This book was captivating from the very beginning as a group of friends reunites and tries to put aside long-buried secrets. I was never too sure of what to think, which I loved but the ending did feel a bit rushed and I wasn't entirely sure it fit.
The audiobook version of the book was an enjoyable listen - the narrator did a great job telling the story and bringing these characters to life.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Six friends gather for a crazy weekend of snow, champagne, and other indulgences. In the midst of their mischief, one disappears. And now there are five. Did Dahn really jump into the frozen lake? All but one saw him go in, but no one saw him come out. Could he be waiting for them in the sauna? Could he have slipped passed them when the outside lights flickered? Gone. He's just gone, swallowed whole at the icy lake.

Over the course of the next twenty years his friends gather in various countries every other year to reunite with each other and morn his untimely death. But Gael, being a journalist now, has some questions brewing. Would her friends have committed murder? There was the missing thirty-thousand pounds, the pregnancy, and the one night of forbidden passion. Gael is determined to discover the truth.

With a full audio cast, J.J. Marsh's novel is brought to life and it won't disappoint. Thanks To NetGalley for an advanced audio copy. All opinions expressed here are my own.

What an incredible short story. Having the revolving characters narration throughout each chapter made it so easy to feel as though you were just another friend I’m this friend group. I really never saw the end coming and I have already recommended this story to multiple friends!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audio copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Six friends, one adventure trip, one accident and a lifetime of grief.
The story was very promising at the start, got boring and slow paced in the middle, brought in twists at the end that I didn't expect but I didn't enjoy it much and the end rushed off with more questions than answers.
It completely let me down.
The narrators were outstanding.

A tragic accident on the eve of the new millennium leaves a lingering sadness among a group of five college friends. They meet every two years on New Years Eve to rekindle their friendship and share memories of that night. Each chapter is narrated by a different member of the group, over a period of twenty years. It's an engaging story of interpersonal relationships, as well as the mystery surrounding that incident. The narration was mostly quite good with each character's reflecting their heritage. But I found the accent given to Clark (who is supposed to be from Alaska) to be more like a New York or New Jersey accent, and thus not authentic.

I listened to the audio of this book. With 5 different characters switching back and forth, the audio helped to keep straight who was speaking. The narrators did a good job, so that helped to carry my rating from a 2 to a 3.

I can't say that I loved this story. It was interesting at first, and I really liked the idea of these friends whose bond continued beyond college. However, it became clear early on that they didn't really enjoy each other's company all that much. Two decades of grumbling about joint vacations pass on in slow and painful progress, until finally the story abruptly ends. It wasn't a shocking ending, nor did I find it especially suspenseful.

I enjoyed the narration of this thriller. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook. I will admit I had an inkling of how it might end.

Odd Numbers but JJ Marsh sounded like a great story but it did not draw me in and I did not finish it.

I would like to thank the Publisher Saga Egmont Audio, the author JJ Marsh, and Netgalley for the review copy of this book #OddNumbers #NetGalley

Six friends became 5 on New Years Eve of 1999. Because of that incident, they find themselves gathering every other NYE in places around the world to catchup but also to mourn the lost of one of them. Was it suicide? Was it murder? The friends question it over and over and rehash what happened. No one has forgotten him or what he did to each of them as individuals. What is to become of this group? Will they stay friends or has this one incident been the only thing holding them together?

I found the story very intriguing. It was told from different perspectives and time periods with bits and pieces of each of their current and past lives thrown in. I felt this lead to some difficulty in following the story with my normal audiobook consumption (listening while engaged in many other things that are competing for my attention). No matter it still kept my attention and gave me a good journey. I sat back for the ride and was not disappointed.

Format: audiobook
Author: JJ Marsh ~ Title: Odd Numbers ~ Narrators: Jess Nesling, Paul Panting
Content: 3.5 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars

A group of six friends met at the University during their studies of linguistics. On 31st December 1999, Dhan disappears. So, two years later, five remaining friends organize a new year’s gathering as a memorial for a lost friend. They meet every other year on new year’s eve. As linguists, they meet in a different city each time. We get to know a group of distinct characters from different parts of the world: from party animals to fragile and sensitive ones.

Psychological drama. Slowly, through five POVs, the true story of friendship unravels. And with it also the lies and secrets they are trying to hide. The story stretches from the first gathering to the last, twenty years later.

I liked most of the book and this whole character dissecting, but the last twenty percent of the book was just ok. I guess I was hoping for something more. Despite that, I liked it, and it was worth reading it.

The narrators did a wonderful job. Jess Nesling narrated three different accents for each female friend.

Thanks to Saga Egmont Audio the for the ARC and the opportunity to listen to this! All opinions are my own.

This was a disappointing, disjointed read, which didn't really live up to the publishers blurb.

The switching between perspectives was not effective, and I think the story would have been better told from a single perspective. There was also little character development, and the plot just plodded slowly along, with the final outcome obvious from way before the ending.

Not sure if I will look out for future books from this author.

3.5 stars

A character-driven mystery story that spans 20 years of lies, guilt, & grief. The ending isn’t very strong, but I quite enjoyed the book for the character development & depth.

[What I liked:]

•The premise is good, & well executed. Despite the large time span & significant amount of backstory that’s included, the story is cohesive & I enjoyed getting each of the five MC’s perspectives on each other, their group dynamics, the fallout from the tragic event, etc.

•The characters are well developed, have distinct personalities, & different goals & flaws. I enjoyed seeing their growth & failures over time.

•The writing is pretty good. The story is told in 1st-person narration by the five MC’s. Each one has a distinct voice & mindset, & contributes nuance to the portrayal of events & relationships.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•The ending was pretty anticlimactic. So, twenty years of devastating grief, but then something just as tragic happens & everyone moves on like it barely mattered? It’s not consistent, & it doesn’t have much impact as an ending.

•Okay, so the pranks in the cabin are eerie & build tension, then fizzle into nothing. The rationale for playing them is thin, so I guess they were included in the story just to build tension that went nowhere.

CW: murder, accidental drowning, infidelity, substance abuse, non-consensual drugging

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

A Story of Six university friends that become five. After a stay at one of the friends family home on New Year’s Eve where they partied and enjoyed the traditions of jumping into a hole in the ice after a naked sauna, tied to a rope so they be pulled out immediately after and wrapped in a warm towel. Tragedy strikes as one friend does not come back up. After the tragedy of losing one of their best friends, the friends meet every new year at a different destination chosen by one of them in turn. Together in grief and remembrance of their lost friend. It’s on the 20th anniversary that things don’t seem quite the same. Each sense things aren’t quite right with odd happenings and sightings.
Thank you to @netgalley @sagaegmontdeutschland and of course to JJ Marsh for my gifted audio copy of this book for an honest review. This was my first by this Author so I have no comparison. The book was an easy listen told by each of the characters points of view. For me and that doesn’t mean for everyone I felt it lacked a little something. But as an avid reader of thrillers I’m conscious of getting a little harder to please. After saying this the end did surprise me and I didn’t see it coming so that’s always a bonus ! ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 from me

Odd Numbers by JJ Marsh is a story about friendships that are not goals. 20 years ago 6 friends celebrate New Years Eve but by the end of the night only 5 are left. Now every other New Year's they reunite in honor of the one who didn't return. But after 20 years of their shared tragedy there is paranoia, distrust and possible murder.

The descriptive prose of European locales like wintry Prague put you right into the story. Narrators Jess Nesling and Paul Panting are spectacular at giving distinct voices for each character.

The ending felt a bit rushed but I appreciated the wink to the audience about what occurred though a follow up epilogue would have been perfection. Also, check out the author's Beatrice Stubbs series. It is just brilliant.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Saga Egmont via #Netgalley for fair and honest reviews. All opinions are my own

Odd Numbers by JJ Marsh is a mystery told from the point of view of 5 friends who lost one of their own. The audiobook narration was superb and kept the pace flowing nicely. I believe the question that the author is asking us to think about is “what are these people capable of” and he answers it with a great final twist at the end. Secrets are shared throughout the whole novel between the friends and lead us to constantly question the character of our protagonists. I would definitely recommend this short book to mystery lovers, unless you dislike stories told from multiple points of view, because the reader does have to keep up with 5 different ones.

What an enjoyable story. About deceit and friendship, how friends can let each other down. False trust. I really liked this story and flew through it in 2 days. Thank you for allowing me to listen to this audiobook, Books like this make me obsessed with audio.

This book was brilliant. I enjoyed it that much I listened to in one day. I really enjoyed the full cast of this audio book with various accents. This book has a very creepy feel to it. There was a great sense of atmosphere and tension and I felt an immediate connection to the characters. Although one aspect of the story was predictable there were also many twists and turns along the way that I didn't expect. I really loved the aspect that a group of friends meet together every year at different countries across the world. The interactions between them made me laugh out loud at times.

The ending surprised me a little I did see apart of the ending coming but defiantly not the way it ended. I was like what ... why! I failed to understand why it ended the way it did. It left me a little disappointed hence why it got 4 stars and not the 5 it was heading for. It is well worth listening to though, as it is a great story. I'm left wondering did I miss an important point somewhere and that is why I didn't quit understand the ending, or maybe I looked to hard to find an answer. Thanks to the author and publishing team for creating such a gripping and creepy thriller for us all to enjoy.

Posted review on amazon, goodreads, waterstones, kobo and BARNES&NOBLE. Also just published the review on my blog
https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/odd-numbers-by-j-j-marsh-saga-egmont-audio-4-stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Saga Egmont Audio and JJ Marsh for an audio ARC in return for an honest review.

This story follows the story of five friends who celebrate every new year mourning the loss of their friend. The paragraphs alternate between characters to decipher the dark past of Dhan.

This was a fairly short audiobook, about 5.5 hours. I enjoyed it but felt it was a little predictable. The plot was good but I found it a little difficult to know who-was-who to begin with. This may have been easier in book form.
The male and female narrators made it easier to Follow. They read the story well and have an added aspect of tension to the story.

3.75⭐️
A psychological drama. The authors first foray into a psychological drama. I had the 🎧audiobook version with narrators Jess Nesling and Paul Panting. I loved the different nationality accents. I think the narrators did a good job keeping me engaged throughout. I am not sure if the book would have been as effective for me. I am a pace junkie.
Over 2 decades 5 international college friends have met up every 2 years to celebrate New Year. It’s split into 2 yearly time frames from 1999 until 20th Anniversary.
In 1999 The meet up is in a remote snowy chalet near Prague.
The friends are Gael, Mikka, Lavissa, Clark, Simone, and Dan.

The story is told by each of the characters. As we hear from each we get to see the character developments, and each of their thoughts and emotions. The characters are well written and emotive in the revelations. I found the characters interesting rather than likeable. I feel that the characterisation is stronger than the plot.

As the reader gets to hear some of the events from different points of view there is a bit of repetition, although overall I feel it is handled well to minimise repetition as the different characters had a different take on the situation.

It feels more like a domestic drama with some psychological elements. although I’m hopeless with categorisation.
The majority is slower paced, it maintained my interest. The last section everything came together and the pace picked up.

Did it work for me? The beginning did up until the reveal, then no not so much. I was a bit disappointed with the ending. It kept my attention, I enjoyed it.

Odd Numbers is an adult mystery suspense novel about a group of six former classmates that reunite every year in beautiful locations around the world to ring in the new year. In 1999 as the world prepares for a new millennium only five of them will return from a cold dip in a lake. The group will spend the next twenty years mourning their missing 6th friend and wondering what went wrong.
Odd Numbers is a book about a group of friends that would have probably gone their separate ways if they weren’t bound by the mystery of their missing friend Dan. But as their narratives unfold the reader discovers that Dan wasn’t a great friend and most of the people in that remote lodge had good reason to get rid of him. When the friends return on the 20th anniversary of his disappearance a series of cruel pranks will send the group spinning into accusations and suspicion.
I did the audio of Odd Numbers which was well narrated by the dual voices of Jess Nesling and Paul Panting. The story kept my interest and I enjoyed reading about European locales and the complicated friendships and romances of the six players. The last part of the book and felt a little rushed and it lacked it little oomph for me. Overall this was a solid mystery suspense.
3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️