Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for accepting my request to audibly read and review Other People's Secrets.

Author: Meredith Hambrock
Published: 09/06/22
Narrator: Frankie Corzo
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

Initially I questioned the choice of narrator. I couldn't connect and something felt off. I reread the synopsis and I started to understand. Baby, the main character is a resident of a seasonal resort. Hambrock in this her debut novel does a really good job with the financial and social class descriptions of her characters. Baby is at the lowest end of the scale. Thus, Corzo performs as such. She is loud, not soft spoken, etc.

There are the usual family dramas, stranger confrontations, crooked law enforcement officers, as well as the nosey and keep their heads in the sand neighbors. Everyone has a part to play. There were a lot of heartbreaking, gut-wrenching parts that Baby experienced by adults,. She wasn't likable until suddenly she was. I found myself annoyed with everyone in the book and people in my real life for her treatment.

Imagine being handed a riddle, knowing if you solve it, there is an inheritance or is there? Another cruel joke potentially? A ticket for anything you want or a do not pass go card. Other People's Secrets has it all.

I look forward to more from Hambrook, and I do desire that she reconsiders the use of profanity and realizes it cheapens her talents.

Finally, while I liked the book, I did not like the late-teen being addressed as Baby. I cringed every time.

This is a 3.5 star book from me, the profanity and not dropping Baby for her given name, and one unmentionable sister as a potential spoiler, I am not rounding up.

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

Baby was a very annoying main character at points. She was very childish and needed to grow up, but thinking of the circumstances of her life it is understandable that she was so immature. This book was interesting because of the cast of characters and how they interacted with each other.

When I first started listening to this book and the backstory of Dumpster Baby, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. Baby is a mess- quite frankly a train wreck that I thought was going to grate on my nerves but surprisingly she didn’t and I soon started to really like Baby, a lot.

Character development in this book was excellent and it really made the book. The other surprise was that this story was unlike one I’ve read before. It was new and unique which is so refreshing. The plot did move along a bit slow but I wasn’t bothered because I liked the characters and their journey. The ending was perfect and exactly what it should be. The narrator was amazing herself which also added to the story and the character of Baby.

I was quite surprised to see this was a debut novel and will definitely be looking for more of Meredith Hambrock’s books in the future. 4 stars!

First off I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review the audiobook version of the story. Unfortunately, it did not stand up too my liking. I did a lot of eye rolling as I did not find the story very believable. It started out strong for me, but fizzled out shortly after. If I'd been smart I would have increased the speed I was listening to it at. It definitely doesn't rate as a mystery or thriller genre for me.

I didn’t love or hate this one. It starts off very promising and I wanted to love it but it’s a bit slow. I felt like I was waiting and waiting for something to happen. The action finally kicks in as you get to the end of the book. The twist does catch me off guard at the end and I loved that about this book. I will try some other books by this author.

Loved this title, even though the ending left me wanting at least a sequel! With a destructive blend of Ozark vibes, the story captures the reader from the very start. While Baby, as a character, drove me completely nuts, her evolution throughout the story was interesting to follow.

I listened to the audio version of Other People’s Secrets by Meredith Hambrock, which was narrated by Frankie Corzo. What a surprise this book turned out to be. It was a little bit all over the place, I mean there was a lot going on, but it was very well written, so it was easy to understand what was going on throughout. Baby is the type of main character you either like or dislike. I did both at different points in the book. She is so unlikeable in the beginning, but her growth in the book, makes you root for her. Fans of mystery and suspense will enjoy this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media, for the advanced audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

OTHER PEOPLE'S SECRETS is a truly fun, wonderfully funny book, with a drunken anti-hero that I fell immediately in love with. Dumpster Baby got her name because, you guessed it, she was born in a dumpster. She drinks and pukes her way through this mystery; I adore her, and she is so disgusting.

She works night shift in a boat house saloon, part of a crumbling waterside resort, in a falling down southern seaside town that no one except drug dealers ever visits. Her only affection is a rich boy, whom she meets every drunken night on his boat: Peter, her passion and her shame, neither of which Baby feels strongly enough to stop meeting him at night or start meeting him during the day. She's perfectly content to let things keep limping along just as they are.

Until the owner of the resort tells everyone she's selling the resort, and then vanishes overnight, and Peter's sharky sister Amelia assumes ownership. Everything starts to change. And Baby realizes that she might have to do something for once--and starts wondering about the integrity of the old, decrepit resort's plumbing system.

You see, Baby makes messes. She's messy. This whole book is a mess, but it's a carefully designed one and a pleasure to read as such. The ending (answer to the mystery) is solid. Star removed because the plot moves a bit slow (but honestly, I didn't mind; I was having too much fun!) Also, just a note about Frankie Corzo, the narrator for this audiobook-- she was perfect for this book! Her voice, and her performance lent a lot, I thought.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the Audio ARC!

Rating 3.5 stars rounded up
Finished Audiobook September 2022
Recommended for fans of mysteries, thrillers, antiheros, drunk capers, inebriated protagonists

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A baby girl is found alive in a dumpster and is named Jane Doe. She is adopted, but her adopted mother dies. Jane, now older, is working at a resort which sold, and Jane and her friends try to sabotage the new owner. The whole book felt meh. I listened to the audiobook which meant it was easier to keep going, but not sure I would have finished this if it were a physical copy. This was a slow paced, slow burn of what I thought was going to be a psychological thriller but ended up being more of a mystery. Jane, also known as Baby, was an annoying character and to me, unlikable. She does have spunk, which I love, but makes some awful decisions. There were other side characters that I wish were developed a bit more. The writing did have a lot of twists and turns which I enjoyed but overall, this book just didn’t do it for me.

Very slow start. The main character is pushing 30 and acts like a teenager. The story picked up toward the end. Domestic abuse and drug use throughout.

Thanks #netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration. I liked this book more than I expected. Excellent concept. Some of the storyline is a little far fetched but not over the top. Recommend.

4/5 stars

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the advanced listening copy!

Jane Doe, also known as the affectionate "dumpster baby," is just that-- a dumpster baby. Found abandoned in a dumpster and taken in by Hannah, judgmental and abrasive alcoholic, Baby hasn't had the easiest or most straight forward life. She's been bartending at the Parrot and scraping by on tips with her friends Crystal and DJ for her entire life. That is, until Hannah dies and Hannah's best friend and the Parrot's owner leaves town. The Parrot plus attached hotel (Oakwood Hills) is purchased by Amelia, sister of Baby's on-again-off-again summer fling, Peter. Soon, Baby and her friends find themselves sabotaging Amelia in hopes of running her out of town, only to find themselves tripped up in drug dealer Bad Mike's path. As expected, chaos ensues.

I unexpectedly enjoyed this one! It started off slow to me and I struggled to connect with the characters. However, once I was about 1/3 of the way in, I was hooked! Baby is so unlikeable that she's likeable. She makes terrible decisions, but you root for her all the same. Her complicated and chaotic life is one for the ages, and the fact that she's made it this far makes you hope that she will make it farther. What I expected to be a tame, coming of age tale turned into a fast-paced, twisty story of friendship, resilience, and drama. A pleasant surprise for sure!

Oakwood Hills has been more than just a place of work for Baby and people living in the surrounding area. And now, since her adoptive mother's passing, it is her place of living. But unexpected news crashed Baby's world. Her beloved resort is under new ownership, and the new owner's plan is to rebrand the good old resort. Baby doesn't share the same hopes for the new kind of business the new owner is planning on bringing to Oakwood Hills, so she takes the matter into her own hands.

I have so many issues with the main character. To me, Baby was extremely unlikeable, a bully, a drunk, and a lawbreaker. Although she had semi-good intentions at heart, her approach to the situation was absolutely awful. I didn't find her actions heroic, and she constantly got herself and her fellow townspeople in trouble. The novel had a promising start but the more I read into it the more annoyed I was with Baby and the storyline. Nevertheless, I would read more novels written by the author. Thank you, NetGalley for a free copy of the novel.

4/5

*Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing a free copy of the audiobook for review purposes.

I really enjoyed the book! It's kind of a mystery, summer read which I wasn't expecting but I loved! Baby is a typical 20-something from a small town, where everyone knows everyone and everything about each other. She's super relatable which made the book more enjoyable.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the sound of the premise!

I couldn't get into the story. I had to listen to the beginning of the book three times. I could see potential in the story it just needs some work. I have to agree that there is still time to rename the main character or at least reduce the amount of times her name is said.

"And now, here's Baby, stuck, 29 years old, eyes closed to the world, waiting for a breath, for a reason, for a slap to the cheek, God, anything, to force her eyes open, to wake the f&ck up."

Jane Doe aka "Dumpster" Baby is a bit of an anti hero protagonist who will leave you screaming at her bad decisions while breaking your heart at her only wanting to belong and be loved for once, in Other People's Secrets by debut novelist Meredith Hambrock.

Baby was found in a dumpster as a newborn and later adopted by fifty something drunk Hannah. She grew up poor, learn to survive by any means possible, and her friends are her found family. When the run down summer resort which is the only place she has ever worked is sold she comes up with a few schemes that are illegal, deadly, and even environmentally dangerous. They range from over flooding toilets to finding sunken treasure to putting her life on the line.

I read and listened to this often endearing coming of age drama and was so impressed by narrator Frankie Corzo bringing the heart of Baby to life. There is a moment when she self deprecatingly says, "You can't arrest me for trespassing in a garbage can, that's my home...I was just visiting my parents," that when I heard it spoken the tears welled up in my eyes.

There is a bit of the classic The Outsiders with names like DJ Overalls and Bad Mike and a sense of a group of lost souls needing each other. There is also a few twists, a lot of crimes, and an ending that had me wanting more Baby in the future and less other people.

I received a free copy of this audiobook/book from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Baby was actually was abandoned in a dumpster when she was a baby. She goes by the name "Dumpster Baby", but is called "Baby" by her friends. She's 29, doesn't hold a steady job, has an on and off rich boyfriend, who won't commit and clearly doesn't speak of her away from the town where she lives.

This story was okay, I think I was just wanting more. It was a super slow start and it took me so long to get invested. The last third was exciting, but getting there took a while. The narrator was great and kept me engaged through the slow parts.

Would definitely check out more by this author.

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

Very good read. Wonderful setting, fun interactions with the characters. I did find the main character frustrating at times and some of her choices were irritating. I did encounter some confusion with her name being Baby throughout the narration - the physical read would use a capitalized name which would not have this issue.

This book was crazy! Hidden treasure, a dumpster baby, an alcoholic adoptive mom, rich assholes, drug kingpins getting out of the slammer....this book had a lot going on but amazingly it really made most of it work. I really don't think it had "too much" going on at all. This story was crazy but so interesting that I definitely didn't want to ever stop listening for long because I kept wanting to know what would happen next. I did think that Baby (short for Dumpster baby, of course, because why not?) could definitely do better than Peter though. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Honestly it was really difficult to get past the main character's name being baby... Otherwise the story was all right