2 stars

I'm a little bit disappointed with this book because it has everything I usually love in this type of books but... I don't know if it was the weird and, at times, cringey plot and narration or the fact that I didn't root or liked Hannah, our main character, that my enjoyment was very low.
Also... this book made me root for the killer, aka the supposed "bad person," and I don't know how to feel about that.

Overall, this was not my favorite.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an early edition of The Protégé by Jody Gehrman. I listened to the Audiobook which was narrated by Cindy Kay; Jess Nahikian. Both narrators did an excellent job. The author told the story from the protagonist’s (Hannah) point of view and the antagonist’s (Winter) point of view, in a back-and-forth manner. Hannah reminded be of Dr. Temperance Brennan from the TV show Bones, who is socially awkward and at home with her bones, as Hannah is a forensic anthropologist just like Dr. Brennan.

This is the story of a woman who feels as though she has been wronged and sets out to get even with the responsible person, Hannah. The author takes a long time to reveal exactly what happened to Winter and for Hannah to figure out who is responsible, which causes the story to be a little slow. About ¾ of a way through, I was losing interest. I pushed through and the ending was as one would expect. There is a little bit of a love story woven into this story. The story was entertaining, but would not be the top of the list of books to select.

This was an okay mystery. The characters were really well written and I loved how “quirky” Dr Hannah was I found her really fun and liked her POV a lot. However the mystery itself lacked something and felt unrealistic and confusing. I did think the writing was amazing but the plot itself just didn’t really work for me.

I really wanted to like this book. The plot sounded interesting. similar to the show with character Temperance Brennan. I unfortunately did not find it a very good fit, maybe I went in with too many expectations.

This book was good! I enjoyed it and wanted more! A solid 4 star read for me! I would recommend this to my followers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the alc of this book.

This story follows dual POVs of an anthropology professor, Dr. Hannah Bryers and her TA, Winter Jones. Both Hannah and Winter are strong female characters but are unlikeable which did not keep me vested in either character throughout the story.

The narrator did a great job of alternating voices, which to me is a big plus when following an audio. I usually like stories set around the academic setting, but this was just good for me, not overly memorable. 3.5 Stars

THE PROTÉGÉ by Jodi Gehrman was DEFINITELY MY KINDA STORY!
Meet Hannah, uptight, sterile forensic anthropologist and professor at little Mad River University in Northern California. This lady is seriously dedicated to anatomy; can’t even see someone smile without listing which muscles are involved. She is also in a semi friends with benefits relationship with her tenant, Joe.
Meet Lynch, a scientist involved in robotics and AI at same said college, married to an ice princess and someone Hannah really doesn’t like.
Meet Winter, Hannah’s TA who seems totally devoted in her and is in a fiery relationship with Mr. Right Now. She harbors dark secrets and hurts from long past.
Meet Brannigan, local sheriff who just seems disgusted by all of them.
Oh, and did I mention the bodies?
Hannah’s seemingly perfect life begins to quickly unravel just as she is set to attain tenure at Mad River. Things start happening…big things, dangerous things, public things. As she races to uncover what is happening, she is repeatedly called on the carpet of the college president. This puts her tenure at risk. As Hannah’s suspect list shrinks, she learns more about each of the people in her life.
When her best friend starts seeing her tenant, it seems she has no one to turn to. Then she realizes that someone has been reaching out all this time with a hand extended in help.
I REALLY enjoyed this book. I can only imagine the research that went into all the muscle, tendon, etc. descriptions. I actually looked up the author to see if she was indeed a forensic anthropologist! This will NOT be my last Jodi Gehrman title. I have found ANOTHER NEW AUTHOR! Oh boy!

Testing audiobook title chapters for The Protege on behalf of the publisher Dreamscape Media. This was a test

Dr. Hannah Bryers, professor of anthropology, has her life turned upside down when one of her teaching assistants seeks revenge and her reputation is sullied beyond repair. I found the plot enjoyable, if not entirely unique. Cindy Kay did a great job of narrating and she was easy to listen to. I wish there had been more of a mystery or twist, but still an entertaining read.

Interesting! I loved the premise and was a big fan of the awkward, maybe a little on the spectrum, lead Dr. Hannah Bryers. I could read a whole series of books about her as a forensics expert and her quirky thought process! I did not love the other lead character, Winter. The story had exciting promise, but I am giving it 3 stars due to the fact that Winter is so unlikable. As smart as Winter is portrayed, I don’t believe this is who she would exact her revenge on out of all people who would have been involved in her past. Also, the romantic interests felt too convenient and just a distraction for me throughout the book. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC! I would love to follow up with Dr. Bryers in the future and dig into another mystery with her!

Thanks #netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this story even if it was a little over the top. Highly recommend.

A socially awkward teacher, a gifted student, a brilliant explorer of AI... and murder.

What could go wrong?

Honestly, the mystery here was fairly well expressed, if not a bit overly convoluted. Early on, it seemed that Gehrman wasn't absolutely sure where this cast of characters would lead, but eventually the way was found, culminating in a slightly obvious, yet cathartic showdown.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🎧 ALC Review 🎧

The first few chapters of The Protégé read like Bones fan fiction. I almost stopped reading, but I decided to power through—this book deserved a second chance!

The quirky, brilliant, socially awkward protagonist, Dr. Hannah Bryers, is a masterful anthropology professor and forensics expert at the prestigious Mad River University. The neurodivergent representation was refreshing!

The dual narrative between Hannah and her TA, Winter Jones, allows for an interesting storytelling that takes the reader/listener on a thrilling adventure. Winter's devious plans to destroy Hannah stem from a childhood loss, and she will stop at nothing to see her professor pay. Winter robs Hannah of her reputation, her job, her friendships, and her sense of purpose. Will it end there?

Overall, Jody Gehrman offers her readers an interesting thriller. Although engaging, it did miss the mark for me a bit. I would rate this a 3.5☆ book rounding up to 4.

Gehrman is also a playwright, with some of her work produced in Ashland, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and L.A. Although not my favorite novel, The Protégé did peak my interest, and I may peruse some of her other literary creations.

Thank you @dreamscape_media and @netgalley for the advanced copy of this audio adaption.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to listen to this audiobook before publication.

This is my first listen from Jody Gehrman. Honestly when it started I wasn't a super big fan of our main character, but then the more I listened to her story unfold I realized that she went from being someone I despised and formed into this strong female character that by the end of the listen I was rooting for. Her story and the way the author wove in the story of Winter and the destruction Winter caused in the lives of others really mesmerized me I would say after my first initial hesitation. The characters grew, the story moved I would say at a good clip and boom the ending was fantastic.

My only dislike was that I wish I could have gotten more of Winters story.

All in all it was a great listen, and one I would recommend. The narration was spot on and the voice acting was superb. 3.5 stars

An atmospheric thriller with a fantastic narrator. The story was told in alternating POVs, and the narrator did a great job distinguishing the two voices. I was never lost during the book, wondering which character was being portrayed!

A solid academia thriller with a great plot twist towards the end! I loved the main character, Dr Hannah Bryers, especially the total quirkiness of her character! I would recommend reading it as an audio book, given the wonderful narrator!

Thanh you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Entertaining and well-narrated, the main character will particularly appeal to fans of TV's Temperance Brennan. A recommended purchase for collections where campus thrillers are popular.

This was a great listen!! I loved the pace and the story kept me guessing and wondering what was going to happen next. The characters were well-developed and it was easy to picture the setting. I really liked this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jody Gehrman for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC audiobook for The Protégé. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own. 

Dr. Hannah Bryers is an anthropology professor and forensics expert at the prestigious Mad River University. She enjoys examining the bodies of murder victims, but would rather not make small talk with the living.

Winter Jones is Hannah’s most promising graduate student. She’s smart, sophisticated and driven, but she has another agenda for going to Mad River: to take revenge on Hannah Bryers. She’ll do anything to ruin her life and career. In alternating narratives, Winter steals from Hannah the things she values most: her reputation, her job and her wellbeing. 

When mistakes are made in her lab, Hannah has no idea who would try to sabotage her and would be willing to risk students’ lives. As the incidents become deadly, many suspects come about. She has to figure out who is trying to ruin her career and killing people.

The description made it feel like it was a dark and fun revenge story on someone who probably deserved it. I usually love books set in the school setting. This one didn’t work for me. There were a lot of cringe moments with the dialogue. I’m not sure how Winter got away with it for so long. Since it was revealed early that she was the killer, there wasn’t really much of a place to go from there. I also didn’t really enjoy Hannah’s character. She didn’t seem to have much of a personality. I guess she was supposed to be meticulous and focused on her work, but something felt off and it was hard to get a sense of her character. There was only one man in the story. I can’t remember his name, but some of the dialogue between him and Hannah seemed odd. The ending felt obvious. I just wasn’t feeling it.

I wanted to like this one so badly because it's such a cool plot but I just really struggled with it. Neither main character is likeable and it the pretentiousness made it even more difficult.

This was weird. The narration was spot on. I somewhat hated all the characters but I don't think we were supposed to like them. It was a good listen. I was surprised there in the end.