The Next Time You See Me

By: Holly Goddard Jones

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

A debut novel by award-winning author Holly Goddard Jones, about the people surprisingly connected to the discovery of a dead woman’s body in a small town.

Thirteen-year-old Emily Houchens doesn't have many friends. She finds more comfort playing make-believe in the woods near her house in Roma, Kentucky, than with her classmates, who find her strange and awkward. When she happens upon a dead body hidden in the woods one day, she decides not to tell anyone about her discovery—a choice that begins to haunt her.

Susanna Mitchell has always been a good girl, the dutiful daughter and wife. While her older sister Ronnie trolled bars for men and often drove home at sunrise, Susanna kept a neat house, a respectable job, and a young daughter. But when Ronnie goes missing and Susanna realizes that she’s the only person in Roma who truly cares about her sister’s fate, she starts to question her quiet life and its value.

The Next Time You See Me is the story of how one woman’s disappearance exposes the ambitions, prejudices, and anxieties of a small southern town and its residents, who are all connected, sometimes in unexpected ways: Emily; Susanna; Tony, a failed baseball star turned detective, aspiring to be the county’s first black sheriff; and Wyatt, a 55-year-old factory worker tormented by a past he can’t change and by a love he doesn’t think he deserves. Their stories converge in a violent climax that reveals not just the mystery of what happened to Ronnie but all of their secret selves.

©2013 Holly Goddard Jones (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc

Critic reviews

"The residents of a small Kentucky town react to the disappearance of a local woman in this first novel by short-story writer Jones…. [The author] builds intense tension surrounding the choices her flawed but compellingly sympathetic characters make as they fight against lonely isolation within the tight confines of small-town America." (Kirkus Reviews)

Great Read

Where does The Next Time You See Me rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Its the best book I've listened to this year

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Its a very iteresting story & the way its written keeps you going

Have you listened to any of Cassandra Campbell’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

NA

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

NA

Any additional comments?

audible recommended this book & I am very happy. Thank you!!!

Keep browsing.

Ugh. What a waste of time. Too many chapters spent setting up the plot of a small town murder. Wasted time waiting for the climax, never happened.

The story outshines the narration

Would you listen to The Next Time You See Me again? Why?

I am about 3/4 through the novel and completely engrossed by the story. The narration, however, is distractingly bad. The reader has a nice voice but really butchers the southern accents- it sounds more like a yankee's caricature of backwoods hicks than anything approaching reality. Even worse is the way she uses inflection- so off-target that it seems she isn't even listening to herself. She frequently misinterprets the dialogue and I find myself trying to replay the scene in my head with proper inflection so it makes sense. This is probably the only time I have regretted choosing an audio over a print (electronic) book; I'd have a much better experience listening to my own inner narrative!

Well worth the credit

Apparently the reason I have never read anything from this author is because this is her first book. :-) Great start! I will look forward to reading more from this author!

Good twists

I did enjoy this book, it was read very well! I admit it did end a little abruptly. I felt like I needed a little more information to feel satisfied but all in all it was a good book and worth the time and money !!

Haunting!!!

Jones does an excellent job of weaving the characters together in the story. She gives you just a little piece of the puzzle at a time, keeping you on the edge of your seat. You really don't get the whole picture until the last couple of minutes of listening. Consider me a Holly Goddard Jones fan!

Very Dark

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Kept hoping for a different ending. She did a good job of going back and forth between characters but did not like how it ended.

Addictive story; poorly executed Kentucky accent.

Loved the story! Looked forward to listening every day, and at the end I was sad that it was over. My biggest criticism was that the accent was terrible, though I am admittedly a Kentuckian, so maybe others wouldn't mind it.

Tragedy, love, disappointment, hope. AKA "life"

One of the better books I've heard in the last couple years, reminiscent of Crooked Lettter, Crooked Letter, a favorite. The characters are written with such depth and feeling. One Audible reviewer complained, finding them stereotypical. On the contrary, I found them--the middle school bully, the killer, the school teacher, the cop, even the victim--complex and multifaceted. The story weaves in and out of the character's lives, back and forth thru time, revealing the part each plays in the sad drama.

Some reviewers were unhappy with the ending; I found it to be just right. To me the themes of the book were inevitability and lost chances; events unfolded in the only way they could and the ending perfectly illustrates this.

The reader was very good. She has a light touch which, oddly, works well here. A voice laden with portent (insert Scott Brick here) wouldn't be nearly as successful.

not tolstoy

Would you listen to The Next Time You See Me again? Why?

i listen to audio when I am running. I'm not looking for deep, confusing, thought provoking. that being said, a great listen.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Next Time You See Me?

ewww....body in the woods

What does Cassandra Campbell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

she narrates in a very seamless fashion. I am absolutely aware of which character is speaking, but the narrator does not need to extremely alter the timbre of her voice.

Any additional comments?

I started this book twice just to get the chapter/character altering vibe, but then I was off.