You Knew I Was a Snake When You Picked Me Up

By: Shana Dines

Narrated by: Joni Krumm

Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Lori and Tom marry too young after they discover she is pregnant. Their families are riddled with alcoholism and dysfunction, but they plan on having a normal, healthy family. Sadly, they don't know how to. Tom's drinking escalates, and so does Lori's. She is too preoccupied with his drinking and lack of intimacy to think about her own problem with alcohol.

After running into an old neighborhood friend in the grocery store whose brother is in prison for murder, Lori starts writing to him. It is an escape from her entrapment in what she perceives to be a loveless marriage. Since Jared will be in prison for life, Lori has no concerns about there ever being any real relationship with him.

When Tom finds hope in sobriety, their lives are turned around, where they are living a life of happiness and health. What could go wrong? What happens when Jared is let out of prison on a technicality and wants to continue his love affair with Lori?

©2022 Shana Dines (P)2023 Shana Dines

Good story and narration

The story was a little confusing in parts with it switching back and forth between 1st person and 3rd person. Other than that, I loved it. Especially the mention of Al Anon. That is skipped over so much, and I loved how the author explained the relatives' part in recovery for their loved one.


The narration was great in some parts. The distinguished voices between so many characters were awesome, and I imagine that's not easy to accomplish. Especially for a brand new narrator. However, some parts were a little monotone/robotic sounding. Though, I wonder if that's due to the story like I mentioned above. There were also a few starts and stops that should have been rerecorded or edited out.

Realistic and gritty portrayal

You Knew I Was a Snake When You Picked Me Up was my first book by Shana Dines and narrator Joni Krumm. Sadly, this book was just not for me. 

The story follows Lori, the FMC, as she deals with her husband Tom’s alcoholism while raising two small children. It was a realistic and gritty portrayal of the day-to-day life of a loved one suffering the trauma caused by this vicious addiction. Lonely and feeling neglected, Lori began writing to a felon serving time for the possible murder of his wife. Lori becomes addicted to the attention she is given. After being arrested, Tom was approached by a family member and was convinced to go to AA. Soon, Tom is on the road to recovery and living a sober life, and he begins to make amends to those he has hurt. Wanting to stop drinking as well, Lori joined Al-Anon. Wanting to focus on her marriage, she ended things with the felon, but he had other plans.

The story itself is poignant, but the little things distract from it. There is a lot of switching between the first and third person. It was often confusing as to who was talking or the focus. It was a bit slow in the storytelling.

The narrator did a good job. She was clear and concise. I, personally, did not care for the voices used to identify the characters. Most of the time, I was unsure of who was speaking. There were no clearly defined individual characters. There were also a few editing mistakes, where mistakes were left in the final version.

 Thank you, Shana Dines and Joni Krumm for gifting me an audio copy of You Knew I Was a Snake When You Picked Me Up. I am leaving this review voluntarily.  All thoughts and opinions are my ow

Great Narration, Story Is A Unique Lens To See Addiction Through

The narration was done very well. The narrators voice fit the characters smoothly, especially the fmc. Each character was distinct that you could differentiate between them. The narrators reading expression matched the style of the story, and was able to make it feel like you were sitting there with the mc’s while they were chatting away. It felt very organic and natural. The narrator paced the story perfectly, so it wasn’t too fast and it wasn’t dragging. The narrator had a very calming voice, that made listening to the story very pleasant. Overall, narration was a 5/5 for me !

Check trigger warnings before listening!

The story was very interesting, I don’t think I have read/listened to anything quite like it. The beginning was a slow build up, but necessary to give the backstory and reference. There were a few moments where I was pleasantly surprised with a slight ‘shocking factor’. Overall, the book was entertaining and takes a different approach to showcasing lives of those in recovery.

Great story and narration!

Thank you so much for an ALC! I enjoyed the narration as well as the story.