Cover Image: The Girl from the Sea

The Girl from the Sea

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The narrator did a really fantastic job bringing the character to life. The story was a really great one too. I liked the main character and I enjoyed all of the twists of the book. The pacing of the book was quick and made it hard to put down. It would be easy to read this book all in one sitting. I really appreciated the ending.

Was this review helpful?

The Girl from the Sea follows a woman who washes up on a beach without her identity. She has a beautiful home, pretty friends, and a gorgeous boyfriend, but she feels as if she's an imposter in her own life. She tries to investigate what she can about her life, but the pieces don't fit together. She meets a man she used to know, Jack, and they try to process the trauma that led to her accident.
I liked Shalini Boland's layered climax. Each revelation peeled back another layer of the mystery until the shocking finale.
Katie Villa, the narrator, spoke with the dialect that reflected the characters. Her voice was natural and professional.
I'd recommend the book to experienced readers who enjoy thriller, mystery, and crime novels.

Was this review helpful?

Amnesia can be an terrible affliction. Not remembering people, places, Mia James was a person suffering from this, Washed up on a beach, she is left bewildered as she meets people who know more about her than she does.

When things become ominous, Mia doesn’t know who to trust.

As the story continues, Mia starts to remember bits and pieces and the story takes us on scary twists and turns.

Thank you to Shalini Boland, the publisher, and NetGalley for the audiobook of this story.

Was this review helpful?

This audiobook was fun to listen to. Our heroine, it turns out, is Maya. When Maya is found disoriented and in distress on the beach one morning, she is taken to the hospital, severely dehydrated. But the bigger problem is, Maya has no idea who she is, suffering from amnesia. How lucky is she when her handsome boyfriend arrives at the hospital to claim her, right? Can amnesia victims turn into different people than who they were before? Hm, maybe some amnesia patients don't want to know who they were. What an enjoyable quick read this is as Maya searches for her past. The narration was very good.

Was this review helpful?

Narrator 5 stars
Fantastic voice

Story 3.5 stars
The story was good and moved along nicely. The characters were interesting even though it was kind of predictable.

Would definitely buy more books from Shalini Boland

Was this review helpful?

First of all, the narrator for this audiobook is top notch. I could listen to her read all day. There were certain instances when the first person narrator had to show varying levels of emotion and this reader pulled that off like an award-winning actress.

As for the novel, it was pleasantly fast-paced while still providing the reader with plenary of character depth for the titular girl from the sea, Maya. She’s one of those characters that's easy to bond with, her lack of memory making her almost like a mirror for the reader to fall into. This bond is essential for the twist to work, and boy does that twist WORK! I’m not sure I’ve had a twist get me quite like this one did.

Overall, a great listen.

Was this review helpful?

*Audiobook review*
I've read a few of books by author Shalini Boland, and I have really enjoyed them.
This was a great audiobook, very intrigiung to start with and I loved the big reveal at the end! The middle section didn't hold my interest as much, but this is a well constructed and clever thriller that is definitely recommended. The timeframes did throw me off the flow at times, but I can definitely appreciate the reasons it was displayed this way, now that I have seen the conclusion.
The narrator Katie Villa was superb, and portrayed the tension and emotion extremely well. She was very easy to listen to, and I would definitely listen to more of her work in the future.
Overall a great audiobook.
Also posted to my Facebook page Curling up with a coffee and a kindle

Was this review helpful?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of the latest psychological thriller by Shalini Boland and wonderfully narrated by Katie Villa - 4 stars!

She wakes up on the beach, dazed and not knowing who she is or how she got there. She's discovered and taken to the hospital where a man eventually shows up who says he is her boyfriend and that her name is Mia James. But she has amnesia and no one or nothing is familiar - so who can she trust?

This was a fast-paced thriller with a great twisty end, filled with lots of characters that you won't be able to trust either! The narrator was gifted at all the different voices and I enjoyed getting lost in this story - especially that crazy ending!

Was this review helpful?

This book is perfect as an audiobook. It's easy to follow and to the point with lots of twists. Mia is a likable main character and her journey to figure out who she is kept me at the end of my seat. The narrator was great also! Thanks for the advance review copy.

Was this review helpful?

This is only my second book by this author but I have quite a few of her books on my TBR list. I really enjoyed the first book I read and this audiobook was fantastic, also.

Ms. Boland’s extended conclusion unfolds perfectly. I read a lot of thrillers and I’m usually good at predicting the twists and endings. But this one threw me for a loop!

The audiobook is wonderful and the narrator is fantastic. I enjoyed it immensely and hope to get to her other books soon!

Sincere thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this audiobook arc. All opinions are my own.

#thegirlfromthesea #shaliniboland #audiobookreview #justfinishedreading #bookreviewer #honestreview #readwithme #bookaddict #thrillersofinstagram
#bookrecommendations #thrillerobsessed #bookstagrammer
#coloradobookstagrammer #coloradoreader #lovebooks #thrillerfiction #bookreviewersofinstagram #lovetoreadbooks #cantstopreading

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this one until the last few chapters. They weren't for me I guess. It was still a good story though

Was this review helpful?

This audiobook kept me company through a shift at work, cooking dinner, evening chores and even into bed that evening as it concluded. I just couldn’t seem to stop listening! The pacing was just perfect. Shalini Boland knows how to keep my attention with a well written thriller & this one did not disappoint!

Was this review helpful?

I have never read books by Shalini Boland, so I was excited to try the author out. I love British thrillers and the author's writing style was quite entertaining. I have heard good things about this author and wanted to see if I would enjoy her books as well.

The Girl from the Sea is about a woman, Mia James, that washed up on the beach and mysteriously woken up in the hospital. She has no memory, does not recognize her own face, her friends or family. The doctors diagnose her with retrograde amnesia due to trauma, which she is told can be reversable with time. Mia is visited by the London police to find out how the accident occur. After a few visits the police inform her that she has a boyfriend, Pierce. that is there to pick her up. Since arriving home Mia is still not feeling herself; she keeps getting headaches, has dizzy spells and gets flickers of a memory. She keeps imagining a blond older woman glaring at her. The frequency of the memory starts to freak Mia out; she is not sure if she is going crazy. Mia starts to find out more about her life, the friends she does not recognize, her passion for the river and who she really is. Is she a nice person? How did she end up on the beach and in the hospital? Who is the woman in her memories? Mia tries to get the answers to these questions so she can get her life back to normal. That is all she really wants. As the mysteries start to unfold Mia learns the truth, but will it really set her free?

I always like to write about the good and bad things about a book. So, these are my thoughts.

Pros: I really liked learning about the different parts of England. I felt like I was there. The book starts with a mystery of a woman falling in the sea which made me feel like I was on edge from the very beginning. It was a short quick read. Parts of the book were really engaging and made me want to read more. The twist was good. I did not expect the ending. I was able to figure out parts of the ending but not the total ending. Because the ending was not totally what I expected some of the characters were given multiple dimensions. The audiobook was a nice listen.

Cons: I really did not like the ending. I do not generally like books where the bad person wins. And I felt like the villain had no remorse and was able to get what they want. There were parts of the book that I think dragged on. Again, I do not think being able to solve parts of a book's mysteries is fine, but I was able to figure out a lot of the book early on, so from that point it was just a matter of seeing how much I got right. Not all of the characters were developed, and I think some parts of the book were in there but really did not serve a purpose.

Overall, I think the book had a lot of potential but did not totally reach the mark. I give this a 2.5 rating. It was not horrible but not my favorite book either. I will recommend to people that are just dipping their feet into Domestic Thrillers and want a quick book. I just wish the villain was developed so I could really hate them. I had some feelings for the character; but I was just needed more. Although I did not totally enjoy the book, I hope people take the chance on the author to develop their own opinion.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this book for an honest opinion. I would definitely recommend listening to the narrator in the future.

Was this review helpful?

I was intrigued when I read the blurb from the Girl from the Sea: " washed up on the beach, she can’t remember who she is. She can’t even remember her name." And so it began, a story with an unreliable protagonist and a story I couldnt wait to figure out what happened.

Read by Katie Villa, I was transported overseas and onto the beach where Mia washes ashore without a clue to who she is or how she got there. Villa is the perfect voice for this book. I was completely caught up in Mia's story. It seems in this small town, every knows Mia and they seem happy she is alive, but Mia doesnt remember anything and thats quite unsettling.

This is my first ever Boland book. She does a remarkable job taking us on a roller coaster ride. What happened to Mia? How did she become rich? And who can she trust? While its a slow burn, I was totally invested. The fear in Villa's voice just added to the suspense.

This book is full of red herrings, secrets and lies! And that ending!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Shalini Boland and Bookouture for the opportunity to listen to this fanastic twisty thriller.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to @bookouture @netgalley for the ALC in return for my honest review.
.
My thoughts…
Entertaining. This was my first book from Boland. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a psychological thriller with amnesia trope, and this was a good one. Even though it was quite a slow-burn, with the help of a great narrator, the plot kept me interested. I figured out “whodunnit” before the end, but the “how it was done” surprised me. If you’re looking for a quick read, and not too intense of a psychological thriller, this might be a book for you.

Was this review helpful?

I have always loved a book with an unreliable protagonist and boy do you get one with the new book The Girl From The Sea by Shalini Boland. Mia has washed up on a beach after an accident and has amnesia, she can not remember anything about her life or the accident.

I listened to The Girl From The Sea on audio and the narrator was entertaining, she showed the emotional rollercoaster of the story in her voice, and you could feel the dread that Mia felt not knowing who she was, and having to rely on others to basically tell her what type of person she was. Can you imagine what that would be like? Plus never knowing if they were telling the truth or maybe had something to do with the accident you were in?

I liked Mia, I felt for her, she knew nothing about herself or her life. She did not know how or why she ended up on that beach so she takes it upon herself to find out.

The author does a fantastic job of building the suspense and while it is a bit of a slow burner, the writing keeps you turning pages and let us talk about twists... Just when I was confident I had this book all figured out, Boland slammed me against a wall, spinning me 180 degrees into a different direction..blowing everything I thought clean out of the water.

The Girl From The Sea is face-paced, twisty, and very entertaining. Great book for the summer.

Was this review helpful?

Who is the person washed up on the beach? Who is Mia James? Suffering from near drowning and taken to hospital, this young woman has total amnesia. A journey of self discovery throws up new and interesting facts.
The more she delves into her past, the more confused she becomes.
#Twisty

Was this review helpful?

I thoroughly enjoyed this enigmatic take on a girl who is found in the sea with amnesia. The descriptions are well-done and the narrator is fabulous. I found the slow-burn plot to be interesting, surprising and satisfying. I will be recommending this to library patrons looking for a fast , fun read.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Quick, enjoyable read with a couple of nice twists. Somewhat predictable but overall I enjoyed it! The narrator was really good as well.

Was this review helpful?

Great audiobook production of The Girl from the Sea. I enjoyed the book itself, but dare I say, I found some areas quite predictable. I also unfortunately saw what was coming at the end. Nevertheless, an entertaining read with a great narrator.

Was this review helpful?