Kate Rudd narrates this psychological thriller with a great setup. Amber recounts a dinner party during which she's one of six teens locked in a room. Escape may mean death for one, or all. Chapters in real-time alternate with Amber's flashbacks over a year as she struggles in relationships with the bullying popular girl and with her lifelong friend. Rudd keeps the tension taut in both parts. She is skilled at portraying the complexity of Amber, who is haunted by her sister's death and caught in painful manipulations. Rudd continually turns up the heat--quite literally at the party, where the thermostat is stuck on high and a bomb is ticking, and metaphorically as Amber has a series of epiphanies about what is actually going on. The twists and turns in this thriller don't end.
(Mystery/thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: March 17, 2020
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062974907
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This young adult audiobook is full of secrets and lies.
When they were 4, identical twins Aria and Caliste’s mother, Grace, disappeared, and the sisters were separated. Years later, Grace’s body is discovered in a lake haunted by the Ghoul. The two young women travel to Minnesota and uncover family secrets—including each other’s existence. Narrators Rebecca Ho and Chantria Tram capture the twins’ emotions as they discover what has been kept hidden from them. Carolina Do exquisitely performs the point of view of the Ghoul. However, audible pick-ups make this production sound uneven and may distract from the listening experience.
This young adult audiobook is full of secrets and lies.Pub Date: Dec. 9, 2025
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217157983
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2026
Narrator Dominique Salvacion's emotionally vulnerable performance suits this young adult horror audiobook. Kyra, the adopted child of a drug addict, is haunted by disturbing nightmares connected to her childhood. Now a viral video challenge revolving around a new recreational drug is circulating at her high school, changing the students around her. Salvacion depicts Kyra's growing anxiety as friends and family change overnight. The new boy at school is the only other person who notices the strangeness settling into the town. Conversations between a distressed Kyra and the emotionally stunted drug users are especially poignant. Salvacion adjusts her pacing masterfully to immerse listeners in the developing horrors.
(Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2025
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217158171
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
