Thank you to Netgalley and Camcat members audio for allowing me to listen to an ARC of this audio book.

This book interested me as it took on the theme of TV reality shows, the seduction, the promise, and the reality of these shows. The story is told by two women, in alternating chapters; two women who have been friends for ten years, meeting originally in Alcoholics Anonymous. One of the women, Reese, is a hopeless romantic and easily seduced into attending a singles retreat called Last Chance. When she disappears, her friend, Ann, a no-nonsense attorney, goes looking for her.

The book is fast-paced, the ending is not a surprise, and all one suspects about these shows have proven to be true (hopefully without any malfeasance). There is nothing exceptional about the book or the story. The narrators, Lisa Larsen and Emily O’Brien-each one narrating for one of the women-are quite good.

So if you are looking for a fast-paced, keep-you-awake book about women and friendship and things that go bump in the night, this might be the book for you.

Pretty good read. Enjoyed the storyline and it was well narrated. I really kept wondering if some things were real or not, but the ending summed it all up.

Was shocked to find out this book was a debut novel. It had me hooked from the beginning, was well written, and was honestly tons of fun! I love watching shows from The Bachelor franchise and I loved the inspiration pulled from there. The setting felt like an upscale bachelor in paradise! Both main characters who narrated were likable and complex and the pace was quick and exciting. I listened to this book on audio and felt it was really well done as well. As a warning, this book is a bit dark/heavy so be warned, but I would absolutely recommend to lovers of thrillers/mysteries!

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down! I was intrigued throughout the entire story and had to know how it was going to end! Reality shows, bizarre private island, missing best friend, questionable characters, weird coincidences... I loved the entire premise. This would make a great movie! I highly recommend this book for a fun thriller read.

I enjoyed most of the story but had a hard time with some of the dumb decisions that the main characters made. I did like the setting and the friendships, both good and bad, that they made. I thought that the Island and the reason for them to be there was an interesting idea.

This story is about two friends, Anne and Reese. Their lives crossed paths as a result of addiction to alcohol…..AA brought them together.  Their personalities couldn’t be more polar opposite but their commitment to sobriety and friendship kept their relationship strong.
   Reese, the perpetual romantic, is always looking the Mr. Right but seems to find his evil twin in all her relationships. Anne's affair with alcohol ruined a long time relationship and she is now sober and focusing on being a lawyer and out of the dating scene.
   Reese is one of ten women and ten men who have been invited to a month long dating adventure to possibly meet their perfect partner. But Reese doesn’t contact Anne when she returns from the island and Anne becomes worried. A video from the airport shows what looks like Reese returning but Anne is not convinced.
   Anne then wrangles an invitation to the island to find her friend under the guise of meeting her perfect mate and that’s when it all gets wonky. Phones are confiscated, specific clothes are provided, alcohol flows very freely and their days are all preplanned.
   Besides being a captivating mystery storyline, it’s an interesting peek into the reality shows and just how real they really are

Thanks to NetGalley and CamCat Books for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Reese, a hopeless romantic, goes to a dating retreat on a private island in Hawaii. When she doesn't return, her friend and AA sponsee Ann goes looking for her. The story alternates between Reese and Ann's time at the retreat and them in the past.

Narration was well done.

I know a reader should not judge a book by the cover, but to be honest, I was drawn to this book because of the cover.

BENEATH THE MARIGOLDS is a story told in the alternating voices of Reese and Anne, sponsor and sponsee from AA, who have become very good friends. The setting, for the majority of the book, is a beautiful, private island near Hawaii. The chapters alternate between Reese and Anne, each telling their own story of time spent on the island.
ook to r
I listened to the audiobook. The narrators, Lisa Larsen and Emily O'Brien were wonderful. I believe it is so much easier to follow the flow of an audiobook, especially when the book focuses on two main characters, to have more than one narrator. Each chapter was identified by the character telling their story, however, it can be easily forgotten as you get more involved in the plot line. Having the two different voices, helped me to keep the characters and their interactions with others clear.

Excellent book. Highly recommended as a beach read, or even better as a book to read during the winter in anticipation of a nice warm day at the beach.

When Ann takes off to the Last Chance singles' retreat, she's hoping to find out what happened to her BFF, Reese, who has gone missing. What she discovers is a tangled mess of lies and relationships, past and present. Told in the voices of Ann and Reese, this novel is engaging and unpredictable. The alternating perspectives kept me wanting more, and just when I thought I had it figured out, another monkey wrench would be thrown in the plot. An enjoyable, easy read for a weekend escape.

This was a fun and entertaining audiobook. Told in dual timelines and two points of view, it was an easy listen and I had no problem switching from one POV to the other.

Reese is a young woman who has been unlucky in love. She is a romantic and is always looking for Mr. Right. Reese received a brochure from “Last Chance”, a secluded island retreat offering introductions to men who might be just right for you!!

Reese is a recovering alcoholic and immediately has problems with the retreat offering, almost pushing, alcoholic drinks at the get togethers and dates. She begins to have her doubts about what is going on when some things just don’t add up. Her POV is in the past tense.

The second point of view is that of Ann, in the present time. Ann Stone was invited to the retreat but she is a more self assured woman, a lawyer, and not at all a romantic like her friend Reese. She declined Reese’s offer that they attend together!

Their connection is strong because Reese introduced Ann to AA and it’s because of her that she has changed her life.

When Reese doesn’t return from the retreat Ann is immediately suspicious that something has gone wrong.

Ann decides the only way to find out what is going on is to attend the retreat herself!! WHAT SHE FINDS IS SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY!!

PROS:
Easy listen with good narration from Lisa Larsen and Emily O’Brien
Fast paced mystery that held my attention
Characters that were well described
The ending was a good one and left me feeling satisfied

CONS:
I found it a bit hard to believe that mature women would go along with the “rules” at “Last Chance”.
They were made to dress in seductive clothing, their make up was done for them and every single encounter between the guests was overseen by “guards”
I thought it was pretty obvious, early on, that things were not right.
The ending was hinted at as Ann considered the possibilities of what might actually be going on

I liked the idea of two very different women who had found a connection through their resolve to stop their alcohol addiction and this is a theme throughout the book.

An easy listen with a good mystery.

I received an audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to listen to and review this audiobook.

I love that this audiobook had 2 different women playing the 2 main characters, it helped to keep the back and forth straight. This book not only had a twist at the end, it sprinkles them in the middle, as well. Ann and Reese are friends from AA and when Reese disappears, only Ann is concerned. Reese goes to a singles retreat and doesn't return home. Ann must find out if there's an innocent explanation or did something sinister occur. Ann decides to go to the retreat to find her friend and nothing is what it seems. I love how this book keeps the reader guessing. The 2 women voicing the Ann and Reese do a wonderful job.

Thank you Emily C Whitson, NetGalley and CamCat Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Ann Stone's best friend, Reece, is missing. After going to a private island off the coast of Hawaii for a singles' retreat, Reese has disappeared completely. As an attorney, Ann is calling in all her favors attempting to find Reece to no avail. As a last ditch effort, she joins the next session at the retreat to look for answers. Did Reece run off with a new man? Is this some kind of new reality show and she is just hiding, waiting for the premiere? Or did something really bad happen to her? In order to find out what happens to Reece, Ann goes on the singles' retreat to search for information.

I got seriously sucked into this book. I loved Ann's no nonsense attitude and her unfailing loyalty toward her friend. I was pretty sure I knew what happened to Reese the whole time, but there were several possibilities and it was never a sure bet. A fantastic debut novel.

Thank you NetGalley and CamCat Books Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks, for accepting my request to audibly read and review Beneath the Marigolds.

Author: Emily C. Whitson
Narrators: Lisa Larsen and Emily O’Brien
Published: 09/21/21
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) -- Mysteries & Thrillers

A surprise sleeper? Upon writing this I see it was published in 2021. Outlining the story would have been fun to me. Basically, there is a retreat where you could potentially find love. However, things are off. It occurs to a guest that she may be part of a reality show and wasn't told. Within pages I found myself seeing evidence.

The narrators were both good. They did their job.

The story is pretty good, a unique concept, that gets a little convoluted towards the end, and receives 3 stars. If I didn't feel like the author added the profanity after being told to add in an additional 100 or so words, I would have gone 3.5 and rounded up. The profanity took away from a clever adventure.

Does anyone read and ask where is the swearing?

This was a fantastic audiobook.
I listened to it in a couple of days. It was thrilling, with so much intrigue and drama as you read.
It follows the story of Ann, whose friend Reese Marigold has gone missing after attending a retreat for single people. Ann decides to also go to the retreat and gain information as to what happened to Reese.
The dual timelines is used perfectly, as we hear chapters from Reese in the leadup to her disappearance, and Ann weeks later. I love reading books with dual timelines, as long as they are clear and not confusing, like this one.
The narrators were excellent, although have similar voices to each other, so if I missed the start of the chapter, it would be a little jarring to work out which character was speaking.
The ending was a real surprise, but very well thought out.
I really enjoyed it, and it is a remarkable debut.

Delightfully engaging book (and especially timely subject). Author excels in character development, dialogue and particularly when writing descriptions. It is incredibly easy to get drawn into this story and escape your own reality as you view the described opulence of the location and participants. Whether you are a fan of reality shows or not, this author delivers a knock-out of a novel, and it is so easy to quickly get drawn in to the story, the individual characters and the main mystery as you join the main character in attempting to uncover the location of her best friend, and why she went missing so shortly after taking part in a "once in a lifetime" reality show. I would happily read any novel this author writes. Both the author and narrator did an outstanding job of weaving a mystery that one quickly becomes emotionally invested in, with considerable thrills along the way that make you hold your breath and cross your fingers while you cheer the main character on in her pursuit to find out what really HAPPENED regarding the fate of her best friend. As always, many thanks to Netgalley for proving me with a copy of this audiobook as I discovered another talented author - definitely one to watch as she continues providing us with new worlds to imagine any mysteries to untangle.

This was a really good debut and I look forward to more books by this author! A little Bachelor in Paradise and White Lotus. After her friend disappears on a singles retreat Ann decides to go undercover to the same retreat and find out what happened to her. I found that both of these women were in recovery interesting but felt their shame was a little odd. Ann finds everything at this retreat to be a bit sketchy and the more questions she asks the more she realizes things aren’t adding up, what is this place? Is there more here than meets the eye? I don’t want to give too much away so will leave the reveal for you to find!

Narrated by Lisa Larsen and Emily O’Brien both did a good job at our 2 main characters.

This was a new author and new narrators and I enjoyed all of them I look for more from this author.

3 ½ Stars

I received this book from the publisher CamCat Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks and NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

Loved this book. It was interesting and the characters were relatable. The twist at the end was unexpected but flowed with the story

Beneath the Marigolds, by Emily C Whitson, is the almost more realistic, suspenseful version of reality TV. The story kept me riveted from beginning to end and enjoyed learning the main characters' stories. The narrator, Lisa Larson, helps pull you in and keep you interested.
Reese and Ann Stone have been friends since they met, years ago, in AA. Though incredibly different, they've been through everything together. So when Reese seemingly disappears after going away to a singles retreat, Ann knows she must look for her.
Ann heads to the retreat, as it's the last place that Reese was seen. As soon as she arrives she starts to realize that something very odd is going on. There are the questions that are repeated in different ways, the odd mealtimes, no eating while on dates and the wardrobe & makeup.
Ann starts to suspect that this isn't a retreat but a reality show. If that's so, could that means that Reese is fine but needs to hide out until the show's premier? She's having a hard time believing that her friend would willingly scare those who love her, though.

I received this book from the publisher through netgalley.com I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Ann still beats herself up over her behavior when she was drinking but she is sober now, with the help of her good friend Reese. However, Reese is now missing, she was last seen at a singles retreat in Hawaii. Reese was always the romantic one believing in love where Ann is more jaded. However, Ann knows that in order to find out what happed to Reese she needs to attend the singles retreat. So with the help of her friend Honey, she boards a plane and heads to Hawaii.

Told in alternating chapters. You learn about Reese's time on the island and watch as Ann with the help of some people in her law firm discover what is happening on the island.

The narrator was amazing really drawing you into the story and the duel narratives really helped bring the story together.

BENEATH THE MARIGOLDS by Emily C Whitson, narrated by Lisa Larson & Emily O'Brien was a suspense filled read!

Ann is worried about her friend and AA sponsor, Reese Marigold when she disappears after attending an exclusive singles retreat on a remote island near Hawaii. Reese tried to get Ann to go with her, but Ann is not the hopeless romantic that Reese is. That independence has to be hidden when Ann decides to check into this resort on her own to look onto Reese's disappearance. The structured set up and emphasis on appearances seem to indicate this retreat is more than what it says. As Ann puts the pieces together and talks to other participants, she gets closer and closer to the answers, and the same danger.

This story is told through Ann's current perspective and Reese's previous point of view. I felt like Reese had a bit of a sad story and didn't love her need for a man in her life. I also realized that this is real for some and how Ann dealt with it was balancing in the story. Ann's strength and determination to find out what was going on without succumbing to the pressures to couple up was fun! This ended up being a bit deeper than I thought it would be and I enjoyed it.

The dual narration was really helpful for the two voices. They each captured the characters inner turmoil and strengths. I listened at 1.75X and it was great!

Thank you to NetGalley and Camcat Books for the opportunity to listen to this story. It is available now!