I'm so invested! I enjoyed this post apcalyptic story of Elsa and Walker. Living on the edge of starvation in a city made of garbage, ekeing out an existence under the thumb of the controling company that owned everything, Elsa finds something in the refuse that could change the world. What follows is the adventure they go through trying to find a better life for all. Amazing characters! I'm anxiously waiting book 2.

I really liked the narrators for this, the way that they switched back and forth between the female and male narrators, depending on the chapter perspective, really served to effectively tell the story better than if only one person had served as the narrator. As far as the story is concerned, I felt that the dystopian world had a few tropes, but I liked the characters, and overall it was a good read. I appreciated the journey that they went on internally and externally throughout the book.

"Switching Tracks: Out of the Trash" by Lena Gibson, narrated by Rusty Mewha and Angelina Rocca, threw me into a dystopian world filled with danger and intrigue. From the very first chapter, I was hooked by the storytelling and immersive world-building.

Gibson's narrative skillfully navigates through Elsa's journey of survival and self-discovery, keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout. While the romance between Elsa and Walker felt a tad rushed, the multiple points of view and narrative formats added depth to the story, enriching the overall experience.

But what truly made this audiobook shine was the exceptional narration by Rusty Mewha and Angelina Rocca. Their dynamic performances brought the characters to life with such authenticity and emotion that I found myself completely engrossed in the story. Their delivery added an extra layer of excitement and intensity, making "Switching Tracks" an unforgettable listening experience. Overall, this audiobook is a must-listen for fans of dystopian adventures.

WOW!! That was fantastic! 4⭐️.

Else is leading a harsh but dreary life in Socal, nearly two centuries after the fall of civilisation where she and her Granny etch out an existence scavenging ancient trash. But a run in on the trash heaps with train hoppers, Walker and his addict brother, she is unable to work. In an act of desperation she takes a job that indentures her to her wealthy brother-in-law and his powerful brother Jace. When they come to claim her as their property, everything goes awry and Else finds herself on the run. With the help of Walker, she sets out on a mission to revive humanity and cut power to corporate greed.

This book had great pacing, and the world that was being built was a clear and beautiful dystopian landscape. But what I enjoyed most was being a part of Elsa’s journey, and her discovery of the world outside of the only home she’d ever known. While the story is told predominately from Elsa’s perspective there are multiple POVs and in a couple of different formats, including 3rd person, letter writing and journaling, and it is very clear in the Audiobook whose POV is being shared. The writing style was not complex, and has my attention from the get go. While there was instant attraction between the MCs, the author has taken time to develop the relationship. That said the one explicitly spicy scene felt like it was a touch rushed, well written and not cringy, but rushed.

I feel like there needs to be a content warning, unless I missed it?

I gave this book four stars, vibe wise this was an amazing book and I loved the experience, but just a couple of little things, as already mentioned. I didn’t know I needed this dystopian adventure romance in my life but I CANNOT wait for the next instalment and will be seeking out more Lena Gibson books in the meantime.

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

Narrated by Rusty Mewha; Angelina Rocca
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Both narrators where really good.
Story by Lena Gibson ⭐⭐

The premise of this story sounded really fantastic and I was super excited to listen to this, but unfortunately there is nothing terribly gripping in this story that would make me want to continue with it if it becomes a series. It's a little too 'Wild west, cat and mouse' for my liking.

I enjoyed this book, which would be best described as a dystopian new adult fiction ( Age 20 and older) as there is a graphic sexual assault somewhat near the beginning of the book and some other sex scenes. I enjoyed the general premise of the story and think Lena Gibson is an excellent storyteller — I also enjoyed how the characters came to be involved in the story and how the author gave enough backstory of each character before they all become entangled. I am hopeful that the next book will explore the world and the situations more as this is the beginning of a trilogy. The characters were mostly well developed and believable overall — I listened the the audiobook and I liked both narrators that were chosen — the both did well at portraying the story helping me get more invested in the characters. Looking forward to more books by this author and the narrators of the audiobook.

Thank- You to Netgalley and Dreamscape media for this ALC. This is my honest review.

I had mixed feelings about this; the writing wasn't too bad technically but there was way too much telling over showing, with the writer spelling things out for the reader that didn't need to be. Also the POV and writing format kept changing without any clear reason, it didn't serve the story at all.

So much here I loved! The plot was perfection. The primary struggle was prolonged with secondary plot points that would come up exactly when they were needed to reinforce my interest. While there is a strong romantic storyline, it isn’t the sole focus and that really worked for me.

There are multiple perspectives that help give the story dimension. I found it interesting how different the writing style felt between characters.

The characters themselves were a little basic, the male main character in particular, but they were used well in the narrative.

I can’t wait for the sequel and would recommend this highly to anyone interested in a futuristic dystopian story. Bonus: it doesn’t feel like a retelling of The Hunger Games as so many do.

Plot - 5
Writing and Editing - 4
Character Development - 3
Narration - 4
Personal Bias - 5
Final Score - 4.2

Thank you Lena Gibson, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for my advanced review copy! My opinions are my own.

njoyed the dystopian, post-apocalyptic theme. I thought the plot was well done, adding mystery, landscape changes, running and rebel themes.

The characters felt a bit flat and there wasn’t a ton of character development. You understood Elsa’s emotion in the midst of what was going on but it felt like hers and Walker’s characters jumped quickly from plot change to plot change without much transition or fleshing out. Some of the other semi-main characters I would have liked more backstory/fleshing out as well.

Overall it was interesting though and I enjoyed the story, and am interested in the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

The dystopian world built in this first book of the Train Hoppers series is dark, intriguing and exciting! The characters are interesting and likeable.
At points, the storyline was a little predictable and rushed, but overall, I really enjoyed the storyline and really enjoyed the world the author is building. I am looking forward to continuing the series as the next book(s) come out!
There should definitely be a trigger warning for sexual assault though. Just one scene, but very graphic.

This book reminds me of divergent, which was the reason I wanted to read this in the first place. I would say that I didn’t disappoint me at all, and I am so excited for the second book in this series.
I will say that there probably should have been a trigger warning that was a bit more detailed for readers that can get trigger more easily. I usually don’t have problems with reading about stuff like this, but I do think it was a bit too much described for my taste. That is probably the reason I won’t give the book 5 stars.
But I choose to keep listening and I can assure you that as soon they hoped the first train the book only gets more and more interesting.

The way the chapters are made in multiple POV’s was a bit confusing in the beginning, but I got used to it pretty fast and ended up liking the different POV’s. I especially liked that walker was writing diary.

I have read a couple other Si-Fi books recently, and I was really happy to find this book because it was so different from the others I have read.

Overall, I mostly enjoyed this book and therefore I have chosen to give it 4,4 stars (. I only choose 4,4 because I usually round up and give 5 stars when I give a book 4,5)

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks for making me cry with the idea of Ogden being long gone. I loved picturing the new Salt Lake in this dystopian world, and yeah Ogden would make a great place for the farm. But still, I was heartbroken.
I loved the characters, the narration was great, and the world building was admirable.
The ending was great!

"Switching Tracks: Out of the Trash" by Lena Gibson is Book 1 of Train Hoppers. This is set in dystopian 2195, following a pandemic and then a comet hitting the Earth. It's a thriller, too.

The main character, Elsa, lives with her 100 year old great grandmother. They work together to scavenge in trash heaps to find useful items from 2025 to exchange for food and water tokens. The US is controlled by the Green Corps, a corporation that acts like a government organization. They control the supply and demand of food and water and goods of all kinds.

One day, Elsa finds a locked metal tube in the heap. When she opens it, there are maps to underground bunkers with survival supplies and seeds of all kinds. She knows it is important. So does Green Corps. They want to get this from her by any means.

It's a good story, and the characters are well developed. I really enjoyed this story! I'll definitely read the rest of the series when it comes out! If you like future stories with thriller elements, try this one!

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 5/5
Unputdownability - 5/5
Enjoyment - 5/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 5/5

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, Dreamscape Lore, and Lena Gibson for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.

One of the best books I've read in a long while.

This is a good distopian book. I wasn't sure where to settle on it because it feels like it switches between a YA vibe and an adult vibe. The narrator was great but I don't feel like she was the best pick to narrate this one. As much as I enjoy dystopian, this book was not for me.

Elsa, our main character is a strong woman, she is used to hard work, that she does ever since she was young to help her old grandmother, her work is dig in ancient piles of junk where she gets aluminum and metals that are worth a lot of credits, that she needs for water and food, and even to pay to be able to continue working in what she does… its a very hard life. I did like that we had the story told by different 4 main characters, Elsa is definitely the main one, because most of the story centers in herself in about a very special metal cylinder she found on the heap (that's the ancients piles of garbage I have spoken about before), I do like Walker (another main character, that will really help Elsa) , but I don’t really care for his brother… he can make everything bad… I am sure of it… I dread to know what will happen in the second volume, Tatsuda seems a very smart boy, he reminds me of Gleen from the walking dead (mostly because all Asian characters with a sassy attitude remind me of him) he looks younger than his actual age and he plays that to his advantage, and he is a very good pickpocket and when I first heard his part on the story I imagined we would go a very different rout, but that is for me to know and for you to discover. Caithlyn needed a direction on her life and somehow she is very good getting stray cats haha,.

I enjoyed a lot this book, the story was good, it takes place in a distant future that even being in the future it feels just around the corner, I got to listen to the audiobook, and it was a very good experience, we had two people reading it, a male voice Rusty mewha, and I only have high praises for him, he tried to make different voices when was him reading, and a female voice Angelina Rocca, while she was OK, she wasn't great, Rusty parts on the book were more amusing, but still I really enjoyed this story and this audiobook and I really recommend for you to grab a copy for yourself, I just want to read what comes next.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media | Dreamscape Lore, for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

SoCal in the late 2100's is a dystopian world of depleted resources and social oppression. Struggling for survival, Elsa finds a metal tube with maps and keys to Doomsday bunkers hidden by the resistance. After being run out of town, and chased by the GreenCorps, Elsa pairs up with a 'train hopper' - Walker, on a hazardous journey to find the bunker.

This was a fun read with action, romance, drama, and intrigue. It had all the feeling of a 2010's dystopian YA fiction, but aged up for an adult audience. I enjoyed the cast of characters, including the healer and teenage pickpocket, and the author did a great job of intertwining multiple POVs to create a compelling read. The author has created an interesting world, and I look forward to exploring it in the next book in the series.

The audio narration was great. I found myself immersed in the story, and felt the narrators did a great job of expressing the emotional experiences of Elsa and Walker. I particularly enjoyed the variations in the narration for journal entries and letters.

I'd recommend this audiobook for anyone looking for a nostalgic, dystopian, entertaining read. Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Switching Tracks: Out of the Trash written by Lena Gibson and narrated by Rusty Mewha; Angelina Rocca is the speculative fiction/ dystopic/ post-apocalyptic series we have been looking forward to and it is utterly enthralling!

The performances by Rusty Mewha and Angelina Rocca are outstanding and add so many different dimensions to an already strong piece of literature

Can you imagine a post-apocalyptic world, with a brutal, unforgiving climate that is run by a corporatocracy? This is life in "SoCal" in 2195 where soceity is divided into two classes. Those in the Greencorps who deal in metal coins and controlling the monopoly on food and thos on the other side, who scavenge through "ancient" trash heaps for metals and things they can sell in exchange for their version of coins, plastic tokens which they exchange for food and water

Elsa lives with her grandmother, workingtogether to burrow down into the trash to the level to 21st century rubbish and on one fortuitous occasion, Elsa finds a steel tube whicch is essentially the most precious metal that will feed her and her gran for weeks if not months, however, this is no ordinary container, this one could change their world as they know it

This book had me rapt and I really enjoyed the dynamics and dialogue between the characters. The soceital construct was genius and I really liked how the world had a level of plausibility, especially due to the climate and having to wear UV goggles in sunlight and washing yourself with sand and not water (I really, really disliked Aiden)

Brilliant and highly recommended, I am really looking forward to book 2!

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media | Dreamscape Lore, the incredible author Lena Gibson and brilliant narrators Rusty Mewha and Angelina Rocca for this awesome ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook.

I was very interested a story aimed at adults with a twist on classic YA tropes (older MC, evil corporation instead of government, etc.).
While the execution is good and the book delivers on its promises, it was just not for me.
As always, it's very personal and not a critic of the quality of the book.
I would have liked a trigger warning on the very heavy sexual assault scenes. I fell like when it's that graphic and almost a chapter long, it should be mentioned somewhere.
I also felt like the MC were your standard YA hero and heroin, with not much depth, but this might come come from the narrators, which I felt were suffering through it.