Stranded

By: S.J. Hermann

Narrated by: Stephanie Pilavin

Length: 1 hr and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Love never dies. It remains buried under the hate.

Pete and Jennifer Langley have seen their marriage disintegrate. With their two children, Emily and Kevin, an uneventful trip turns into a nightmare when an unexpected snowstorm leaves them stranded with little hope of being rescued. Faced with the fear of losing their children, and each other to the frigid climate, Jennifer and Pete come to realize that their love laid hidden under hate. As the children watch their parents deteriorate, Emily keeps the hopes up for her brother Kevin in the form of gold rings and the promise that Santa will find them. Can a miracle save them from a frozen tomb?

©2018 S.J. Hermann (P)2019 Steve Hermann

So bitter Sweet!

This was a good story except for I felt like something was missing. I don’t know what it was… Just something? Had this been a true story I would say nothing was missing but in a made up story I was expecting some big profound lesson or sentiment that brought the whole thing together. I did like the fact that it was a realistic family with power to blame which other than made up, because I find in books parents are either really great a really horrible no in between. I really don’t know what to say for this review because I just felt like this should’ve been something else.

Love is still there

This was a good short story. I listened to it on the way to and from work. If you were stranded in your car in the middle of a snow storm what would you do? Many questions to ask yourself after you read this book. Even though it is a short story still is worth the credit. Stephanie Pilavin gave a good performance.


This book
was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Not bad

Narrator was not my favorite - she started off stilted and stuffy sounding, but for the most part she relaxed as the story wore on. I truly enjoyed her children's voices. While the book itself was interesting, I reached the end wondering what the two diverse storylines had in common besides the storm - one a happy little family vignette told within the first chapter or two, the other being the bulk of the story with a squabbling dysfunctional parental unit. The author should have helped me make the connection - it shouldn't have required me to go back and listen to the first part over again to recognize someone's name, then put 2 and 2 together. There was a total lack of connectivity as the two groups never met, or diverged. Overall a decent book, just has a few bugs to work out.

Stranded

A Fantastic read that kept me on the edge of my seat. This read pulled me in right from the start to finish. Theres twists and turns. And it kept me guessing what was going on till the end. I definitely recommend this listen. The Narrator does a fantastic job. And the Author did a fantastic job at bringing the story to fruition.
Shauna Joesten

A Chilling Winter Story

All I can say is wow. I was immediately wrapped into the tale of the Langley family, a family who makes typical mistakes, but is suddenly faced with a dire situation way out of their control.

S.J. Hermann is reminding us all to cherish each moment, to treat our loved ones with care, and to not let the little annoyances blow out of proportion. His writing reels you in right away and kept me listening on, even as my heart broke.

Narration by Stephanie Pilavin is phenomenal. She brought each member of this family to life, to the extent that I forgot I was only listening to one speaker. I enjoyed the flow of her voice, and the emotional journey I was brought along for.

Listen to this story, today!! But know that you may end up in tears.

Unexpected!

I don't know what I was expecting, but this little gem really was surprising to me. The Langley's are your typical family. Jennifer and Pete are any couple we may know. They are unhappy with each other, and it's evident to their children. Constantly bickering, they now find themselves in a circumstance that quickly makes them re-evaluate life and their true feelings. It's not a story for the faint of heart. as it's not a complete happily ever after. SJ Herman weaves the tale with sadness, leaving us as a listener to think about our lives and how quick things can change. Be prepared for the heartbreak and heartwarming story. Stephanie Pilavin nails the narration with great voices and amazing emotion.

Did not like it

A boring plot with a terrible ending. Even the narrator sounded robotic. It’s a good thing this book is short.

I hoped for more

** spoiler alert ** EDIT: I was about to post my review but had to add in this last comment after looking at other reviews. Apparently, I’ll be the oddball out of the author’s previous reviewers. With all the five and a few fours, I only thought the story was okay. I’ve read stories like this before as, again, (mentioned below), this isn’t an original idea. It was well-written but just meh.

I’d seen this audiobook advertised a couple of times on a Facebook group I follow. I decided to give it a listen-to. The idea behind the story wasn’t anything new, a family freezing to death in their car after an accident. While the idea was terrifying (imagining yourself in that situation), I guess I had hope for something more, unexpected. I don’t know. I think the author could have added so much more to this short story just to get the terror across. For example, I didn’t feel there were enough complaints from the kids about being hungry. There was more (per the audiobook version) of Jennifer feeling like crap with all the coughing and mentions of rib pain than the kids. The majority of the time they seemed to sleep. I get that it was all they could do but still. Boring. It’s like they’re in a car accident, crash, and just sit there doing nothing until they die.

The narrator did a pretty good job. I’d listen to her again. No complaints here.

Questions/Comments:

I don’t believe Pete would have lived as long as he did. 1. He had no coat on. 2. The window was down. 3. The wind and snow were constantly blowing on him. What did he make it, like 2 ½-3 days? I think he would have frozen to death sooner.

Why was “drinking” snow that much different or not wanted by the characters? It was better than nothing. Snow is water!

Why did they not try to move the backseat to get to the trunk?

Why hadn’t Pete moved to the passenger’s seat, not that it would have helped that much but still?

What family trip/outing doesn’t involve bringing snacks and drinks? Especially when there are kids!

Jennifer still loves Pete… even though she constantly treats him like garbage. Makes sense to me. At least Pete tries. Why did they ever have a falling out to where she can’t seem to stand him at all?

Instead of putting the blood clot that she coughs up on the floor, she swallows (barf) it. Why?

I received a free audiobook code in exchange for an honest review.