Cover Image: I Hope You're Listening

I Hope You're Listening

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This plot didn't make all that much sense to me. There are too many moving parts. The first half isn't bad. WE have a lot of exploration of the long term effects of childhood trauma on a teenagers life. We see now witnessing a kidnapping informs every decision this girl made going forward. WE see, too, the effects on their other friends and the community on the whole, their sensitivity to other missing person's cases. That was the part that interested me. I was far less interested in the final reveals of the original missing girl's case. Especially since it takes us so far afield. Once you get cults involved I'm checked out.

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I enjoyed reading this book and thought it was a pretty fast read. The beginning was definitely slower than the second half, but I found myself really speeding through the second half because the pace had picked up so much.

I did find some of the plot a bit predictable., though some readers likely wouldn't feel this way. I was a bit surprised by a few things in the book, so it wasn't entirely predictable.

I was really happy to see a YA mystery with a sapphic main character, and who ended up in a sapphic relationship in the book. Unfortunately, I wasn't really attached to the relationship, and would have liked a bit more relationship development from them. It seemed to develop rather quickly and I didn't connect to them.

I also felt like some of the side characters could have been fleshed out more, and I would have just liked a bit more from the characters - and even though the main character was explored more in depth than the side characters, I would have liked more from her too.

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I loved Tom Ryan's first book and this book was NO different. It sucked me in from the very beginning and took me in a direction I wasn't expecting. I loved it and will be telling everyone I know to read this book!

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I received an E-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks NetGalley!

First of all, I love YA mystery/thrillers so I was very excited to snag an early release copy of I Hope You’re Listening. The building started off somewhat slow, which, for me, is usually very frustrating—especially in a mystery/thriller; however, it quickly picked up and I ended up absolutely loving it. The podcast piece was interesting and made the plot feel that much more detailed and engrossing. This book is a perfect fall “spooky season” read and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone, especially fans of Sadie and I Killed Zoe Spanos.

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4.5/5 Stars


If you’re looking for a thriller to read during winter this year, this is one I highly recommend!! It’s part prose, part true crime podcast and I’m honestly so down for the podcast trend going on in YA mysteries right now, so I was drawn into this pretty quickly. I really enjoyed the podcast excerpts in this book and I think they went really well with the rest of the story. The mystery itself started out fairly mellow, though certainly suspenseful, and it got more and more intense up until the climax, which I have to say was truly amazing. The way everything came together and made sense at the end was extraordinary and I could never have seen it coming. 


I also really loved the romance. I often find this to be the case with thrillers, but I would’ve loved to see a little more page time for the characters' relationships. The chemistry between the two main girls was definitely there, but they got together surprisingly fast in my opinion and I could’ve done with a little more leadup. This didn’t really take away from my experience of the book, though, so I wouldn't let it be a deciding factor if you’re deciding to read it or not. Thank you so much to netgalley and albertwhitman co.
for the chance to read this book!

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“There were only two of us in the woods that day. One of us is missing, and one of us is left behind.”

Delia Skinner’s childhood ended the day her best friend was kidnapped right in front of her. She was seven and has lived in heartache every day since, for the past ten years. To cope with her feelings, Dee creates a podcast known as Radio Silence, which helps to highlight, and even solve some missing cases. I loved Dee and I really enjoyed reading about Radio Silence. Every few chapters in the book we would have a transcript of the podcast and it was so interesting to read. Dee’s character was very developed and her growth throughout the novel was remarkable. Dee has this quite strength about her and I love female characters like that.

My favourite aspect of the book was the plot. I LOVE MYSTERY novels and SAPPHIC MYSTERY? Even better. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how the book would end and it was worth it. The book is slower than some mysteries I’ve read, but for this book – it works. I also enjoyed the romantic subplot. Sarah was adorable and Dee deserved some happiness.

“-the music slows, we end up swaying around in circles, breathing each other in, and everything is perfect.”

If I had one criticism it would be that I wasn’t a big fan of Dee’s best friend, Burke. He needed to be smacked with some growth …. or smacked in general. He was horrible to her at times, though his character was nicely developed as the jerky best friend. Though bear in mind – This could just be me as I have reached my last tether with men in books.

If you’re looking for a nice YA mystery to read this Halloween, or maybe you just want to read about sapphics solving some crimes, or one girl who will do anything to find out the truth. If so, I totally recommend I Hope You’re Listening.

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Ten years ago, Dee saw her best friend, Sibby, abducted, but any information she could give the police wasn't enough to find her missing friend. Now Dee is "The Seeker", anonymously hosting one of the most popular true crime podcasts. Radio Silent tackles cases of missing people, and Dee's listeners become investigators working to find those who are lost.

Now, another neighborhood girl has gone missing, but Dee is torn about covering her case for the podcast. People are starting to link this new case with Sibby's, and Dee has to decide how much she wants answers and how much she wants anonymity.

Of course, I was immediately hooked by the main character being a true crime podcast host, and transcripts of the fictional podcasts being included in the book. The podcast was almost a character in itself, and is absolutely crucial to the plot. The romantic relationship between Dee and Sarah feels realistic and grounded, and I like that it is not a source of drama, but a source of strength. The twists and turns are really great, and the ending solutions really pack a punch.

I would definitely recommend this book. I got completely caught up in it and could not put it down.

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I Hope You're Listening by Tom Rya is a wonderful and unique young adult mystery, that I really enjoy. Ten years ago Delia “Dee” Skinner went into the woods with her best friend Sibby, and she is the only one who came out. Sibby's disappearance has bother Dee since, of course she was very traumatized. Although Dee was only 7 at the time, she always blamed her self. I love the podcast, and the mystery around it. This book kept me reading until I was finished. Dee also has a lesbian romance but it is a very small part of the book. I can't wait to read more books by this author. I highly recommend this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I loved I Hope You're Listening just as much as I adored Tom Ryan's first book, Keep This to Yourself, maybe even more! Tom has such a unique voice in YA, and it truly shines. I recommend Keep This to Yourself to my teen patrons often, and this one will be no different!

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This YA mystery book. Dee has witnessed the kidnapping of her best friend and has given her life to helping to bring home other kidnapping victims. She lives with the guilt that despite what she told the police her best friend was never found. When another young girl in town goes missing and the police think it is connected to her best friends kidnapping, Dee decides that she is going to find out what happened to her best friend.

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Throughly enjoyed this one! It gave me Sadie vibes another podcast-y book that had me hooked. 10/10 recommend this one.

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I found this book incredibly engrossing and easy to read. I practically flew through it.
I've read quite a few teen thrillers and enjoyed this one more than most. I liked the main character quite a bit and always found her interesting. I wish I like the side characters as much but they were a little under developed.
I didn't see the ending coming and while I mostly enjoyed it, I think many people will feel a bit annoyed with it.
The exploration of trauma was handled pretty well and was the most interesting part of the novel for me.

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After weeks of trying and failing to read dense fantasy books, I finally picked this one up and devoured it in a day! It was an engrossing. fun read that kept me interested the whole way through, and although the ending didn't *quite* satisfy me - I felt there were things that still required more explanation, and I had the impression it was building to a darker conclusion - I still enjoyed it a lot!

Other than the ending, my only minor complaint was the romance - I adored the queer f/f dynamic, but they came together so easily I was almost certain there was going to be some kind of betrayal to shake things up (ie. Sarah revealing Dee's secret). In the end there was nothing of the sort, which was nice I suppose, but for me it added to the feeling that everything worked out a little TOO easily.

That said, this is the second book of Tom's that's kept me glued to the page (KEEP THIS TO YOURSELF was also good!), and I loved the podcast element of this one. I would certainly recommend it to others, especially teens.

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Another fantastically thrilling mystery from Tom Ryan! The mix of podcast, childhood mystery, and current situation is well done, and reminiscent of Courtney Summers's "Sadie". The teen characters and relationships feel real, and the acceleration of the mystery towards the end makes the book impossible to put down.

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I’m not the biggest fan of thrillers and mystery stories, because it triggers my anxiety like no other. However, when I saw this book on NetGalley, I was very intrigued, mostly because I adore listening to podcasts and it was a cool concept for a book to me.

As I haven’t read many suspenseful, mystery books, I can’t judge on whether this story was cliché or well thought out as it’s not my speciality. I did truly enjoy it though. It was very well written, that’s something I can say, plus it has some wonderful LGBTQ+ representation by the main characters.

As I’m sure you can tell, I can’t really talk about this book a whole lot. It’s mostly because it’s a new genre to me and I don’t know how to review it correctly, honestly. I also don’t know if I would want to read a lot more thrillers and mysteries, but this one sure was fun for a change!

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If you are a fan of Sadie by Courtney Summers or the June Boys by Court Stevens or even if you just like true crime stories in general I think you will really like this book.
This book had a really cool premise about a young girl who was the friend that wasn't kidnapped and now runs a secret podcast trying to solve other missing persons cases. The podcast part was well done and added a fun extra side story that progressed as our main story progressed.
While the plot was super cool and interesting my favorite thing about this book is the main character. She was so relatable even though she had been through something not many can relate too. I loved her and her acceptance of her fears and her strength to do hard things despite her fears. I even like the romance that developed because it was so natural and didn't take over the whole book.
I think this book is great for people who are new thriller/mystery stories and if you want something new from the genre. Seriously go read it.

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An intriguing read from start to finish. I enjoyed watching the characters work together to solve the mystery.

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I Hope You’re Listening is an emotional, socially-aware, and complex thriller that focuses on how trauma impacts people in different degrees. It doesn’t sensationalize the mystery, but rather shows how sensationalizing mysteries can be harmful. It's socially aware, and also implements technology and modern online detective work, and how people online can use their skills for good, in contrast with common depictions of online groups. The book has decent lgbtq+ representation, pacing, (main) character and plot development, but leaves some of its secondary and side characters wanting. For all its good pacing, however, I Hope You’re Listening ends with a rushed arc that arose from decisions that felt contrary to the main character’s behavior.
Full review here: https://fictionfixerreads.wordpress.com/2020/10/20/arc-review-i-hope-youre-listening/

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Slow Building But Definitely Delivers

I have always loved reading books with different methods of narration, like using podcast formats. This is why when an invite to join the tour for I Hope You're Listening, I hopped on the chance to join.

The YA thriller subgenre keeps on calling out to me and I admit that it's quite hard to resist! They (almost) always impress me, or at least, satisfy me. Well, this one definitely did!

I Hope You're Listening brought me to the life of Delia "Dee" Skinner. Ten years ago, she witnessed her bestfriend Sibby get abducted. She was left behind and she feels guilty about it. So, she created the podcast Radio silent to help bring light to missing person's cases and have them solved. It blows up, but here's the thing, people don't know she's the one behind it.

In their small town, 10 years after the traumatic event changed her life, another girl goes missing. Dee is compelled to help, but what if this entails bringing her past back to the spotlight?

Ahhh, sounds good, right?

I loved how intriguing the premise of the book was and that it had mysteries within the mystery through the podcast. It made my mind more alert in diving into the story.. and it made me like the book more.

On a side note, I also loved how Dee's sexuality was handled in the story. Her parents' and friends' behavior towards. The romance is very little.. but it was very cute.

Now, towards the end, I have to admit that the resolutions made me go "Hmmm?". The plot twist is not what I was expecting, but I was in need of a little more shock factor than was provided.

All in all, this book is the perfect October read. There were many spooky parts and the mystery was good. It was a thrill to read, I promise!

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I've honestly never listened to podcasts, but after reading I Hope You're Listening. After reading this book that may just need to change. I loved how our main character's podcast was intertwined with this story and how something created to make a character feel she was doing something turned out to become something so big.

The main character Dee has experienced something traumatic. Her best friend was kidnapped when they were younger. She was there that day and it's something that still haunts her. This is something she always carries with her, but even more so now when a little girl is taken from her old house. I really liked Dee as a character. After experiencing something like that she still tries to live her life and even help through a true crime podcast to help find missing people. I can't imagine how it feels to know you're still here when your best friend isn't. I loved how determined she was and strong. Yeah, she may have been a bit reckless at times, but I can completely understand that.

I loved the mystery in I Hope You're Listening. I tried solving the puzzle along with our main characters, but I wouldn't have guessed how this was going to end. It fit the story really well though and I love when an author takes a story to a place I didn't see coming. The author created an atmospheric book that kept me reading. As always with mysteries, you really need to experience it yourself. I do know that I'll be looking into the author's other books after loving this one.

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