WOW!!!!! Hooked from the first page and read this book in one sitting… Full of tension and suspense. A real page turner, best book of the year!!!

I listened to the audiobook of Traumaland and it was so good. This was such a good book and I got really invested. The narrator did an amazing job and worked perfectly for this book. Josh’s writing is brilliant and his character building was spot on. You can’t help but get drawn into the story following Eli on his journey. The concept of this book definitely gave me food for thought with how this concept could be implemented in the future. I did sit with the idea of it for some time. It was surprising and I think adults will enjoy this book.

Traumaland by Josh Silver and narrated by Lewis Hill is one of the best audiobooks I have listened to in such a long time and as someone who usually listens in parts I can honestly say I listen to this one from the opening credits to the ending credits it was so freaking good. The story is about Eli Pugh who is scarred and has been through severe trauma and ever since the accident he feels nothing, but desperately wants to feel something. he sees a psychiatrist name Melinda and although it hasn’t helped him recover his memories from January 8 the day of the accident to March 8 when they moved from Louis to their new home in London he does his best to pretend he does. let me just say Lewis Hill makes this part of the book when they have a family get together to discuss the accident so funny I had to get up and leave the room because my husband was sleeping and I couldn’t stop laughing this book it so many lol moments in the beginning but as we go on it gets much more serious. he even climbs onto the roof to see if at the very least he can feel fear of falling and oh yes he’s dressed as The joker and this part is also so funny. There’s so much I want to say about this book to get you to read it about how he goes to his family therapy session dressed as the Riddler about his neighbor who sees him on the roof, about how he digs into boxes he finds in the attic how he found trauma land from the sticker and even to sweet, sweet, Jack but that would take up too much time just know once Eli opens Pandora’s box just like in the story there’s no getting all the emotions back in. from where the book starts to wear it ends is really whiplash inducing because OMG I did not at all see it going and that direction. I also want to say many times in a book there will be romance and the characters may not feel as attracted to each other as the authors protest them to be but when it comes to Jack and Eli the chemistry jumps off the page just seemed as if these two boys were meant to be together. just know there’s a lot of trauma inducing parts in the book especially at the club but it is so so good if you love grape mysteries with a touch of romance that also begs the question who has a right to your memories, then you’ll absolutely love this book I totally did.#NetGalley, #BelindaAudio, #TheBlindReviewer, #LewisHill, #JoshSilver, #TraumaLand,.

Thank you Netgalley, Bolinda Audio and Josh Silver for the audio Arc
Narrated by Louis Hill

What do you do when you feel nothing? This is exactly how our Mc, Eli feels. Nothing. After trying to process the trauma of a car accident. Ali tries doing some morally grey things to try and get him to " feel " something. Anything. A buzz of excitement, But nothing comes. After deciding to pinch a young ladies phone, he get more than what he bargained for when she turns up on his doorstep! Which leads to Traumaland.

Wow, this was a wild ride that I wasn't expecting. The premise of Traumaland was something a little different and a possible future which is a bit too close to home. I really connected with Eli, even though his character behaviour at the beginning screams psycho, you get to really process what trauma can do and how our brains can change the narration to protect us. We also have some great twists along the way and a finale which will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Louis Hill, who narrated this book brought all the characters alive with his voice and Im looking forward to reading/listening more to both the narrator and the author

4.25 stars for Storygraph, 4 stars for Netgalley.

Traumaland was such a gooooos twisty thriller! At first I thought it was going to be a gorey body horror situation, but actually the dark underbelly of what happened to the main character, the addition of his dad's career and AI/tech input...so good

Traumaland by Josh Silver is honestly such a whirlwind of a story and to have it narrated by Louis Hill was a fun and captivating experience.

You really don’t realise how important memories are until you lose them.

There is always a piece that feels missing, and you will do anything to get that back. Get that feeling back.

That’s how Eli feels one year after a fatal car accident that changed his life. By working with his therapist he can almost fully tell the story of what happened, but the words that leave his mouth do not come with memories.

Ever since the accident, Eli can’t feel anything. He can’t be happy, sad, angry- and he is so desperate to feel something again that he winds up in Traumaland and seeks to find his emotions in the virtual stories of other people, that is until he goes into the story of Jack, and everything Eli knows, or at least thinks he knows, comes crashing down.

This was such a good book that I had no clue where it was going for most of it and still made me shocked by the end.

Hill did a brilliant job with the voices and setting the tone for a queer virtual reality esque escape with a twist.

Traumaland by Josh Silver
🎧 Narrated by Louis Hill
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#Traumaland #NetGalley

Traumaland is a YA thriller with a bold concept, unsettling atmosphere, and emotional depth. Written by Josh Silver and narrated with intensity and nuance by Louis Hill, it asks big, thorny questions about trauma, memory, and what it means to heal.

I was initially drawn in by the striking cover, eerily reminiscent of Donnie Darko, and the premise, which felt like it could sit comfortably alongside The Matrix or an episode of Black Mirror. I’ll admit I was a little hesitant at first, knowing it was aimed at a YA audience, but any doubts quickly dissolved. Yes, the prose is accessible and clearly written with teens in mind, but Silver doesn’t pull punches. The book delves into some genuinely dark and mature themes, abuse, grief, guilt, and psychological horror, all handled with a careful and thoughtful touch.

The story revolves around teens who have experienced trauma and undergo an unusual form of therapy, one that questions the very nature of memory. If you could erase the worst moment of your life, would you? Should you? And what kind of person would you be without that pain?

Silver’s exploration of these questions is deeply compelling. The emotional stakes feel real and earned, and the writing, though straightforward, manages to capture complex internal struggles without becoming heavy-handed. The audiobook performance by Louis Hill adds even more depth, especially in the quieter, more introspective moments.

One of the standout passages comes near the end, where a character reflects on why we consume scary media in the first place. It’s a brilliant moment of self-awareness that adds another layer to the novel: What do we gain from confronting fear in fiction? Does it prepare us for the real thing or give us a safe place to process it?

For fans of speculative fiction with heart, Traumaland hits that sweet spot between thrilling and thoughtful. It’s imaginative, unsettling, and ultimately hopeful, an ideal balance for a YA novel dealing with such serious subject matter.

Perfect for fans of:
🌀 Donnie Darko
🖤 Black Mirror
🧠 More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
🌫️ Emotional sci-fi with a psychological twist

Eli is damaged. After a horrific car accident where he nearly killed his own father, he’s in therapy. He’s blocked out the memories - in fact, he’s blocked out everything. He has forgotten what happened and he’s also forgotten how to feel.

It’s when he’s trying to force himself to feel something, anything that he stumbles across a demonic bunny logo. A logo he discovers for ‘Traumaland’ - the place he’s been searching for - it promises to shock him, thrill him into feeling again with an incredible immersive experience.

But when he visits, he opens a can of worms beyond anything he could have imagined. And as he delves into the recesses of his mind he has to question his very foundations.

I thought this was an excellent story - really well thought out, gripping and thought provoking. Perfect for fans of Black Mirror. I always enjoy LGBTQ+ characters where their sexuality is merely incidental to the storyline as well - it’s not important to any plot point that Eli is gay, he just is. I was given an audiobook to review, and the narrator was excellent with seamless delivery.

Thoroughly recommend.

This was such an exciting book! It's a YA thriller that deals with mental health issues with a lot of sensitivity, but at the same time delivers a lot of twists and turns. And the main character is gay! What more could I want?? The ending made me gasp audibly and I can't stop thinking about it! And when I say YA, it's right at the upper end. The protagonist is 17 and I wouldn't suggest it to anyone too much younger than that....no sex, but some language and violence.

I've read Josh's previous duology, Happyhead etc and I loved those too, but I really think this is a step up in terms of quality. The characters are complex and interesting, and while there is one coincidence at the beginning that seems in retrospect slightly too coincidental, the plot continued to be unexpected right throughout.

I was given access to the audio by the publisher via Netgalley and it's a really quality production, well read and fantastic regional UK accents!

Overall I had a great time and will read anything Mr Silver writes next.

TRAUMALAND is a gripping thriller about trauma exploitation and monetisation.

The book raises questions about mental health support for those who have experienced trauma and what is morally right when helping them. What treatments are ethical and are we still us if we lose our memories? I liked that the book didn't come down on any side when it came to the core treatment of the book, because it is such a complex issue and everyone's perspective will be different. It does, though, look at the ways in which it could be exploited and monetised - which was chilling and felt far too realistic.

I really appreciated that this book has ADHD representation. There's so little authentic neurodiverse representation out there, particularly in YA, and we need more nuanced characters like Eli.

It did take me a while to get into this tale because at first it just feels like a contemporary about the aftermath of an accident and the strain that takes on family. However, from about the one third mark, it does start getting thriller vibes, moving quickly from "something's a bit off" to "oh, this is messed up" (and then gets even more twisted!) From then, I was hooked.

The audiobook is narrated by Louis Hill, who does a fab job with voice work as there are sections when Eli is experiencing other stories that switch voice entirely to really ground you in the idea that this is more than a usual VR experience. One thing I did find very funny, though, was that one of the villains' voice was identical to a work colleague's (who is lovely) and I could not unhear it. I laughed a little trying to imagine him as this brutal businessman, and simply could not manage it.

I think this a defo “it’s not you, it’s me” as I felt like this was maybe too young for me. I enjoyed aspects of the book but it felt like it was trying to be that edgy teenager “it’s not a phase mum” but with added mental health (which was basically me as a teenager) and I think it just didn’t hit the mark for me

Some bits I did enjoy like the story and plot itself I found interesting but I think the narration didn’t help me through it

Ok I loved this.
I read Happyhead a year or 2 ago, and honestly didn’t realize the author was the same at first. Once I did realize, I was so happy I had requested and was approved.
This story had a bit of a slowish start. I didn’t really feel motivated to care about the MC for a bit. Once he entered trauma land however, I was super interested. I wanted to know immediately what was going on and how it was going to all play out. I did not want to put this one down. Now that it’s over, I want to know if something happens next because omg.

The narrator was great and the story was super fun. Highly recommend.

Oh this was good! I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this.

I ate it up! Listened to this in one day because I just couldn't put it down, I was so invested in the story. I have a tendency to skip a head a little bit when I'm physically reading and accidently give myself spoilers, so I'm so glad I listened to the audio of this because I saw none of this coming.

This was my first Josh Silver book and what an introduction! Going to have to go and look at his back catalogue now.

Highly recommend!

Oh wow, what a story!

This author has the knack of taking these seemingly broken characters and making them who they are and taking a story and making the twists so jaw dropping that I had to buy one of those chin lift mask things off TT to keep my mouth closed as I kept thinking about that ending for ages after (100% not for snoring!!!)

I don't even know where to begin with proclaiming my love for EVERYTHING about this book. So I'm just going to say.....read it. READ IT and fall in love with Eli.

Fantastic, excellent, marvellous - and any adjective for superb! That is what this book is.

I honestly don’t want to say too much about this book as I think going into it without too much information is probably the best way. But what I will say is this: It was WILD.

Traumaland had me hooked right from the beginning and I was so invested throughout that I ended up listening to the audiobook in only two sittings because I genuinely just couldn’t put it down!

I loved the way that it was written. I found that the writing style and the way that the dialogue was written made it super easy to read and it just came across very real and genuine. Also, I loved loved LOVED the narrator! The book was great on its own of course, but the narration really added so much to my reading experience and I think Louis Hill was the absolute perfect narrator for this story and these characters! It just worked SO well!

Traumaland was wildly intense and it will have you frantically trying to connect the dots like that one Charlie Kelly meme. It was an incredibly deep and emotional story but at the same time, it was also hilarious and had me giggling constantly. I just had such a great time with it. Traumaland is one of those stories that is guaranteed get stuck in your head!

I one hundred percent recommend this book, especially on audio!


Thank you to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio for the ALC!

This was absolutely outstanding, Traumaland is up there amongst some of the best thrillers, and most certainly the best YA thriller I’ve ever read. I can’t think of anything that comes close.

I don’t want to spoiler anything at all, but the general outline is that following an accident Eli has been left with missing memories and more frighteningly no emotion, he can’t feel anything, so alongside therapy he’s working on other methods, including attending Traumaland, an underground club that promises to make you feel.

Amazing writing, great character building. fantastic story telling.

The audio narration was fabulous 🎧

All the stars 🌟
#Jorecommends

Huge thanks to Bolinda Audio via NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧

My only criticism would be to point out that while there is a fantastic breakdown of content warnings within the written synopsis for this title, there is no mention of it on the audio, it would be great if this could be added for publication, I think particularly when we consider some use audiobooks as text isn’t an option for them.