so does the truth. Was Dhan's death really an accident? On the 20th anniversary and the final new year's eve gathering, it's Gael's turn to organise the trip and as the only one who didn't witness the accident, she is determined to find out the truth about what happened on that fateful night, whatever the cost...

Odd Numbers was a short but slow burn of a book, the insidious build up of unease and dread made this book unputdownable - I had to find out what happened. I didn't entirely like or trust any of the characters, apart from one. The ending left me with a lot of questions, but overall it was an enjoyable listen and the narration by Jess Nesling and Paul Panting was fantastic - this must have been such a challenging book to narrate with so many characters and different accents but they made it so easy to tell each person apart.

A psychological drama about how a group of university friends’ lives are splintered one night, after a booze driven accident. Over a span of twenty years, JJ Marsh takes us on a journey of discovery of how the loss of a friend can either tighten bonds or alter the dimensions of loyalties, for those who are left. After two decades, the time has come to ask questions about secrets that have until now, remained untold.

A gripping read with a compelling plot, brilliantly narrated by Jess Nesling and Paul Panting. The different accents that they used, complimented the genre of the book and were exactly right for the characters. There are a lot of twists and turns in this story; nothing too dramatic, yet engaging enough to keep the reader interested. Some of the plot lines, I was able to predict but there were others, that surprised me.

An appealing read for those who like to be fed enough information to keep you guessing as to what will happen next but not so much, that there are no surprises. A gentle ride to an intriguing end.

3.5 stars
I haven’t read any other books by this author and was pleasantly surprised: realistic characters, suspenseful plot and great narration. I was a little disappointed by the ending which seemed anticlimactic and flat, but will definitely be looking for more books by JJ. Marsh.

A clever story about six friends who meet in college and go away together every other New Year's Eve throughout their adult lives. Alas, one of them is killed on one of their first outings, which may be why the remaining five remain so committed to this practice of meeting up again every two years, to mourn and remember their lost friend. I listened to this as a book on tape (provided free for me by Netgalley and the publisher) and really enjoyed hearing the accents -- Scottish, Canadian, American, French, English and German) -- of the friends in their witty dialogue. Some repetition but overall an excellent story. Stop here to avoid any spoiler.

There is a twist at the end that didn't seem that much of a twist by the time it comes; I had assumed it was going to happen. But then there is a twist AFTER that twist that is a really delicious surprise. A fun mystery, worth reading.

Odd Numbers is my first book by this author, but it probably won't be my last. While I didn't really connect to the characters, I enjoyed the multiple POVs and though the author did a good job weaving these stories together, and the story moved at a good pace. Recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Egmont Audio for an ARC.

The book opens with a group of six friends, Gael, Lovisa, Mika, Simone, Clark and Dhanesh, gathering together to celebrate their graduation and the New Years’ Eve in a cabin on a lake in the Czech Republic, in 1999. But something terrible happened, and one of them died. No corpse was found.

Grieving, the remaining friends decide to keep celebrating NYE together to reconnect with each other. They also want to remember the friend they lost. So each year, NYE is celebrated in a different country and one the friends is responsible for all the planning, deciding where they are going to go, booking hotel rooms, and orchestrating the festivities.

The story is told through different perspectives and as the reader gets to know a little bit more of each character we realize that each character had a little grudge with the deceased friend. It is a little predictable but at the same time you want to know if what you are thinking really happens at the end.

This is a well-written book with complex characters. The narration of the audiobook was greatly done by Jess Nesling and Paul Panting. I would recommend this book for fans of psychological thriller.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
Odd Numbers is an intriguing story about one fateful night that has affected 5 friends lives for a decade.
The friends started out as being 6 and after one New year's eve, only 5 remained. One friend went missing, presumed drowned, yet his body was never recovered.
Told through multiple POVs - we get viewpoints and details from each friend as the story unfolds. The book flicks back and forth from that night to the time after and to the present and kept my attention throughout.
The narrators did an amazing job with the voices and accents and this helped me keep each character separate with so many POVs.
One final new year's eve spent together on the tenth anniversary of their friend dying unveils a number of secrets between the friends and shows the cracks in their friendship.
I loved the twist at the end of this book and can't recommend it highly enough on audio!

Odd Numbers was perfectly narrated with no 'silly' voices and it was very easy to follow which of the six charcters were 'speaking'

I found it very interesting building up a background on such different people within one friendship group. I guessed where the plot was heading but felt I had to ration my listening time because I was enjoying it so much I didn't want it to end. However, once reached the conclusion was dissappointing , leaving more questions than answers. Overall I can still say I enjoyed the audio book though.

Thank you so much for my ALC!

🦄 Summary:
It should have been the perfect start of the new millennium: On New Year's Eve of 1999, six university friends travel to the Czech Republic to celebrate with a sweat in the sauna and a swim in the ice-cold lake afterwards. But only five of them survive the night. Driven together by tragedy, the friends get together for New Year's Eve every other year, always someplace new. They think they know all of each other's secrets. But 20 years later, they realize they have missed the biggest one of them all...

🦄 My opinion:
Friends drawn together by tragedy, where everyone has something to hide? Sign me up! Just as I'd expected, I loved this book! It was dark, it was atmospheric, and it was tense. I loved how JJ Marsh created all these different characters from different cultures, and their relationships with each other. As their secrets unfolded, I got more and more invested in their motives, and it felt like I was one of them. I did guess the twist, but it felt like the whole concept of the story was about having a gut feeling about what had happened, and being desperate to find out if you're right - and why. The second twist I did not see coming, and it was the perfect ending for this story about friendship, trust, and betrayal.

🦄 It was my first book by JJ Marsh, and I will definitely read / listen to more!

🦄 Parts of this book reminded me of:
- One By One by Ruth Ware
- Shiver by Allie Reynolds

The audio of Odd Numbers by J J Marsh was a fulfilling read about six, then five friends, who were affected when tragedy struck on New Year's Eve of their third year in college. They had gone to the family cabin of one of the members of the group, Mika, which was in his home country of the Czech Republic. One of the family traditions was to jump in the lake and then rush inside to the sauna. Some were more enthused than others, but a hole was cut in the ice, lights were strung along the pathway back, and instructions were given. Several successful jumps were made and then the nightmare began. In what appeared to be a series of coincidences, Dhan made his jump and never came back up. The police were called. In the summer, the lake was dragged. There was no body but no possibility of survival in the freezing temperatures. The next year was too raw, but the following year the five remaining friends started a tradition of meeting for New Year's weekend alternating years, with alternating people making the arrangements. Occasionally someone brought a guest, but that was never really successful.

As the narration progressed, the people involved revealed more and more of their personalities and even, secrets. It was odd that their lives didn't merge at all except on these short visits with one another. It seemed like a somewhat mundane, yet intriguing slice-of-life novel, until it didn't. The characters were good, typical people really, with more to them than met the eye. There were interesting careers and interesting love affairs. The dynamic changed at every meeting, which is reality. Gael was always the outsider. She hadn't been at the water's edge the night Dhan died and that seemed to speak to the others. It seemed to make her see it all with a clearer eye. This was billed as a psychological thriller, which it was for a very small portion of the books. It was easy to see part of what was coming, but there was obviously so much more. Interesting book.

The readers were Jess Nesling and Paul Panting, who did a credible job, even voicing the women, without using falsetto or odd voices. It was pretty easy to discern who was speaking, including accents.

I was invited to listen to a free e-ARC audio of Odd Numbers by Saga Edgemont Audio, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #sagaedgemont #oddnumbers #jjmarsh

I requested this from NetGalley bc I am trying to get more audio arcs and it sounded interesting but... it just wasn't I saw the twist coming from Chapter 2 and the follow through was unsatisfying. Thankfully, it was a quick read. I might also add that the narration sounded very computer generated, like this was an AI narrated novel. No matter how realistic they sound, avid audiobook fans can tell

⭐️⭐️⭐️•⭐️Odd Numbers by JJ Marsh

Synopsis: “Over two decades, a group of former students reunite every other New Year. They celebrate their friendship and remember a tragic loss.

When it's Gael's turn to organise, she chooses a snowy chalet in the Swiss Alps. A striking resemblance to the frozen lake where it happened so many years ago.

Dhan was the jester of the group, a symbol of their charmed lives, until the night he disappeared, taking part of their future with him.

Now the time has come to ask new questions.

Gael was always the outsider. The one who wasn't there when it happened.

And her instinct tells her some secrets remained untold. The darkest one is about to come to light. It will send a shockwave though their lives…”

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

I listened to this audiobook and thought the whole plot and story line were super interesting and a thriller like no other I had read before, it gripped me since the very beginning. Then, right about the middle started to get a bit confusing and unrealistic? I don’t know, I felt a disconnection from the beginning of the story to the end which felt rushed hence the 3 1/2 stars; I felt lots of questions were left unanswered.
This was an ARC audio from Netgalley. Thank you for the copy. Odd Numbers publication day is Nov 4th.

Six college friends head out on a New Year's holiday, only five return. What exactly happened to Dan? Who's responsible? How do they move forward when so much is unknown?
Told from multiple viewpoints and timelines, Odd Numbers keeps you guessing what happened and was it really an accident? The narrators did a fantastic job reading as various characters, with accents from all over the world. This, I believe, helped keep track of whose viewpoint we were currently in.
The storyline itself felt rather anticlimatic. And that ending? What? Really? It felt as if the ending was just thrown in there. Rather unbelievable. And without conclusion to questions you need answers to.
All in all the story was ok. I would love to read more from this author though!

This book was captivating from the very beginning as a group of friends reunites and tries to put aside long-buried secrets. I was never too sure of what to think, which I loved but the ending did feel a bit rushed and I wasn't entirely sure it fit.
The audiobook version of the book was an enjoyable listen - the narrator did a great job telling the story and bringing these characters to life.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.