ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll start by saying that Tara Sands does an excellent job with the narration of this story! Her character voices were spot on and while I sometime miss hearing multiple people doing the characters, she covered everyone flawlessly! I would give this story 4.5 stars as I really liked the plot and the twists and turns that made me questioning everyone and guessing what was going to happen. I also really liked how the entire saga of Sky missing came to a close and it didn’t end like how I predicted at all which I also appreciate! I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes psychological thrillers with deceptive characters!

The cover spoke to me, and I listened. I liked the narrator.

The synopsis did appeal to me, and I was okay with the start. By 20% or so the prospects of a nice mystery/thriller dimmed. I like smart characters who are driven by commonsense. I like adult children holding their own life responsibly against a parental badgering or attempted guilt trip. I had high expectations. Sadly, the author chose a different path and I couldn't relate. I didn't like any of the characters. The ending was convoluted.

At best, this was just okay. I'm going 2.5 stars, rounding up.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for accepting my request to read and review Girls Without Tears.

I really love to support local authors, but it’s especially cool when they live in your neighborhood and visit your @littlefreelibrary!

Noa is living in Miami when she finds out the young daughter of her ex-boyfriend goes missing. She returns to her small hometown of Everglades City to join the search party, but not without hesitation. She would often be the center of town gossip thanks to a rare medical condition. Noa suffers from CIPA, Congenial Insensitivity to Pain & Anhidrosis, which prevents her from feeling any type of pain or producing sweat.

Being in the medical field, I had never heard of this condition and was instantly intrigued by it. I was curious to see if the entire book would be saturated with it, making you forget the story is about finding a missing child, but Finlay did a great job giving detail when needed and pulling back as well. I was glad that the entire plot wasn’t riddled with CIPA as the main focus. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an integral part of the plot, but it didn’t overpower it.

I especially liked how CIPA played a role in Noa’s relationships, while it destroyed some, it made others stronger. As I read, I kept thinking how cool it must be to not feel pain, until the author slipped in that Noa has to set a timer on her phone to remind herself to go to the bathroom! Can you imagine being on a date and peeing yourself because your body doesn’t read basic bodily function queues? 🫢

There is a ton of action and I didn’t anticipate any of the twists! I was hooked, until the very end, trying to figure things out and piece them together. I failed miserably!

Thank you to @netgalley, @crookedlanebooks and @dreamscape_media for ALCs and e-ARCs of this book. I switched between both platforms and it was awesome!

Thank you so much @tracifinlay for gifting me signed copies for myself and our LFL! I’ll definitely be reading The Rules of Burken and The Falling of Stars soon.

➪ Girls Without Tears is out now!

Pub date: 8/9/22
Genre: thriller
In one sentence: Noa's insensitivity to pain has always made her an outsider - but when her childhood ex-boyfriend's daughter is kidnapped, she returns home to help solve the mystery.

I grew up in south Florida, so the setting of this book was a perfect match! I loved how Finlay captured the wild nature of the Everglades and other parts of FL. Noa was a great MC - her congenital insensitivity to pain (CIPA) made her unique among thriller MCs, and I enjoyed following her sleuthing. Tara Sands' narration brought her to life so well! The narrative twisted and turned nicely, with some good surprises, and I did not guess the culprit.

If you like domestic thrillers, this is a good one to pick up!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by Dreamscape Media.

When six-year-old Skye disappears from Everglades City, Noa is hesitant to return to her hometown to help with the search effort. Skye is the daughter of Noa’s ex, Zack, and Taylor, the girl he dumped her for. Going home also means facing the townspeople who have always misunderstood Noa’s medical condition, Congenital Insensitivity to Pain, and dealing with more of their ignorant comments.

But returning home is just the beginning of Noa's painful journey. When her childhood friend, Jamie, is assaulted by a vagrant, Noa intervenes in a violent counterattack—and the man’s fingerprints are found near Skye’s DNA. As Noa gets closer to the truth of who kidnapped Skye, she starts to uncover secrets about her hometown that she didn’t expect. Nothing and no one are what they seem in this small Florida backwater and any good friend can quickly become a deadly enemy.

The storyline was interesting, especially Noah’s condition and how it impacted her life, but all the characters fell flat for me. I wish the author would have digged a little deeper into the characters. I read the story, but didn’t really connect to it, and found parts a little far-fetched. This is an easily-read thriller for those who just want to evade from real life and enter someone else’s. It has its twists and turns and a couple of scenes that some readers could find difficult to stomach, but was a fairly quick read.

I thought the book was okay when it started. I thought it was interesting to have a character who couldn’t feel pain and the ways you wouldn’t think it impacted life. Then, as the story progressed, I found myself glued to the book. The ending wasn’t a surprise but it made sense and I think it should have been that person. Some things seem ridiculous and unlikely but I chalked it up to the character not feeling pain and let it go. It was easy to do because I was so sucked in. I simply couldn’t stop listening. I think it was a great mystery read for the times you don’t need an incredible twist but want a fast read that will suck you right in. The ending- the last couple hours- fly by and you’ll find yourself doing whatever you can to keep listening. My house is now really clean 😀

I enjoyed the story and character development in this book but the writing was terrible. There's far too much passive voice, and the sentence structure is weak. If the writing was better, I'd have loved it!

Really liked how this was action packed, and the condition that the MC had was quite intriguing as well! Good plot twists were revealed as well and just when I thought I had it figured it out, I realized I didn't! Great narration as well!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

4/5

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the advanced listening copy!

When six year old Skye disappears from Everglade City, Noa reluctantly returns home to join the search party, despite the fact that she hasn't been back in years and that Skye is the daughter of Noa's ex-boyfriend, Zack, and Taylor, the girl he dumped her for. Noa's experience is even further complicated by her chronic Congenital Insensitivity to Pain, a condition that does not allow her to feel pain/hunger/thirst/urge to urinate/etc. The search for Skye begins with Noa's childhood friend, Jamie, being assaulted by a vagrant, leaving Noa in a vulnerable position. Noa is forced to reconcile with the idea that her childhood friends aren't all what they seem.

This was a really clever idea for a book-- a main character that doesn't feel pain?! Unheard of! Noa's condition made things so much more complicated and, therefore, so interesting. This story took a few very unexpected twists, as well, leaving me reeling at the end. I felt like, overall, there were a few moments with unrealistic coincidences/connections that allowed for chaotic events to take place, which left a bit to be desired. Overall, though, this was a pretty face-paced audiobook and I enjoyed the narrator a lot!

Girls Without Tears by TL Finlay is set in Florida. Already, I know I will feel tense throughout the reading. Noa left her tiny Florida town long ago. Everyone knew everything about her. Because she cannot feel physical pain, she is misunderstood and ostracized by her former neighbors. She only returns when her high school sweetheart. and the woman he dumped her for, are searching for their child, Skye. A child lost near the everglades offers so many possibilities and too many places to search.

The story has as many twists and turns as a small town has secrets. You never know who is dangerous in a child's life until something happens to show you. I found the details of dealing with her medical condition fascinating. The things Noa has to do just to live a normal life are mostly things I would have never considered. For most of the book I wondered if it was really important to the storyline. It's worth it read it in order to find out.

This was my first book by T.L. Finlay and I really enjoyed it! I loved the storyline and the characters. It kept me guessing until the end and I love that in a book. And the audio was wonderful, the narrator did such a good job with voice inflection and she really put life to the characters!

Overall I would definitely recommend Girls Without Tears, and I can’t wait to pick up another book by this author.

Overall, this was an okay read but it just didn't hit right. The premise was good but I felt like it could have been more descriptive at places. I couldn't pull images like I can in a well written story. It started at a quick pace but slowly died off by the end.

Thanks to Netgalley I was able to enjoy the audiobook version of the book. Although I have to admit I did some eye rolling as some parts were a bit over the top the story kept me engaged. I did have my suspicions on who the kidnapper was and wavered a little as the story progressed. You'll have to pick up the book to see if you can figure it out.

I really enjoyed this book! The main character was unique and not just because she a unique medical condition. Noa is the "one that got away," the one that got out of her small town and never looked back. She made a life for herself but soon those angsty teen years are calling her back home when a child goes missing.
I loved the feel of the book and the characters, some who grew up and some who didn't. I will totally be looking for more books by T. L. Finlay for sure!

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

This did keep me second guessing throughout! I loved all of the characters, and had an interesting story line. The narrator was great as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a little slow moving and at moments it was difficult to connect to what was happening as much of the book tended to focus on Noa’s condition. Yet as the book progressed the story did become more intriguing and it was difficult to determine who kidnapped Sky. The ending had a good and interesting twist.

"When six-year-old Skye disappears from Everglades City, Noa is hesitant to return to her hometown to help with the search effort. Skye is the daughter of Noa’s ex, Zack, and Taylor, the girl he dumped her for. Going home also means facing the townspeople who have always misunderstood Noa’s medical condition, Congenital Insensitivity to Pain, and dealing with more of their ignorant comments."

This book was a pretty typical mystery/thriller with lot of twists and turns along the way. What made this one stand out was that the main character has CIPA. I was not familiar with this condition and it certainly added another layer on top of the twist and turns.
I thought that Noa was a well written character that detailed the struggles of living with CIPA. I did find it somewhat frustrating that she was often made out to be confusing reality; this storyline didn't seem to fit with how Noa was portrayed to the reader and wasn't necessary to the overall story.
I did guess the kidnapper pretty early in the story, but there were definitely additional twists that I didn't see coming. Overall this was an enjoyable read. If you're looking for a fun mystery/thriller that is told from a unique perspective (someone with CIPA) that includes twists, turns, and some revisited high school drama - then this one is for you!

⭐⭐⭐💫(3.5)

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook.
On sale now!

This book follows Noa, as she returns to her small town home in the Florida everglades. She got a phone call that her ex-boyfriends daughter has gone missing. Skye (6-year-old) is the daughter of not only her ex-boyfriend, but also the daughter of the woman he left her for. Going home brings up all sorts of painful memories and demons long left buried from her past.

This book is SO GOOD! SO GOOD!

This book kept you guessing till the very end. You are convinced it's one way, but then maybe it's not. Is she unreliable? Or can you trust her? Does her condition affect her memory? There are so many questions. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. Honestly, till the very end. The last chapter. Is he real or not!?!

I want to go on and on about this book. This would be such a good book for a book club! There are so many twists and turns. HIGHLY Recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley & Dreamscape media for the ARC audiobook
Thank you to T.L. Finlay for writing this twisted but spectacular book
Thank you to Tara Sands for using your voice to bring this book to life. Holy Wow! You did spectacularly!!! You could physically feel the anguish and the terror! Amazing Work!

Six-year-old Skye disappears in Everglades City, Florida, and it makes national news as the days add up and she remains missing. After receiving a bunch of missed texts and calls from her parents, Noa finally clues in that Skye is her ex-Zack’s daughter with Taylor, the women he left her for. Despite their rough parting, Noa decides to temporarily leave her cush life in Miami to help in the search for Skye.

When Noa returns to the tiny town of Everglades City, she is quickly reminded why she left. Diagnosed with congenital insensitivity to pain as a child, she had an awkward childhood. Unlike other kids, Noa had to be reminded to go to the bathroom well past elementary school. She couldn’t tell when she was hungry or if she injured herself, which meant most sports were off the table. Zack, who was very popular, helped her fit in in a small-minded community, but memories are long and she returns to the ignorant comments she left behind ten years before.

As the days drag on and Skye is still missing, Noa quickly becomes increasingly becomes involved in the search for her and it turns violent as the cops find a vagrant suspected of holding Skye hostage. The more she gets involved, the more ugly secrets are revealed and Noa is left wondering who to trust.

Overall the storyline was interesting, especially Noah’s condition and how it impacted her life; however, the characters all fell a little flat for me. If you need a fast paced read this will do it, but I wish the author would have digged a little deeper into the characters. I read the story, but didn’t really connect to it, and found parts a little far-fetched.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and T.L. Finlay for the advanced audiobook. Girls Without Tears is out now. All opinions are my own.

This was my first read by T. L. Finlay, and I am a fan! I loved everything about this book: the plot, the characters, and the narrator. I can't wait to enjoy another book by this author.