Oh my goodness! I was completely engrossed in this audiobook. Every character appeared more unhinged than the last, and trust was a rare commodity. Emily's habit of using "sweetie" with such a condescending tone made me wish I could reach into my car's player and have a stern word with her! However, just when I thought I'd seen it all, another shocking twist would occur, leaving me utterly astounded. It was wonderfully intense!

I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Natalie Barelli for providing this audiobook. I thoroughly relished it! Special commendation goes to the narrator for their superb performance as well!

3.5 stars. This book really grabbed my attention early on. However, some of the plot was a bit too far fetched for me. I know many will love it though so don't let this criticism keep you from reading this book. It's very well written and the narration on the audibook is excellent. A very enjoyable listen.

I listened to the audiobook and love the narrator- she adds so much to this story as well as different voices for the different characters. I was hooked from the beginning and listened to the part one all in one evening and had to force myself to stop! Part two was even better than the first- so many twists and turns filled with intrigue and excitement. Highly recommend this one!

OMG!! I could not stop listening to this audible. One character crazier than the next, no one you can trust!! And every time Emily said "sweetie" in her condescending tone, I just wanted to reach into my car player and strangler her!! But then something else would happen and my jaw would drop a little farther. Crazy good!!

THank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Natalie Barelli, I truly enjoyed this audiobook! Great props to the narrator as well!!

I really loved this book. It was entertaining from beginning to end! The narrator did an excellent job narrating and making the listening experience very enjoyable. I really appreciate the research the author did with this book. It bought me back to psychology class and learning about false memories which I loved learning about. The author did a wonderful job navigating through subject without making them feel like lecture course. The characters were well done, and the story kept moving and flowing. I actually learned from this book, because I really didn't know what happens in the cloud, lol it has always been a mystery. I really appreciate all the information and insight. I am very thankful to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read this great story for an honest review.

What would you do if you discovered someone had published your teenage diary?

Rose has left Kansas and her dark past behind. She knows she’s a psychopath, but she’s trying to find normal in her adult life. On her way to work she sees Diary of an Octopus in the bookstore window. How could it be? That’s her diary, but she knows the truth. She lost her laptop with her teenage angst chronicled in a document on it years ago. “Author” Emily Harper is taking advantage, and Rose will do whatever necessary to get her laptop back before anyone discovers the truth about her past.

Filled with twists and turns, we follow Rose has she weasels herself into Emily Harper’s life to reclaim her own. In the process she faces her own demons about her childhood and discovers she can’t trust anyone.

The first half of this book is slow, but as it is with most psychological thrillers the second half moves at a quick clip. The character of Emily Harper was grating, but necessarily so for the plot. The narration wasn’t my favorite, and I would recommend reading over listening to this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and the author Natalie Barelli for the advanced copy of the audiobook. Finders Keepers is out now. All opinions are my own.

This audiobook did not disappoint. The story kept me very engaged the whole time while never truly knowing who to root for. The characters were unlikeable and chaotic in the best of ways.

4.5 stars rounded up!

This was a really fun thriller that keep me guessing until the end. The MC was funny as well as potentially unreliable and the psycho antagonist kept it very entertaining. I could not stop listening! The only thing I didn't like was the narrator's voice for the antagonist, she made her sound like she was 12. Otherwise, a super entertaining read and my first from this author, but I will definitely check out her other books. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Rose realizes that author Emily published Rose's childhood diary as her own book after Emily found her lost laptop. The problem is that Rose's deepest and darkest secrets were in that book and Rose could go to jail if anyone figures it out.

Lots of twists and an entertaining audiobook.

Great narration by Rachel Leblang.

📖 Book Review 📖

🎧”Finders Keepers” by Natalie Barelli

⭐️⭐️⭐️
audio published September 19, 2023

Thank you @netgalley for this early audio edition.

Rachel Leblang does a great job narrating this 9 hour audio book. Told via a dual timeline, the main character Rose sees her worst nightmare on the book store display. Her personal diary from her emotional teenage years is a book published by someone named Emily. Rose instantly buys the book, reads it and realizes that old laptop she lost 2 years must have been found by Emily. Now she must get the laptop back, before people start to read this book and put the pieces together. Lots of gaslighting, condescending and manipulation plus the very inappropriate Mr. B, who young Rose has a crush on. Overall, a fast paced listen with some nice twists.


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Just finished the ARC for “Finders Keepers” by Natalie Barelli! What a wild ride! This novel starts out quite slowly, in my opinion; I did not feel invested until halfway through the book. But then! Once the twists started coming, they never stopped! Loved this one. Regularly unpredictable; once you think you’ve solved the puzzle, your assumptions are proven wrong! The ending is satisfying. Release date was Sept 18. I give it 4.5 stars 🤩

I loved everything about this story – the unlikeable characters, the pacing, the twists that were expected but still well done, the perfect ending. You’re never quite sure who to root for: the schoolgirl, the thief, the teacher. The way the story grabs you and holds you until the end is exactly what I needed. Highly recommended for anyone who loves thrillers that keep you enthralled the whole way through.

I *love* Natalie Barelli's books--thank you so much for the ALC!

The premise of this book had me hooked from the beginning. It is a totally novel concept and so thought-provoking! I was eagerly binging this book until the end of Part 1, when it is revealed Emily knows who "Iris" is and has "all along." I didn't find this believable or well explained/justified. It also felt like missed potential. Still I stayed with it and was very intrigued about the Mr. B part and if he really did groom her and/or use her to get rid of his wife. I thought that aspect of the story was provocative and a revelation to the genre. That said, the book lost me (again) when it started digging into who really killed the wife and this mistresses involvement(s), etc. Then the face off with Emily etc was all just too too too much. It was so far-fetched and overdone. I also loathed all the long confessionals and barely got through them. In the end there were parts of this book I really liked but it is easily my least favorite; though with some editing I think it could be terrific.

"Sometimes, truth is deadlier than fiction."
To most, it may appear to be the diary of a thirteen-year-old girl who's head over heels for her teacher. In reality, it's the events leading up to two murders. She's ready to take back what's rightfully hers, since Emily stole this and published it as her own. Pretending to be Emily's biggest fan was easy, getting the laptop is the tricky part. Can she find her dairy and delete the incriminating evidence to save herself? Or has Emily sealed fate?
I loved this story! It's been a while since I've read one of Natalie Barelli's stories, but she never disappoints. I was constantly wondering how things would unravel and changing my theories. The narrator, Rachel Leblang, did a fantastic job voicing the characters and giving the story just the right feel. I can't wait to read more of her work!

I am a big fan of Natalie Barelli, so I was excited to receive this audio ARC of her latest. When Rose’s laptop is stolen, she thinks she will never see it again. But several years later, a very popular book is released that tells the story of Rose’s life-the story that Rose had written on her stolen laptop.

This storyline was original, and I thought the story flowed well with the narrator. It was a bit repetitive at times, but still a good story with twists throughout. Some were more predictable than others, but a good story nonetheless.

I listened to the audiobook and I loved the narrator. She did a great job bringing the narrator and other characters to life (even when I hated some of those characters). The main character was fascinating from the start - a self-proclaimed psychopath who lies constantly walks into a bookstore and discovers that the laptop with her childhood diary she lost was found and published. She’s determined to get her laptop back since she committed murder the year she kept that diary and she isn’t sure what made the published cut. This book was funny and twisty and I enjoyed it. It moved a little more slowly than I would have liked and there were a couple of characters that I know I was supposed to hate but I hated so much I got frustrated that the book wouldn’t move past them (it was important for the story, just characters so annoying I wanted to throw the book down, I promise this is a sign of a well done book). I will definitely be looking for more books by Natalie Barelli.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ALC. I flew through this audiobook. Narrator were so good and story kept me on my toes.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the chance to listen to and review an early copy of this book. Finders Keepers by Natalie Barelli will be released on September 19th, 2023.


Okay, but why was this so good? I literally could not stop listening. The plot of the story seemed so unique, so different. We have a diary that is lost, a diary that contains life-changing secrets if they were to get out. Which is exactly what happens when an influencer and wanna-be author finds the laptop containing the diary and decides to publish it as a book, revealing everything to the world and leading to our main character scrambling to retrieve the laptop to keep her own life on track and her secrets from destroying her life.

I had no idea what to expect with this book and I had so many of my own theories as the story unraveled. Normally I am pretty good at guessing the twist of a book - not the case here. The writing keeps you engaged and the narrator's voice was nice to listen to.

If you are looking for a quick read that will keep you entertained and have you flying through the pages, this is the book to pick up.

What a dark and twisty tale! This is my first Natalie Barelli read but definitely not my last. This audiobook sucked me in and kept me guessing. Lots of surprises. Lots of suspense. The perfect combination so I didn't lose interest. The narrator was superb.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

3.75🌟
How would you react if you discovered someone wrote a book about your dark past? Everything in your life, chronicled on your laptop. The same lap top that was stolen!

Well, you’d be hell-bent to get that laptop back pronto, before this thief can do more damage!

Enter “sweet” Emily. (So called) author of Diary of an Octopus. While marketing her book she’s befriended by her biggest fan, Rose. Who coincidentally, is the person that actually lived the events contained in the book.

Rose desperately needs to embed herself into Emily’s life. She must find a way into her apartment to retrieve that laptop! Her life and future depend on it.

I listened to the audio and I have to say Emily’s character started grating on me as much as it did for Rose. There so much “sweetie” talk! It was an over the top sugar rush!

Natalie Barelli always delivers fun, twisty reads. And I’m looking forward to more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media