I just finished Do What Godmother says by L.S Stratton audiobook - narrated by Aure Nash; York Whitaker and here is my review.


Shanice has been taught by society to ignore the seemly bad omens around her, even when her Grandmother tells her to watch for them but when she finds herself out of a job, she can see the bad omens everywhere.

Her grandmother asks her to come and help her declutter her house ready to sell and while she is there, she finds a portrait, a haunting painting she can’t seem to take her eyes off of.
Her grandmother insists she takes it so Shanice starts to do research on the painter.

She finds out the painter, Estelle Johnson was taken under the wing of a wealthy art patron, a woman, Maude, who insisted upon being called “godmother” by her artists but Estelle disappeared right after Maude was brutally murdered.

The more Shanice learns the more paranoid she becomes and she starts to have anxiety attacks like she hasn’t had in years but when people around her start to die and wealthy men are offering her obscene amounts of money to own the portrait…. Shanice doesn’t realize just how much danger she really is in.

YIKES!!! Right from the start I was dragged into a story so intricate and nail biting that I didn’t stop listening to the book until it was over. The narrators were right on the money and I couldn't get enough of this book.

This book straddles two timelines. We get Shanice's story with the painting and we get Estelles' story about how she ended up with godmother and the situation that had her painting her portrait and how it ended up with Shanice’s grandmother in the first place. I loved both timelines. I was absolutely riveted. The pace was perfect and I felt the balance between both timelines and the mystery surrounding that painting was executed with brilliance you rarely see this kind of gothic mystery.

The ending was great and I was highly entertained from start to finish.

4.5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @dreamscapemedia for my gifted copy

I tried to love this, but it felt messy and unorganized. Lots of potential, but it needed a lot more editing and refining. I'm sorry to say it wasn't for me.

I loved @shellystrattonbooks’ novel, Not So Perfect Strangers so when I saw her new novel, Do What Godmother Says, was on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it. I absolutely loved this audiobook and it has officially sealed Shelly on my must read author list!

This gothic thriller is told from dual POVs and timelines. It incorporates the art world with secrets, lies, and different twists. It kept me on the edge of my seat and listening past my bedtime.

I highly recommend listening to this audiobook, which is out now and ready to be listened to on your next trip!

Thank you @dreamscape_media for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website)

The work is told in dual timelines, one following Shanice in the present and the second following Estelle during the Harlem Renaissance. Both timelines were good, though I think the atmosphere and tension was strongest in the historical timeline. It does start off slowly, especially in the “Present” timeline and takes a little while for things to get interesting. The characters were written decently well, though I did feel like there was some uneven development between the timelines.

Neither of the reveals near the end were surprising at all. While this didn’t detract too much, it did make the ending lose a little bit of oomph. There were also several areas that could have used a trim to make it more impactful. I also wouldn’t classify this as a horror, but more of a suspenseful mystery.

If you like slower historical fiction with a gothic feel and dual timelines, then you’ll likely enjoy this one. While this work did several things well, it just didn’t quite do anything great. My thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This felt like all the parts I enjoyed about the movie Last Night in Soho. The story is told through the POV of Shanice in the present and Estelle, an artist during the Harlem Renaissance.

Both Shanice and Estelle put their trust in some questionable characters and both had to face the consequences. The ending was extremely satisfying to me. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from NetGalley.

This book was extremely gripping, & the audio was great. It was an entertaining mystery. The flip back and forth between the past & present stories was really noticeable and well done in the audio.

Thank you @netgalley for the ALC of Do What Godmother Says by LS Stratton. The narrator in the book was excellent, so I do recommend listening to it on audio. I love a dual timeline book where the mysteries in each timeline dovetail together and solving the mystery in the past solves the mystery in the present. I also really appreciated Shani w as a character and that she was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. Her character was beautifully written and incorporated all that comes with those diagnoses. The gothic aspects really added to the depth of the story the book also addresses racism and classism and how it affects the lives of the characters both in the past and present. There are many layers to this story and Stratton weaves them together intricately.

Shanice discovers a painting in her grandmother’s house that was made by Estelle Johnson, a Harlem Renaissance painter under the wing of Godmother, Maude Bachman. Shanice is offered a considerable sum of money for the painting, but turns it down to uncover the secrets of the artist and how the painting is related to the deaths and omens in her life.

Thank you, net galley, and dreamscape media, for the audio arc of Do what grandmother says by L.S. Stratton. This was my first book I’ve had the pleasure of reading/listening to by the author. I love the creepy and dark like Vibes. I really enjoy young adult And thriller so both of those together were something I knew I wanted to listen to. This book was easy to listen to, and I finished it within 3 days. I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars

This was a weird one. It was said to be a horror book, but it wasn’t exactly. It seemed like it was supposed to be a gothic book, but it just didn’t get that dark. BUT nevertheless, it was really, really effing good.

Ok so the main thing I liked about this was the timeline. Idk what it is, but I LOVE anything that has anything to do with the Renaissance era. And this one has a lot to do with the art. The flashbacks to when the original painting was finished to the present was pretty cool. I loved the way that Stratton was able to pull the two timelines together. And the way the parties in this were described seemed so much like everything I’ve ever heard or read about that time.

The plot tho seemed weird and all over the place. There was a lot that I wished was explored more. Like the house and what exactly that little group (?) was? Like I didn’t understand why it had such a huge part in the plot but it was only mentioned in passing. And the things they were doing or why they were doing it wasn’t really explained either, so I just didn’t understand why she wouldn’t develop that part of the plot more.

The writing style was the thing that got me for this book tho. Idk what she put in this, but it really had me like stuck in this story. I remember starting this at night and listening to it until like 2 am. I had to get to the bottom of why this painting was so important. And let me just tell you, I was NOT expecting what I got. Idk how Stratton made me feel all the things the main character did and then turned it into what she did, but I seriously tip my hat to her. She really had me going but tied up everything so nicely with a bow. I think I said out loud, “WTF?!” LOL

I didn’t care for the anxiety rep tho. ONLY because it was tied to something else and she kept saying, “I know you think I’m crazy.” And I just wish we had better language to surround that. Anxiety is already filled with enough intrusive thoughts. I just wish they didn’t make us feel this way. And when it does, I wish we had someone that believed us. There is someone who believes in this book, but we don’t know how or why until the ending. And that didn’t help me throughout the rest of the story.

This was a pretty fun book! This is my first book by this author and I can’t wait to read more of her work! I already went and put a hold on Not So Perfect Strangers lol That one sounds like another thriller that’s going to have me going, WTF in the middle of the night again….. And I can’t wait lol

This was a great and very captivating story. I wasn't sure what to think in the beginning and I found the start a little slow but it quickly picked up. The dual time line and perspective was very interesting and provided an added depth to the narrative. There were many ups and downs and it kept me interested.

While I did figure out some of the twists there were still enough surprises to keep me guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the perfect modern gothic novel and the dual timeline is engaging, well paced and filled with twists and turns to keep the listener on board with the story.

The historic narrative of Estelle is particularly well written and the images created by the author are wonderful. It was easily my favourite half of the story, though the modern story of Shanice is equally well written.

With that being said, I wish I had read this book rather than listened to it as the intonation, tone and cadence used by the narrator of Shanice’s chapters made for a difficult listen.

Surprisingly less thriller than I thought it would be-- definitely pushes on the psychological thriller realm for me. The mystery in the story was a bit predictable towards the end but I was happy to keep going with the story and seeing how it raveled and unraveled as time went on. It was well thought out and I was happy to see historical aspects neatly woven throughout. I do wish some side characters weren't so much so but it would have detracted from the story a bit so I can understand why they were inserted. Really glad I was able to listen to this thanks to the publisher! I have recommended this piece before it was published and will continue to do so now that I've read it. The narrator did a FABULOUS job. This is my second time listening to them and I'm not disappointed.

I detest the need for every modern thriller to put the romance at the forefront and sacrifice every other more interesting element of the story. The romance wasn't bad but it was just fine and also way to much. Shanice was kinda unlikeable. Like, her dad was a dick but, was also more supportive than some parents would be.

⛧Do What Godmother Says by L.S. Stratton - Although it wasn't as dark as the cover makes it seem, this was still a really solid read. The spooky parts were really only towards the end, and even then, it was a very small portion of the book. This felt like more of a suspense novel than Gothic.(this review sounds like I didn't like the book, but I actually did 🤣)

This audiobook is narrated by Aure Nash & York Whitaker

•Thank you to @dreamscape_media & @unionsqandco

Wow, so good! Creepy and thrilling with a spooky look into the past. The narration was really good! Definitely will be recommending.

Inhale…Exhale…Inhale…Exhale…INHALE…EXHALE

It wont be too soon till I see those words again!

After reading this authors debut book Not So Perfect Strangers and really enjoying it, I have been so buzzed to get my hands on her new release. Unfortunately this one didn’t give me the same giddy feeling.
In this book we are following Shanice Pierce who is GOING THROUGGHHHH IT! Her man has dumped her and she finds herself out of a job soon after. She can’t catch a break and her grandmother has her wanting to come and clean out her house. While cleaning finds a haunting portrait of a woman and her grandmother tells her it’s a picture of a woman named Estelle Johnson who was a Harlem renaissance painter and was taken in by a wealthy woman named the ’Godmother’ but shortly after Estelle disappeared without a trace.
Shanice is enthralled by the whole thing and decides to investigate further to find out what really happened to Estelle. But unknowingly she has invited in more trouble than she can handle.
Firstly this book was LOOOOOOONG! I really struggled in the beginning because it wasn’t grabbing my attention as much. But I’m glad I persevered as it did end up being an interesting read. The story is told in 5 parts (Part 3 and 4 were my favourite) with dual POVs of Shanice in the present and Essie in the past. Admittedly I enjoyed Essie’s POV the most. I really felt transported back into time in her chapters and felt all her emotions. Some of the twists were predictable except one that had me shouting ‘Are you taking the P?’

WHAT I LIKED
All of the characters were developed well and didn’t feel caricature-ish
Very well written with the historical and present-day chapters
Good gothic atmospheric vibes

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Took a while to warm into it
The repetitiveness of ‘inhale…exhale’, Like OMG I get it Shanice you are stressed out!
Could have been reduced by 50 or so pages.
One of the twists was so obvious a novice thriller reader would even guess it

The blend of Harlem renaissance mixed with gothic and mystery vibes is not something I have read before and I really appreciated it. Although not a major favourite, I will happily continue to pick this authors work up!

Thank you so much to dreamscape media audiobook for providing me an arc of this book. All views and opinions are entirely of my own

Thank you Netgalley, Dreamscape media and L S Stratton for the audio arc of Do What Godmother Says.
Narrated by Aure Nash; York Whitaker

I was intrigued in the premise of this book so I was excited to listen to What Godmother says. The atmosphere over the whole book was quite creepy and mysterious which was great. The pacing of the narrative itself was ok but felt it stalled in some places. The characters were well built up though and felt 3D and real.

I did enjoy listening to Aure Nash and York Whitaker's voices which were well paced.

3 stars

I'd like to thank the publisher the advanced readers copy of this title. I do try to go easy on ARCs because I am grateful for early access to books but this one just did not do it for me. Unfortunately the plot just moved so slowly and the story just seemed so messy and all over the place. I also think this was a case of don't judge a cover by the book - the cover makes the book appear to be so much spookier than it actually is. Overall, for me, this was something I just couldn't get into.

Narrated by Aure Nash, York Whitaker
Presented by Dreamscape Media

A slow start, but otherwise this was rather entertaining.

I enjoyed the dual timelines (not the narration of dual timelines, but I'll get to that later) and our two protagonists. I really loved Estelle - she seemed so switched on and I was quite sad for how things went down for her. Shanice bothered me a little, but I think a bit of that was to do with the narration. She's a strong character but I thought she was a little dense at times.

The narration was a real pain for me. I loved Estelle's narration - the voice was easy to listen to, it was expressive, and it was easy to tell characters apart. However, the narrator for Shanice was awful. She paused in weird places, added emphasis in strange spots, and often the way she expressed the words didn't match up with what the words were actually saying. She read slowly, with many pauses, and unfortunately had a slight speech impediment that became quite irritating to me by the end. I feel like a d*ck for mentioning it because it's not something I'd normally care about, but along with everything else from this narrator it just ended up pulling me out of the story.

I listened to Estelle's parts at 1.5x speed, but had to bump Shanice's parts up to x2. That was incredibly annoying, especially when my hands were busy with other tasks.

The story itself, though, was really fun. There's 'Godmother', who is the quietly menacing patron that is supposed to be looking after Estelle but is quite clearly swindling everyone. Both girls became acquainted with new fellas and I didn't really like either of them, but I also tuned out the relationship bits a little so that's probably on me. I was sucked into the mystery of what had happened to Estelle and how the painting came to be in Shanice's family.

The atmosphere is sufficiently creepy, and this progresses along with the story, leading to some decent chills towards the end. The historical parts shed some decent light on treatment of black women at this time.

I found the pacing a bit off, and my mind did wander at times. But I did enjoy the mystery and atmosphere.

An interesting, quietly creepy story that kept me entertained throughout.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

The premise sounded so intriguing, the mix of historical and thriller, I truly thought it would work for me. Unfortunately it did not, I just couldn't get into it at all. It felt disorganized, and all over the place. I think it was just not for me. I had to dnf this one.