Thank you to NetGalley and DreamScape Media for this free audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback!

I really enjoyed listening to "Her Dying Day" while traveling over the weekend for the Fourth of July. Our main character, Pear Blossom Masterson, grew up in a commune with her parents totally isolated from the real world and civilization. When she turns eighteen, she changes her name to June and moves to New York City to experience real life for the first time and pursue her dreams of going to school for documentary filmmaking.

When the book begins, June is about to finish school and must finish her thesis before graduating. She decides to make a film focusing on her favorite mystery writer, Greer Larkin, who disappeared over 20 years ago. She lands some key interviews with the main players involved (and/or suspected) in the case: Greer's fiance, mother, best friend, and agent. What starts as a personal interest in the story, June gets completely wrapped up in the investigation and is desperate to solve this mystery. She risks everything to find the truth and get justice for Greer Larkin.

I really enjoyed this book and the fast-paced nature of the story. I went back and forth trying to decide if I liked any of the main characters because most of them had serious character flaws and you had no idea who you could trust. But I think that was the author's point and wanted to keep you guessing. I would have given the book 4 stars, but I guessed the 2 major plot twists about 20% into the book so it wasn't super surprising for me. But all in all, I thought it was well-written and I would recommend this book to a friend.

Her Dying Day by Mindy Carlson

June is a 24 year old film maker student who is looking at a disappearance of her favorite author when she was a kid. The case seems interesting and every bit impactful enough to create a movie: a gifted young author who earns millions from her bestsellers vanishes into thin air, leaving a fiancée people detest, a controlling mother and feuding best friend behind. This all makes for a movie that people would be interested in because of all the dynamics that play within Greer Larkins life.

Who doesn't like drama filled with characters that a finger can be pointed at as a possible suspect and in Greer Larkins life she was surrounded by people who would be on the top of any suspect list. So June reaches out to all of them through email and each gives there point of view to what they believed happened to Greer Larkin.

June herself is dealing with her own drama filled life with having an affair with her mentor at school who is suppose to be helping her with her film not having sex. Oh did I mention that this mentor is also married.

This is a debut book by Mindy Carlson and I believe she did a great job spinning the story around two women who lives feel like they are parallel to each other there backgrounds are similar. I enjoyed the story but it still felt like it fell short to me to being a 5 star read. I would definitely recommend this book and this author for a first book she does a great job with the plot and characters I just can't put my finger on it what it lacked maybe to much of the two characters being to close in how parallel their lives where to each other.

The story itself would make an excellent movie and this is one that would fascinate enough people to want to watch a movie with this kind of plot especially if it was a real story. A true crime type of story to be specific. I know I would watch a story like this because I am intrigue to understand how someone so famous just up and disappears without a trace.

Hillary Huber did a very good job narrating this story. Overall this is a 4 star read for me. I cannot wait to read future books from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced audio version of the book for an honest review.

3.25⭐ for this debut.

University filmmaker student, June, has changed her documentary topic for the third time. She finally settles on the decades old, unsolved disappearance of famed mystery author, Greer Larkin. As she interviews key people that knew Greer she slowly uncovers what really went on in her famous life. And everyone has their own opinion about what happened to Greer. Was she murdered? Did she fake her own death? Did she take her own life?
I was invested in the sleuthing and really wanted to know what happened to Greer.

There is a student/advisor relationship going on that wouldn't usually bother me, but he's married and all the sneaking around from the wife was very distasteful. From the opening line to the restaurant scene had me cringing. It really made me dislike both of these characters.

Overall, the pace was quick and sometimes interesting.

9 hours and 15 minutes and an easy listen at 2x and I enjoyed Hillary Huber's narrating.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I dead very interested in it from the start. I really liked the main character and i definitely didn’t see the book ending the way it did.

"Her Dying Day" by Mindy Carlson is a humorous Amateur Sleuth Mystery read!

Our main character is Pear Blossom Jubilee Masterson but you can call her June. She's a twenty-four-year-old film student working on her last project before graduation. She decides to do a documentary about the disappearance of well-known mystery writer, Greer Larkin, twenty years ago.

With the clock ticking, June gets straight to it and interviews all the key players in this mystery who were closest to Greer. They all have a theory and they all have a motive!

Who murdered Greer? Was it her mother, her best friend, her agent, or her boyfriend? Was it murder or perhaps suicide? Soon June senses she may be in danger. Is she close to an answer or is she simply over-analyzing the entire situation?

June is quite the main character with her wit, her determination to find the answers and her daring super-sleuthing. I love how the author merges June's unique back-story so skillfully within this mystery. The relationship she has with her college professor, Paul, as her mentor lends a nice touch to the story. The fact that he also doubles as her married boyfriend was an unnecessary distraction to the larger story.

The audiobook narrator, Hillary Huber, does a fantastic job becoming the character 'June' and recapturing the humorous moments in this story, I believe to be, just the way the author intended.

I love the interesting mix of characters and how the finger pointing to 'who dunnit' keeps shifting back and forth. The story did feel a bit predictable in every way and yet I enjoyed this entertaining and sleuth-y read. The main character was, by far, the best part of this author's debut novel!

4 stars for the audiobook, 3.5 stars for the story, averaging 3.75 stars rounded up to 4 stars! I recommend this to readers who enjoy 'female sleuth' stories and I'm looking forward to this author's sophomore novel!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Mindy Carlson for a free ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

While listening to this book, I kept wanting to pull this young woman (an aspiring filmmaker) aside and give her a good talking to. What was she thinking, having an affair with her professor? How did she think this would end well? But, thinking back on it now, I can relate to that naivete that young adults have about romance. I remember being there as a young person, with similar unrealistic ideas! In addition to this well-constructed young adult dilemma, there is the whole mystery that she is trying to solve--what happened to her favorite author (the topic of her film project). And, in the background, there is her own backstory, having been raised in virtual isolation from the rest of the world, now estranged from her parents.

Overall, this was an interesting mystery, an easy listen.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

I really tried to like Her Dying Day, but I just really didn't. The characters are so flat and unrelatable, the plot is ridiculous, and the whole thing feels like it is trying to be a Taylor Jenkins Reid copycat. The narration was well done, but that was the only positive thing for me coming out of this audiobook.

June Masterson is in her last year of school and needs to complete her documentary. Having already changed her topic a few times, June has less time than her classmates to get this accomplished. But then she has the idea to look into the disappearance of one of her favorite authors, Greer Larkin. As she dives deeper into this mystery, someone will try anything to get June to stop looking.

This book starts off so great! I was immediately drawn in and captivated by the story line. The use of excerpts from Greer’s books added a lot to the story. At times, I even laughed out loud (there was a line that said “Who still used Hotmail?” that made me really giggle as I say that all the time.

While overall I did enjoy it, I had a few things I did enjoy. I felt like there was too much info dumping, the affair with her adviser added nothing to the plot for me, and the banter didn’t always come across successfully. Also, the way she write about June’s coffee table made it seem like it was its own character.

June grew up on a commune and it is talked about A LOT. I honestly don’t know if any of June’s past adds to the story, other than having a slightly interesting b-story.

I was able to pretty quickly guess part of the ending. The part I didn’t guess was really good and made sense to the story. However, the pacing at the end didn’t match the rest of the book and could have unfolded a little better.

With all that said: I enjoyed this book. I think the mystery was super fun and the aspect of the documentary was a great addition. I found myself wanting to read Greer’s books after this and had to remind myself she was fictional!

I received an advanced audiobook from Sourcebooks via Netgalley.

A thrilling story about aspiring documentary filmmaker June Masterson who is trying to solve the disappearance of famed mystery author Greer Larkin. Perfect for fans of true crime podcasts and The book of cold cases by Simone St. James. Great on audio narrated by Hillary Huber. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance listening copy!

Thank you Netgalley & Dreamscape Media for providing an eALC copy of Her Dying Day by Mindy Carlson!

I was really interested in the concept of this book - an aspiring filmmaker deciding to create her first documentary centered around the true story of a famous author disappearing. The more June digs for her movie, the more secrets are unraveled, and the darker the story gets.

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook, but it didn't stand out to me as a book that I'll revisit. I found the main character to annoy me a bit at times, and at points the storyline fell flat for me. This one reminded me of a romantic-comedy-thriller-mystery, giving you a bit of everything in the storyline.

The narrator, Hillary Huber, does a fantastic job.

This was just okay for me, bordering on meh. I mention the narrator first as she did her job and urged me forward willingly. This has my absolute least favorite story filler: Married Prof and student affair, Then add in the requisite swearing and this could have gone DNF if it weren't for Huber.

Taking out the filler, Mindy Carlson had a cute story. This reminded me of Greta Garbo.

Recently authors have incorporated text messages and chats into their books. These do not translate well for me. I have not liked any. They were read quickly, as written, and had me nervosing.

I enjoyed several aspects of the ending (no spoiling). I was happy and content, and felt good. Carlson tied this up with class. Overall, I am giving this 3.5 stars; however, I'm not rounding up.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for accepting my request to read and review Her Dying Day.

Let me start off by saying, I REALLY enjoyed the narration of this audiobook! The narrator did such a great job! You could feel the emotions behind the words. I liked the premise behind the story of the book, as we knew the person was missing but it ended up being a whodunit murder mystery type. I kept guessing and guessing and some of the twists that the MC went through kept my attention. Although the married man she was sleeping with, Paul, was a gaslighting fool! I'd recommend the audiobook over physical because whatever the story lacked, the narration made up for it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to this ARC for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook. Pear Blossom was a little hard to like as a main character. I found her brash and hated that she was having an affair with a married man - her advisor. The premise of the story revolves around Pear Blossom’s submission of a short film before she graduates. Her subject, the disappearance of a 14-year told girl named Greer Larkin. As Pear interviews more and more people who knew Greer and those involved in the investigation, she gets closer and closer to the truth. It becomes evident that someone wants her to leave the truth buried in the past and suddenly Greer finds her own life may be in danger. This is a coming of age story that came together in the end, but I found myself lost in her research and not really caring about what she was finding out, annoyed with her as a lead and in the end glad she started to get her life together. This one wasn’t really for me, but if you like a thriller/coming of age story with a brash female lead - you may find this one an enjoyable read.

June is a film maker who wants to look into the disappearance of mystery writer, Greer Larkin. This book immediately grabbed my attention. I love true crime and documentaries. ID is my favorite channel, so if this was on that channel I would watch it. My nosey nature had me on the edge of my seat to see what happened. Oh My! that ending is so good. This debut is such a good thriller/suspense. I hope Mindy Carlson's next book is just as good.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of Her Dying Day by Mindy Carlson.

June is a hopeful film student creating her first documentary. The topic? The still unsolved disappearance of author Greer Larkin (great name!) who coincidentally writes murder mysteries.

There is a whole host of possible suspects that June must interview, from mom, to BFF, to fiance. And they all would have a good reason to want Greer gone. But the closer June gets to finding who is responsible for Greer's disappearance, the more dangerous, and even deadly it gets. Someone desperately doesn't want the truth revealed.

This was okay. I feel comfortable giving it 2.5 stars rounded up. I was never fully hooked. For starters, I didn't like the relationship June was in, at all, and I didn't find it imperative to the story. I also struggled to care about June's connection to a cult in her earlier days. I guess what I'm trying to say is that there was never anything strong enough about the story to really help me latch on to it.

A mystery for the ages. The author starts off with a bang as June is hiding under her lover's bed while he makes love to his wife. Initially I thought that this aspect of the book would be off-putting, but in the end, the situation helps June grow as a person. In the beginning June comes off as very selfish and self serving. Throughout her investigation into the murder/disappearance of her favorite author you see her tenacity and passion shine. There are many twists and turns to throw you off the path and I did not see that ending coming. There are a few loose ends that were not really wrapped up, so perhaps there will be a follow-up book to address those things.

Loved the choice of narrator. She read with different tones and inflections so that you were able to distinguish characters easily. I would absolutely listen to other books she narrates.

Looking forward to more titles from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

Thank you Dreamscape media for the advanced listening copy of this book!

June Masterson is working on her first documentary for her thesis, focusing on the mysterious disappearance of famed writer Greek Larkin. Growing up on a commune, June was separated from most of the world besides Greer's books, and has been hoping to uncover the truth for a long time. She quickly becomes entangled in the messy world of Greer's overbearing mother Blanche, her questionable boyfriend Jonathan, and mysterious best friend Rachel, as well as all of their secrets. June has some secrets of her own, and a past with just as many mysteries as Greer. Will she uncover the answers she's so desperately looking for?

Okay, this one was a wild ride. For much of it, I wasn't sure what to think. There were soooo many mentions of the commune towards the beginning, it had me saying to myself "we get it, you were sheltered." As the story progressed, I became more and more invested in getting answers for both June and Greer. There were some fantastic and shocking twists throughout this story that had me gasping out loud. The ending felt slightly questionable to me, with a few things that I expected to turn out differently, but overall this was a great, twisty mystery with a bunch of questionable characters to suspect.

Name of Book: Her Dying Day
Author: Mindy Carlson
Narrator: Hilary Huber
Publisher: Dreamscape
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: Today June 7, 2022
My Rating: 4 Stars!

Our protagonist Pear Blossom Jubilee Masterson ~ (prefers being called June) is a 24 year old film student. Her graduated project (besides sleeping with her advisor) is directing a documentary on mystery writer Greer Larkin who disappeared twenty years ago. There are several theories regarding Ms. Larkin’s disappearance including: she committed suicide, she was murdered ~ to she is still alive.

Story had me curious; however I had a really hard time with our foul mouth unlikeable protagonist.
I thought I liked narrator Hilary Huber however. I since I found June so unlikeable I wasn’t positive if the performance contributed.

This story is the perfect example for NOT giving up on a story.
I totally got caught up with June’s search for Greer.
This story turned out to be a GREAT read!

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Audiobook Publishing Date scheduled for today June 7, 2022.

"Aspiring filmmaker June Masterson has high hopes for her first documentary, the true story of the disappearance of famed mystery author Greer Larkin. June learned about the vanishing at age fourteen, locked down on her family’s isolated commune. Now, the deeper she digs into the project, the darker the story gets."

If you're looking for a quick, easy read this is the one for you. While June is a film student working on a film documentary for her graduation; she discovers that the life and disappearance of her favorite mystery author has more layers than she initially thought. As she digs through the layers of Greer's life she unknowingly starts peeling the layers from her own life as well.
This story is fun and fast paced. As an avid mystery/thriller reader I was able to guess the twists along the way but still found the story enjoyable. This is a great read for the beach or sitting by the pool.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook.
Release Date scheduled for June7, 2022.

June Masterson is working on her film making dissertation, and has decided to make a documentary about the famous author Greer Larkin, who disappeared some years ago without a trace. As June digs deeper into uncovering what happened, she begins to receive death threats. There are also two other less flushed-out story lines: June was raised in an off-the-grid, cult-like setting, and June is having and affair with her advisor. I found the affair to be the most interesting of the three.

June is definitely not too bright, and not at all likable, so it’s hard to be concerned when she’s evading people who want to kill her, and I was definitely rooting for her advisor’s wife to catch the two of them.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for my complimentary review copy!