I’ve been recommended this author all year and I jumped at the chance to read this one! The plot was unique albeit far-fetched but I was drawn in to Colbie’s story right away. I just needed to know what was going on and how it would all end! Though the ending was a little underwhelming, the pacing was great throughout and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced listening copy!

It’s been one year since Colbie’s wedding day. One year since her husband-to-be died of a heart attack just before her wedding. But she’s making it through this day thanks to her three best friends. In honor of her anniversary, they take a box of unopened letters sent to the bride and groom on what is supposed to be a relaxing vacation. But when she begins to open the letters, she finds one from her fiancée that leads her to believe his death was anything but an accident. As secrets begin to come to light, Colbie wonders if she ever truly knew anyone and who she can trust.

I really liked the concept of this work, but it ended up being a weird and disappointing read. There were several plot holes and coincidences that were too unrealistic to add anything positive to the work. The mystery was okay but was resolved in the most absurd way possible. I also wouldn’t call this a thriller or suspense, as there was zero tension built into the story – the author tried at one point to add a moment of stress, but it was silly and resolved quite quickly.

I’ve never liked books where the protagonist is shocked by everyone around her being madly in love with her and this was the case with this work. Colbie also had no redeeming qualities – she was whiny, got unreasonable upset about random things, was exceptionally passive, and was overdramatic. The other characters were essentially interchangeable, except for the younger sister who was just an awful person who showed up when the author needed to shake things up.

Thankfully this was a short read. Unfortunately, I don’t recommend this book. My thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read and review this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to Kiersten Modglin and NetGalley for this audio-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback and review.

Colbie and Phil were to be married and live happily ever after but Phil's untimely death on the wedding day prevented that from happening. One year later Colbie is getting together with her best guy friends Eric, who was Phil's best friend, James, her longtime best friend, and Miles, who was in the band that was set to play the wedding. On her getaway she decided to bring along the box of letters that people wrote to them on their wedding day and had planned to read on their first anniversary. When Phil's letter raises some questions Colbie begins to dive into his past and try to figure out who it was she almost married.

I am a huge fan of Kiersten Modglin and have almost her entire collection. Unfortunately this book was not for me personally. I liked it but I didn't love it. I'm giving three stars because the narrator of this audiobook was excellent. I really liked her voice and how she kept the story moving. Looking forward to Kiersten's next book.

If You Reading This
Kiersten Modglin

If Your Reading This is the Wish version of P.S I Love You.

Let me just quick review the audiobook because I was provided an audio from Netgalley. You ever scrape you fork or knife across your plate, that screeching sound you hear. That’s the narrator. I also didn’t understand for the life of me why the sisters sounded as if they had been college roommates who met abroad because the dialect used for them was vastly different and whenever there was dialogue between them I questioned what book I was reading.

As for the plot, it was hands down the most ridiculous thing. The groom does on his wedding, right before the ceremony. And now one year later the bride to be and three men (one her bestie, and two the dead grooms friends) are going away for a trip together. But the groom slipped in a letter before he was axed.

I don’t know I didn’t like the book. I didn’t like the narration and I think it a very bad, poor, generic wanna be book.

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

I want to start by saying that I am a HUGE K-Mod fan and I gobble up everything she puts out. That being said, this was probably my least favorite novel from her. It was a quick read and I listened to it within a day, but the story was lacking in places. Modglin is known for her twisty thrillers and this one just didn't deliver in the same way. The twists were somewhat predictable and one of them was just weird. The characters were all unlikeable and it just didn't work for me.

I'm giving it 3 stars. It wasn't a bad book, at all, but it just didn't live up to her usual work. The audio was great. Modglin has never had a bad narrator in any of the audiobooks I've listened to.

I flew through this one in an afternoon, and it was pretty good. Not fantastic, but pretty darned good, just as you'd expect from Kiersten Modglin.

Is time simply flying, or is Ms. Modglin writing books faster than I can read them? I feel like every time I turn around, someone's announcing "new from Kiersten Modglin" and I'm like, "Didn't I just read her latest last week?" Regardless, I'm always first to jump up and yell, "Gimme, gimme!"

This time around, we have a super effed-up situation with an almost-bride, Colbie, who lost her husband-to-be just minutes before they were to be wed. A year later, she gathers three close friends and takes an anniversary tribute trip for closure, and BOY DOES SHE GET IT. No spoilers here, but I will say that this is a firm lesson on being careful what you wish for, since actually getting it may suck in ways you can't imagine.

I am finding that I am loving Kiersten Modglins books and this one did not disappoint by no means. She has a way of grabbing the reader and keeping their interest.

Usually, I’m captivated by her books but this one was missing context. I listened to some chapters over and over again thinking that I missed some information but nothing made sense. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a mystery or thriller because 80% of it was boring. This was not Kiersten Modglin’s best work.

This is my first Kiersten Modglin book and all I can say is WHAT WAS I WAITING FOR!?! I really enjoyed this, it is a clever story that felt very fast moving with characters I really grew to care about. There were some good twists, and while they weren't entirely unpredictable, this was a very enjoyable audiobook start to finish. Loved the narrator !

I've only recently discovered this author and have been impressed and intrigued by every book I've read. I decided to give the audiobook a try, and I'm glad I did. The narrator had a good voice and brought the story to life for me. I'm usually not that much of an audiobook fan, but this one has me wanting more. Great read and a great listen as well!

I have loved almost all of Kirsten Modglin's other books, but this one was less a fast-paced thriller and more a slowly unfolding drama. I did not find the characters or twists of this novel quite as compelling as her usual and, as other readers have mentioned, the situation with the there male best friends fell a little flat. Nonetheless, Modglin's writing remains entertaining and page-turning. I will still anxiously await her next work, but this wasn't one of my favorites of hers.

If You're Reading This is a fast-paced psychological mystery. It was an enjoyable read, though a bit predictable. I believe this was my first time reading a book by Kiersten Modglin, so I definitely want to check out more of her works!

This little review is going to sound very vague, but I just don’t want to give anything away.

You can never go wrong with her books. I devoured this audiobook in a day. The suspense kept me hooked and the plot was just 👌🏽
I never saw that twist coming!

Enjoyed this thriller. The author pulls the veil back layer by layer and still manages a surprise ending. I would've loved an epilogue with this one

This was an enjoyable, fast read. While I did figure out a good portion of the twist less than 50% of the way through, I did still enjoy the journey. The audio narration was incredible for a thriller. If you're looking for a fast read to get you through a work day or a long commute, this is an excellent audiobook for that.

So the characters in this one were great. I loved the three best friends and hated the sister, so I thought that aspect was perfect. This one is a pretty quick listen but still packs in a lot of action and suspense throughout it. I will say the ending left me kind of eh. I was hoping for a big reveal and instead I got a kind of “oh ok that’s cool” reveal. It won’t be the most shocking thing ever and I honestly kind of thought the author could have done something bigger with the story given the way it was set up. Not a major disappointment, just not as exciting as I think it could have been!

This review has been added to Goodreads, Literal and Storygraph, as well as Barnes & Noble and Amazon. This will be posted to my instagram (@busywithmybooks_) and hive within the week.

Thank you for allowing me to listen to this story!!

This book kept me guessing from start to finish; wondering what happened to our main character's fiance or who was the bad guy or was there a bad guy after all? Throw in a little splash of complicated friendships or maybe more and you've got yourself a good story. I am grateful it came to a conclusion that didn't keep me guessing as many other novels do.

A story that makes you wonder if you ever really know someone. Whether it is your fiance or best friend, how do you know if that person is being truthful with you?

"Life was too short to leave anything unspoken for a moment longer."

"Things are beautifully broken, just as they should be".

I enjoyed this different side of KMOD storytelling. It wasn't a heart pounding psychological thriller, but it was still very entertaining! Although the whole staying with 3 guys in an Airbbnb made me raise my eyebrows a little, seemed kinda farfetched and poor planning lol. Also, who actually lets their wedding go 2 hours late? These were minor things that I caught that I found funny, but didn't necessarily ruin the story for me.

Narration was great as well! Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Pub date: 11/15/22
Genre: thriller
One sentence summary: Colbie's husband died on their wedding day - but a year later, she finds a message indicating his death wasn't an accident,

The good news: This is a fast read that kept me listening. The premise was interesting - how often does a young, healthy man die on his wedding day?

The not-so-good news: Having read many books by Kiersten Modglin, this is not her strongest work. She's a master of the last minute twist(s), and the twists here didn't live up to my expectations. I also found Colbie's relationships with her three best male friends to be a bit strange. If you're looking for really twisted husband-wife dynamics, I'd recommend THE ARRANGEMENT and its two sequels.

I'm giving this one 3.5 stars since I did read it in two sittings, and I appreciate that Modglin writes a short thriller!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.