Someone Else's Life

A Thriller

By: Lyn Liao Butler

Narrated by: Angela Lin

Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

A new life in paradise should have healed her wounds. But for a woman struggling to hold on to her family and her sanity, one stormy night could change everything.

Blow by blow, Annie Lin’s life crumbles. Her dance studio goes bankrupt. Her mother and beloved dog are gone the same year. Then a terrible accident leaves her young son traumatized.

It’s time for a change.

Palm trees, mai tais, peace and quiet—Annie should be at ease, safe in her new Kauai home with her husband and son. She hopes proximity to her family can provide them all with a sense of belonging and calm. But soon items from her past start turning up—her dog’s collar, a bracelet that disappeared years ago—and she has the unnerving sensation she’s being watched. Reality begins to fracture, and Annie’s panic attacks return. When, during a brewing storm, a woman appears on her doorstep looking for shelter, Annie is relieved to have the company and feels an unexplainable bond with her visitor.

As the night progresses, Annie realizes the woman is no stranger. Their lives are inextricably intertwined—and Annie might just lose everything.

©2023 Lyn Liao Butler (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“A skillful by-the-numbers thriller with its share of nice touches.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Well-developed characters and plenty of local color add to the slowly simmering plot, which builds to a strong and unexpected climax. Alfred Hitchcock fans will be satisfied.”—Publishers Weekly

“Chilling from page one, Someone Else’s Life is an unputdownable descent into two women’s parallel lives. With genuine jaw-dropping twists and enough seeds of doubt to populate a very wicked garden, Butler’s debut thriller is a breath of fresh Kauai air.”—Eliza Jane Brazier, author of If I Disappear

This is a first...I just can't

I've never not finished a book, but, between the cheesy story and the horrific reader, I'm calling it a day. The different voices are thick and whiny, and the story is just too simple.

painful

I will usually power through a book I'm not crazy about but not this one. I don't mean to be rude but the story was slow and stupid and the narrator was insufferable

Overall good read

Has some slow moments but overall a good read. Narrator was pleasant and spoke clearly

Repeat

This story literally says the same thing over and over! 2 hours of “1 afternoon conversation” on repeat!

It’s okay

The first half was okay but the second half got better. Not sure if the ending was a setup for a sequel or just the ending.

Ehh hard to believe

Idea was okay, hard to like any of the characters and the narration for Finn was awful

So. Slow.

I kept wondering how this was supposed to be a thriller, the beginning is bland and boring and the writing isn’t that great. The latter, actual thriller part was pretty decent.

Went back and finished

I went back and finished after all. The denouement was satisfying if repetitive. I think the whole thing just needed some editing down and it would have worked better. The concept is not bad.

Someone Else's Time (I wish I could get back)

Slow no burn visit to Kauai. "Guess I'll just invite a stranger into the ohana despite my intuition being triggered, and the fact I question my own sanity." A very long conversation with the usual wacky conclusion. Average narration.

50 chapters for 15 worth of story

Wow, what a long, slow burn this story was! It was highly rated so I thought I’d give it a try but it was SO slow. The story line doesn’t actually unfold until 30 chapters in. Audio performance was okay…