Thrillers are my main genre for reading and especially for audiobooks, so I was happy to give this one a try. Passerby was my third book by Britney King and it honestly was my least favorite so far. Although there were parts of this I enjoyed, the plot really didn't resonate with me and felt overly rushed and unrealistic. However, Brittany King has an uncanny ability to create dark yet somehow funny plots combined with over the top characters that balance out the darkness. I will say though that the plot did lose me at times. I quite honestly had a hard time following this and didn't quite understand the overall reason for the murders at the end. I did enjoy the reading experience for the most part due to the main character Ruth being engaging and quirky. The audio narration was also quite funny and light at times and then got very intense at others. I particularly enjoyed the very end twist and it saved the book for me. I’d give this book 3 stars overall because many parts of the plot that didn’t fully resonate and just felt like they were threw in for dramatic effect. Although I enjoyed many aspects of this, it didn't fully hit the mark for me.
Thanks to OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

Passerby is centered around the Changing family and their family run bed and breakfast, Magnolia House. The story is mostly told from Ruth Channing’s point of view. Britney King portrays Ruth as a sarcastic, quirky woman. The type of character anyone can relate to. I was immediately drawn into the book in the first chapter by Ruth’s narration. There is something so relatable about the way the author writes Ruth and how she deals with life’s ups and downs. When Ruth’s brother brings home Ashley Parker, a woman he picked up on the side of the road, things get strange. Ruth is immediately suspicious of Ashley and sets out to prove to her brother that Ashley is bad news.

While I really enjoyed Ruth’s voice and character, the parts written from the Passerby’s point of view left me a little confused. I wish the entire book had just been written from Ruth’s point of view—possibly because I was just so drawn to her as a fully developed character. Meanwhile, the Passerby remained a mystery for most of the book. For this reason, I give this book 3.5 stars. Throughout the story Ruth’s narration kept me on the edge of my seat. I also really enjoyed the ending twist. Trust me, it’s an ending you won’t guess. I can’t wait to read more books by Britney King!

This was an okay read. I kinda wished i read the ebook and not listened to it. The narrator was fine. I didn't hate it but i didn't love it either and it was a tad predictable

Ruth Channing will do anything to protect her business and her family. When Ruth suspects something fishy is going on no one wants to believe her. Ruth’s brother picks up a hitch hiker on the side of the road and brings her home and expects his family to let him marry her. Ruth had red flags from the moment she heard her brother was coming home and not alone. Once this girl enters her family and refuses to leave Ruth has no choice but to connect her to all the missing/ injured/ disappearing and deceased people found in the Magnolia House.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book for my honest feedback.

I really enjoyed this thriller. It starts with a passerby you don’t know who the passerby is and it gives a couple different narratives. I enjoyed how it was based on the main character living and running a bed and breakfast and the family dynamics brought in. I couldn’t guess the ending and the twist was well executed. I enjoyed this a lot and was a fun fast read. I will be excited to read more from this author.

This one was an odd one for me. I’m still really on the fence about whether I liked it or not. It just didn’t hook me in like most thrillers do. There wasn’t a big sense of mystery, it was a little predictable. I didn’t really like how the passerby had random little parts in the book either. It interrupted the story a bit and made it all less cohesive. The audiobook part was great though, I think that’s the only reason I got through it. The narrator was great!

Thank you to Netgalley and OrangeSky Audio for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Channing runs the family B&B in small town Jester Falls. One day her brother, Davis, picks up a mysterious woman, Ashley, on the side of the road. Everything about Ashley rings false: her past, her profession, even her name. Most worrisome is that Ashley and Davis are suddenly engaged, and slowly Ashley encroaches on family business. Then, guests start disappearing… coincidence?

In true Britney King fashion, the story starts with the crime. In this case, two dead bodies in the upstairs bedroom of the B&B - murder? murder-suicide? I’ve learned to pay close attention to the first chapter In order to figure out who the killer is! Did I guess correctly…Nope! Also, in true Britney King fashion, the story takes multiple stressful twists and shocking turns for a truly addicting thriller.

Almond Eastland is the narrator in the audiobook. Her voice of Ruth, who tells most of the story, is brilliant. Eastland truly embodies all the snakiness and foul-mouthed sarcasm that some narrators struggle to pull off. Partly because of Eastland narrations, Ruth is now one of my favorite BK characters.

Pour yourself a drink and enjoy this one! It’s fast-paced, action-packed, but also funny. You can easily read this in one sitting! But don’t make a drinking game out of all the F*bombs from Ruth’s mouth because you will lose. Another big win for Britney King. Now, sign me up for The Secretary, which was just released a couple of weeks ago!

Ruth Channing loves her family, and would do almost anything for them. She also loves Magnolia House, her family’s bed and breakfast, in small-town Jester Falls. Everything is threatened, however, when her brother shows up with a mysterious woman. It doesn’t help that people connected to the Channing family, guests and locals, start turning up dead. 

I didn’t dislike Passerby, but I didn’t love it either. I don’t know what it was about her, but I could not stand Ruth, the main character. There also seemed to be some gaps in the narrative; there were events and people that seemed, at the beginning of the novel, to be important but were almost forgotten later. I did like how the prologue set up one of the murders and the mystery surrounding it, and I loved how that prologue was then a chapter towards the conclusion of the novel. It created a whole new perspective about that event; what I thought was going on wasn’t quite right, so I liked how it was revisited.

The narration was okay. I found some of the male voices to be irritating and overly exaggerated. The Passerby sections of the narration were easily my favorite. This is a novel where I’m not sure whether or not I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it as opposed to listening to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for gifting to me an audiobook edition of The Passerby, given in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.

Honestly, I'm still collecting my thoughts on this as I write this review. The premise of all this family drama wrapped up in a old manor house turned bed and breakfast and murders starting up was immensely intriguing. There are portions I didn't think really meshed well with the rest of the book and the plot lost me at some points. I listened to the audiobook version of this and despite the fact that I loved the narrator, I got lost between chapters at times. I didn't necessarily understand why the author chose to repeat word for word the first "chapter" later in the climax of the book. I felt like it would have made more sense to give a glimpse of that chapter at the beginning and then all the details as they unfolded. It just felt like a huge chunk of text we'd already experienced as the reader. I will also say that I'm still not 100% sure why the killer called themselves "Passerby." I do wish that that was explained at some point.

In any case this was a very entertaining audiobook and the twist came out of no where. The utter betrayal of it all is mind-numbing. I thought I had everything figured out and I was wrong, which doesn't happen often. I do think going in mostly blind is the way to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSkye Audio for the audiobook copy!

I had issues downloading this title. Downloaded as soon as I got it but wouldn't play. Really sorry I can't review. It's since been archived and can no longer try.

Nothing causes trouble in a family faster than the addition of a new member…especially when that new member is a woman!

The Channing siblings own Magnolia House, a beautiful bed and breakfast that the sister—Ruth—runs. Her brother brings home a mysterious woman and turns everything upside down.

This was a very entertaining audiobook with a great narrator.

Thank you to netgalley for the complimentary copy of this audiobook. I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

#passerby #britneyking #netgalley #bookreviewer #inexchangeforreview #orangeskyaudio #justfinishedreading #psychologicalthriller #audiobookreview

If you’re looking for a quick to read/listen thriller story, you might want to put “Passerby” on your TBR list. Just imagine an idyllic family-owned bed & breakfast in a town called Jester Falls. The B&B run by Ruth Channing is the perfect place to organise a pleasant event with friend and family and make the best of memories... until guests start disappearing... mortal accidents take place... and corpses start showing up... and a strange woman gets herself engaged to Ruth’s brother! Chapter by chapter, Ruth’s world and of those around her gets ripped apart and just when thing couldn’t get worse, they get worse!

Overall, I liked the theme and the story development a lot! This is the kind of story that makes me want to keep on reading without break, and when the chapters start being narrated from the killer’s point of view, I am superglued to the book until the last page.

Despite all of this, I could only give it 3 starts because of the writing style which seemed a little chaotic, until I finally got a grip on how the author structure the story and the ending. While I felt that the action developed at a fairly decent pace, towards the end it just got very fast-paced, up to the point where I wasn’t sure who’s point of view I was listening to. But, again, this was just my impression. If you’re into this kind of storytelling, then this is definitely the book to start reading now!

Special thanks to NetGalley, OrangeSky Audio and the author for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.

If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads!

#LifeLongLearning **#Passerby #NetGalley**

Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for the opportunity to review this audiobook. The narrator was excellent!

Ruth Channing runs a nice and successful little bed and breakfast, she calls Magnolia House. It is nestled in the small, and, quiet town of Jester Falls. Ruth's life gets turned upside down when her brother, Davis, returns from a road trip with a girl by the name of Ashley Parker.

Apparently Davis picked her up on the side of Route 78 and upon bringing her to the bed and breakfast she decides to stay. Then guests start disappearing.. Another shock is we learn Ashley knows how to get rid of blood. The reason she knows how to clean up blood is because she claims she works as a crime scene cleanup crew member.

Ruth for good reason, finds this girl disturbing. So when Ashley decides to prolong her stay in Jester Falls. Ruth starts to dig into her past to ease her worries. What she unearths is pretty unbelievable. Jester Falls may be forever changed.,

Overall, this is an intriguing novel with clever and unique plot twists. As an audio book, I often felt the book was jumping around and several times, I had to reverse the audiobook, thinking I had missed something. This one I believe is better as a read as opposed to listening.

I do recommend the book to readers of mystery and suspense.

Ruth Channing runs her family's business, a bed and breakfast in a quaint town. Her life is pretty normal.... until we meet her. When we join Ruth's story, she is trying to determine how to best clean up bodies.

Admittedly I judge books by their covers, and I didn't love this one. However, as soon as I pressed play, I was glad I did. This one jumps right into the thick of the story in such a compelling way that it's hard to put down. Eventually the chapters told by the Passerby lost me a little bit, and the book definitely slowed down in the middle, but there were some good twists and turns and ultimately I really enjoyed it.

As much as I enjoyed the story, but it was almost eclipsed by the narrator. This narrator could read the phone book and you'd be riveted as you listen to her move to the next letter. I'm looking forward to hearing more from her.

Reviewing this book I received advance audioboom copy of via NetGalley.. I had never read/heard a book by this author prior to this offering - initially found the characters annoyingly difficult to care about as they were self-centered, ego crazed and churlish. Although I almost gave up on this one numerous times, my oatience was rewarded 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through, when a pretty solid (and interesting plot developed, an intriguing "whodunit". Worthwhile enough (ultimately) that after finishing this offering I immediately searched for more from this clever author...

3.5 stars

This was a fun quick interesting murder mystery. I do love a quick read, but I felt like this book could have added a few more pieces of information on why certain things happened. It made me feel lost at times.

I struggled with the MC Ruth. She was written like a 16 year old angsty teenager. She acts very petty and she cannot get over her brother having a new girlfriend. Also, she cannot get over her ex boyfriend.

The twist at the end was pretty good.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was short but packed with a punch! It’s just over 5 hours long and it’s a story about siblings. I guess you could say Ruth is the main character and she’s hard to like. She very prickly and doesn’t know how to hold back. She’s a hot mess and working at the families B&B.
Strange things are happening right at the beginning that keep you wondering what’s really going on. I liked the writing and Almond Eastland was the narrator, who by the way did a good job.
Thanks OrangeSky Audio via NetGalley.

I received this audiobook in response to my honest opinion.
From the very beginning Passerby grapse your attention. Thats the aurhor Britney King for you, she knows how to grab your attention from Page 1. Page 1 starts off with a double murder. Our MC is worried about the guests in the garden coming upstairs and finding the bodies that she takes the time to clean up the murder, which makes me wonder how she knows how to do so. Thats the first question I found myself asking. The MC finds a young female in the bushes with her dress up and expects the worst The girl is alive and looks to be about 15? All the MC was doing was walking by. We findout via a discussion between 3 women that our MC is Ruth, who was wishing to be anonymous throughout Jester Falls, and the young girl from the bushes in Ashley (this is important for later). A third woman approaches the girl, awkwardly and we find Ruth and her know one another (Gabrielle- Gabbie).

Have you ever walked by a situation that you felt you should intervene with? I know I have, but most don't. Well, heres a story that starts off explaining what exactly a passerby is.

Ashley is very good at grasping mens attention, almost reminds me of a V.C. Andrews character. Ashley pulls the damsel in disttress card just about any chance she can, even with Ruths brother. As time goes on and more people see this mysterious Ashley woman who seems to have appeared over night,(nobody in town knows who she is) things become very off about her. Some men on the street refer to her as Katelynn? Could they be mistaken or is she using an alias, if so: why? Then all of a sudden multiple men who have called her by this other name, end up disappearing and later bodies just start appearing. This is very different for Jester Falls...
Then we findout the truth because the book tells us towards the end how it all started before the beginning.

Ruth and her family run a bed and breakfast in a town called Jester Falls where everyone knows everything about everyone. Ruths brother brings home a stranger he found on the side of Route 78 and upon bringing her to the bed and breakfast she refuses to leave , then guests start disappearing. There is a party being held because the Bed and Breakfast is being sold soon, and then we findout the craziest thing yet, the reason Ruth knows how to clean up blood is because she works as a crime scene cleanup crew member.

This book throughout was a wildride. I found myself needing more answers then what i received. I could NOT put down this book, well metaphorically speaking since it was an audo version. If any of the above synopsis intrigues you then start reading Passerby, because there is more that unravels and the ending will have you speecheless and who knows you might just end up not liking the MC Ruth and fall for that innocent girl from the bushes Ashley or is it Katelynn???

It did take me a while to get into the story, but I enjoyed this book and could hard relate to Ruth. When the real identity of the Passerby was revealed I was surprised. I would've liked to know more about the stalker and the role he played in where/how Ashley Parker ended up where she was.

ARC audiobook given in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book I’ve ever read by Brittany King and I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to reading some of her other work. I really enjoyed the story and writing style, only felt it was lacking character development. I would’ve really liked to have a glimpse into Ruth’s relationship with her brothers before the story starts off. I feel like I might have enjoyed this better in physical book form as it was hard to distinguish a timeline of events and I wasn’t the biggest fan of the narrator when she was reading for the male characters. Other than that I really enjoyed the plot and how the story revealed itself.