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ellneill's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.5
Book is written like a podcast script, did not enjoy. Some of the twists were okay but overall I found myself not caring about the story or the characters, and was overall pretty bored.
jenmooremo's review
4.0
Great concept for a podcast lover like me and written in a way that you could hear the show play out in your head. I was a little disappointed that we had less information than the “public” audience listening to the show, but the twists at the latter part of the book were well worth the wait.
applereads's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
linzmarie's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jaclynburkett's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
frannook's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
You know when they give you a book that is just begging to become a full cast audiobook because that is its true nature, that's what it was meant to be all along? (Well yes, it is not a super common scenario but) Dear readers, this is absolutely it!
With a kiss we die is a story told in a true-crime podcast format by the podcast host and investigative journalist Ryanna Raines. It all begins with a voice recording left on The Raines Report tip line: a 22 yo guy named Jordan and his 18 yo girlfriend (Victoria) who are the prime suspect in Jordan's parents murder investigation and Jordan is reaching out because he wants to tell his story before the police sends out an arrest mandate for them and it's too late.
What we get is literally the episodes of the sixth season of this podcast in written form, the script (or the podcast itself, if you listen to it on audiobook), from its inception when Ryanna receives the voice recording to the very end of the trial and final sentence and conviction: we listen to interviews, conversations, confessions, testimonies and contradicting versions of the truth, wondering the whole time what we can believe and what is, in fact, a lie.
It was just as addicting as true crime podcast is, as you can imagine. I wanted to listen to the whole thing over a weekend I dedicated to cleaning every nook and crook of my new house and that is exactly what happened - and let me tell you, time flew and I barely (well, almost barely!) noticed any fatigue!
If you have to dust drawers and cupboards and scrub tiles and windows outside and out and you're all alone, this is the audiobook you'll want to be listening to!
The finale was a bit of a let down, though... It could have been an explosive twist, a revelation that would have capsized the whole thing and shaken the readers/listeners to their core!
I had a few crazy theories - quite effed up, if I can say so myself - that would have been mindblowing and so satisfying to see and I wanted to be right but... nope. The suspense built up till that point fell quite flat and turned out to be just... okay. To me it felt like a missed opportunity, like running a marathon being in the lead only to slow down when your 1km away from the finish line and finishing up 4th.
I gotta say though, even if my theory wasn't there, I could still be right. As with all true crime cases... can you ever really know the actual truth, what really happened, even if the defended is found guilty? There is the tiniest of possibilities left open in the story, which I appreciated - just like I appreciated how well the whole book was planned out and very well paced and the obvious fascination and admiration the authors have for true crime podcasts and their respect for investigative journalists.
Even with the disappointing ending, I loved it and had such a good time listening to this story and I can't wait to read other books by this married duo!
Ps. I mean, if the main narrators of your book are January LaVoy and Thérèse Plummer, you know it's not a joke, you're playing in the Premier League on a whole other level!
With a kiss we die is a story told in a true-crime podcast format by the podcast host and investigative journalist Ryanna Raines. It all begins with a voice recording left on The Raines Report tip line: a 22 yo guy named Jordan and his 18 yo girlfriend (Victoria) who are the prime suspect in Jordan's parents murder investigation and Jordan is reaching out because he wants to tell his story before the police sends out an arrest mandate for them and it's too late.
What we get is literally the episodes of the sixth season of this podcast in written form, the script (or the podcast itself, if you listen to it on audiobook), from its inception when Ryanna receives the voice recording to the very end of the trial and final sentence and conviction: we listen to interviews, conversations, confessions, testimonies and contradicting versions of the truth, wondering the whole time what we can believe and what is, in fact, a lie.
It was just as addicting as true crime podcast is, as you can imagine. I wanted to listen to the whole thing over a weekend I dedicated to cleaning every nook and crook of my new house and that is exactly what happened - and let me tell you, time flew and I barely (well, almost barely!) noticed any fatigue!
If you have to dust drawers and cupboards and scrub tiles and windows outside and out and you're all alone, this is the audiobook you'll want to be listening to!
The finale was a bit of a let down, though... It could have been an explosive twist, a revelation that would have capsized the whole thing and shaken the readers/listeners to their core!
I had a few crazy theories - quite effed up, if I can say so myself - that would have been mindblowing and so satisfying to see and I wanted to be right but... nope. The suspense built up till that point fell quite flat and turned out to be just... okay. To me it felt like a missed opportunity, like running a marathon being in the lead only to slow down when your 1km away from the finish line and finishing up 4th.
I gotta say though, even if my theory wasn't there, I could still be right. As with all true crime cases... can you ever really know the actual truth, what really happened, even if the defended is found guilty? There is the tiniest of possibilities left open in the story, which I appreciated - just like I appreciated how well the whole book was planned out and very well paced and the obvious fascination and admiration the authors have for true crime podcasts and their respect for investigative journalists.
Even with the disappointing ending, I loved it and had such a good time listening to this story and I can't wait to read other books by this married duo!
Ps. I mean, if the main narrators of your book are January LaVoy and Thérèse Plummer, you know it's not a joke, you're playing in the Premier League on a whole other level!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
za_'s review
4.25
Highly rec for true crime podcast listeners, especially the audio version of this book.
Podcast crime journalist is invited to interview two suspects for a murder of one of their parents. The story unfolds as if listening to the podcast. Loved this storytelling device and was immediately hooked.
Did their son and gf kill his parents?
Is this all a big act?
frida_reads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
elysenicole213's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0