BENEATH THE MARIGOLDS by Emily C Whitson, narrated by Lisa Larson & Emily O'Brien was a suspense filled read!

Ann is worried about her friend and AA sponsor, Reese Marigold when she disappears after attending an exclusive singles retreat on a remote island near Hawaii. Reese tried to get Ann to go with her, but Ann is not the hopeless romantic that Reese is. That independence has to be hidden when Ann decides to check into this resort on her own to look onto Reese's disappearance. The structured set up and emphasis on appearances seem to indicate this retreat is more than what it says. As Ann puts the pieces together and talks to other participants, she gets closer and closer to the answers, and the same danger.

This story is told through Ann's current perspective and Reese's previous point of view. I felt like Reese had a bit of a sad story and didn't love her need for a man in her life. I also realized that this is real for some and how Ann dealt with it was balancing in the story. Ann's strength and determination to find out what was going on without succumbing to the pressures to couple up was fun! This ended up being a bit deeper than I thought it would be and I enjoyed it.

The dual narration was really helpful for the two voices. They each captured the characters inner turmoil and strengths. I listened at 1.75X and it was great!

Thank you to NetGalley and Camcat Books for the opportunity to listen to this story. It is available now!

Fabulous audio book! Loved the narration and the dual timelines. Well fleshed out characters and the twist at the end! Definitely an enjoyable listen from a debut author too!!

The audio of Emily C. Whitson's debut novel is both compelling and addictive. So much so that I finished listening to Beyond the Marigolds in less than 2 days. The viewpoints of Reese and Ann are equally intriguing, and the story line moved at a near perfect pace. This is a fantastic listen for those who love both thrillers and reality television. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Whitson's well-crafted story telling in the future!

Thank you to IBPA for an advanced readers copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Love a great debut novel packed with mystery, drama, and an air tight friendship? Check out Emily C. Whitson's new novel Beneath the Marigolds!

Ann Stone and Reese Marigold are each others ride or die. When Reese decides to go on a singles retreat at Last Chance and does not return, Ann panics. She takes off to Last Chance frantic to find Reese. As Ann begins to infiltrate the retreat looking for clues as to where Reese might be, she discovers Last Chance is more along the lines of a reality TV show based of The Bachelor in Paradise. The deeper Ann digs, the more lies she uncovers. Is this some sort of crazy set up where attendees are being drugged, made to wear outlandishly expensive clothes and video taped?

Although Ann has a nagging feeling she should leave, she can't tear herself away without finding out what happened to Reese.

This story is told from two points of view with amazing plot twist along the way. Could surviving the retreat be the last chance for Ann and Reese?

AMAZING debut novel! A well written must read!

Thank you to CamCat books for providing an audiobook through NetGalley for my voluntary review.

When first beginning, it feels like Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers. A group of people gather at a “spa” only to find something isn’t quite right. Whitson, however, goes in an entirely different direction and does it well. The story is engaging and enjoyable.

What wasn’t enjoyable was the writing style, which should have been caught in editing. The long strings of simple sentences threw off the cadence of the story. There were so many sentences strung together that should have been combined that it becomes very obvious and distracts from the story. For example, rather than writing, “I picked up the book, read the title, and put it down on the table.” Whitson would write, “I picked up the book. I looked at the cover. I read the title. I looked for somewhere to put it. I put it down on the table.” It sounds petty, I realize. But this simplistic form of writing works to build suspense and slow things down, allowing drama and tension. But it does not work where she wrote it. The instances of attempting and failing to use this writer’s device were so frequent that they become noticeable and irritating. I found myself counting the sentences that should have been combined and rewriting the paragraph in my head instead of absorbing the story.

Even with that annoyance, I enjoyed the book. It was easy to follow and unfolded at a great pace. It is a terrific story concept and with a little better editing would have been a five-star fiction.

This book just didn't appeal to me. I finished it but it was a chore. It was just a bit on the outrageous side.
The narrators were actually perfect for this book but grated on my nerves.
I'm sorry, I didn't enjoy this.

This book was recommended to me and I’m so glad I followed the recommendation! This was kind of bachelor/bachelorette reality show gone wrong. It had me guessing until the end. I’m glad there were two narrators but their voices are similar so that was the only confusing part. I would definitely recommend! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I think this was pretty good for a debut novel and the audio narration was fantastic. With that being said, the story itself was a little forgettable. While I liked the idea of the storyline, the execution was just...meh. The dual POV between Reese and Ann kept things flowing, but there were a lot of points where I felt bored and wanted to get to the end just to finish the story and not to find out what happened and why.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the narrators of this story as they made it clear and distinct which character was speaking. The story instantly had me hooked, and I finished it in practically a single sitting! I liked the dynamics of the main characters and felt I saw a few of the twists coming ahead of time, but I enjoyed the story regardless. I would recommend for anyone who likes mysteries and thrillers set in a remote island location.

Honestly, I couldn’t get myself to finish this book. It lacked character development and one of the voices used (the one who was speaking for Anne) sounded like she was in an advertisement and not an audiobook. It bugged me so much I had to turn it off at 50% completion.

I listened to this debut novel on audio. I thought it was very good! As a fan of thrillers and trashy dating shows, I felt this was right up my alley. The story is told from two perspectives/timelines. Ann decides to go to a singles retreat because her friend had recently gone and has not been heard from since. Reese heads to the retreat looking for love but gets way more than she bargained for.

This was a little slow moving at times, but I enjoyed it. I didn't find the twist to be very shocking since it was hinted at for the majority of the book. Well let me rephrase, I was not shocked at WHAT happened but fairly shocked at WHO did it and their warped motivations.

Overall, a great debut and I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a debut! I've been a life long fan of both The Bachelor and thriller books so it makes sense that I got completely wrapped up in this one. Such a clever and engaging plot with great pacing and plot development.

This is a fast-paced, well-written thriller from the very beginning that doesn't let go until the end. I loved the alternating viewpoints that gave us glimpses into what happened to Reese as Ann works to figure out where her friend has gone. The story had me at the edge of my seat and I really enjoyed the dating/reality show setting. Highly recommended!

Wowzers! This was an incredible book by a promising new author. I hope there are more books to come. It’s difficult to review this one without spoilers. So I will just say that this book is a mystery thriller where no one is who they seem. It’s a dual time line story that goes back and forth between the past events that lead up to Reese going missing at a singles resort and current times where her friend Ann is at the resort investigating her disappearance. Did something happen to Reese or is she just hiding out? Every time you think you know what happened another twist will make you question everything you know. I love mysteries that keep me guessing and this one did just that! I would give it more than 5 stars if it was allowed!

Thriller meets Bachelor in Paradise. SIGN ME UP. Bachelor, Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise. You name it and it's my guilty pleasure. I watched it when it first started, took a loooong break when my girls were younger and am back in now that they are old enough to watch it with me.

In Beneath The Marigolds, Reese goes to Last Chance, an exclusive singles retreat, but never returns home. Her friend Ann goes to the same retreat to find out what happened.

Danger DANGER: This book will make you want to shirk all responsibilities. It should come with a warning label. I seriously could not wait to get back to it.

A fantastic debut! I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you to CamCat Books and NeGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook

I am a huge fan of suspense plots tearing about relationships - do you really know those in your life? Especially in your close circle. This slow build just tore apart every character, relentlessly asking how well do they know those around them?
Reese - a hopeless romantic, recovering alcoholic lands a spot on a resort hosting Last Chance; a romantic getaway - 10 women, 10 men. But Reese never returns. She booked a return flight, used the ticket - but no one has heard from her.
Ann - desperate to learn her best friend's fate, Ann uses her spot at Last Chance to gleam any information regarding her friend. The police aren't concern - Reese did use her return ticket. But Ann knows Reese would never tell her things were ok.
This dual timeline made me obsessed. Loved the narration - well done. I kept playing games, cleaning - anything to keep listening.

Thank you to @letstalkbookspromo for having me on this book tour and the gifted copy! This is not one I had on my radar, but the synopsis intrigued me and the cover is beautiful!
Synopsis: When her close friend, Reese Marigold, goes missing after attending Last Chance, an exclusive singles' retreat on a remote island off the coast of Hawaii, no-nonsense lawyer Ann Stone infiltrates the retreat. Ann quickly realizes there's more to Last Chance than meets the eye. The extravagant clothes, never-ending interviews, and bizarre dates hint that the retreat is a front for a reality dating show. Could Reese be safe, keeping a low profile until the premier, or did something sinister occur after all?
This book was filled with tension that kept me flipping the pages! It was such a clever story and I was shocked when reaized it was a debut nove for @emilycwhitson . I enjoyed the dual POVs, getting what actually happened to Reese in the Last Chance house, then following along as Ann is uncovering all the secrets that are hidden at the resort. All I can say is, if I go missing, I want Ann on my side!! I will definitely be looking for what this author comes out with next! This one is out now!

Grabbed me from the start. Looking forward to more from this Sutherland, great debut novel. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

Beautiful writing and lovely descriptions make this a story that seems to be above the others.

Would you go to a retreat called Last Chance where love and beauty is suppose to be at your very fingertips.? Beautiful seductive clothes, hair and makeup, massages, wonderful food are the offerings, and yet once again there's more here than meets the eye. ...and men!!!

Reece Marigold goes to the retreat and then goes missing. Disgruntled and upset about her missing friend, lawyer Ann Stone attends the island to figure out her friend's disappearance. She immediately feels there is something amiss here. Could this place be a front for a reality show or was it a front for something sinister?

The story alternates between the voices of Reece and Ann, and both POV's are compelling and the author is quite adept at bringing the two story lines together.

Where was Reece and will Ann finds herself also in the very same dangerous position as her best friend was and will she survive this search for answers?

Thank you to Emily Watson, the narrators Lisa Larsen and Emily O’Brien, who did a fine job, and NetGalley for a copy of this story, which definitely held my attention.

I really enjoyed this mystery-thriller suspenseful novel. The narrator was dramatic and the tone dynamic was perfect. The point of view from two completely different styles of characters made the story unique and intriguing. The twists was definitely a shock factor that kept me wanting to continue on. It was a fast pace mystery story, that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster.