Caffeinated Reviewer | This Is a Safe Space by Lucinda Berry
22nd Oct
Narrated by Danielle Savre, Alicia Crowder, Dan Bittner, Matt Godfrey, & Janina Edwards, This is a Safe Space by Lucinda Berry delivers a suspenseful mystery thriller. At just under four hours, it’s the perfect listen for a weekend trip or curling up with tea by the fire.
This Is a Safe Space
by Lucinda Berry
Narrator: Danielle Savre, Alicia Crowder, Dan Bittner, Matt Godfrey, Janina Edwards
Length: 3 hours and 40 minutes
Genres: Thriller
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Audible | Libro.fm *affiliate
Rating: 
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.45x
A therapist discovers an unnerving connection between one of her patients and her own family in this gripping audio thriller by the bestselling author of The Perfect Child and One of Our Own .
Jenna, who runs a successful private therapy practice, still struggles with trust issues of her own. She’s made a promise to stop snooping in her husband Colten’s phone, but sometimes she can’t help herself. One night, she discovers a troubling exchange between him and his cousin Bodie, who’s one of his closest friends. A dancer from a bachelor party they both recently attended is threatening Bodie, claiming they crossed a line sexually and that she’ll expose the truth to his family if she doesn’t get what she wants. They don’t know much about this woman, or how far she’s willing to go. But Jenna might.
Lexus Chardonnay, the stage name of the dancer from the party, is one you don’t forget. And Jenna’s heard it before—from one of her clients.
Kaitlyn is a medical school student who dances on weekends to put herself through school. Jenna’s been her therapist for years, except she hasn’t seen her for three months. Not since Kaitlyn stopped showing up for treatment, without explanation. As Jenna begins to listen back to their past sessions, desperate for answers, a more complicated picture emerges, and she must decide who to trust as her career and her family hang in the balance.
Specially produced for a dynamic listening experience, This is a Safe Space is a shocking, emotional thriller from “a leading voice in the genre and a force to be reckoned with” (Jeneva Rose, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage).
I love a well-done short audiobook, especially with a full-cast narration, and This is A Safe Space delivered. If you are looking for an engaging mystery thriller that will keep you on edge and guessing, then this one is for you.
Jenna has a private therapy practice with offices in their converted detached garage. She is married to Colton, and on the surface their marriage is wonderful. They love each other, and Colton has never given Jenna a reason to doubt his commitment to her. Jenna, however, has serious trust issues that at one point almost cost her, her marriage. When Colton leaves his phone on the table, Jenna reads a text from his cousin Brodie, who is married to her sister. The text is disturbing and soon has Jenna snooping once again.
The tale that unfolds is well-paced with several threads involving a patient, the text between Brodie and Colton, and the moral and ethical dilemmas Jenna is battling in her head. Berry did a great job of allowing events to unfold and building up the suspense as Jenna deep dives into what is happening with Brodie.
While I had a sense of where this was headed, I will admit Berry turned things on their head and left me speechless. It reminded me that I need to read/listen to more from this author.
The narration was wonderful. Each narrator brought his / her A-game to the table. From capturing the characters to setting the tone of the story, this was well done.
About Lucinda Berry
Dr. Lucinda Berry is a former clinical psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma. Now, she spends her days writing full-time where she uses her clinical experience to blur the line between fiction and nonfiction. She enjoys taking her readers on a journey through the dark recesses of the human psyche. Her work has been optioned for film and translated into multiple languages. If Berry isn’t chasing after her son, you can find her running through Los Angeles, prepping for her next marathon.
About Matt Godfrey
Matt Godfrey was raised on O’Connor, Welty, and Lee, and spent most of his teenage years in Yoknapatawpha County. But he traveled wherever the books took him, from Alabama to Tokyo, Twain to Murakami. Now he has the privilege of bringing those books to life as an audiobook narrator. He works in all genres and in a lot of accents, but specializes in his beloved Southern Gothic. He is a two-time nominee for the Society of Voice Arts & Sciences Awards and the Audiobook Reviewer Listener’s Choice Awards. He has a fully equipped home studio and works with major publishers, small presses, and indie authors alike.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat.
