I usually listen on 1.5/1.75 speed and the narrator’s voice was amazing. As someone who hates 3 POV, I surprisingly didn’t mind jumping from 1 POV to the 3rd. The problem I have with this book was that I didn’t connect with characters as much as I thought I would. It is fast paced and a bit predictable but I still had fun. The story was enjoyable and I think this book is the perfect for someone who wants to get more into this genre.

Thank you NetGalley and author for gifting me audiobook arc.

3.5 stars (for the twist), rounded up to 4.*

This is the second audiobook I've read by AJ McDine. The first, The Baby, kind of blew my mind. So when I saw this one on NetGalley I quickly requested it. Solid narration, and good thriller writing.

The Photo tells the story of Lara, a young photographer who captures a photo early in the morning while walking along the sea. When she looks at the photos later that evening she spies what she is certain is her 10-year-long missing brother-in-law standing on a balcony looking directly at her camera. He went missing the night her sister and her 2-year-old twins were brutallly murdered in their home.

She embarks upon a journey to get the local detective to reopen the case, while protecting her mother and niece from what she believes is the danger of his return.

The teenaged niece and her obsession with social media is so truly written, and I also thought her anxiety wasn't overplayed. The bad guys were less one-dimensional that I see in a lot of these books, and the twist was pretty amazing.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for this honest review.

The Photo by A J McDine and narrated by Tamsin Kennard is the second book from this author I have listened to and if you have not yet read or listened to "The Baby" you must as it is just as brilliant as The Photo!

A family is unalived, a mother (Isabelle) and her twin sons (Jack & Milo), the daughter (Lily) survives and is on life support, the husband (Jason) has disappeared. A clear suspect? Isabelle's sister Lara and their Mother have cared for Lily ever since that terrible night, of which Lily rememebers nothing, but as the tenth anniversary of the murder slips by, strange events begin to occur, not least a face in the background of a photo, a face that Lara knows well, A face that disappeared ten years ago.

AJ McDine is immensely talented at creating a writhing, twisting narrative, with threads easy to follow, and then thwack, right out of left field, another twist that will send you reeling!

Relatable characters, plausible plots and all with a distinct understanding of human nature, McDine is going to be a firm favourite for a long time to come

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, AJ McDine and the very talented Tamsin Kennard for this brilliant ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

ARC REVIEW
Pub date: July 11th 2024
🌶️Spice rating: There is no spice in this book!
My rating: 4.5🌟
Format: 🎧

From the moment I picked up this book I was super invested and I wanted to know how things would unfold. There’s crime solving, secrets and mystery and all of those are things I love in a story! It felt fast paced and I didn’t even realize I was 68% through. This was a super easy read and I 100% recommend this book. It was a ride!

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to listen to this audiobook, it’s much appreciated.

This is the second A J McDine book I have listened to this month.
As an avid audiobook listener, she’s a new author to me and I’m really enjoying her work.
I will definitely listen to more from her.
This book held my attention and it kept me hooked from the first chapter to the last!
The story unfolded at a steady pace, fast enough to hold your interest but slow enough to keep you guessing.
The author describes the characters well and the relationships between them.
There’s plenty of twists and turns along the way and the ending was very good! I didn’t see it coming! Highly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture audio for this ARC audio book. This is my first A J McDine book and it didn't disappoint. I was instantly intrigued from the first chapter. I didn't see both of the twists coming!

The Narrator Tasmin did a great job, she was very captivating and spoke well.

The only thing I can critique is that it jumped from first person (the FMC) to third person between the three POV. I would have preferred it to stay as first person for all characters.

I look forward to reading other books from A J McDine.

The photo

I received an Advanced Readers Audio from NetGalley and I could not stop listening I had to find out how Jason was able to allude from the cops for ten years. This was my first AJ McDine book and am eager to read more.

After a massacre of a mother and twins in Tidehaven England, the sister of the murdered woman’s sister, snaps a photo during a wedding, almost ten years since the murder, of the husband aka killer Jason.

Lily the only serving child of Lara and Jason is starting to remember things from that horrible night. She was five years old and was in a medically induced coma after her injuries from that fateful night. At fifteen years old now she starts making Crime Scene TikTok videos with the memories.

The press conference proves to be helpful and this is where I wasn’t ready for the TWISTS!

I will definitely pick up more AJ McDine books after this read!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+⭐
The Photo by A J McDine an audiobook narrated by Tamsin Kennard was an insane psychological thriller that will make you guess every single step!
The narrator - hands down, good one! Tamsin made you feel the story in my bones! Perfect reading, perfect emotions!

You know I was shocked by A J McDin's "The Baby" but once again she showed that she can shock you in the way you expect the least!

It's a heartbreaking story that will shatter your world and is well-developed in all directions!

Lara's sister and her twin boys were murdered, leaving her niece, Lily, in a coma. She survived. Decades later Lara, a wedding photographer, is compromised and her job is suffering. She is positive her brother-in-law Jason, accused of stabbing his wife and three children and then disappearing is back!

The twisted web and end twist... just blow my mind! And Tamsin Kennard did a fantastic job with narration! It's so easy to follow characters and feel the story in your bones!

Thank you, ...NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this copy!

So addictive! From the very first chapter I didn't want to stop reading. This is my second book from this author, and I've been blown away both times. I figured out the bad guy pretty early, but was still so engrossed in the story. I enjoyed the chapters that followed Lilly, it put things into a different perspective for me. Absolutely an incredible read!

High quality quick read audio was a binge read. It had me hooked from the burb to the omg ending. I loved the narration and the way the story arc of various characters was dripped inyo the narrative as inner monologues. I felt the usage of tick tock and references to ring doorbells and cctv gave in a modern grounding in a atory rhat you could have listen to on any postcard or watched in any film. I was fully invested in the characters due to skillful writing and narration
I found the police officer harder to like and loved the red herrings throughtout. Always the way issuses such as inner conflict and guilt survivor were dealt with. It's often overlooked that of you are told a family member fid a very bad thing you can suddenly stop loving them it was a simple plot eith a cracking ending told in a brilliant way. Highly recommended this t star listen to anyone after a fully engaging mystery. Thank you netgallery and publisher and author and narrator.

Ten years ago a terrible crime was committed and Jason, the main suspect remains at large … that is if he didn’t commit suicide after killing his wife and young sons. As the ten year anniversary of the travesty nears, Lily, the only survivor, now fifteen, starts to have flashbacks. Are they true or are they just vivid dreams, after all she was only five at the time? When her Aunt Laura, an avid photographer, catches an impromptu photo with a man that looks identical to Jason, their world is about to be overturned. Why is he back? Are they in danger? What happened that night and who can they trust? This was an audio for me and I couldn’t stop listening until the final words were spoken. McDine’s characters are realistic and the story is compelling. With the red herrings along the way, you might think you know what really happened that night, but I’m guessing you’ll be surprised by the ending. Voiced perfectly by Tamsin Kennard, this was a riveting listen. Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for an ALC of this book.

My final thoughts: Well, then. 😬

This was a wild little ride. Quick and packed with action. I enjoyed but wanted to kick many of the characters for being stubborn idiots. That being said, this one keeps you invested. I particularly loved the short chapters that jumped from character to character. Check this one out.

Loved the narrator for this one.

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



✨ Murder Mystery
✨ Thriller
✨Fast Paced




✨ Lara the aunt is the main character of the story. She’s a professional photographer who helps out with her mum and niece, Lily.
Lily, is the sole survivor after her mum and two twin brothers had been murdered.

✨up until the moment that the ex husband of her sister finally coming back after from hiding from the murder he did.
This is actually the reason why they re open the case and find out why he done it.



✨overall , it’s a good read. Well narrated that gives life to the story. Really recommended.



✨ Thankyou bookouture for the arc copy of this book for a honest review.



🫶🏼shaye.reads

Ten years ago, Lara’s sister, Isabelle, and her twins, Jack and Milo, died, at the hands of Lara’s brother in law, Jason. He then disappeared into thin air, leaving only a family picture, taken in happier times, at the top of Beachy Head. An assumption was made.
The only silver lining to this horrific cloud, was that 5 year old Lily survived the ordeal. As the ten year anniversary approaches, a photo Lara takes surprisingly captures the image of Jason, her errant brother in law; back in her hometown, so very close to her precious niece.

The author’s easy writing style combined with Tamsin Kennard’s narration, made the story flow so quickly. I was eager to keep listening, to find out what was going to happen, rooting for Lily, Lara and her mum Maggie.

The story is fast moving, a fabulous binge read, gripping until the last page. You will not want to put the book down, or turn the audio off. My suspicions were constantly in flux, having been fed plenty of misdirection by the author. All the characters were well developed and credible. The narration was well read, with plenty of light and shade voiced.

AJ McDine is a new author to me, having heard so many good reviews of The Baby, I was eager to dive in to The Photo, and it didn’t disappoint. I predict this will be a popular book on many summer holidays this year. 4.5⭐️ from me.

This was really an exciting and thrilling book. It was well-paced and it kept me on the edge of my seat until the end. I like how the author handled the big twist at the end. One of my pet peeves in thrillers is that the book wraps up in just a couple pages. The author took the time to clear up all of the storylines at a good pace rather than suddenly dropping off a cliff. I appreciate that as a reader.

I was listening to the audiobook of this work and I really liked the narrator. She used her voice effectively to move the book along and created tension when that was happening.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This one gripped me from the beginning. It moved at a steady pace but kind of stalled in the middle but picked up again. It’s a well developed storyline with well developed characters that were very likeable. It’s told from the point of view of Lara but I would have liked to hear from some other points of view just to give the storyline that extra edge. I was a little underwhelmed by the outcome as it’s nothing I haven’t heard before but there were some surprises along the way. The narration was engaging and held my interest throughout. Enjoyable listen that held my interest…

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review #ThePhoto

"The Photo" was a "picture perfect", fast-paced 5-star read.

Ten years ago, in Tidehaven, England, a woman and her twin 2-year-old sons were brutally massacred in their home.

The woman's 5-year-old daughter was severely injured but survived.

The key suspect in this horrific crime was the woman's husband, who disappeared.

A recent photo taken by the woman's sister changes everything and reopens the case.

The gripping, compelling, and pacey book was replete with red herrings and unpredictable twists.

I listened to the audiobook read by Tamsin Kennard, who did an outstanding job with the narration.

AJ Devine is one of my new favorite "go-to" authors and special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

AJ McDine is a top-notch thriller writer and I did enjoy this. Her character development was good and I was invested in the story. There were some surprise twists I thought I had predicted, but I was wrong. The photo is a small part of the story, so I really think there could be a more fitting title. I listened to the audio version and the narrator did a fantastic job. Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 rounded up. When I saw AJ McDine had a new book out I had to have it - and it’s every bit as fun as I’d hoped!

Premise: 10 years ago a British family is found slain in their own beds, with only Lily, the daughter, surviving. Jason, the father/husband, is missing and everyone assumes he’s the killer, gone on the run and never to be seen again.

Lara, the murdered wife’s sister, left her photojournalism career behind after the tragedy, choosing the less high stakes world of wedding photography as she cares for her now-15yo niece, Lily.

After taking a photo on a beach, Lara later realizes Jason is in the background! She fears Lily, now an amateur true crime podcaster, is in danger. And she has good reason to be afraid…

AJ McDine has a perfect writing style for a thriller - the prose never calls undue attention to itself and the reading experience is seamless, smooth… and then you find yourself at the epilogue already, because there’s no good point before then to pause the story.😅 The characters are well developed and interesting to learn about. I loved getting the backstory bit by bit!

I thought I’d called the twist, but I did NOT see the final twist coming at all!

The audiobook narrator, Tamsin Kennard, has a lovely voice that’s a real pleasure to listen to. She does a great job of giving truly distinct voices and tones to the different characters, as well as infusing the narrative with all the energy and tension the story deserves. The climax pushed me to an accidental running PR - thrillers make for excellent workout company!

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first by this author, and I look forward to more of her novels.

Imagine seeing your brother-in-law in a photograph that you took and thinking he was dead?

He killed your sister and two of her kids. You are keeping their other child safe.

The hunt begins as you try to find this man! Did he really kill her sister and their kids? Does he know one child survived?

So many crazy scenarios that my head was spinning throughout this fast-paced novel.

Thank you Bookouture for this gifted eARC.