I highly recommend the audiobook - the narrator does a great job and there are some sound effects that add to the story.
I completely acknowledge that as American adult who has spent my entire life watching school violence play out on the news every day, I have a different perspective than the target audience for the book. I struggled to find the deep emotional sentiment that is so often found in other similar works. The characters didn’t have enough development to fully stand out, and I found myself interchanging characters accidentally most of the way through the book.
I would have no issue with this being accessible to students; however, there are many other works I would pick if trying to start a discussion about school violence.

My Thoughts:

Something's About To Blow Up is the second YA novel from Sam Blake, set in Raven's Hill secondary school.

An explosion tears through the school, injuring six students and as the storyline progresses, each provides their own PoV. The students work together to investigate the explosion - proving to be far more adept than the Garda!

I loved the inclusion element of the storyline - students of different nationalities, identities, orientations are all part of the school - and the language, behaviour of the students seemed so true to life.


This novel works perfectly well, as a standalone but as Something Terrible Happened Last Night is also brilliant, I'd suggest you read it asap.

Great narrator
Ultimately this was too YA for me but I loved reading about the friendship of the girls and wish all young people had such experiences in friendship

I got this as an audio arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. Pleasant narration and very interesting story! The narratives switched a lot which made it sometimes hard to follow me for me but I will always love a mystery book that just reads like a breeze.

Teenager, YA (and adults) audiobook for those that like to be entertained. I was continually un-nerved by this tense story. Brilliant skill shown by the author to do that. The book presents current teenage issues in an exciting, time pressing style keep you somewhat guessing. The time pressing is part of the chill, will the girls all be safe? For me the only slight downside was the repeating of ‘what is known’. I felt this was overdone. But that’s a minor issue, the audiobook is superb. All secondary school libraries should have this book/audiobook. But be warned librarians, there is going to be a long queue at your desk making requests for it. Thank you to Bolinda Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Something's About To Blow Up
Sam Blake

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

No....no....no....no!!
So, I never read blurbs before reading the book and now I've finished, I've discovered that this is actually the second book that features the girls from Raven's Hill School!
I even recognise the cover of book 1, Something Terrible Happened Last Night, and see the similarities with this cover - which incidentally, I love!!

Although whilst reading, I had no clue that this related to a series and so obviously works perfectly as a standalone read, I'd have loved to have done these in order! (Do excuse my OCD here!)
Ok, let's move on from my mini panic!

So, I absolutely loved this book!

We are plunged into the action right from the start and what a great start it was!
As with this age group - late high school - there's always some drama going on at school and there was so much happening here.

There's forgotten homework, late pupils, a badly beaten up boy, nudes being shared and to top it all, a disaster in a chemistry lab.

Six girls are badly injured in the blast and as the story progresses, we meet each of them through different pov's.
I loved this format which allowed us to see lots of different aspects of what was going on, both in general and in terms of the issues at hand.

As each girl recovers enough, they put their heads together to work through what they each remember, what's revealed in the year group WhatsApp and information from the police too.
This worked so well to progress the case and give us all the information gradually, which had me making theories the whole way through.

Although I thought I knew exactly what was going on and who was to blame, this still kept me entertained and completely immersed from start to finish!
I whizzed through this in only a couple of sittings as every time I stopped, I couldn't stop thinking about it!

I loved all of the characters - which is unusual for me! - the dynamics between the girls and the way they supported each other was brilliant.
I even loved the portrayal of the suspects who fitted into the storyline perfectly - albeit deviously!

I loved this so much that I've instantly ordered the first book so that I can catch up on the gossip and action - and I'm really hoping that there will be more from Raven's Hill soon!



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

I loved the concept of this young adult novel, but the characters just fell a little short for me. I think the narrator did a fantastic job. I really loved the sound bites of the text messages being sent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bolíndaaudio for sending me the audiobook for an honest review!
I really did love the narration/ audio of the audiobook. I loved the texting noises and haptics and I felt this kept me interested in the story. I felt that there was a distinct difference between all the other characters and chapters with “the barbarian”. I felt that these chapters were more dramatized and emotionally charged as it gave the sense of “impending doom”. I did really like the story but I felt like I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters because of all the different POVS. Overall I really liked Frankie (I hope the spelling is correct as I did not physically read it) the most. Overall I really enjoyed the themes in this book and would recommend! Rating 3/5.

This is a decent YA thriller, I can see that audience getting into the suspense. The best part about this story was the relationship between the girls. The narrator did a nice job bringing the characters to life. This is a follow up to another book (which I hadn’t realized) but can be read as a standalone.

This book read like a TV show or movie. I really liked it. I think it would be a great book for young adults. The topics are relevant and relatable. I kept thinking about the TV show, Sex Education, while reading. Several of the characters have the same names. Overall, quick, interesting read and I would recommend.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Sam Blake’s “Something’s About to Blow Up” (narrated by Róisín Rankin) is a thrilling young adult mystery that has listeners of any age, on the edge of their seats from start to finish. 

Personally, unless it is a Dick and Jane elementary school focused book, restricting a stellar book such as this to the "young adult" category merely because the main characters are teenagers makes little sense to me, and serves to only LIMIT a book's audience. Personally, I hope publishers STOP using this ageist category, as this was a great audiobook, period.

Regardless of the reader's or listener's age, we ALL remember what it was like to be a teenager, and if we are lucky, we will all live to become "elderly". We don't have an "older adult" category (for what only senior citizens to read?) and as someone whose teenage years are far behind in my review mirror, I LOVED this audiobook!

Now that I have that off my mind, on to my review...

The story is set in Raven’s Hill School, where an explosion in the chemistry lab injures six girls. The narrative follows Ella, Becky, Maeve, Mackenzie, Frankie, and Sorcha as they team up with Jess to uncover the truth behind the explosion.

Blake expertly weaves themes of friendship, resilience, and the quest for truth throughout the story. The novel also explores the pressures and challenges faced by teenagers, making it a relatable and engaging read for anyone who has ever gone through that angst.

Róisín Rankin’s narration is a standout feature of this audiobook. Her ability to convey the distinct personalities of each character adds depth and authenticity to the story. 

Blake’s writing is sharp and evocative, perfectly suited to the audiobook format. The pacing is well-managed, with each chapter revealing new clues and raising the stakes.

“Something’s About to Blow Up” is a timely and relevant story that addresses important issues such as safety in schools, the impact of trauma, and the power of solidarity.

“Something’s About to Blow Up” is a compelling and suspenseful audiobook that will appeal to fans (of ANY age) of mysteries and thrillers.

If you enjoy a well-crafted mystery, this audiobook is a must-listen. It’s a testament to the power of friendship and the courage to uncover the truth, no matter how dangerous it may be.

5 stars from this reviewer, as I loved this audiobook; I finished it in one sitting as I was captivated as the culprit was revealed.

In our current times, much is rightfully made of the often toxic relationships between school girls, as well as the rivalries and pressures that give rise to such toxicity.

When there is an explosion on the school premises, where several female students are injured, the initial suspicion is that it is result of some chemistry experiment gone wrong. But when further investigation leads to the possibility of a bomb having been detonated, the inevitable question arises as to why anyone would do such a thing.

The book explores the relationships between the girls with a degree of authenticity that is unmistakable, and the narrator does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life.

This is the second book in the series but can be read as a stand alone. For those familiar with the earlier book, catching up with Frankie and Sorcha is enjoyable, their determination to find the culprit unaffected despite - or perhaps because of - their injuries. Entertaining and fast paced YA lit. It gets 3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed Something’s About To Blow Up. I didn’t realise that it was a follow up to Something Terrible Happened Last Night, which I hadn’t actually read, however I found it worked well as a standalone, and had no inclination of the prequel until I came to review it. It is a YA fiction and I’d say it sits firmly in its category, but I quite enjoy a wander into YA territory.

The story in itself is great, but what really spoke volumes was the relationships between the girls, I thought more than a few times “I wish my kids had a group like this”

Great stuff! Loved the narration.

Huge thanks to Bolinda Audio via NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

This is the second book in the series but can be a stand alone. It is a whodunnit aimed at young teens. It will appeal to older ages as well though. I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn’t want to put it town. A good mixture of reality and tension.

With a name like ‘Something is about to blow up’, it can’t help but be an exciting read from the get go.

This story was great - super fast paced, exciting and one that will keep you guessing.

And the audiobook narrator is worth a solid mention as they killed it with the narration! Róisín Rankin really brought the book to the reader with the amazing ranges of accents, acting and the ease to draw the reader into the story.

I really enjoyed this and it provided a perfect companion to my boring treadmill walk. Somewhat spiced up my workout and I was hanging off every chapter!