I like the cover and the story is interesting but i found that some of the story fell flat and didn't suck you in to want to continue.

the characters i found not likeable and it reminds me of War of the Roses.

The narration wasnt my favorite.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

A family's custody battle for their ten year old child turns sour when each exposes secrets the other has been keeping. Not a bad read - it was entertaining. Audiobook narration was great.

dnf @ 48% this is my first book by this author and unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. I don’t know what I was expecting but this wasn’t it. I didn’t like or care for either of the characters and just couldn’t get into the book. I’m so grateful for receiving the arc but just didn’t want to push myself to finish reading when I really wasn’t enjoying it.

thank you NetGalley for the audio arc
pub date: 27 february 2024

A lot of things must be shifting around in the universe because I rarely (RARELY!) give out 5 stars. This isn't hyperbole. According to my Goodreads profile stats, I have rated 1126 books with an average star count of 3.40. I am very comfortable with 5 stars for The Custody Battle. Additionally, this one was a Netgalley audio arc and, apologies to Netgalley, but many of the books I get from them are meh. This makes the second book this week from Netgalley to receive 5 stars from me. I am flabbergasted.

The Custody Battle by a new, to me, author Ellie Monago, is listed by the publisher as General Fiction, Mystery & Thriller. This felt very much like a general, contemporary fiction and I felt no mystery nor thrill while listening. In fact, for many other readers, I suspect the writing may be a turn off - just as the title implies, this one is all about the details of issuing custody following the dissolution of a marriage.

The husband and wife, Greg and Madeline are both awful people. If you require heroes in your fiction, move along. I disliked them both and, truth be told, thoroughly disliked 10 year old Lola. But somehow, Monago tells the story in such a way that I actually was hooked. An old favorite book of mine is called House by Tracey Kidder. It's non fiction that reads like fiction and tells the day to day story of a family constructing a home. Picking colors, delays, overages, angst. And I can never stop reading. The Custody Battle can be compared to House and for some of us, it's compelling.

My biggest praise is that, as the novel was nearing its end, I was already scoping out other works by Monago and hoping I've found my elusive unicorn of a new author to devour.

This book was great. I have really gotten into audiobooks lately and I enjoyed the narrator. The story really came to life

The Custody Battle by Ellie Monago follows Madeline and Greg as they navigate divorce and the custody of their 10 year old daughter. They start out wanting to have a civil divorce but things become hostile. Secrets are revealed and lies and deceit happen from both sides.

Their daughter Lola becomes a pawn in their divorce and is suffering at the hands of her parents.

The cover was deceptive because I thought it was going to be about a baby. The narrator’s did a good job and I am glad that this story was told in dual narration.

I didn’t care for any of the characters but I think that is to be expected with this type of book. It was a little slow at times and I wasn’t always engaged In the story.

I liked that this story was told in a dual POV. I think that made the story more interesting.

story 3/5 stars
narration 4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Bookoutour Audio for an ALC of this audiobook. I voluntarily listened to it and gave an honest review.

Ellie Monago —THE CUSTODY BATTLE was a burn family drama full of conflict and bickering with two adults fighting. Both are self-centered and selfish. Greg and Madeline are getting a divorce. Madeline wants the divorce. Greg does not want the divorce, so let the games begin.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me: no likable characters, no suspense, no mystery, no plot, no humor. The book is about a woman and a man fighting and trying to dig up dirt on one another. This goes on throughout the ENTIRE book. You do not care about either one or what happens to them. I kept fast-forwarding to get to the plot. The thrill never came, unfortunately. What was this book I just listened to? I kept asking myself, shaking my head.

I read for escapism, pleasure, entertainment, to learn something, or for enjoyment. Who wants to hear a woman and man fighting the entire book? I do not.

Also, what are the baby shoes on the front cover? Lola is ten and a brat. Sorry, I cannot recommend this book. I never give negative reviews, but I am sorry; I found nothing positive here.

I listened to the audiobook, and while the narrators were OK, the book and the whiny characters, I could not get past —nerve-grinding! I have way too many books to read to get stuck on one I do not find enjoyable. Trust me, this book is nothing like Sally Hepworth or Liane Moriarty. Nothing gripping here. I am removing it from my blog and Feb must-read books. Some books are just not for everyone.

Thanks to Booktoure and NetGalley for an ALC in exchange for an honest opinion.

The story is suspenseful and interesting as we hear the details of their relationship from both people who are using their young daughter as a pawn. Each person has their own reality and they see things much differently. These characters are highly unlikeable which I think worked well here. It’s kind of a modern day approach to War of the Roses. These two narcissists had me laughing out loud at their hypocrisy. This is a darkly fun listen and both narrator’s in the audio production are good and play their parts well.

The Custody Battle
By: Ellie Monago

Greg and Madeline are in the middle of a divorce. They agree to be amicable, but Greg really wants to stay married and when he finds out something about Madeline things become hostile.

As in some divorce cases children become a pawn. The cover suggested a baby, but their daughter ten and rebellious. Madeline and Greg are both hiding things and Lola is dealing with a lot more than they seem to realize.

Thank you Bookouture Audio for this advanced copy due out February 21, 2024.

The Custody Battle is a captivating story that shows how quickly your hate for each other can overshadow what's best for your child. What starts as a seemingly amicable divorce quickly turns into a disaster of dominoes, one falling right after the other. Overall, this was a good read start to finish.

4.5 rounded up for sheer pettiness! This is a popcorn thriller that’ll have you groaning at the choices the parents make, while flipping pages with a quickness. It’s hard to put down, you just have to keep reading as a sane-seeking couple spiral into complete disasters.

I saw the twist coming a mile away, but it didn’t make it any less fun. This probably wouldn’t be a fun read for someone who’s divorcing, but if you’re not it’s a addictively messy cautionary tale.

📚 Series or Standalone: standalone
📚 Genre: domestic suspense
📚 Target Age Group: adult
📚 Cliffhanger: no

✨ Will I Reread: maybe
✨ Recommended For: fans of Frieda McFadden who are not currently getting divorced

💕 Characters: 4/5
💕 Writing: 4/5
💕 Plot: 5/5
💕 Pacing: 5/5
💕 Unputdownability: 5/5
💕 Enjoyment: 5/5
💕 Book Cover: 5/5

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🎧📖 The Custody Battle
✍️ Ellie Monago
🎤 Davis Brooks, Sarah Borges
⏰ 10h 34 min
🗓️ 21 Feb 2024
📝 Bookouture Audio
💕 Mystery & Thrillers, family drama, divorce

A divorce is rather civil, or is it? Madeline thought she got away easy. She dropped the bomb on her husband Greg, she wants to divorce. What choice does he have, even if he does not want to go through with this? They tell their daughter, Lola, everything is planned for. But Greg still does not want this.

When her daughter starts to change and rebel, she sees that her husband is manipulating their little girl. They both start to dig up dirt on the other and it soon gets ugly. And Lola ends up being in danger….

Ugh, that was a tough one. It really was very, very slow paced. And I listened to this at maximum speed.the beginning dragged on so much. Madeline droning on about the same things.
For the longest time there didn’t seem to be happening anything. Nothing. Madeline was annoying. She bulldozed through decisions, of thinking what’s best, without thinking it through. She just decides. She seemed really cold to me throughout most of the book. I started to root for Greg just because she annoyed me so much.

The final twist? Really? Noooo way, just silly!

But in the end, they were both really awful and I did not root for anyone anymore in the end. Both said in the beginning they only want the best for the daughter but in the end they both use her as a pawn.
I am a child of divorced parents as well and even though it was civil, it’s just nasty to go through this as a young child. It’s like you can’t do right :(

The narration was fine. I liked the male narrator more than the female one. I think if I had read this, I would have given up, the narration carried me on.

⭐️Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own, I was under no obligation to review

Sadly just not my cup of tea. Basically, divorce can really suck & yeah we got that… 😆

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC

I listened to the audiobook and both narrators were great. Basically this book is about two unlikable, narcissists as they go through a divorce and fight about their poor daughter. Somehow; the author’s writing makes it interesting and made me want to keep reading to find out the ending. I didn’t love the ending but I did enjoy the book as a whole. I would recommend this one to someone looking for a well written domestic fiction.

This turned out to not be my kind of book but if you love thrillers where horrible people tear their families apart because of their own selfishness, this story is for you. Even though I have a more dysfunctional family, I felt grateful that I'm not related to these people.
The narrators were excellent at their jobs, though, and convincing in their roles. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook