After Rose leaves her old laptop in the airport, she is shocked to find someone has pulled her diary off the system and turned it into a best selling novel. Rose does all she can to meet the author to find out what exactly she knows. Holy moly - THIS BOOK! I flew through the pages at such rapid speed because I loved the storyline. I was so keen to know what happened. I am a huge fan Natalie Barelli. I will now be looking out for more books by this author.

My first taste of Natalie Barelli's writing was reading her 2022 release Unforgivable. I was immediately hooked and binged her entire back catalogue within a few weeks. The Accident was one of my absolute favourite books that I read last year.

I could not wait to read this one.

I've read thrillers about an author's manuscripts being passed off as another author's work before, Natalie Barelli's brilliant Until I Met Her and R.F. Keung's Yellowface to name but two.

Finders Keepers takes it to a whole new level, with a troubled teenager's diary being found on a lost laptop and published to great success by first time author Emily Walker.
Rose was that troubled teen, and she'll stop at nothing in her desperation to get that laptop back.

You might think you know where this is going but you really have no idea.

This book has everything, fantastic character writing, deep back story, and hooks?
From the very first page, hooks like meat hooks leaving you hanging on every word, every chapter. Twists you'll never see coming, an intricate plot. Threat and tension that just keeps on ramping up.

When there are changes in timeline I was groaning, aching to know what happens next in the timeline that I was just listening to..

I love Natalie Barelli's writing, fast paced, easy flowing, plenty of dry, often dark humour.

A definite book of the year contender and just maybe Natalie Barelli's best book yet.

This book is perfect, pure and freakin' twisted. Listen to it as soon as you can!

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media

3.5 stars.

Every single character in this book is crazy. That's all you need to know going in. If you like unreliable narrators and feminine rage, this book is for you. The ending is extremely far fetched but I appreciate the way the author tried to pull the reader into ten different directions. Definitely a slow burn to get to the point. The narrator did a good job giving each character a different voice; she certainly had her work cut out for her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was a rather unique thriller/mystery.
I really liked the quirky and honest character of Iris/Rose. Emily I did not like at all.
There were quite a few surprises and revelations throughout that I definitely did not expect.
Great job by the author on this book.
Narrator was great as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARC opportunity!

All I can say is, wow! This is a truly dark, twisty psychological thriller! I finished this audio book in 24 hours. When I first started it, I listened for 3 hours straight. I just needed to know what would happen.

It starts out with the main character, Rose, who has believed she is a psychopath since she was a teenager, and her secrets are about to be revealed. We meet many characters along the way- some of which you will think you like, and then you will realize- no, no you don’t.

This story truly had twist after twist. Towards the end my mouth would drop open every 5 minutes.

The narrator did a fantastic job of bringing emotion to the characters and separating out their voices and personalities. I will definitely read more books from this author!

This was so twisted and I was here for it! It keeps you guessing until the very end. The audiobook was brilliantly done and well executed!

Finders Keepers by Natalie Barelli. This book was pure entertainment. I really thought I knew the ending but there were so many twists and turns I could barely keep up. This book was a good thriller, not my favorite of the year, but a good one. Worth the read! Thanks NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC!

Spoiler alert... I am a HUGE fan of Natalie Barelli's! "Until I Met Her" was one of my favorite books of the year. Finders Keepers did not disappoint. A solid thriller with just enough sarcasm mixed in to always tickle my funny bone. I love Barelli's writing style!! The narrator was fabulous!!

I am part of the Freida McFadden Facebook group and she recommended this book to me. Knowing that I love Freida books, I knew I couldn’t be steered wrong and jumped at the chance to request this as an audiobook. Freida did not disappoint and I will certainly be adding Natalie Barelli’s other books to my TBR list.

Thirteen-year-old Rose wrote down her darkest secrets in her diary thinking no one would ever . She kept a digital copy on her laptop and one day she accidentally leaves it in an airport. Years pass and she discovers her diary has been published as a book by someone else. This diary contains a dark secret and Rose needs to make sure no one discovers the real story and that it was once her diary.

This was a one-sitting listen for me as I had to know what was next. Pacing is excellent and had me guessing till the very last page.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of the audiobook which will release on September 19th.

Just wow! Another cracker from the fabulous Natalie Barelli! I was hooked from page one and stayed up way past my bedtime reading this. Excellent storytelling and narration Totally loved the premise and characters were amazing. Definitely dark and creepy. Filled with tension, twists and great reveals. Loved everything about this book.
Thank you NetGalley, Natalie Barelli and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

I absolutely LOVED this book!
I'm pretty sure this is the first I've read by her, but I will be looking for more!
Rose is a twenty something young woman, living in Brooklyn in a tiny apartment, working at a job she does not love, and hanging out with a guy who is ok, but she will never marry.
While walking on the streets of NYC one day she sees a book display in a storefront and stops dead in her tracks.
'Diary of an Octopus'.
But that can't be right.
She must take a deep breath and look again. She must be imagining it...because that was the name of HER diary from when she was just 13 years old...and in love with her teacher. When all the bad stuff started to happen.
But then again, she did keep it on a laptop. The same laptop she lost at the airport a few years ago...

This is how we open up the book!!
I felt sick throughout much of the book. Hanging on the edge of my seat. Taking deep breaths myself. Waiting for what would happen next... If I was one to bite my nails, I would not have any left.
Listening to all that happened to this poor little girl. Not to mention the 'gaslighting' that was going on... Just crazy!!
And the scary part is that I am sure that there are REAL cases out there that are just like this one. Sad for sure. And very scary.

Introduce a little star power...and multiple people vowing for attention, and you have the makes of a great story!!

But then again, family is always at the root of all. And God Bless Mom! The one person in the world who will always stand up for you, and always have your back!

That being said...terrific book.
A bit far fetched? Yes. Could this actually happen? Yes. Did I see the ending coming? Well, at times I thought I had it all figured out, but then something else came up and I was wrong...so yes, and no.

5 stars for me!!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Dreamscape Media for the ARC of the audiobook which will release on September 19th. Keep your eyes open for this one!! It was terrific!!

BookReviews_with_emsr on instagram.

Full disclosure - Finders Keepers was an audio arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion. That said, I swear to you I sometimes read Netgalley 5 star reviews and question if we read the same book. I think there must be some small percentage of reviewers who are afraid to 'dis a book. They just won't. Everything given for free is a 5 star read.

I am not that reviewer.

I approach each arc as a job. And, as a retiree with nothing but time on my hands, I take my job seriously. If I hate a book, I share it knowing I may never get another arc to review from that publisher. To the credit of publishers who work with Netgalley, that has not happened to me. Give one star reviews and still get chosen to review. PLEASE reviewers - be honest.

I am so happy to honestly say, Finders Keepers was a 5 star read for me. Unexpected twists and turns throughout the book which kept me continually surprised. Despite knowing with absolute certainty where the plot was going, I was completely wrong. Natalie Barelli has crafted a psychological thriller where the bad guy (or girl????) was a shock. Well done. I do not want to guess the ending correctly.

As an audio, the narrator, Rachel Leblang, is a new voice to me, and she did a fabulous job of moving the story along without getting in the way. Her character voices were spot-on, and zero effort was required to keep track of the plot.

My first Barelli, but not my last.

🌟🌟🌟🌟.5 (rounding up)
FINDERS KEEPER is a psychological thriller and an emotional novel of betrayal and manipulation! Rachel Leblang does a wonderful job of narrating the audiobook and keeping readers hanging on her every word!

Thirteen-year-old Rose wrote down her darkest thoughts and private secrets in a diary, as a lot of young girls do. A digital format she stored on her laptop, with one secret she wanted to stay buried!

Rushing through a busy airport, Rose accidentally leaves the laptop behind. A few years later, her diary is published as a book by someone else. She was discreet in her diary (no names, just initials) but the entries are very detailed and she grew up in a small town. She has to get the laptop back before anyone can link it back to her.

It would be devastating to have anyone read your personal diary/journal. Can you imagine having it published for the world to see?

My brief explanation sounds simple but there is so much more to this book! Rose’s life is in turmoil and several people close to her take advantage of that fact. She starts as an unlikable character who easily lies without remorse. By the finish of the book, I was ready to hop in and help her get revenge!

This is my first book by the author and it was excellent. I’ll be reading more in the future!

Sincere thanks to Dreamscape Media for providing this complimentary audiobook through NetGalley. As always, all opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

#FindersKeepers #NatalieBarelli #DreamscapeMedia #netgalley #audiobookreview #justfinished #newrelease #giftedARC #igbookreels #thriller #honestreview #thrillerfriendsunite #mysteryandthrills #thrillerobsessedbookishclub #suspense #mystery #lovetoread #bookworms #lovebooks #lovetoreadbooks #fortheloveofbooks #booknerd #bookreviewer #booksbooksandmorebooks #instabook #readaholic

Finder Keepers" was my first experience with Barelli's writing, and it certainly won't be my last.
The story follows a woman who stumbles upon a book for sale, only to realize that it eerily resembles her own childhood diary. This discovery sets the stage for a suspenseful adventure that continually builds tension and takes readers on a wild and twisty rollercoaster ride. The suspense in the novel hits its peak around the halfway mark, and from there, the story intensifies.

The audiobook version of "Finder Keepers" is well-executed. The narration enhances the overall experience, and It's a great option for those who enjoy audiobooks, as it immerses you even further into the story. "Finder Keepers" by Natalie Barelli is a thrilling novel that will satisfy fans of psychological thrillers and suspense. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future. 4 stars!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for the audio ARC #FindersKeepers by #NatalieBarelli. This book is truly amazing with the dark pasts, the suspense and the drama throughout the book. I couldn’t stop listening to it. Highly recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the free audio book in exchange for my honest review. This is narrated by Rachel Leblang.

This is supposed to be a tale of revenge and murder. Rose carries with her the journal from when she was 13 years old as it contains her darkest secrets. But she unfortunately left it behind in an airport, and Emily found it, kept it, and published the journal as her own. Now Rose is poised to get even.

The story reads more like a young adult novel, and I really struggled to finish it. There is just not a lot going on other than the mental dialog of Rose and then Emily. I did not like the characters, found them under developed, and overall, the story did not hold my interest. This one fell short for me.

3 stars.

This book was unlike any thriller/suspense book I have ever listened to or read before. At first, I thought Rose was insane, and then the author AND narrator made me DESPISE Emily..This book had the twists and turns that I LOVE when listening to an audiobook. I was on my toes the whole time..I felt so bad for Rose at the end. She was gas lit, manipulated, made a fool of, and treated so badly. I was so glad to see her get her happy ending.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Leblang really makes this story come to life with her narration! All the characters were spot on and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to how it was put together so seamlessly. This book is about a woman who’s always felt like an evil person stemming from events in her past that come out after her laptop is lost and the finder publishes her life story. It was all so unique and felt refreshing in this genre that can feel repetitive at times. I love how it was told in the present, with snippets of the past for insight! I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes psychological thrillers!

Title: Finders Keepers
Author: Natalie Barelli
Narrator: Rachel Leblang
Publisher: Dreamscape Media and Furphies Press
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: September 19, 2023
My Rating: 4.5 rounded up
Pages: 322

When Rose Dunmore was thirteen she was completely infatuated with her English teacher, Mr. B. She wrote her fantasies in a journal/diary entitled “The Diary of an Octopus’ which she kept on her laptop computer. However when she was twenty she went to NJ to visit her mother and accidently left her computer in the airport Coffee shop. Once she realizes she left it, she hurried back but it was already gone. She reported it to lost & found. Now two years later she is browsing a book store and sees a book entitled “Diary of an Octopus”. She cannot resist and buys it. The author of the book is Emily Harper who is a well followed Social Media influencer and often tells true confessions. .
Rose is sure the book is her diary and her concern is confirmed once she reads it. She is fearful that the popularity of the book will come back to haunt her.
, <i> (We know the journal is not really true but perhaps the murder is!!)</i>
Rose is obsessed with getting back her lap top so befriends Emily Harper as a fan.
Things soon get very weird!

This psychological thriller is great! This is only my third [author: Natalie Barelli|15369850] and I call myself a fan. She does a super job of messing with me and my suspicions. It was clear-cut who was guilty then it wasn’t.
Additionally narrator, Rachel Leblang she did a great job performing Rose and did a fun impression of the other characters. Well fun isn’t the correct word for one of the characters!

Want to thank NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Furphies press for this great audiobook. Audiobook Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 19,, 2022

I received this audiobook as an ARC from NetGalley. I really liked this book. It was full of interesting characters and multiple twists! I was not a big fan of the narrator at times, but overall not bad.