Thank you NetGally for the audiobook ARC, but sadly I was not engaged, and while I wanted to like this book,, I did not finish it.

Postal employee Hank Davies lives in idyllic Bethel, Nevada, where the residents are friendly, the crime is low, and life is comfortable.... until one day he realizes all of the letters he's been delivering have been blank. As some of the residents begin to realize he senses something is off, they start approaching him with some of their own suspicions.

I liked this one initially. The beginning has definite Truman Show vibes and I felt like I could picture the miniseries in my head but unfortunately something about the narration just made me feel like the main character just wasn't smart enough to put the pieces together and he ended up needing his dad and some other people to just tell him. Such a good idea I just didn't love the execution. I still think it would make a great mini series where maybe the creepy angle could be pushed a little further.

🔎 Speculative fiction
🤯 Twists + red herrings
🗣️ Multiple POV
📖 One sitting read
🏠 Small town Nevada setting

“𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙮, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.”

This was so utterly BIZARRE. A fast paced, mind bending fever dream of a book that had me so confused but also captivated, unable to stop listening.

This was my first book by this author + they weren’t lying when they described it as a “russian doll of a novel”. Eerie, unsettling and riveting, this will pull you in headfirst + have you questioning reality as the truth is divulged piece by piece in a claustrophobic, nightmarish tale.

Although marginally repetitive at times due to the format (no spoilers but I did at one point think I’d accidentally started the book again🥲) this was spectacularly plotted and, after a slower start, picks up the pace and moves along quickly. A quick and entertaining read that read like a blend of 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 and 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠.

𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑃𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 & 𝑁𝑒𝑡𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑑𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑤𝑛. 𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝐼𝐺 (@𝑟𝑒𝑑ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙) & 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝ℎ.

Although predictable, I enjoyed this eerie and atmospheric mind-bending speculative fiction about a man named Hank Davie who lives in Bethlam, Nevada. Bethlam is a safe and quaint little town with charming neighbors on the surface, but things are seldom what they appear to be. This had strong The Truman Show + The Stepford Wives + Paradise vibes. The narrator did a fantastic job keeping the story suspenseful throughout. A huge thank you to NetGalley, Jon Bassoff and Blackstone Publishing Audiobooks for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The town is called Bethlam but it really should be Eden; life is perfect there. Everyone knows each other. Everyone has a job. There is no crime. The day starts and ends the same way every single day.
Our main character is Hank, the postman, who lives with his demented father. His repetitive delivery job is shaken when one of the letters on his route is open and a blank paper falls out. Who mails blank papers?
This the start of Hank's awakening to his not so perfect world.
Think the Truman Show but exceedingly spookier.
As a reader, I did get as confused as Hank did in the slow unveiling of this idyllic society and why it existed. Had I a paper version I might have been impelled to turn the pages and read faster to discover the next revelation. The audio version kept me listening at the pace necessary to maintain the atmosphere of this bizarre new reality.

Thank you Blackstone audio for the review copy of The Memory Ward, this was a wild and fascinating, kind of bonkers in a good way, audiobook. I have not read this this author before but will be looking for his next book!
What really worked as excellent narration from Bronson Pinchot that kept me engaged and set a moody, but also curious/quirky, tone that moved into growing suspense and suspicion as the main character uncovered what was happening around and to him. This is an excellent plot that is really well done on audio, I will be recommending this one for a while!

I’m not quite sure how to feel about this book which is a bit Black Mirror meets Truman Show. It was an interesting premise (postman learns he’s had his memories and old self erased with new implanted memories). The style felt a bit dated, like I was reading something from the 1950’s and some of the characters felt a bit much. It was propulsive and the audiobook narrator did a good job of keeping me roped in but ultimately I’m probably not the ideal audience for this book.

This book explored really intriguing themes! I loved the psychological aspects. However, I had a hard time connecting with the story and that is obviously on me and not the book. I recognize that it has great potential to appeal to other mystery/thriller readers and I encourage others to try it out! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC.
3.5
I really enjoyed listening to this, I sped through it pretty quickly. The premise is trippy.. very 1950s perfect town with perfect neighbors…. You know something is off but it’s not exactly clear. It’s a little too idealistic . I don’t want to give too much away on the trope or comparisons however I highly suggest the audio, the narrator did a great job capturing the Candace of the character which imo played a big part. A little eerie, a little speculative. I feel like this book was enjoyable but the speculative nerd in me would have liked more of a backstory. However someone serve its purpose and are a short effective read and I highly suggest giving this a go

This was NOTHING like it thought it was and that made all the difference. It was such a thrill to follow along and see who the true "bad guy" is. It felt very futuristic, and dystopian (A great combo for me). I enjoyed the jumping with time frames and how the character would always go back to his not so great tendencies.

I have to admit, I was a little worried in the beginning of this one, but when things started to hit, they really hit. Told from the perspective of histories most unreliable narrator, the reader never really knows what's really happening or what's real. Although different, this book instantly gave me Truman Show vibes, but on a smaller scale and much more sinister. A slower burn, I loved guessing what was going to happen next, and was shocked by some revelations! I've seen a lot of mixed opinions on the ending, and if you're looking for a clean wrap-up, you aren't going to get it, but I really felt like the ending followed suit with the warped reality themes throughout the entire ride.
I really enjoyed the narration, and thought it was well done, and added to the atmospheric quality of the story!

Thank you, @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for this LC in exchange for an honest review!

I was really drawn in by the premise of this book and enjoyed the buildup, but the payoff just wasn’t there. I was dissatisfied by the last part of this book which honestly just didn’t make sense to me. I’m sorry to say this one just wasn’t for me. I see plenty of other readers loved it, so I say grab a copy and decide for yourself.

I paired the audio with the print, and I have to say if not for the excellent audiobook narration, I probably wouldn’t have continued. Very well done.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you for the audio ARC. This book had a great premise but I kept waiting and waiting for things to happen. It was pretty slow and boring. The narrator was great overall but there weren’t many twists or even action. The end left me wondering what is reality and what isn’t, which I’m sure was the intention.

I just finished this one, and I’m still not sure if I’m more confused now, or at the beginning of the book…
Switch to the beginning scenes of the twilight zone…and the eerie music… dooo dooo dooo dooo, doo doo doo doo… 😮🤪

OKAY… so we’re in Bethlam, Nevada…population of…maybe 100. Perfect town. Perfect weather. Perfect people. No crime… 😮😮😮 (Maybe it should be Stepford wives town??)

AND, we have a postal worker. He’s just doing his everyday routine… delivering the mail. But then he trips. And a letter falls to the floor…and opens. And guess what??? It’s a BLANK piece of paper!!!! 📑 Wait! What? Why???

And so he gets to thinking… 🤔. Why would anyone mail a blank piece of paper???

And then, there’s a stranger at his window. In the middle of the night! What is going on?? That’s what he’d like to know!!

It really only gets STRANGER from here! And just when you think you might be getting an answer… well….. ?????

Very strange indeed! I believe this is the first I’ve read from this author.

But if this is something that sounds intriguing to you, GO FOR IT!!

#TheMemoryWard by #JonBassoff and narrated nicely by #BronsonPinchot, #DawnHarvey and #JaninaEdwards.

3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me. Rounded up to 4!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #BlackstonePublishing for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.
*** Release date was earlier in March, so look 👀 for it on shelves now!! ***

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The way this story started off, I was expecting a Truman show type story with some sort of psychological aspect to it. That wasn’t actually far from off as it started unfolding. But then I get to the end and I still don’t know what’s the truth! This was a really interesting mind bender and the first book I’ve read by this author.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

What a mind fuck. Has the creepy feelings you want in a horror book, left wondering what was true and what was false. Really enjoyed
The audio quality goes back and forth.

holy fuck, why is no one talking about this book?! i saw it on netgalley as an audio ALC and randomly requested it, and i'm so glad i did! not only are the narrators absolutely incredible, but the story had me hooked from the start.

from the first few pages, you know that something's off. i had an idea of what was happening, but the brilliance of this book is that it kept me second guessing myself until the very end. is the mild-mannered mailman main character unreliable, or is there really a huge conspiracy going on? the feeling of being watched is palpable on every page — think the truman show, on steroids. the interwoven frame narrative is full of creeping dread and paranoia. the writing is so immersive and well done that i literally forgot that there was a story inside a story (inside a story)!

thanks to blackstone publishing for the audio copy of this book on netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This gives "Don't Worry Darling" vibes. It had the same 'perfect neighborhood, perfect life, perfect people' type of thing, but it wasn't as engaging.

There were some parts that had me really hooked on the story, but I found the ending to be kind of a let down. The ending also left me super confused; I don't know if I didn't understand or missed something or what?

I don't know, I guess it was just 'meh'.

3 stars! ⭐ Thanks to Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for the ALC through NetGalley! 💌

Okay… WHAT just happened?! 🤯 This book had me intrigued from the start, but the ending left me standing in the middle of Bethlam, Nevada, screaming, "HELLO?! EXPLANATION, PLEASE?" 😵‍💫

Bethlam is the perfect little town—too perfect. 🌞 No crime, no worries, just sunshine and smiles. Our guy Hank, a postal worker, is just vibing through life until one day, he realizes the letters he’s delivering are BLANK. Yep. Empty pages. That’s when he starts questioning everything, and suddenly, Bethlam isn’t looking so idyllic anymore. 😨

The premise? 100% eerie. 👀 I was buckled in for a mind-bending ride, but then... NOTHING REALLY HAPPENED. 😩 The plot twist? The most obvious one imaginable. 🫠 I figured it out within the first 10%, and from there, I was just waiting for the book to catch up. 💤

The writing? Atmospheric. 🌫️ It had that creepy, unsettling vibe, which I loved. The concept was there, but the execution? Meh. 🤷‍♀️ I wanted more. More twists, more suspense, more "WTF?!" moments. Instead, the pacing was a slow burn that fizzled out into a very unsatisfying ending.

And the audio? 🎧 Not my favorite. The narrators did a solid job, but Wally’s voice had me on edge—not in a good way. Also, I just didn’t connect with the characters, so the emotional impact was... nonexistent.

📌 Final verdict: Cool premise, lackluster execution. Not bad, but not great. 3 stars. ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Blackstone Publishing & Jon Bassoff for this read!

What a trip this book was. From the very beginning I could just feel that there was something off in this town. This book really dives into the towns that seem perfect on the outside but underneath there is so much more going on.

This is old from mixed POVs and through a series of diary like entries / thoughts. The author did a brilliant job at shrouded the town and people in secrets. The suspense builds until we finally find out what is going on. The ending was good but wasn't mind blowing.

This book dives into the horror, sci fi and thriller genres so I feel it'll appeal to diverse range of readers. The whole time you'll be reading desperately to find out what's going on and overall this was definitely a trippy and satisfying read!