Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook. The premise of being stranded alone in the Antarctic winter while a nuclear war rages is very interesting. The author fails to tie the situations together in an intersting way is this books filing. there is too much time spent on the backstory and little on the war. I stopped listening after chapter 29 with still almost nothing about the war. The protagonist is not a survivalist and yet seems to miraculously get out of many catastrophic situations. This book just droned on and on.

I was able to preview both the audiobook and written version of this novel.
I loved the idea of a survival book. This didn’t really do it for me though. It was hard to follow and the constant political references were extremely annoying. I pick books based on if they seem like they will be enjoyable. I don’t pick them based on the authors political views. So I don’t care to have it constantly pounded in when trying to enjoy a book.

I love a good survival thriller!

This audiobook didn’t captivate my attention. I found myself not paying attention. The storyline wasn’t gripping enough for me to be truly invested consistently. There were some parts that drew me back in to the story, but then lost me a while later. It did not have enough drama, tension, or danger (despite the location). I just didn’t feel it, I guess!

I did enjoy the ending, although it was not a surprise!

I enjoyed the narrator. I like how she lowered her voice when a male was speaking. I listened at 1.75x

Decent, but not my favorite all together!

Title: Whiteout
Author: R. S. Burnett
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Billie Fulford Brown
Publisher: Spotify Audio
Genre: Apocalyptic and/or Dystopia
Pub Date: February 11, 2025
My Rating: 3.2 Stars
Pages: 347

Story is told then and now.
Then ~ Glaciologist Rachael Beckett, is being convinced into joining a research trip to Antarctic for natural security. The field station is deep in the Antarctic with little communication and she would have to leave her husband Adam, and 20 month old daughter Izzy back in England.

The threat of national security relating to the current President of the US is scary as our President is doing something every day that has most of us worried.

Now ~ Rachael does go and while there she hears a BBC radio station that give terrible news. Stating they are under nuclear attack- warning to stay protected as radiation damage is a real danger.

While doing research she got trapped, she has little supplies and even worse has lost communication with the base camp,
Rachael now stressing about her situation as well as the danger her family and country are experiencing.

Story kept me curious I knew it was going to be a survival thriller yet I honestly didn’t know if Rachael would survive.

Narrator Billie Fulford Brown did an awesome job performing the characters. The fear Rachael was experiencing was all too real.

I was drawn to this story as my brother was stationed in Antarctic when he was in the Navy. She was on a special assignment entitled’ Operation Deep Freeze. – the primary goal was to build scientific stations and supply bases at McMurdo Sound, Little America and the South Pole.


Want to thank NetGalley and Spotify Audio for this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 11, 2025.

Trapped in the Antarctic with no hope of rescue, researcher Rachel finds herself fighting for her life in this twisty winter thriller that kept me on the edge of my toes from start to finish! Great on audio and perfect for fans of books like The martian. This my first by R.S. Burnett and won't be my last! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for sending me an ARC of Whiteout in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of Whiteout is pretty strong. Rachael is stranded, alone at a remote Antarctic research station, listening to a repeating radio message that England has been attacked with nuclear weapons (which felt very 1980s retro, as now every end-of-the-world scenario is pandemic-related). As if that wasn’t enough, she’s haunted by her decision to leave her husband and baby to go on this trip, and trying to understand why she was more willing to try to save the world than trying to save her marriage. But despite it all, she fights to survive as her supplies dwindle and her situation becomes more perilous. It’s got a lot of interesting survival elements to it, is very tense and atmospheric, and, as a bonus, lots of references to Pink Floyd’s The Wall. And the narration on the audiobook was well done.

But things really fall apart in the back half of Whiteout. First, the premise of the expedition—that American Republicans will join the fight against climate change if only we find a bit more scientific evidence—is laughable to the point of distraction. Much more importantly, the ending is farfetched to the point of not being believable and then, in what I guess is supposed to be a final twist, actually undermines the entire story.

There’s promise here, and I’d consider reading future books by Mr. Burnett. But Whiteout got a bit too farfetched for me to recommend it.

Sci-fi/ dystopian thriller that is action packed! Rachel is a dedicated scientist who has an unhealthy work/ life balance. She decides to leave her family for an urgent research adventure in Antarctica. It’s doomed from the start with crewmates dying of illness, not being prepared and then she loses all communication with her crew.

After losing communication, she quickly starts running out of supplies. Then things get worse she hears over the radio that nuclear war has broke out. Her hope of being found or anyone coming for her quickly dwindles and she realizes she may be it.

A battle for survival and keeping her head on straight to try and make it back to any life left on earth.

I love a good back that makes me think “what would I do??” Somehow this author makes a story about one woman alone in the frigid cold entertaining and engaging !!

Great narration-

Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 2/11/25!

White Out by RS Burnett, in the book we meet Rachel, who is trying to be happy as a stay at home mom one day when she gets a visit from one of her old colleagues Guy. he tells her he desperately needs her help because one of the biggest fractures in the Antarctic is about to let loose of France sized ice cliff that will intern release other ice, and it will overwhelm the world and spell doom for us all. To make matters worse, the American president has ignored peace, treaties, and okayed drilling in the Arctic. this is how she decides to abandon her 15 month old baby Izzy and husband Adam doing research in the coldest place on earth. it seems everything that can go wrong does and she finds herself in a fight for her life but for what because she’s received a message on her radio that says nuclear bombs have been dropped and for all she knows everything she knew and loved is gone. Sadly she also learns it isn’t just the weather that she’s up against and will visit the precipice of death more than once, but the body yearns to go on and go on she does. I started out reading the Kindle version of this book, but soon as I heard the narrator Billy Fulford Browne, I stuck with the audiobook. She not only had a great way of setting the tone but emotionally kept pace with the narrative and thought she did a wonderful awesome job. I didn’t like the main character Rachel, especially after she agreed to leave her 14 month old daughter and I get it. She was going to save the world, but I’m sure there were others that could’ve done that job and in no way would I leave my baby for five months to go live in the Arctic. When you have children, I believe it’s your duty to keep yourself safe and out of danger so you can be there for your children, but that’s just my opinion as far as this book it is awesome and I definitely absolutely recommend it. #NetGalley, #SpotifyAudio, #TheBlindReviewer, #RSBurnett, #WhiteOut,

A 3.5-4 star thriller!

I have to give this book credit for it's creative plot. It's something that I felt like was really unique and kept me really engaged throughout. I find a lot of psychological thrillers to feel a bit predictable and this definitely kept me on my toes and wondering what twist was going to happen towards the end.

I though the narration was okay. For me, where the star was lost was a lack of connection to the main character. Sometimes I struggle with this in a thriller, so this may just be a me thing, but I wasn't feeling as connected to her. However, the story kept me engaged that it didn't have me wanting to slow down the reading!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -NetGalley Audiobook 🎧

<b>Description:</b>
It’s been four months since glaciologist Rachael Beckett left her husband and daughter to join an urgent research trip to a remote field station deep in the Antarctic. But after losing all communication with her crew at base camp, she’s trapped and alone – and running out of supplies. The only information she has about what’s gone so catastrophically wrong is an emergency radio broadcast playing on a loop: a nuclear war has broken out, and Rachael might be the last survivor on Earth.
Abandoned and starving, all she has left is a fierce determination to stay alive in the extreme cold and perpetual darkness of the polar winter. The research she’s gathered about catastrophic climate damage means she holds the fate of the continent and the world in her grasp…if there’s even a world left to save.

<b>Review: ⚠️ Warning: Spoilers!! ⚠️</b>
Rachael agrees to help a former colleague gather information about the advanced melting of the polar ice caps. What she doesn’t know is that this mission is unsanctioned and instead of a twelve man crew they would normally have, they only have four. Rachael ends up being separated from the other team members and receives a radio broadcast that a nuclear war has broken out in Europe. She’s determined to make it back to base camp and then to get home to her family.
Now for the spoilers, which could also be considered triggers, depending on who you are.
The mission is unsanctioned because of the current administration: They’ve stopped funding anything to do with global warming. They find out about the mission and place a mole on the team to sabotage the mission. The twist at the end is pretty diabolical, but it would not surprise me if they would do something like that. If you have any serious triggers to the current administration or global warming, I would air on the side of caution before reading this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the chance to read this for an honest review.
Publication Date: 02/11/25

4.25⭐️

I loveeeee a survival thriller and this did not disappoint!

Rachel leaves her husband and baby to work on an urgent field trip in the death of Antarctic, during this research trip she gets separated from her team with no way to communicate.

This book had so many twist and turns and it felt like something that could happen in real life.

This was an arc sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

Whiteout by R.S. Burnett had all the ingredients for a gripping survival thriller—Antarctica, nuclear war, and a lone researcher fighting against the odds. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. While the premise was intriguing, the execution left much to be desired.

Rachael, the protagonist, was hard to root for. Her reasoning for why she would leave her husband and toddler for months felt flimsy, and her relationships with other characters (especially her boss, Guy) came off as awkward and vaguely unsettling. The constant peril she faced, blizzards, crevasses, and more, felt over-the-top and repetitive, making it hard to stay invested. By the time she stumbled upon yet another improbable survival tool, I was rolling my eyes.

The timeline shifts were confusing, and the twist at the end was predictable. While the setting had potential for claustrophobic tension, it never fully delivered. If you’re looking for a survival thriller, The Martian does it far better. Whiteout was a quick read, but ultimately, it left me wanting more.

I was really enjoying this book until the last 5% when the app didn't want to let me play My Book anymore I tried downloading it I tried uninstalling restarting my phone everything so hopefully I remember to come back and try to listen to it when I can get it from the library

Imagine being stranded in Antarctica during the winter with no outside contact…now imagine you also think the world as you know it is gone. This thrilled/survival story had a trapped in feeling and kept me gripped to the end. Components of what we assume is the world’s demise is not too far of a stretch to believe given the current political climate which made this story both eerie and that much more enjoyable!

I picked this one because I was in the mood for a creepy atmospheric thriller, and the description of a researcher in Antarctica ending up alone on a glacier during an endless winter sounded good.

It was a disappointment despite the promising premise. You know when you reach a saturation point in a novel — where the MC keeps on facing what should be death scenes and survives to fight
another day? Well it got there quick. It was just one crazy peril after another. The things she did and her responses to people and situations were just over the top ridiculous. I was sort of sad that she didn’t fall into a crevasse — oops, was that a spoiler? It was just ultimately too much and I honestly didn’t care what happened to her after awhile. The “twist” when it comes late into the final pages is just what you’d expect from the set up. I didn’t like the main character, Rachael, at all.

I listened to the audiobook while following along in the e-book, both provided by the publishers. I thought the narrator’s many voices were a bit too much if you know what I mean. Generally I find that listening while reading enhances my reading experience, but I finally had to stop the audio and just force myself to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify Publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.75, I loved the concept of this book. Stuck in Antarctica during a nuclear event, Rachel runs into several obstacles trying to survive. Between the extreme conditions, a lack of food, a small team, and being away from her daughter and husband, the reader can feel the intensity of the psychological and physical stress.

I cannot say I loved the ending, some parts were a bit predictable and there were some gaps that were never filled in. I did enjoy the book and found myself wanting to see what happened next.

I would definitely read other books written by this author.

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The author does an amazing job of creating the scene. You can feel the cold and desolation. Experience the confusion and panic. The political elements - while surprising make the story feel more real. I love any story set in Antarctica and I am definitely adding this one to the list.
The narrator does a good job of bringing the story to life and conveying the feelings and emotions of the characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

WHITEOUT by R. S. Burnett

Narrated by: Billie Fulford Brown

Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify Audiobooks for the advanced audiobook

3.5 stars
In this intense psychological debut thriller set at a remote field station deep in the Antarctic, glaciologist, Rachel Beckett, is on an urgent research trip. Rachel becomes stranded from the team and loses all contact with the outside world, except for a radio broadcast reporting a nuclear war has broken out. Rachel has left her husband and baby daughter back in the UK while on this trip. Now lost and alone and running out of supplies, Rachel fiercely fights to stay alive in the frigid and dark Antarctic. With the research she gathers about catastrophic climate damage she’s determined to save the world, if there is a world left to save.
Is Rachel indeed alone? How long can she survive? Will she ever see her husband and daughter again? Will she find answers she is seeking?

Narration was well done. I thought this was a good read/listen, but characters lacked depth for me. I loved the setting of the frigid Antarctic and the descriptions were well done depicting what it is like to survive in the frigid conditions of a blizzard along with the darkness, though a bit far fetched because of the lack of food Rachel had. The suspense was good and twist at end was good, even though predictable. It was a good debut and I look forward to seeing what he does next.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

Wow. This was incredible. It was written so well and the flashback scenes really gave more depth to the current situations.

I was always rooting for Rachel. I doubt she will ever go out on a work call again but I understood why she felt she needed to do it.

As someone currently living in this “state” of America and presidency, it really hit home from that end.

It kept me on the edge of my seat, and the ending was satisfying.

Oh-em-gee, talk about an icy nightmare! This one had me feeling all kinds of stressed in the best way possible. Like, imagine being totally alone in the most brutal, frozen wasteland on Earth, thinking the whole world just went boom, and you’re stuck trying to survive? Yeah, no thanks. But also—YES, PLEASE.

The tension? Insane. The atmosphere? So vivid I was basically shivering under a blanket. And the desperation? It leaps off the page in a way that had me lowkey panicking. There were moments where I just sat there like, “Girl, HOW are you still standing?” because the stuff she goes through is next-level brutal. Also, some of those twists? Like, excuse me?? Did not see that coming.

That said, there were a few parts that kinda dragged, and I was like, “Okay, let’s move it along,” but overall, it totally delivered on the survival-thriller vibes. If you love that whole isolated, edge-of-your-seat, fight-for-your-life kinda story, this one’s a must.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion!