#AudiobookReview ~ He Said He Would Be Late by Justine Sullivan

ABOUT THE BOOK

A fast-paced, twisty psychological debut about the complexities of marriage and new motherhood, told through the frenetic lens of a wife seeking the truth about her husband, at all costs, as the validity of the life she once knew unravels.

Liz Bennett knows that she is one of the lucky ones. Wealthy and charming, Arno is a supportive husband to Liz and a doting father to their daughter, Emma. A rising banker at a top firm in the Boston area, he is the picture of perfection, rounding off their idyllic New England life. But when Liz sees a text on Arno’s phone with a kissy-face emoji, her anxiety kicks into overdrive and she begins to worry that her luck has run out.

Plagued by persistent skepticism and countless sleepless nights, Liz decides she must uncover the truth about her husband—as any wife would. So she takes a deep breath and dives down the rabbit hole. As Liz peels back layers of deceit and tracks down every lead, a frenzy begins to take over her life. Could Arno really be unfaithful? Or is Liz’s imagination getting the best of her? When everyone around her is convinced she’s become unhinged, she must prove, if only to herself, that a woman’s intuition expands beyond a single cryptic text.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

I’ll start by saying that I’m far more long-suffering when listening to a book than reading one. This was enjoyable, but it plods at a slow pace. I don’t think I would have had the patience to read it.

Liz Bennett’s husband, Arno, works long hours in downtown Boston, while she stays at home with their daughter. Unfortunately, Liz suffers from depression, is emotionally unattached to her one-year-old, has a tendency to expect the worst, and suffers from insomnia. To make things even worse, she has plenty of time on her hands to think.

All it takes is for Liz to see a text on Arno’s phone from a co-worker to cause Liz to start catastrophizing. And so the questions begin.

The story will have you agreeing that some hanky panky is going on between Arno, even though he is portraying the thoughtful husband. The next minute you will question Liz’s stability.

My Concerns

While I enjoyed the writing and character development, the story didn’t progress as I would have liked. Unfortunately, the story offered too little too late. It wasn’t hard to see what was coming.

Final Thoughts

It was an enjoyable, very well-written story and the narrator did a great job of bringing it to life. I applaud Tager for helping to hold my interest, though the character development was done beautifully.

It was a slow story and didn’t pick up until the last few pages. It was too late and wasn’t a complete surprise. It also left me with a few questions.

Is this a debut author that I will keep an eye on? Absolutely. The writing was good.

My thanks to #netgalley and #MacmillanAudio for the ability to review this ARC.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND NARRATOR

Justine Sullivan / Author

 Justine was born and raised just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, where she failed to learn how to shuck a crab and never attended a single Orioles game. She did, however, discover a passion for reading at her local Harford County Library. She went on to study English Literature at the University of Delaware and then earned her master’s in journalism from Boston University and has since spent a number of years working in both newsrooms and the world of branded content.

Justine lives outside of Boston with her husband and two terribly behaved dogs. He Said He Would Be Late is her debut novel.

Kelli Tager / Narrator

Now based in Los Angeles, I’m from the one-Starbucks town of Saratoga, California. I did my first professional theater gig before I graduated high school, then got my BA in Theatre Arts from UCLA – and studied in England my junior year . It was such jolly good fun that I returned to the UK for my Masters in Shakespeare. After graduation, I continued to act in theater and film/ TV until the day I discovered voice over… and fell in love. Now I only work behind the mic and I couldn’t be happier.