Shane W. O’Haire’s The Sound of Tuning Out is a gripping psychological thriller that weaves tragedy, mystery, and the dark side of internet culture into a chilling narrative. The story begins with the shocking death of seventeen-year-old Jake Bodkin, a YouTuber who perishes while attempting a dangerous stunt. What initially appears to be a tragic accident soon takes a sinister turn as unsettling details come to light. When Donna Howe, a local woman, vanishes without a trace, the two cases become eerily connected, sending ripples of fear through the quiet suburb.

O’Haire masterfully builds suspense, intertwining the lives of grieving family members, relentless investigators, and online sleuths determined to uncover the truth. As the media frenzy grows, the small town becomes a pressure cooker of speculation and paranoia, making it difficult to separate truth from rumor. The novel expertly explores themes of social media’s impact, the hunger for viral fame, and the hidden darkness lurking beneath seemingly ordinary lives.

The characters are well-developed, their emotions raw and authentic, making the stakes feel real and urgent. The plot twists are unpredictable yet satisfying, keeping readers hooked until the final, unsettling revelations. Fans of psychological thrillers and true crime-inspired fiction will find The Sound of Tuning Out a haunting and thought-provoking read that lingers long after the final page.

The concept for this story is unlike others in its genre and I love that. This book was well thought out and really had me invested in all the POVs trying to figure out every detail for myself. The addition of forum posts and podcast scripts made me feel like an investigator which I loved. The representation of the music scene was *chefs kiss* and the ending was exactly what I needed from the story. I’d recommend this book to fans of Pantera and fans of crime documentaries!

This book was decent but not great. I enjoyed the story and develop, and generally like books with different POVs. I did feel as if it dragged on a bit and there were no surprises with the ending.

I enjoyed this! I was hooked from the beginning and fully invested throughout. I loved the use of various formats to tell the story. This was a really immersive read! I would highly recommend this! Special Thank You to Shane W. O'Haire and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster! It took a bit for me to really get into it, but once I did, I did not want to put it down! I really enjoyed the alternating viewpoints, in the end it as all tied together nicely with an ending I did not see coming!

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I think this is more of a thriller/whodunnit than a horror. For me it dragged on and I did feel quite bored in parts. I liked the social media aspect of it but it wasn’t the best.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. The premise sounded interesting, but the horror classification made me hesitate a bit. Not to worry, it is mostly a whodunnit-type thriller. Yes, the killer may as well have worn a t-shirt that said, "I'm the killer", but besides that, I enjoyed this one. The storytelling is cool, told through several POV's and social media postings, a journal and an unknown author. Is it the killer? This is also a tragic and emotional story in a way. Caleb's brother dies, supposedly filming a YouTube stunt. Then a girl goes missing. There are also themes of bullying and some good, timely social media commentary. I would recommend this sort of crazy read and would read more from this author.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Shane W. O'Haire for this review copy. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication day of February 21st.

The premise for this book is extremely intriguing, and that’s what lead me to requesting the ARC. The multiple platforms used in the storytelling from text messages, to web forums, and interactive blogs offer a unique format that really emphasize the social media aspect of the plot. This is a fun debut, and a strong launch into the thriller genre. There are points where the sentence structure is clumsy, and the language feels a little unnatural. This was sometimes distracting and could pull me out of the story. But overall, I would recommend this read to anyone looking for a new take on a thriller and will be looking out for more from Shane W. O’Haire

It's classified as Horror, however, I felt it was more Mystery/Thriller.

I felt as a debut novel, it was a strong start and I would probably read more from this author in the future.

I felt like the beginning was strong and kept me engaged, and then about the middle of the book it started to lose it's steam. I loved the mixed media and multiple POVs. I did have the killer figured out fairly early out, however.

First off, I didn't realize this was classified as horror until after I finished. That's not really my genre but honestly, didn't really get horror vibes. Thriller/mystery, but not horror.

I was intrigued by the way the book was written. The different POV's, the social media aspect, etc. Sadly though, it really didn't end up working for me. I found that it made it really hard to get into the book. The last section of the book also just seemed kind of out of place to me. I understand what the author was going for in letting us see things from a juror's POV, but it just didn't really seem to fit.

I do appreciate Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. While this book may not have been a five star read (in my opinion, of course!), I would definitely be willing to read more by this author and see what they come up with next :)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

For a debut novel, this was strong. It’s more of a meditation on grief and dysfunctional dynamics, but with a core mystery to be solved that keeps the pages turning.

I admit, I saw the killer coming a mile away and kept hoping I would be mistaken, but….i was not, which was disappointing. However, there are several different POVs and a few different story threads woven throughout, so there was more to the overall plot than just the whodunit, which held my interest enough to finish the novel.

All in all, a strong first effort and I would recommend it to readers who like a more literary take on their mystery/suspense stories. I would read more by this author, because I feel like he has some great ideas!

This was a fantastic thriller. Twists, suspense, tension. The mystery was riveting. I . Right away, I was hooked with how odd this situation was, and things only increased, which had me on the edge of my seat.

Wow. What a great read. Could not put it down. Thank you for letting me read this in advance. I stayed up way to late trying to get to the end.

I received an e-ARC and am giving my honest review.

I LOVE found media/ergodic literature. Each chapter being a different kind of storytelling really kept me enthralled and entertained. Whether it be Donna’s father’s online posting, Caleb’s journal-type POV, or something new and different than usual, the change-ups really kept me engaged. I particularly liked the diary-like entries by an unknown author, and how it kept us guessing who was writing it throughout the story. Not only who by name, but even if the killer was the one writing it at all or a new connection yet to meet.
One thing this novel did really well was the differentiation between the POVs, specifically Caleb vs. how everyone else viewed him. Especially reading the last chunk, it completely changed how I viewed him. Of course his POV was emotional and filled with his true feelings, but outwardly no one would get any of that. This was one of the best examples of this multi-narrative I’ve seen done.
This book did a lot of things well, and I was incredibly impressed with how well thought out the intricacies of the plot were.

The Sound of Tuning Out by Shane W O'Haire is a debut novel that is an engaging and twisty mystery / thriller.

When seventeen year old musician Jake Bodkin tragically dies in what police call a social media stunt gone wrong, his loved ones are left behind to pick up the pieces and grieve. When a new post on Jake's page is posted, his brother Caleb is shocked. It seems Jake had signed up for a service through the social media platform LIV that will post pre-arranged videos and posts even after the user has died. This service called Epilogue gives the families of the deceased the opportunity to still see their loved ones posts and memories, all activated by certain trigger words. Elsewhere in the neighborhood, a troubled girl goes missing. She has been battling addiction and mental health issues and has run away before. But when the police find a connection between her and Jake, new theories and secrets come to light, pointing the whole investigation in another direction.

I am unsure about saying more about the synopsis because I truly want everyone to read this and I don't want to spoil it! This was a great debut that had an engaging plot with intriguing characters that were well written. The way that O'Haire has written this novel is unique with multiple first person POVs and the use of online forums and chats. One thing that I will say is that while this is billed as a horror it definitely is more of a mystery novel. The pacing of this novel was great, alternating viewpoints but tying everything up together at the end. Definitely going to look for more from Shane O'Haire!

Thank you to NetGalley and Shane O'Haire for this ARC. Expected publication date is February 21st 2025.

This was OK. I enjoyed the beginning, however the story dragged on in most parts. The book was not as I expected, with it being in the horror genre I expected more. This is more of a whodunit and was clear from outset who the killer was.

Was an okay book. Felt really dragged out and wasn’t to the point. Too many tid bits of things that were not in my opinion necessary. I did like the story point of the brother and the Donna’s dad. Won’t say anymore as to not give any spoilers

Intrigued by premise. Immediately pulled into the story. Captivated by its early events. Excited for what’s to come. Puzzled by the shifting perspectives and suddenly scattered authorial voice. Bored by unnecessarily drawn out meanderings. Jarred by the complete 180 in storytelling mode. Frustrated by an incongruent and confounding ending. Wish this book lived up to its early potential.

The references to Pantera, Iron Maiden and specifically Van Halen drew me right into this book.

This was a great read. I always love a book with transcripts, and this one had podcast transcripts and forum posts. This book gives insight into how reliant we are to our phones and internet.

I couldn’t put this down once I started it. It’s about love, loss and family, as well as horrific things happening. I highly recommend this book.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.