I am a huge fan of reunion thriller/mysteries, and this one, while not your typical reunion saga, was no different. I enjoyed it thoroughly, not only was the story itself intriguing, but the narration was spot on. I will certainly be on the lookout for more from this duo (Jess Nesling and Paul Panting).

It's about a group of friends who get together every second year to celebrate the new year and pay tribute to the sixth friend, who disappeared. It's spread out over a 20-year span.

The characters were well-rounded, some unpalatable, and some likable, but then, I suppose that's how it is with a group of friends, some you like while some just rub you the wrong way. I guessed what was going to happen, but it didn't detract from the story in any way.

Many thanks to Net Galley, the author and publisher for my ARC!

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After a horrible accident, five college friends stay in touch to honor the memory of their lost friend. Every second year they spend New Year's eve together all over Europe. We follow each friend as they share their story of that one terrible night and of their experiences with each other in the group.

It took me a bit to really get into the story and keep track of the characters. Luckily the audiobook is narrated by different people, and each has an accent fitting the character. So that definitely made it easier to remember who is who.
The story follows the group for over two decades, and it was interesting enough to hear about their trips around Europe and their relationship with each other, but the actual suspense part of the book was very limited.
A lot of the time, it felt like listening to a blend, adult drama, which was unfortunate.
On top of that, it was really predictable... not even halfway through the book, I figured out the entire plot twist and also saw the ending coming miles away.
The characters were all very questionable, which I assume is the point. So we as readers can guess who to trust, but it just became a bit boring when the story was predictable. And the characters were just annoying and selfish.
The plot wasn't bad, though, and I did find it interesting. I am happy it was a shorter book, so it was easier to stay interested throughout the whole thing.
I feel like the book didn't really explain enough. It just kind of revealed the plot twist and then moved on? Like, leading up to something for 5 hours just to rush an ending.

It was a pretty cozy read, though, and I think many people would enjoy it. It had a nice winter feeling to it, and it's perfect for the darker times. My overall experience was fine, nothing extraordinary but not a waste of time.

Thought I'd dive into a thriller as the nights draw in ..... This was a cracker.
Six University friends decide to spend millennium new year's eve together which leads to the tragic death of one of the party. The event happens so early in the book I did initially worry about where the story could go once it happened ...but then every other NYE from then on the remaining five meet up in commemoration of their lost friend. The narrative hops between characters so you are seeing the story from everyone's point of view which is very clever and gives you a good understanding of every character.
This has all the ingredients of a perfect thriller with a great twist thrown in for good measure.

Gripping read, easy to follow with a few twists. Starts off with six university friends who spend NYE together when one of the group jumps into icy water and drowns. Explores the bereavement process and what ifs! The five remaining group continues to meet for NYE to not only catch up with where their lives have taken them but also talk about the lost friend. In the latter years it becomes apparent that the dead friend was not the friend they thought he was and had hurt or ridiculed them individually in the years before his death. Once they reach this conclusion, the grieving is over! Fantastic narration. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

Narrators 5 stars

These narrators were brilliant bringing all the different characters to life with the different accents.

Story 4 stars
While this was not a psychological Thriller (because it was very obvious how this was going to play out) it was definitely a really good suspenseful drama! All the characters were not necessarily likeable but they were definitely interesting and I was never bored listening. Would definitely try this author again.

Odd Numbers is about five friends that get together every other New Year to be with each other: celebrate, grieve, and try to move on. As something similar starts to happen again, they must figure out what to do so history doesn't repeat itself. This will be their last reunion...

This was an audio book and I was hooked from the moment it started! The narrators were phenomenal and the book was very fast paced. The first half of the book you get a feel for the characters, as this is told through the POV of the 5 remaining friends and their memories. Although somewhat linear, starting in 1999 and moving to "now", the book does jump back to the past when characters are reliving their memories of what happened "that day" and New Years celebrations since.

I enjoyed the way the friends interacted with each other and somehow manage to keep their bond throughout the years. As light is shed on their past and mistakes/regrets that they have, you become invested in their feelings and memories. During the "now", they meet up for their reunion when weird things start to happen; pictures being moved, chocolate coins in someone's bed, but who would be doing this?

I'd like to say a huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

#reading2021 #fallreading2021 #booklover #booksofinstagram #audiobook #netgalley

Riveting from start to finish! It will keep you guessing until the very end, and I was easily swept up in the fast-moving story. Told from the viewpoint of 5 friends from college who have a shared trauma, the story takes twists and turns resulting in an unexpected final one. If you like thrillers that border the line of suspense at moments, you'll love this book- I certainly did!

This was the first I book read by the author, J. J. Marsh. In it, we follow a group of five friends, who once were six... The story begins in 1999, when the six (Clark, Dhan, Gael, Lovisa, Mika and Simone) want to celebrate the Millennium near Prague, in a cabin by a lake. But one of them dies and does not get to see the year 2000.

For the next 20 years, the five survivors organize a New Year's Eve party every two years. The rest of the story is told in first-person narrations by the survivors, describing either one of the parties of the "Odd Number" year, or even the tenth (and final) party.

Having never read anything by J.J. Marsh before, I didn't know what to expect. But I discovered that the author has a wonderful way of telling stories and I can't wait to read some more of hers!
Marsh kept me guessing until the very end - and what a twist at the end! A creepy but very cool ending!

Throughout “Odd Numbers”, we follow various characters at different stages of their lives. In this audiobook, two narrators, with distinct personalities and accents, tell us the story and allow us to identify each character by the way the chapter is read. The story comes alive in front of us, which makes this book quite addictive.

It's a relatively short book which, together with the changing perspectives and the non-chronological order of events make the story fly by! I listened to this audiobook over 3 days, but if I could, I would have done it in one go! In short, it is a very addictive and intriguing story, and this audiobook version only makes this experience better!

Thank you to NetGalley and SagaEgmontAudio for the opportunity to listen to this audio ARC!

Okay wow, so I really wanted to give up on this book about 50% of the way in, but I didn’t. I have regrets. This book was in no way entertaining, the entire story really gave me no clarity on what happened the night of Dan’s disappearance, the ending was very sporadic and gave me a little to no answers. I felt like I spent the entire book building a plot and getting to know characters all to not have a real story be told. Very disappointed!

Odd Numbers - JJ Marsh
Narrated by Jess Nesling, Paul Panting

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Saga Egmont Audio and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Can you forgive a friend?

Strange things bring people together. Like a tragic death.

Over two decades, five friends reunite every other New Year. They celebrate, grieve and heal. Memories grow dusty and the nightmare starts to fade.

On the 20th anniversary, in a remote snowy chalet, old doubts surface.

I had no idea what to expect going into this book, but it was definitely an interesting thriller. Marsh does well to keep the reader interested throughout this book and keeps the reader guessing until the latter part of the story. Whilst the books play out in a different way - it is no means difficult to follow.

A gripping read with a very intriguing plot. Once I started listening to this book I found myself wanting to listen on to just one more chapter. My enjoyment of this book was definitely added to with the skills of the narrators.

Rating 4/5

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audiobook.

I'm very divided on my feelings on this! I actually enjoyed the shifting perspectives in this case- I felt it actually worked really well for this. The narrators were really well suited. On the flip side, I felt a bit like the ending was rushed- it worked for the story but kind of left me feeling like there was something missing. Over all a quick easy read with plenty of suspense!

I can see I am in the minority with this one. It may be due to the fact that I gave up just before the 50% mark, but I couldn't go any further.

Everyone in this book is an introspecting psychologist, at 20 years of age. Sitting around thinking about life, discussing life, drinking port and cooking up extravagant meals. Everything a college aged person does. One moment these kids are blithering idiots, and the next they are a viable replacement for Oprah. It doesn't make any sense.

And sex. Talk of sex. Actual sex. Talk of genitalia. Lack of sex. It's in every single chapter. It gets extremely boring, extremely quickly. Nothing has actually happened in this book. You're provided with a death in the beginning couple of chapters, but that's about it. They very way the death is actually dealt with on the night in no way represents the entire premise of this book.

It's a hard no from me, and anyone thinking there would be any sign of a mystery within these pages.

There seem to a flurry of books written/published recently about groups of people, often friends, meeting up and then something going wrong. I'll say no more on the plot as the blurb does it better without giving anything away.
I listened to the audio version of this book and really enjoyed the narration as it was told from each of the friends points of view over a period of over 20 years.
Overall the characters are well portrayed and the tension builds towards the end. However I did feel that the book finished rather abruptly with a somewhat predictable conclusion. A further twist in the final chapter would have made this an excellent novel. As it is the end left me feeling disappointed after enjoying the build up.

This was just too . . . unlikely. Way too many contrived plot points to work.


Review copy provided by publisher.

This really was addictive and the narration was brilliant. I really enjoyed it. I had worked out what was happening but not the why which was good so it kept me listening.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

I was a bit nervous of starting this book because I’ve read quite a few where a group of friends gets together at some kind of reunion and something forgoes horribly wrong etc etc and not once been impressed. However this was a really great story with an interesting mix of characters and locations. Lots going on in multi timescales but I found it easy to follow and quite easy keeping the different characters clear in my head. Helped enormously by the excellent narrators who really added to the enjoyment

This is one of those tales that slowly unravels, smacks you round the face and then kicks you while you are trying to get up. A really good read, or listen in my case. The narrators were so good I didn’t realise there was only two of them as they played the different protagonists who narrate each chapter.

I would like to thank @NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advance copy of J. J. Marsh’s “Odd Numbers,” an above-average mystery which has introduced me to an accomplished writer. I finished “Odd Numbers” in a day because I couldn’t wait to find out—not just the plot secret—but also what the outcome means for each of the well-drawn characters. I immediately sought out J. J. Marsh’s other books but was disappointed to find that they seem to consist of a standard series featuring a female detective. I will almost certainly read these. But “Odd Numbers” is not at all standard, and I hope J. J. Marsh will pen another such unusual mystery.

“Odd Numbers” concerns a group of 5 friends, who originally met at a language school in Switzerland. There was once a sixth member of the group, and his disappearance during a vacation at a Czech lodge has led the group to gather every other year in resorts across the world, as a mourning ritual. The point of view moves from one group member to another, as each recounts what happened the year he or she organized the group trip. In twenty years, the locations span New York, the Greek islands, and many renowned European cities; but the book is not a travelogue, and the narrative moves at a brisk pace.

However, the multinational setting does add an element of interest, as does the fact that the protagonists represent several different nationalities. There is a certain amount of stereotyping in this—the French woman is beautiful flirt, the American a slightly uncouth outdoorsman, and so forth—but it does help to differentiate the characters. And—despite my reading this as an audiobook—I was never in doubt as to point of view.

I also very soon came to care about each character; and the creation of intriguing characters is one of the distinct virtues of the writing. As is the intricacy of the plot. While the episodes are held together by the gradual discovery of what happened to their absent friend, every one of the protagonists has his/her own secret as well. This is skilled narrative construction; and it makes this book one of the most intelligent psychological thrillers I have read this year. I heartily recommend this book. 4.5 stars.

I've not read anything by JJ Marsh before so I had no preconceptions.
The story is based around six friends who celebrated New Year's Eve together in 1999 where a terrible accident happened. They get back together every other year to mark the sad occasion and the story begins 20 years later when the characters are each looking back at past events, This is beautifully written with believable characters, Each new chapter makes you try to piece together what could have actually happened that night 20 years ago. Was it an accident?
Full of intrigue and suspense, I found Odd Numbers a very enjoyable story would recommend it.

Six uni friends started a tradition of spending every other New Years together in different holiday locations. Twenty years ago tragedy struck. They continue to get together, but things have never been the same. Each is scarred in their own way. On the twentieth anniversary old history is brought up, questions arise and all have reasons to feel guilty about the past, but will this holiday end up changing their future? Told in multiple voices, the narrators of this audio book were exceptional, but I found the twist to be underwhelming.