Thank you so much to Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to listen to the ALC of This Story Might Save Your Life before it’s released on 12th March!

I’m so glad I opted for the audiobook, because it was an absolute riot from the moment I hit play. It reminded me of [author:Amy Tintera|5768611]’s [book:Listen for the Lie|127279000] audiobook, where the story is great, but the audiobook performances and production elevate it to another level. This was the case for [book:This Story Might Save Your Life|231126887]. Julia Whelan and Sean Patrick Hopkins brought Joy and Benny to life immediately to the point where I forgot they were fictional characters and not actual hosts of a podcast. This was a joy to listen to from start to finish and I ended up listening in one go, pushing my bedtime until 2:40am!!!! 5 stars.

I can’t believe this is a debut release for Tiffany Crum, but I can’t wait to see what she writes next. An auto-read author for sure! I already can’t wait to reread to this later in the year! Do yourself a favour and get the audiobook, it’s worth the credit!

Loved it!
Great characters and a really good story that whilst being told in multiple times and with two POV’s never got lost as some tales do. Never would have guessed the ending either.
The narrators were superb.

4.5★ I really had a fab time with this - it was a perfect mix of the fast pace of a mystery and great character development you often find in contemporary fiction. I feel as though this genre is more and more on the rise - we are moving away from slasher murder mysteries and towards a more introspective unwinding of facts.

The relationship between the characters felt really meaningful and very movingly portrayed, it really felt as though they were twin flames and yet life leads you down many paths which we explored with them.

I especially enjoyed the podcast component (HIGHLY recommend this on audiobook) because it made the characters so much more personable - those silly moments of laughter that maybe don't move the plot too much actually bring a huge depth to their characters.

Honestly, not too many more thoughts! This was an easy to follow but profound read and I had a great time.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

This Story Might Save Your Life
Tiffany Crum


🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

With a cover that really didn't give too much away and a title that got my brain turning, I couldn't wait to jump into this book - and it really took me by surprise - in the best way.

I loved that we dove straight into the mystery as we learn that Benny's best friend Joy and her husband, Xander are missing and their house is left in a state.
The story then unfolds gradually through various pov's and timelines, taking us through the start of the friendship, the inception of the friends' podcast fame and beyond.

As we follow the present day events, I really felt for Benny as it was clear that he was so worried for the couple, but the more the investigation develops, it seemed obvious that he would somehow be implicated.
But I was kept on tenterhooks wondering whether he would become an unreliable narrator, wrongly accused or the hero of the story.

There were so many twists that sent me off making my own theories only to be thrown off track again.
It was great to piece the clues together with Benny and the more he uncovered, the more complex the case became.

This had me racing through the pages and I literally couldn't put this down.
Each time I stopped reading, I'd make an excuse to come straight back to open it up again.

I loved the relationship that Joy and Benny had - the best of friends who were always there for the other through good and bad times.
I think I went through every emotion possible whilst reading their story. But the best thing was that for every heartbreaking event, the pair never failed to then make me laugh with their banter and easy friendship.

This was so well crafted from start to finish and all the characters were so beautifully written and will stay in my heart for some time.
This may have been my first read by this author, but I can guarantee that it won't be the last!



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

One of those audiobooks I couldn't stop listening to! The podcasting element of it made the story so much fun and despite its darker themes, the easy relationship between the characters and their story is reminiscent of college days friendships, full of crazy conversations and in some cases even crazier adventures.

Huge credit to the narrators who really made the relationship shine and made those characters their own, especially in the bonus podcast episode at the end.

Well worth a listen.

You’ll want this on your tbr for sure, if possible go for the audio version, Julia Whelan and Sean Patrick Hopkins provide Ann outstanding performance as always.

I love this new sub genre that’s emerging centred around the world of podcasts, I’ve enjoyed everyone I’ve read so far, but this was even a little more different. Joy and Benny are long time best friends, as the story opens though Joy is missing and it’s Bennts mission to find her via messages drop fed within their podcast. Firstly I’d have listened to the podcast had I heard a snippet of it, secondly I really connected with both Joy and Benny, thirdly I was enthralled in the mystery and enjoyed picking my way through the clues with the characters.

The story is fresh, vibrant well plotted and well written, absolutely nothing to complain about.

All round excellent and only my 2nd 5 ⭐️ read of the year.

Loved it!

Huge thanks to Hodder & Stoughton Audio via NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧

All the stars 🌟
#Jorecommends

Provided by Hodder & Stoughton and Net Galley as an advance copy in audio format

Benny and Joy bond after a chance encounter and become the very best of friends. They develop a popular, lucrative and highly successful podcast discussing how to deal positively with a range of tricky situations including being swallowed by a whale! Behind the production scenes, however, life is far from rosy. Crum explores themes as diverse as domestic violence, miscarriage, online stalking, divorce, avarice, narcolepsy and the consequences of dangerously deceptive advertising. She even manages to incorporate an intriguing murder mystery.

This story works incredibly well as an audio book. The listener quickly becomes invested in the upbeat, the shady and the ancillary characters, not to mention the ‘love me, love me not’ vacillation of the podcast hosts. It is never entirely clear which parts of the dialogue and narrative are true or false so much so the plot hooks you in to the point of addiction, keeping you constantly guessing what will happen next. Throughout humour is adroitly juxtaposed with pathos.

This is a fantastic debut novel for Tiffany Crum. As a thriller / romance, it gets 5 out of 5 stars from me and a massive thumbs up from the Fonz!

And just like that, This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum has earned the title of my first 'unhinged, screaming, five star read' of the year. Like, HOW was this not on my radar??? I just went in with zero expectations and even a tiny bit of side eye for the slightly cheesy title, only for it to completely rock my world. Imagine the twisty domestic suspense of Lisa Jewell blended with the soft romantic yearning of First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison. On paper, that combination should not work, but in practice, it absolutely slaps.

So I don’t want to give too much away since I loved going in blind so much, but I’ll just give a little tease of the brilliance that is packed into these pages. Meet Benny Abbott and Joy Moore, the co-hosts of a massively beloved survival podcast where they retell ‘against all odds’ stories with humor and heart. They are everyone’s favorite besties (and they quickly became mine too), with a carefully managed empire thanks to Joy’s husband, Xander. Then one morning, Benny shows up to record and finds shattered glass and an empty house. Joy and Xander are gone, the only clue is an unfinished draft of Joy’s memoir, and the police are suddenly looking at Benny like he might know more than he is saying. Honestly, I love a messy situation, and this one is MESSY.

Now, before I spiral into incoherent gushing, let me just say this: if you are even remotely an audiobook person, I am begging you to experience it that way. The production is next level, with duet style recordings of the in-world podcast episodes, subtle sound design, tip line messages from guest narrators (including the author herself), and even a bonus podcast episode at the end that made me absolutely feral. And as if that was not enough, Joy is narrated by Julia Whelan, which truly feels like winning the lottery. All of this combined made for such an immersive experience that I felt like one of Benny and Joy’s devoted listeners, refreshing my feed and hanging on every word.

Anyway, I honestly adored the clever storytelling structure of This Story Might Save Your Life, which follows Benny in the present as he scrambles to uncover what happened, while Joy’s voice initially only comes through in sections of her memoir that take us back through the evolution of their friendship and the birth of their podcast. That layering is exactly why this thriller stands out from the crowd for me, because I was not just invested in solving a mystery but actually deeply attached to their history. Watching them build that bond while knowing something catastrophic is coming made the emotional tension almost unbearable in the best way, and the (forbidden?) friends to lovers yearning was just DELICIOUS!!! This is what I live for.

What also really impressed me is how deeply layered This Story Might Save Your Life is without ever feeling like it is trying to do too much. The narcolepsy representation through Joy’eyes felt so thoughtful and human, and I really appreciated the hard-hitting exploration of abusive dynamics without the story turning into something relentlessly bleak. Crum just balances the emotional weight with wit, warmth, and those little sparks of humour so perfectly, and I loved how that felt so true to the nature of the survival podcast at its center and the complicated love between my babes Benny and Joy.

I have read a shit ton of books and it is hard to find a story that genuinely surprises me and feels fresh at this point, but This Story Might Save Your Life is absolutely one of them. Like, every time I thought I had things figured out, the story pivoted in a way that made perfect sense while still completely catching me off guard. Also, I was constantly torn between the urge to devour it in one sitting and slowing down on purpose because I did not want this to end, and when I start savouring a story like that, you know I am obsessed.

The fact that this is a debut is honestly bonkers to me, but I am already declaring myself part of the Tiffany Crum fan club right now and I will be reading whatever she writes next, no questions asked. Whether This Story Might Save Your Life will save your life is up for debate, but it absolutely saved my reading year, and I love it for that. Just perfect, no notes. Please read it and then give it to everyone you know so we can all scream about it together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This Story Might Save Your Life is scheduled for release on 10 March 2026.

4.5 ⭐️


Okay. Wow. This is a debut novel, which honestly makes it even more impressive.
I was lucky enough to get the audiobook, and I’m so glad I did because it was fantastic. Huge shoutout to Julia Whelan and Sean Patrick Hopkins because they completely brought the story to life. If you’re thinking about picking this up, I’d genuinely recommend the audio. It added so much to the experience.

So, the story: This Story Might Save Your Life is also the name of the podcast hosted by best friends Benny and Joy. One day, Benny shows up at Joy’s house to record an episode, and the house is empty. Joy and her husband are gone. That’s how it starts.
From there, the book becomes this really engaging mix of mystery, friendship, love story, humor, and grief.
The story is layered, but not in a messy way. There’s a mysterious disappearance at the center, but it’s also very much about the history between these two best friends. You know the good, the bad, and the in-between parts.
The story is told through the POVs of the two best friends and across two timelines: one in the present and the other in a memoir-style format. I loved that structure, especially because it kept me interested and constantly guessing. At some point, I fully convinced myself I was solving the case like Agatha Christie (spoiler: I was not. I didn’t guess anything correctly. Not even close).
What I appreciated most is that the book doesn’t shy away from heavier topics. It can get emotional, and there are some hard moments, but the author also balanced them with humorous and lighter scenes. I don’t know what else to say except that I loved the characters (well not all of them) and the story, especially the ending with the bonus chapter.

I’m genuinely excited to see what Tiffany Crum writes next. She can definitely count me as a fan!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Could a comedy survival podcast really save your life.

A great thriller with a unique format.

Will Benny find Joy? Will he clear his name?

Book: 3.5 stars
Audiobook: 5 stars

A lovely blend of domestic thriller with a dash of romance, but at times the pace lagged. I think for me it was pretty predictable what as happening to Joy, so I was more interested in Benny's present-day search.The villain was quickly signposted so I didn't really care to listen to how worse they got. There was also one reveal that really pissed me off (see Goodreads where I can use spoiler tags). Involving the villain’s villain are and Joy’s lack of making any decision. This is the first book where I think the audiobook has made the book much better than when I read it.

Normally I hate special sound effects in audiobooks, but the vocal effects with the voicemails and the bonus podcast at the end really brought this book to life far more for me than when I read the e-book. Normally, my one complaint about Julia Whelan is that her cadence can lean towards reading books in the same way, like a newsreader, but it really worked for this one given Joy's chapters were recounting her life in a memoir. She and Sean Patrick Hopkins did a fantastic job to make me fully immersed in the story.

Overall, a solid debut and I look forward to the author's next book. I highly recommend getting this in audiobook format.