I really enjoyed this audiobook as it was a slow burn. I discovered Natalie Barelli on GoodReads and read two of her books, so it was great to read her latest novel. The protagonist has so much angst and vulnerability, it adds a lot to the read. It's part thriller and part cozy mystery and it captivated me until the very end.. The narrator also does an excellent job bringing the story to life. The narrator performance distinguished characters so well that I began to form an image of them throughout the book.

Much thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an Advanced Review Copy.

This story was frustratingly mad. Whose soon to be ex-wife actually comes to stay with you and your current fiance and child? In what world? The book seemed to be more about the MC seemingly losing her mind and acting out than her actually wanting to save her stepdaughter. It was weird and kind of disappointing. I'd try this author again though.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return of my honest review.

Laura is engaged to Jack and is helping him raise his young daughter, Charlie, since her mom has been mostly out of the picture. Jack recently lost his job and is still looking for work. Charlie has been having behavioral issues since her mom, Bronwyn, left to relocate to Italy with her new husband. All of a sudden Bronwyn decides to come for an extended visit and wants to stay at Laura and Jack's house. As you can see, that is the perfect set up for a whole bunch of drama.

This book is full of unlikable adult characters, I didn't care for any of them. I did, however, feel bad for Charlie being a pawn in the middle of all of their nonsense. While <b>Unforgivable</b> is a quick and entertaining listen, it won't necessarily be a memorable one. You just have to kind of go along for the ride and don't overthink it. Laura makes some very questionable decisions and the ending was a bit over the top for me, but I enjoyed this author's previous book that I read, and while I didn't love this one, I didn't hate it, so I will continue to check out her work. 3 stars.

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

Becoming a stepmother is the best thing that ever happened to me. My favorite part of every day is picking Charlie up from school, watching her little rucksack bounce behind her as she skips over for a hug. I love the feel of those thin freckled arms around my waist. After a few rocky months of panic attacks when her mother deserted her, Charlie is flourishing. But the day Charlie’s mother Bronwyn returns without warning—showering Charlie with gifts and making promises she can’t keep—fear ripples through me.

When I raise my concerns, no one wants to listen. I know I sound like the jealous new wife, but nothing is more important to me than Charlie’s safety. Me and Bronwyn have history. We both have dark secrets in our past, and I know the dangerous lengths she will go to get what she wants. But Bronwyn doesn’t know me as well as I know her. She doesn’t know just how far I will go to protect that little girl.

This book was definitely a twisty ride full of unlikable characters, jealousy, button pushing, and just pure craziness with an ending that made my mouth drop! I did find some things very hard to believe and of course this kind of story has been done before, but this was still extremely entertaining and very well written. I really liked the dual timelines as it gives that bit of insight into Bronwyn and Laura's friendship. However, one character I wanted to see more of was Summer. She actually plays a very important roll and didn't see enough of her to fully bring that side of her character to life. The twists and turns, and figuring out what's real and what's not makes for a really fun read. Every time I was certain I had figured out what was happening, something changed. So, if you like a good psychological thriller which will put you at the edge of the seat like a drama between two women, then this book is one for you. I will definitely checking out more books by this author.

Oh no. This is not for me. If you don't have a girl code or have a problem with a married man affair this book is for you. Right away I didn't care. I didn't have anyone to root for and I didn't like anyone. The primary male character was a loser the whole book. I can't find a job has never been a pill I would swallow, and I'm not buying it in a story either. In addition to the excessive whining wanting his ex to have her way.

The narrator is okay.

There is a child involved in the main story, and I did like how she had a nonbiological person putting her first, loving her, and wanting the best for her. I'm not sure I've seen that in a book before. Not all the actions were realistic, but the author took the road less travelled and I appreciated it.

Overall, this was okay. It wasn't a waste of my time, it just wasn't a favorite.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for accepting my request to read and review Unforgivable.

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

This was so good- it feels like a bit of a slow burn at first but then it picks up and before you even know it you're on a WILD ride. I changed my mind on what I thought happened about 5 times throughout, such good twists. The narrator was amazing as well.

This started off kind of slow for me but once he story started taking place and picked up speed I hooked. There is all sorts of crazy going on and who you like is crazy turns out not to be. And just when you think you figured it out BAM! you're wrong.

LOVE an unreliable narrator and this did not disappoint. There's a lot of craziness in this book, and I struggled to decide who was sane and who was out there!

Laura is living with her fiancé Jack and his adorable daughter, Charlie. She loves being Charlie's stepmother and would do anything for her. Charlie’s absent mother, Bronwyn, decides on the spur of the moment to come for Charlie's birthday and announces she will be staying with Laura & Jack.
Laura and Bronwyn don't get along well, and Laura suspects there is more to Bronwyn's visit.

Bronwyn arrives without her boyfriend. She is supposed to sign the final divorce papers while there, but keep sputting that off. Laura convinces herself that Bronwyn is trying to get Jack back and begins a crusade to stop it!

It is hard to know who to trust, who is telling the truth and you will be shaking your head a lot.
And the ending will blow your mind!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review!

I made it through about 20% of this audiobook and I just cannot get into the story. It just honestly is is not keeping my attention at all. I have read other books by the author that I loved this one is taking way too long to get into a suspense storyline.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Natalie Barelli for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book!! The characters, plot, details.... all wonderful. You will instantly love Charlie and all her charm. Laura's character was so relatable to me personally. As a mom and stepmom, I know what ends I'll go to in order to protect my children. I have had to deal with the narcissistic behavior from my stepchild's mom as well as my daughters' dad, and Natalie Barelli captured this behavior perfectly. Her writing is fantastic and I cannot wait to read more of her books. The narrator, Jennifer Jill Araya, is also fantastic! I would love to hear more of her narrations! I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a psychological, domestic thriller that is fun, twisted, dark, and all-around wonderful.

Wow! This book was so fun. I have been on a lucky streak lately with such great choices with my audiobooks. I’m loving it. This was another fantastic domestic thriller that had me guessing from beginning to end. The narrator for this was amazing too. I really liked her a lot. But this book was twisty, clever, fun and suspenseful. The main character, Laura, was such a relatable person too. She was your average everyday girl always thinking in her head the way any girl would. I just loved her. And Jennifer Jill Araya, the narrator, really brought her character and the others to life too. Again, she was great!
I went into this book blindly. I have never read any Natalie Barelli’s books before, so I didn’t know what to expect. I only knew about it her because Freida McFadden said she likes reads her books. So of course, I had to check her out. 😉 And I tell ya, Freida was not wrong. I loved this book so much. Natalie Barelli’s writing style so easy to read and unique. This will definitely not be the last book I read/listen to of hers.
I want to thank NetGalley for this opportunity to listen to this audiobook. It was fantastic.
It’s a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this magnificent psychological thriller. The narration was wonderful and I couldn't stop listening. The story is filled with twists, upon twists, upon twists! It definitely keeps you thinking.

This was a nice little read but no big surprises. Who really is paranoid is the question that ran through my mind. The narrator had a nice voice.

At first, Laura seriously irked me. She was the typical naive MC that believed everything everyone told her. It actually almost made me DNF this audiobook. But, about 50% of the way through, Laura grew a spine! It actually became an enjoyable listen for me.

I didn’t however expect the ending at all. Without spoilers, I thought for sure I knew who was messing with Laura, but I actually did not.

It was a satisfying ending, so it also has that going for it. Over all, definitely recommend a listen.

psychological, thriller, suspense, twisted, relationship-issues, family-drama, family-dynamics****

If you want a psychological thriller that draws you in and keeps you enthralled whether you can respect any of the characters or not, this one fills the bill.
Jennifer Jill Araya has narrated several other books that I have, and she is a delight to listen to because of her interpretation of the characters as well as the tone of her voice.
I requested and received a free temporary audio from Dreamscape Media via NetGalley.

Excellent narrator! I loved the story from the beginning but found myself really annoyed at Laura. Laura was scheduled to marry Jack and she was prepared to take on Charlie, Jack's daughter, as her own. Laura was successful in her own right and took on all of the parenting responsibilities. She loved Charlie. But Jack... he's a jerk. He didn't offer Laura anything to stay for. He drank, was rude and a bully. Laura walked on eggshells around him. Laura furthered annoyed me when she entertained Jack's ex-wife's visit. She ran errands for her, cooked for her and put up with her nasty attitude. Jack kept brushing off Laura's concerns. If it weren't for Charlie, Laura would have left. Somehow, Jack always came crawling back making Laura think she was losing it. Typical gaslighting. I loved how twisty the plot was and how it unraveled. All in all a great book.

This novel is full of twists and turns. A little gaslighting and the power an ex wife can hold over her previous family. An ending that was explosive. Imagine living your dream life with your fiancée and his little girl Charlie, and one day the ex wife shows up unexpectedly.

Browyn shows up in their life and begins to want contact with her daughter and showers her with gifts. Charlie is torn as her mother is very controlling. What can you do as the soon to be stepmom? Laura's fiancée is making excuses for his ex wife, does he really want to move forward?

Loved this audio book! The narrator did an excellent job voicing the different characters. This is a psychological domestic thriller. I really didn't know what was going on until the end!

Laura is engaged to Jack and helping him to raise his beautiful daughter. Unfortunately for Laura, everyone loves Bronwyn, Jack's ex. Laura can't help but be jealous and frustrated when Jack agrees to let his soon to be ex-wife (and Laura's former best friend) stay with them to celebrate their daughters birthday. Who doesn't love a book where you just simmer because a character is SUCH a jerk? I yelled at the book and told the characters they were being naive MORE than once but in the end I devoured this book.

I loved watching sweet Laura go from a gas lit girlfriend to a strong mama bear.

I was given the chance to listen to this audio and I absolutely loved it. The narrators voice was wonderful and so clear. Mothers , step mother in one house is one heck of a ride . How far would you go to get back your family ? How hard would you go to keep the family you worked so hard for. If you want to find out how Laura manages to do what’s best for her family you must read this book .