Random

De: Tom Leveen

Narrado por: Tara Sands

Who's the real victim here? This tense and gripping exploration of cyberbullying and teen suicide is perfect for fans of Before I Fall and Thirteen Reasons Why. Late at night Tori receives a random phone call. It's a wrong number. But the caller seems to want to talk, so she stays on the line. He asks for a single thing - one reason not to kill himself. The request plunges her into confusion. Because if this random caller actually does what he plans, he'll be the second person connected to Tori to take his own life. And the first just might land her in jail. After her Facebook page became Exhibit A in a tragic national news story about cyberbullying, Tori can't help but suspect the caller is a fraud. But what if he's not? Her words alone may hold the power of life or death. With the clock ticking, Tori has little time to save a stranger - and maybe redeem herself - leading to a startling conclusion that changes everything.

©2014 Tom Leveen (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Excellent story with a captivating end.

Loved it! It made my drive to work go by quickly and I found myself staying in my car to listen even though I had arrived at my destination. I didn't like the narrators voice at first but she really did Victoria's teenage girl voice very well. Another great book by Tom Leveen that left me in suspense until the end.

Interesting take on a tough topic.

Tom Leveen doesn't shy away from serious and modern teen issues in his books which is one of the reasons I both enjoy and respect his work.

Random pulled out the big guns - online bullying and teenage suicide - and as always, Leevan took a unique and thoughtful approach the serious material.

I recommend his work to anyone wanting to look at great modern teen literature grounded in the real world.

Unfortunately, though, Random wasn't a particularly great read on its own merits. Don't get me wrong, it's better than 90% of the post-apocalyptic- vampire-love-triangle stories currently packing out the YA genre but felt incomplete.

I have to mark Random down more for what wasn't on the page than what was. Frankly, I wish it could have been longer, fuller, more detailed and with more resolution.

No, there would have been no easy answers but I think the poignancy was undercut by having to keep the main character on a narrow arc and having the climax hinge on a punchy ‘twist’.

Anyone wanting a YA read on real-world social issues should definitely check out Random but this isn’t a life changing read (and keep an eye on Tom Leveen because his breakout novel has to be just around the corner!)