I did not complete this audiobook...unfortunately the narrator's voice was similar to Siri and very difficult to follow. I did find the description of the story interesting and may take the time to read it in the future.

This was a slow ride that follows the journey of two women in two different stages of life. I started it and then had to pick it up at a different time because it was difficult to get into but the audio was much better. The twist ended up being very interesting as the story picks up in the last half. Was her great aunt Anastasia? That wasn't the important part of the story but rather the end of how she discovered how aunt's story ended. It ended up being an interesting story about the Romanov's and a teenage girls journey to adulthood.

The set up here is not terribly unusual - a series of diaries reveal potentially explosive family secrets. What makes this book unusual is the direction it ultimately takes. It's not just the slow reveal of a person's story. It's a reflection on why a person might hide their history, what compels someone to lie about their past or even just about their interests. Frustrating at times and lacking in urgency.

This was a strong read as an audio and as hard copy. I have been fascinated by the Romanovs since the 8th grade. Take that mysterious element and weave it into a contemporary YA text? I am here for it. I think my students will be too. The depth of the characters coupled with the historical component should make this a hit with my 9th grade readers.

The concept of this book is right up my alley. However, I found it a bit slow. I related with the protagonist, but I was not invested in her search to find more about her deceased aunt. The connection was little at best. Perhaps I would have liked this more if I read it instead of listening to it, or if it had a non-computer generated narrator. I will give it another chance done the road.

The Storyteller is a well-written historical mystery. It is also about self-discovery and the importance of telling one’s story. I loved how they incorporated the history of the Romanov family as Jessica is discovering more about her great Aunt Anna’s life while reexamining her own life. The dual timelines tied together perfectly and it was fun figuring out if Jessica was really related to Anastasia Romanov.

Thank you to NetGallery and to Harper Audio for giving me a copy for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the Audiobook.
I had a hard time listening to it since it was bot the official audiofile.
This was told between two different perspectives in two time periods. Jess Morgan's present day and the storyteller portion of the personal journals of her Aunt Anna . I enjoyed the historical references and it was interesting how it was falling into place as the story unfolds between. As Jess gets closer to solving her Aunt Anna's mysterious identity that were well kept secret between the pages of the journal, she begins to uncover the truth about herself respectively. Realization parts on stories are always fun .

I could say I am not too crazy about this book, but I will definitely give it a other try.

An exciting combination of mystery, romance, and historical fiction. Jess discovers her deceased Great Aunt's journals written in Russian. She puts out an ad seeking a translator to assist her with the journals. Little does she know the ad will bring her to Evan, who is a bit nerdy but in a sweet sort of way. Together they begin unraveling the mystery of her aunt and discover that all may not appear to be what she thought. Perhaps her aunt is THE Anastasia Romanov--the long lost daughter of the last Russian Czar.

Highly recommend for readers of YA who like books with a healthy mix of different genres, characters who struggle with identity but ultimately discover who they truly are.

I was kindly provided an audiobook ARC by the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review of this book.

I love anything that is Romanov related and I so I was so excite do listen to this book. Even though I know how the story will turn out I always have this hope that by some chance the ending will be different. I really like the way the author went back and forth from the present to the past and did it so seamlessly. I was very engrossed into the story and the end was real plot twist for me.

This was an interesting book told between two different perspectives in two time periods. I enjoyed the historical references as the story unfolds between Jess Morgan's present day and the personal journals of her Aunt Anna. As Jess gets closer to solving her Aunt Anna's mysterious identity, she begins to uncover the truth about herself.

What will Jess do with a trunk full of old diaries found in her Great Aunt Anna's attic? She hires Evan, a handsome college student who studies Russian to translate them. Evan reads a couple of the diaries and suspects that Great Aunt Anna might be the Romanov Princess Anastasia.

This story is told in alternating timelines between Jess's life today and Anna's life during the 1920s - 1950s. As Jess learns more about Great Aunt Anna's life she examines her own. She makes decisions about relationships, interests, and her future as she learns more about herself.

This was a very interesting listen with excellent historical information that places into context life in Russia, France, England, and the United States during the first half of the 1900s. Enjoyed this story immensely.

The Storyteller is a well written YA story about "truth" and the different narrative our lives can encompass by Kathryn Williams. Due out 11th Jan 2022 from Harper, it's 368 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

This is a YA coming of age story told in parallel flashback story lines through journal entries made by the main protagonist's great aunt as a young girl. There's a clear delineation between the modern day and early 20th century stories and the characters' voices are quite distinct, so it's easy to keep track - there's no confusion between the two.

The story is compelling and I found myself drawn in by Anna's recollections of life in Russia in the early part of the 20th century. The intended audience will likely find protagonist Jess likeable and relatable. There's romance, but it doesn't overpower the story.

The author makes some good points about changing who we are to fit in and conforming to other people's expectations in order to avoid conflict. In addition, the story is engaging and plays across the wider canvas of the Russian revolution and history.

Four stars. An exciting story, well told.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Enjoyed the story, and look forward to sharing with YA. It was fast paced and flowed well.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for the ARC.

Jess is helping her mom clean out a recently deceased great-aunt's attik when she finds a trunk full of old journals. With the help of a (young, handsome, and kind) translator, she learns about a family connection to the Romonov family and the Russian revolution. In the process of learning about a historical brave young woman, Jess is inspired to take control of her own life, dealing with friendships, romance, family, and future in a brave and authentic way instead of passivly drifting through life.

Let’s just get this out of the way … voice synthesized narration is horrible, but that’s not the author’s fault.

I love “lost princess” stories and this one was ok but it just seemed unsure of what it wanted to be. It combines two separate storylines and struggles with two major problems: most of the characters in the contemporary arc are uninteresting and shallow, and the whole premise for the story (the surviving diaries) is ludicrous.

I wanted to like Jess and saw moments of her character coming alive, but there just wasn’t enough. The setting of the story is just out of reach for most tweens and teens today - will they even know what “MySpace” is?

The biggest problem, for me, is the over-reliance on the content of the diaries. Jess is meant to be a writer - so having her read the diaries and write about them would have been far more interesting than having someone read them to her. They never even really talk about the contents, besides brief references to an activity or two. I was actually guessing that the “mystery “ was Jess realizing that her Aunt Anna was an author - just as Jess aspires to be - and that she had composed the diaries for potential publication as a historical fiction novel. That would make the deathbed message relevant and a reason for the trunk of diaries. And fodder for potential work from Jess. The whole “we fake who we are to please others” connection is trite.

The whole “is it really Anna?” question is ridiculous in this context. Are we really supposed to believe that Anastasia Romanov not only escaped but escaped with a huge trunk full of … diaries? That’s what a fleeing princess or her rescuers would choose as the remains of the Romanov legacies? And through all the travels, this trunk of paper would remain with her, and intact? A series of journals of her daily routines? That’s stretching even my limits of fantasy.

The diaries alone would be fine as a historical fiction … found somewhere in an attic - are they real? (Done before, but at least straightforward and not muddled with another struggling storyline.) Get rid of the modern story arc and just focus on making the “discovery” or an attic of diaries relevant and believable.

The Storyteller is definitely for a middle or lower high school audience, but I fear the abundance of historical information would be a bit intimidating for many of my students. And Jess as a role model is weak.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Kathryn Williams, and HarperTeen for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The summer before her senior year of high school, Jess Morgan discovers a trunk while helping clean out her great aunt Anna's attic. In this trunk was a bunch of old journals written in Russian. Curious, Jess hires college student Evan to translate them for her. As he reads, Evan starts to wonder if Jess' great aunt Anna is THE Anastasia Romanov, the lost Russian princess. What will Jess discover from these journals.

Likes :I liked how the story was told in two timelines. The first one was Jess' in current time and the other was from her Aunt Anna's journals in the past. I also liked Jess investment in learning about her family's past and histroy.

Dislike: Minus Evan, the people Jess had around her were not very likeable to me. I did not like how Jess' boyfriend treated her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to listen to an audiobook version of this story. Unfortunately, this was not one of my favorites. I loved the premise but I was semi-bored listening to it and found my attention wandering.

Thank you, Harper Audio (Harper Collins) & NetGalley, for allowing me to read/listen to this book early in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions on the work. Publication Jan 11, 2022. This is a YA historical mystery. This isn’t just a historical mystery, but one with a powerful message about remaining true to yourself. This is a powerful message that young adults need to hear and understand especially in these trying times. A perfectly fine choice that might appeal both to fans of historical fiction and contemporary novels. fascinated by the mystery surrounding the fate of the Romanov family, drew me to this book. Modern day setting, the book resonates like a story within a story. There's Jess, the protagonist, struggling with how to be true to herself rather than constantly fulfilling the expectations of others. Anna, the girl that Jess is reading about in her great aunt's old diaries. Intrigued ti find out how Jess and Anna's story ends and if Aunt Anna really is the lost princess Anastasia Romanov. At times, the journals reflected as Jess is reading them are a bit slow and dense; but the incredible detail and care taken with the historical parts of Anna's narrative I found intriguing. While Jess is trying to figure out who Anna is, she is also trying to figure out who she herself wants to be, prompting readers to examine their own lives and ask themselves if they are who they truly want to be or just a version that people want to see. This book has many facets that the reader will enjoy.

The Storyteller was a great modernized twist on the Anastasia story. It was a good twist between the present and the past and while listening I kept wondering how it was going to end. I was also rooting for the main character throughout as she was dealing with her own relationships with friends and family.

I have always been fascinated by the mystery surrounding the fate of the Romanov family, which is what drew me to this book. Set in modern day, the book feels like a story within a story. There's Jess, the protagonist, struggling with how to be true to herself rather than constantly fulfilling what she believes to be the expectations of others. Then there's Anna, the girl that Jess is reading about in her great aunt's old diaries. I was as eager as Jess to see how Anna's story ends and if Aunt Anna really is the lost princess Anastasia Romanov. At times, the journals that readers are reading as Jess is reading them are a bit slow and dense; but the incredible detail and care taken with the historical parts of Anna's narrative intrigued me. And while Jess is trying to figure out who Anna is, she is also trying to figure out who she herself wants to be, prompting readers to examine their own lives and ask themselves if they are who they truly want to be or just a version that people want to see.