This was not my favorite book by Barker. The constant use of the term “gutter punk” was extremely annoying and the insistence from a grown woman that she be called “Jonesy” by her peers was just silly. As far as the story line, there was very little depth and it was just not believable. I listened to the audio book, and I do think I might have liked it better if I would have actually read the book.

I got to listen to the audio book. The narrator did a great job with the different characters. The storyline overall was a great crime thriller trying to find Emma and figure out what is going on. In the end it did come with a twist figuring out who the murderer was this whole time and the truth of Emma.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

This was a DNF for me.

I loved the premise of the book but I had a hard time getting into it. I listened to the audiobook (the narrator was fine) and it took me quite a while to get through the first 30% and I DNF. I’m sure this will be a favorite for some but it just wasn’t the book for me at this time.

This whole book concept was fantastic, from two vigilante killers showing up at once, to the New Orleans setting. It just fell kind of flat in the presentation. The romance was off, the investigation was off, and the result was off. I really wanted this to work, but the elements that made it compelling were insufficient. That said, it's still a mediocre book, I was invested in it, and wanted to see how it would conclude. I'd recommend it to the right reader who wasn't as discerning about their thrillers.

nikki mayeaux had seen a rapist walk free, escaping justice. the justice system has failed, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. the detective had never taken a life before, but tonight, she’s ready to make an exception.
when she sneaks up to kill the rapist, she discovers that someone else has already done the job - he’s already dead, his throat slashed and a knife in his groin.
before she can react, she catches only a glimpse of the real killer - someone who got there first.

it was my first book by j.d. barker (and e.j. findorff), so i didn't know exactly what to expect. after reading it, i hate to say it, but i was left with nothing but disappointment.

i found the first 60% of the book not very entertaining. the characters were so unlikeable and i couldn't connect with any of them. the dialogues felt kinda unrealistic, and i had a really hard time getting into the story.

while the book is a standalone, for me, it surely didn't feel like one - i mean nikki and keith and that thing going on between them. i thought that it's either a sequel or that i had missed a chapter or two (because of how boring the story was lol). the romance felt so awkward and unnecessary.

i also had a hard time with keeping track of all the characters. i'm sure some of them were completely rrelevant and the story would have been less cluttered without them.
the audiobook would be less confusing, because the voices mostly sounded the same, making it hard to follow the story. nevertheless, the narrator- piper goodeve - did a good job to keep me reading until the end, though i was struggling and seriously considering dnf'ing.

to sum up, the book didn't do much for me and I probably would not recommend it.



thanks to NetGalley, the authors and RB media for providing me with an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this the twists omg it was well read and well voiced it was sad but yet it wasn't and i loved learning about emma nicki and the whole crew

I may be a complete outlier opinion on this, but it took me a very long time to get into this one. I felt like I dropped into the middle of a duology or series, and felt like I was missing a lot of context with characters and the main storyline. It seemed like there was a whole backstory I wasn’t privy to, and there was a big cast of male characters that took time to separate out and discern between as well. Character development and growth didn’t really happen for me either.
When I got past 60% I was more invested in the story and the twists were intriguing, but this one didn’t live up to Barkers other books that I have loved unfortunately. From an audio perspective, the narrator did a great job with the story at least!

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for my ALC in exchange for my honest feedback!

Did not finish in light of the the author's controversies from last year and also because it's boring as hell. Would not be reading anything by this author going forward

🎧
Detective Nikki watched a rapist go unpunished. She takes the law into her own hands and goes to kill him herself. But when she sneaks up, he’s already been killed and she only gets a glimpse at the murderer who beat her to the punch.

The general consensus is that one survivor in particular is responsible, and now Nikki, her ex and fellow detective Keith, and New Orleans’ wealthiest businessmen are on the hunt to find Emma. During the chase into the underground of New Orleans during Marti Gras, there are several clues and bodies left behind.

I found the plot really unique and interesting. We’re not sure if a victim is getting justice or if there’s a serial killer on the loose in New Orleans. The cast of characters were shady, the kind of evil that we forget goes on daily in this world. Exploring the concept of the homeless network, way of life, and constant exploitation was insightful.

The forced proximity between exes Nikki and Keith reminds me of slow burn detective TV dramas. I learned a lot of about New Orleans and Marti Gras as well.

I had some difficulty discerning between the male characters because the cast of characters was large, but I overall enjoyed this.

The audiobook was presented well and the narrator did a good job distinguishing between voices, which is difficult to do based on the size of the cast.

I was given this copy in exchange for a honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and RBMedia.

We Don’t Talk About Emma takes readers on a mysterious and chilling journey with twist that keep you guessing. The story follows Emma a young girl with a dark past, and her attempt to shine the light on some of those darkest corners as eerie events surround her.
The storyline is intriguing with unexpected twist and turns keeping listeners engaged and curious about what will happen next. Some listeners might find the characters, including Emma, lacking depth. They often come across as one-dimensional, which makes it challenging to connect with them on a deeper level. The narrator had a talent for capturing the essence of each character and setting the perfect tone for every scene..

I enjoyed We Don't Talk About Emma. It was just a four star read for me. Nothing wrong but nothing that knocked my socks off.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free audio version of We Don't Talk About Emma.

I gave this book 3 stars. While I did find it interesting, I had a hard time keeping all of the characters straight. There were a lot of different people who pop up throughout the book, and I had to keep going back to figure out who was who.

There were some good twists and unexpected turns, but the ending was definitely predictable. Overall I did like this book but wouldn't read it again.

I’m not really a detective fiction fan, but the premise of this book sounded interesting so I thought I would enjoy it. Turns out it was exactly what I was afraid of. The dialogue was very cringey and unrealistic and because of that the characters were unrelatable and unlikeable. I rolled my eyes several times while reading this and couldn’t get past how unnatural the discourse was between the detectives. It really took me out of the story, which I was disappointed about behind cause the beginning really hooked me.

The beginning was awesome. A woman was going to kill a man but finds out she’s been beaten to the punch. And the woman who was going to kill someone was a cop? Crazy! But the book definitely went downhill for me from there. It just didn’t hook me like the first 5 chapters did.

I love the writing style of j.d barker.
It’s fast pace, but i think it needed a little more background work. Nevertheless it was good.

This book held my attention throughout the whole story. It is a sensitive topic I had so much empathy for Emma. The book also invoked anger and a bit of a vigilante. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Thank you Netgalley, Hampton Creek Press and JD Barker, E J Findorff for the eArc of We Don't talk about Emma.

Having read a few of J D Barkers books, I was really interested in this collaboration with another author. We Don't Talk about Emma is a Cat and Mouse mystery thriller and poses a few questions at the beginning. Who is Emma? . Together, J D Barker and E J Findorff have combined their writing styles and come up with a good, engaging book with solid characters and a great plot line. I like the dynamics from the characters and it is exactly what's on the tin.

I did find though that this book, even though it was engaging, didn't have the psychological elements that Ive become so accustomed to when reading these type of books. Nonetheless, it was still an enjoyable read. I will be looking out for more from both authors.

I also listened to the audio version of this book in which Piper Goodeve does a great narration.

3.5 stars for Storygraph. 3 Stars for all other sites

Narrated by Piper Goodeve
Presented by RB Media

Can't say this one really did much for me.

A cop goes out to kill a man who got away with rape, only to discover he's already been bumped off. The main suspect is the girl he got away with raping, and she's fled into the belly of New Orleans.

The story gets pretty messy from here, and for some reason Nikki has zero concerns about the fact that she was at the crime scene. Instead, everyone just assumes Emma is the killer and ignores any kind of actual crime solving while they commence the manhunt. So the biggest pull this story had is immediately swept under the rug.

I'm gonna be honest - I didn't really like any of these characters. There's a lot between Nikki and Keith that makes it seem like this is a sequel, yet it's supposed to be a standalone. Not sure what's up with that. The romance between the two felt clunky and awkward and mostly pointless.

There's also a confusing cast of villains with similar personalities and the audio had most of the voices sounding the same so I found it difficult to keep straight who everyone was. I was getting names mixed up a lot and not sure where other characters were relevant.

Aside from that, there's just really not a lot to this story. It's mostly just cops chasing Emma, and a couple of creative deaths here and there to try and stay interesting.

The narration was okay, with enough inflection to keep the story clear, but as mentioned the voices all sounded the same to me so it was hard to tell people apart. I'd give this narrator another go, though, as I think it's more a fault of generic characters.

All in all, okay for a freebie but I wouldn't go out and buy it, and crime fans won't find anything special here.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

Really liked the atmosphere the setting and the way the eerie mystery unfolded the narrator did a great job performing

I wasn't crazy about this, unfortunately. I think it had great potential. The plot was dark & intriguing, but there wasn't enough "meat" to the story. It felt like more food & location descriptions than anything exciting. It needed more going on - more to keep the reader's attention & keep them guessing. I guessed the twist, if you can call it that, by the 40% mark & things didn't pick up until the last 20% of the book, making for what was, sadly, a boring read.