Book & Audio Book Review: These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

Synopsis According to Goodreads When teenager Allison Glenn is sent to prison for a heinous crime, she leaves behind her reputation as Linden Falls' golden girl forever. Her parents deny the existence of their once-perfect child. Her former friends exult her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces whispered rumors every day in the hallways of their small Iowa high school. It's Brynn--shy, quiet Brynn--who carries the burden of what really happened that night. All she wants is to forget Allison and the past that haunts her. But then Allison is released to a halfway house, and is more determined than ever to speak with her estranged sister. Now their legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden.

What I Thought of the Book/Story It took me a little bit to get into this story, however once I did it was really fascinating. It was a rough story about a girl who made a mistake and would pay the rest of her life for it. It tells the tale of her getting out of prison and trying to adjust to the world again with the weight of what she's done and a family who no longer supports or speaks with her. While the crime she committed was utterly unspeakable, I still found myself feeling sorry for Allison since she's so young and her life is basically ruined before it even begins.
Then the story gets all twisty. Somehow all these paths cross that really shouldn't have ever met up again, and the drama intensifies. It's about this time where you get really hooked on the story and want to keep picking it back up to learn what happens next. There are more twists, and more crossed-paths, and eventually a nice twisty ending that leaves you both horrified and satisfied at once. I highly recommend These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf as a good and intriguing read, but be prepared to be quite astonished at some of the horrible events that happen.
What I Thought of the Audio Book I think the book was harder for me to get into due to the Audio book. At first, I wasn't fond of the voice of the girl who was doing some of the parts, but eventually I got over it and started really wanting to listen more and more. I still hated the voice imitations she'd do for the five-year-old in the story up until the end, I also didn't care for Charm's voice, but the rest were fine.
I have only started listening to Audio Books recently, but I've found they're a fantastic thing to have playing in my ear while I'm driving my long commute or working on emails at work. This was another great story that once I got hooked I couldn't wait for my 45 minute drive so that I could listen to the next part of the story, and I even got home from work and listened to the last two hours while I made and ate dinner, and finished up my Math homework.