A free book? I’m game! But this was an audible book. Something I had never tried before. Yes, I do listen to podcasts daily, but did I have the dedication to listen to a book for 8+ hours? Turns out I did!
I usually like to read samples of books before fully committing to reading the full book—especially before paying for a full book. I kept receiving advertisement for a free trial audible book on Amazon, and my interest was piqued. I love to get invested in a book, and let it consume me. I was a little worried that listening to a book would have a different effect on me. I have a 35-40-minute commute to work that is usually dedicated to podcast listening. However, I don’t always have one that I want to listen to. I decided to take the plunge and get a free audible book. What harm could it do? I can always cancel in a month, like I had done with Netflix numerous times and now several email accounts later, I’m committed. Then came the crucial decision of what to listen to. I have been on a train of sleazy romances, but the thought of someone reading it out loud to me made my skin crawl. Can you image listening to an erotic book, and then your mom calls?! That was not going to go over well. Therefore, I decided on a suspense thriller, The Couple Next Door.
Listening to a book was a whole different experience than reading a book. I didn’t have to guess how people would say their names. Sometimes characters have such unique names! When you read you can read quickly sometimes and miss important details. Truth be told, I sometimes skim over some details to move on to the conversation part of the page. You can’t do this when you’re listening; you are forced to stay at a constant speed. You can fast forward, but that wouldn’t make much sense! I enjoyed the freedom to keep up with a book in my car. I was able to complete the book a little faster instead of devoting an entire Saturday to reading. I was able to listen while doing chores around the house. Multitasking at its best! Pause or rewind if I missed a detail. Each audible book has a different narrator, and the speaker for The Couple Next Door the speaker was wonderful!
There are a lot of pros to an audible book, but I did find a few cons. First if you have a narrator that you can’t stand listening to then the book is ruined. Also, it can be a little aggravating not having words to look at or reflect back on. However, I feel like I can refer back to the story in better detail since I listened to it and paid better attention.
The Couple Next Door was a great suspense thriller. The novel is about a couple that goes next door for a dinner party and leaves their 6-month baby at home. When they come back from the dinner party their baby is missing! The author took her time showing the reader multiple points of view, and not limiting the reader to first person. She took several chapters to go into detail of what happened after the disappearance of the couple’s daughter, and how the investigation begins to unfold. It was a great listen!
For those that struggle with reading or taking the time out to read a book. An audible book is a great alternative! This won’t be my last audible book, I foresee many more in my future!
Written By: Meagen Carone
Edited By: Kristen Smith
Meg A Movies 