Synopsis
EVERY MISSING PERSON HAS A STORY.
In her small town, seventeen-year-old Delia “Dee” Skinner is known as the girl who wasn’t taken. Ten years ago she witnessed the abduction of her best friend, Sibby. And though she told the police everything she remembered, it wasn’t enough. Sibby was never seen again.
At night, Dee deals with her guilt by becoming someone else: the Seeker, the voice behind the popular true crime podcast Radio Silent, which features missing persons cases and works with online sleuths to solve them. Nobody knows Dee’s the Seeker, and she plans to keep it that way.
When another little girl in town goes missing, and the case is linked to Sibby’s disappearance, Dee has a chance to get answers with the help of her virtual detectives and the intriguing new girl at school. But how much of her own story is she willing to reveal in order to uncover the truth?
Title: I Hope You’re Listening
Author: Tom Ryan
Publication Date: October 6, 2020
Publisher: Aw Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Review
Oh, how I love a good mystery and this one did not disappoint! It gives a good look at those who are left with the guilt from missing loved ones (which I think makes this book distinct from other mysteries), shows a little background behind true crime podcasts, and has a little bit of romance thrown in.
I loved the podcast aspects of this book. It not only added more context to certain situations, but also helped me to learn more about who the main character was. It gave more insight into her interest in true crime and her guilt-ridden past of not being able to save her friend that went missing years ago.
The side characters were so fun and added a lot of flair to the book. Particularly, the best friend and dad of the main character were two of my favorites. They were funny and quirky and I kinda wish they could have had more “screen time”.
The romance was a nice addition to the book. It’s kinda on the “insta romance” side of things, but since it’s not the main focus of the story, I didn’t mind. It was just something nice to go along on this crazy mystery trip.
Overall, this is a great read for mystery and true crime lovers. There is so much more to unpack in this novel than just the missing girl so I’d definitely recommend checking this book out!
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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Author Bio
Tom Ryan is the award winning author of several acclaimed books for young readers. He has been nominated for multiple awards, and was the winner of the 2020 Arthur Ellis Award for Best YA Crime Book. Two of his books were Junior Library Guild selections, and three of his young adult novels, Way to Go, Tag Along, and Keep This to Yourself, were chosen for the ALA Rainbow List, in 2013, 2014 and 2020. He was a 2017 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult Fiction.
Tom, his husband, and their dog currently divide their time between Ottawa and Nova Scotia.
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