This psychological thriller will keep you guessing & will leave you completely shocked at the conclusion. It’s a delightfully twisted mess that kept me hooked until the last page. The story revolves around the death of the FMC’s sister and twins. The husband has been suspected of the brutal crime for years, but he was never found. The FMC is a photographer & noticed her missing brother-in-law in a photo after she returns home & is going through her photos. The police start investigating & searching for him again. Meanwhile, the surviving child of the brutal murders is now a teenager & starts a video crime blog. These two things set in motion a flurry of events to keep evidence buried & the people talking quiet. I highly recommend this fast paced thriller!

A quick palate cleanser.

3.5 stars.

Almost ten years ago, Laura‘s family suffered a horrible tragedy when her sister Isabelle and Isabelle‘s two young sons were brutally murdered, and Isabelle‘s five-year-old daughter Lily barely survived the attack. The prime suspect: Isabelle‘s husband James, who has not been seen since and is presumed dead.

That is, until Laura, a photojournalist turned wedding photographer, notices a man who looks exactly like her brother-in-law in the background of one of her recent photos. Could James still be alive? And if he is, has he come back to finish what he started?

This book drew me in with its unusual premise and its strong, gripping start, but then lost a lot of steam in the middle (among other things, Laura‘s wedding photography drama took up far too much room for my liking, and the story didn‘t move along much). While the pace picked up again towards the end, I found the actual confrontation to be a bit of a let-down, both because it was entirely predictable and because Laura doesn’t actually figure anything out herself, she just stumbles into something and is then told what happened. Also, Laura made some seriously stupid decisions in that house (why on earth was she the only one climbing through that window?! Why not take [***spoiler***] with her - and the knife, for that matter?). It irks me when supposed heroines do not use their brains.

The final twist, however, was more „breathtaking“, as the promotional blurb puts it, so I added half a star for that.

All in all, while this was not quite the page-turner I was hoping for, it was still a decent thriller and, as such, a perfect, quick palate cleanser.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a great job with the material.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

„The Photo“ is slated to be released on July 11, 2024.

A wedding photographer is reviewing the memory card from a recent job and sees a familiar face in one of the images: her long-missing brother-in-law who disappeared at the same time his wife and twin sons were murdered and their 5 year-old daughter left for dead. The daughter, now a saucy 15 year-old, tells her followers on social media that she is starting to remember events from that fateful day. What follows is a twisted path to find him and to bring the killer to justice. 4.5 rounded up for pure entertainment value and its unexpected (for me) ending. Good writing and well-narrated audiobook.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the audiobook for review purposes.

On THE PHOTO we follow a professional wedding photographer named Laura, whose sister and 2 nephews were bruttaly murdered at their own house 10 years ago. Laura's niece, Lilly, was the sole survivor of that tragic night, and Laura's brother-in-law has been considered guilty of the murders and for 10 years he has been missing. During one of Laura's weddding events she is taking photos of the guests and realises that one man, who looks exactly like her brother-in-law, is captured by one of her photos. She now goes on a mission to figure out who that man really is and if her brother-in-law is alive and back, she fears that she and Lilly might be in danger.

This book is really fast-paced. A true thriller. And let's be honest...we, thriller readers, know that a lof of books are marketed as 'thrillers' but most of them are anything but that. Not the case here. Not this book. THE PHOTO is a true thriller. And this audiobook is 8 hours long and it goes very fast and easy to listen to.
In my opinion, Laura is an easy character to empathise with and care for. So is Lily.
The mystery around the man in the photo and his true identity is engaging and intriguing, and there is also other mysterious things happening to Laura concerning her job that adds another layer to the complexity of this case.
As for the conclusion, personally, I didn't predict that ending. But I also didn't find it very surprising, either. However, it is twisty. I'm sure there will be readers who will be thrilled about it.

This was my first time reading (or listening to) a book by this author and I'll definitely keep my eye on them in the future.
I do recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers. Period. Because as I said before, this is a true thriller.

I wanna thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for allowing me to listen to a free advanced audiobook copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I did NOT see that ending coming! I am in awe of who the actual murderer was. This was a crazy book! The plot was very interesting and I really enjoyed all of the twists and turns in this book. This was a great and thrilling read!

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
This book was phenomenal! The author is new to me, but I will definitely be reading more of her work.
People are saying the beginning was slow, but I don't feel that way. AJ set the scene for the story, and after that, it took off and never stopped.

AJ's prose is beautifully descriptive, bringing the characters and the background scenes to life. I love it when I can envision myself inside a novel.

There is a lot to unpack in this thriller, such as a young girl living with survivors - guilt, abandonment, and grief, and I feel AJ wrote it with sensitivity.

The story is jam-packed with intrigue, intensity, and a mystery to solve with some great twists.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by @tamsinkennard, who did an outstanding with her multitude of voices.

If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller that hooks you from the first page, this is the book for you.

Thank you to netgalley, Bookature Audio, and the author for my copy. My review was voluntary.

Reviewed on:
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/sheilasenchantedbookshelf

Goodread:
https:// www.goodreads.com/user/show/10390261-sheila

This was such a fun listen. I was instantly hooked, and wanted to know what was going to happen. I was able to figure some of the twists out, but not all of them. I would recommend this audiobook if you’re looking for fast paced thriller, with many twists and turns.

The Photo was such an amazing read (audio)! I love how there are continuous and different problems & perspectives between Lilly’s and Laura’s throughout. This book was written phenomenally and had me saying and doing “just one more chapter”! I am looking forward to reading and listening to more books by this author!

Thanks you to A.J. McDine & NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this Audio.

The Photo by A J McDine is a fast-paced and entertaining thriller. I thought it was very well-written and it is not predictable. I did not guess what the twist was. I enjoyed the audio narration. This thriller made me want to read more books by this author. A very solid thriller and I highly recommend it!

I consumed The Photo by A.J. McDine through the audiobook version. I will preface this by saying I do not always do well with audiobooks. My mind tends to wander and I cannot pay attention especially if the author is scatterbrained but with The Photo I was able to focus 100%. I never had to rewind to feel as if I needed to "flip back" to earlier in the book. I'm sure this was contributed to a combination of the narrator and the structured writing of McDine. As for the story...I really really enjoyed it. It was the right amount of suspense and a perfect twist at the end. This was my first book by this author and I'm certain I will be picking up other books by her too. If you're looking for an easy to follow entertaining suspense novel, then this book is for you!

An intriguing and involving plotline makes this a great story, that can be as easily listened to in one binge-sitting as it can in bite-sized chunks.

This is a fast paced mystery. I binged it in one sitting lol. Literally could not stop listening.

You know how most mysteries are somewhat predictable? Not this one.... there were so many twists and turns. Every time I thought I knew what was going happen next I was wrong. There were twists all the way up to the last chapter.

Imagine one photo leading you into a crazy rollercoaster on its path to find your sister and nephews murderer.

Thanks you A.J. McDine, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for my audio copy of this book.

I listened to this as an audiobook and it was mesmerizing. I like how it shocks you in the beginning and hooks you so you can't wait to see what happens next. The length made it perfect to binge in an afternoon and I couldn't get enough of the fun accent by the narrator.

Lily is the sole survivor of a brutal murder and she always claimed she didn't remember anything about that night. Now, fragments are coming back to her and she wants to find the truth. The ten year anniversary of the event is coming up and she decides to break her silence and talk about that night.

Laura wants to protect her family. She is working with a friend to put the pieces together. This kept you guessing until the end which I enjoy as I thought I knew who did it but I was wrong.

If you like a fast pace, who done it mystery/thriller then you should check this one out. This was a new author for me and loved it!

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the ARC of The Photo!

A. J. McDine had me hooked from the very beginning and had me guessing all the way to the very twisty ending! I definitely did not see that coming!

Following a cast of characters, this book starts on the 10th anniversary of a horrific murder/possible suicide of a woman and two of her three children. The husband is the main suspect who happens to disappear after it happens only to turn up again.

This was my first AJ McDine book but it won’t be my last!

Jason killed his wife, Isabelle, and their two boys then disappeared in an apparent murder/suicide. However, Lara, Isabelle's sister, has a picture of him from a photo shoot she was just on. Could he be alive? What happened 10 years prior that rocked her entire family?

This book was suspenseful from the moment Lara saw that picture. There are so many twists that you will continue guessing who is behind this horrific crime throughout the entire book. The final chapter will SHOCK you and will leave you wanting more!

This was an ARC provided by Bookotour audio so thanks to them for the opportunity to review.

This book is centred around the murder of a woman and her young twins. The only survivor of the attack is 5 year old Lily who is taken in by her gran and a close part of the family is her Aunt who was a news reporter turned wedding photographer. The 10 year anniversary looms and what will come? Will they finally capture the man suspected all along of the murder, the woman’s husband and father of the children or will things start to unravel to bring to light the real story?

Firstly for the audio, I really enjoyed the narrator and thought she did a great job at telling the story. There were male and female voices but the narrator kept the accents consistent without it being cringy like it sometimes can. I would listen to more by this narrator definitely.

For the story this is definitely a psychological thriller in that it’s a slower burn with tidbits of information peppered throughout. I had a theory around 50% in of where the story was going and it turned out to be right. Therefore it’s not wildly out of the scope of finding out but this may be due to the fact I have read a lot of psychological thrillers.

There is a big twist at the end which made sense and if you hadn’t figured it out, would be a revelation.

Overall as a first read from this author I would give it a 3.5. It kept me entertained, I wasn’t bored, there were enough characters to keep it interesting without being too much to remember or think about.

If you’re looking for an easy listen, this is definitely a good option.

My first clue should have been how overhyped the book was in its listing: "The Photo
A totally addictive and heart-pounding psychological thriller with a breathtaking twist". I am so over the ridiculous marketing word salad that keeps getting appended to every single new book title. Most, like this one, simply don't deserve it.

I can't remember the last time I read a book with a main character who grated as much as Lara did in The Photo. Seriously, she was a disaster of cluelessness and outraged confidence that would rival any conspiracy theorist on social media. There were significant happenings she simply "let go" or would forget about that would send up huge red flags for any sensible person. Then there were hills she was ready to die on with absolutely no reason to believe what she did. So many times, especially toward the end, I really wanted to tell her to JUST SHUT UP.

Unlikeable Lara aside, the story was an okay domestic suspense, but there was no thrill to it. It started out promising, but then it got ridiculous and annoying. If I could have read the book the first 75 pages seemed to be ramping up to, it would have been easily a 4-star book. Instead, the pace slowed considerably and the last 50ish pages were simply painful. I didn't even want to finish it, but alas I did.

There were two twists, one so obvious I rolled my eyes (at no one, in bed) and then another so unnecessary and excessive I can't figure out why it even made it into the book. It was all very shruggable.

It grabbed my attention from the first chapter. Not having read anything by McDine previously, I did have any expectations but I really liked how The Photo was written- descriptive passages and multiple, well identified, POVs. I was totally blindsided by the many twists.
The audiobook’s narration by Tamsin Kennard is clear and well paced. The voice portrayals are consistent and well suited. Enjoyed the suspense! I look forward to finding more books by this author.
Thank You to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to and enjoy this ARC.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

The Photo
AJ McDine

🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was my first read by this author, but is definitely going to be one of many.

Photographer Lara spots someone from her past in the background of a photo she's taken whilst editing.
Ten years ago her sister and nephews were murdered. The main suspect, the husband, disappeared leaving an almost dead daughter Lily behind - but has he returned to finish the job?

In terms of plot, this seemed like a pretty straight forward one. I had a theory and everything fell into place beautifully.
This didn't deter me wanting to read nor spoil my enjoyment of the book and the events that were taking place.

We follow this over a past and present timeline and as the story progresses, we learn more about the night of the murder and the other characters involved helping us also piece together the events happening now in the present.
This was really well done and I was still confident about the theory I'd worked out.
However, the plot gradually becomes more and more complex and more and more characters shift into being suspects and I spent a good while trying to make new theories.

I loved the shift in dynamics between all the characters. I can't say too much here, but there was a lot going on and I feel like I changed my opinion of most of them throughout the book.

This kept me gripped from start to finish and even when I thought it was all explained.....there was more to come.
There were so many twists right to the very end!

A great read which was well written and I can't wait to read more like this!


💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

I loved this book. One of my favorites I’ve read this year. I dislike the cover of the book which is a big thing for me when deciding on what books to read. I’m so glad I read it. Twists were great. Not knowing who the villains were and questioning everything made this so much fun. It’s dark and sad but still very enjoyable. It was a perfect thriller to me. I will be following this Author now and waiting for more books from them!

I was chosen for an ARC on NetGalley for this book and I’m so glad I was. Thank you to Bookouture Audio and AJ McDine for selecting me.