Mallory Goes to Therapy is a novel by Thomas Walton Keech that explores the importance of mental health and the benefits of seeking therapy. The story follows Kevin Mallory, a Customer Assistance Representative, as he navigates his personal and professional challenges. The novel is a relatable and thought-provoking exploration of the human psyche, highlighting the struggles and triumphs of its characters as they confront their emotions, fears, and past traumas. The novel delves into the intricacies of relationships, both personal and professional, and the impact they have on Kevin's mental well-being. The novel is a valuable contribution to the literature on mental health, offering a fresh and authentic perspective on the challenges and triumphs of seeking therapy. Overall, Mallory Goes to Therapy is a must-read for anyone interested in mental health, personal growth, and self-reflection.

Was hard to get into as I didn’t realise it was the second in a series. The main character was unlikeable and it was difficult to read/listen to some of the things that he was doing.

I did not finish this. I thought the voice was very annoying and the person was unlikable. I listened for the first hour but then never felt like going back to it...

I struggled with this one. I did not find the main character very likable so I did not want to invest time in learning more about him. I found myself only half-listening to the audiobook and I know that only led to me becoming even less invested in the story. Perhaps I would do better with the story in print form, but I am not convinced.
I am grateful for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy through Net Galley.

Thank you NetGalley and Real Nice Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for accepting my request to audibly read and review Mallory Goes to Therapy.

A struggle right away with the narrator and soon after the writing. Prior to around 80%, I was frustrated fighting the urge to DNF a NetGalley book. I found both the story and narration amateurish. At one point I was certain I traveled back twenty years and was tasked with grading another creative writing paper.

Around 80% or so, I questioned my expectations versus the current storytelling and format (narrator). Mallory is uneducated, and does what he can to survive. He has had no formal teachings nor has he ever been loved. Therefore, is the book and performance as the author intended? Is this Mallory as a product of his environment? Or is this a combination of bad choices i.e. publisher, etc.

The book had me nervosing. Given my latter thoughts, I would recommend trying if you understand this is not a polished tale. 2.5 stars, not rounding up.

I really could not connect to the story or to the characters. I found Mallory incredibly unlikeable (which doesn't always mean I won't like the book, I love unlikeable characters), but this one I just couldn't do it.

A dnf after about 30%… i couldn't really get into it. Maybe it had to do with my mood at time or its just not for me.

Thanks to Real Nice Books and NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

Although not my usual type of audio book, I managed to build a relationship with the characters and it was an ok listen.

The narrator was not my cup of tea, but that is just personal preference.

I want to thank NetGalley for this ARC! the book is good and the narrator is too! The story was engaging but I don’t think it was right for me.

Sadly a dnf after about 20%… it really wasn’t a vibe for me. I don’t know if it gets better after but for me it not something I wanna spend time on.

Vanilla book.

There's some parts that i found it actually funny, but felt like your daily series where you watch your 20' minutes and put it down. And the next day pick it up again. Maybe this is why it felt like a light read for me, and made me enjoy it more.

Narrator choice on point.

Mallory missed his calling. Instead of impersonating a lawyer, he should have become one. I attended law school with guys like Mallory, and now they’re wealthy and successful. But Kevin Mallory – the protagonist of this satirical novel – is a just-scraping-by customer service staffer and self-appointed employee representative at Unicast Cable Company. The novel chronicles his misadventures through work and play – the latter of which land him in therapy when he tries (unsuccessfully) to seduce his coworker’s sister.

Lately I’ve been reading books whose main characters are deeply flawed and often unsympathetic, and Mallory is no exception. But he bears authenticity and a desire for a deeper understanding of the world that I can respect. While I can’t say I found myself ever rooting for Mallory – to the contrary, I hoped that every female character he got near would run far away – I grew to appreciate him as a character.

The novel does not have much in terms of a plot other than following Mallory and his acquaintance Lilly – the aforementioned sister of Mallory’s coworker – through their unremarkable daily lives. Mallory is a well-developed character and the satire surrounding him works. But some of the other characters are not as well developed. Still, I found this novel entertaining. I did not realize until after I’d started the novel that it is a sequel. It would probably benefit readers to read the books in order, as it seems the first book would provide some useful background on the characters.

I should note that I listened to the audiobook version of the novel. The narrator provided an effective deadpan reading, which worked well with the novel’s satirical humor. However, the dialogue at times did not clearly indicate who was speaking, and because there was no differentiation of voices, it was sometimes hard to keep trach of which character said what.

Overall, an entertaining novel, though lacking in significant plot development. Thank you to NetGalley and Real Nice books for the audiobook for review. All opinions are my own.

Yeah... I don't think I'll able to finish this book. It's not engaging and I found "I'm going to make an offer to save your your brother" turned into "we are offering to drive you to rehab" storyline bit disjointed. Like you didn't think of reporting him. First thing comes to your mind was checking him into rehab. I don't know. While the reason was explained a bit, I still think it was weird.

I'm not sure having read first book in the series would help me understand the character better, but Mallory was not my type of character. There are troubled main characters, and there is him. He is boring. He doesn't have my vote.

What a bizarre-o kind of book with a character that just made my skin crawl. And it's my own fault, but I found out after finishing it that it's a sequel and the starting version of Mallory is the better'd version from the last book?! What a journey or emotionally draining and terrifying sociopathic revelations in humanity. The narrator wasn't the worst, but certainly not my favorite. There's a certain part of the character of Mallory that does well with the emotionless droning voice provided, but the quality did lack a bit of polish that I've come to expect from my audiobooks these days (maybe self-edited in a make-shift home studio? kind of feel).
2/5 stars - it was okay, but I barely made it all the way through out of pure stubborn completionist strength

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the ARC.

Unfortunately this will be a DNF for me. I can't comment on the plot as I wasn't able to get into the book enough to give a fair opinion.

The narration for me is where it fell down, I've tried repeatedly but just found myself rewinding or replaying the same section. I struggled to get to about 2%, the narrator is very monotone so it's difficult to take in the story.

Perhaps if I was to read the book myself I'd feel differently. I can't see myself getting through the audiobook at all, so I wouldn't recommend this.

Thanks to Real Nice Books and NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

I really enjoyed the first Mallory book. I remember comparing it favorably to A Confederacy of Dunces. But I kind of feel like it was a "one hit wonder" that didn't lend itself to a sequel. YMMV, but I'd give this one a pass.

Audiobook received for free through NetGalley

I listened to 6% of the book but just wasn’t feeling it so figured I’d review as it is rather than waiting. It was written well but not my cup of tea. Thanks

I did not finish this book. I made it just over halfway and simply wasn’t engaged with the story or the characters and was having a difficult time focusing and retaining what I was reading. I haven’t read the first one so that could have been part of it, but nothing about the second one made me want to give the first one a try.

I have given this 2 stars as I was unable to complete the book due to the terrible narration. Who knows it might have been great!

The narrator was entirely grating and seemed to continue on in the same tone in a cross between a screech and a whine, this was uncomfortable to listen to and at 15% I could hardly tell what was going on in the story due the racket in my ears. I might give this a try if I ever see it in a hard copy but for now im closing the door on this one

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I just could not get into the story.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC and the very best of luch to the author in their future career.