This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum. I Almost DNF’d This… ended up loving it!

Not your typical thriller… and that’s the point.

Synopsis

Benny Abbott and Joy Moore host one of the most beloved podcasts in the world. Each week, they delight listeners with a different “against all odds” survival story, gleefully finding the weird, life-affirming humor in near-death experiences. Since their first episode on Joy’s experience with severe narcolepsy, they’ve been the best friends everyone wants to befriend—and thanks to the meticulous management of Joy’s husband, Xander, they’ve built a lucrative empire.

The problem is, their next survival story may be their own. When Benny arrives at Joy and Xander’s one morning to record, he finds shattered glass and an empty house. The one clue shedding light on the couple’s disappearance is the incomplete, previously unseen first draft of Joy’s memoir. Benny will stop at nothing to find them, even as the police zero in on him as their prime suspect.

Millions of devoted listeners think they know the “real” Benny and Joy. But as the hours tick by, and the odds seem increasingly stacked against Joy and Xander being found alive, not even the most devoted fans could guess the terrible secrets their favorite famous BFFs have hidden from the world—and from each other.

Audiobook review

4 stars

My reading (well… listening) experience with this one was honestly a bit unusual.

I started the audiobook and got about 25% in… and I was frustrated. I didn’t really know where the author was taking me, and more importantly—it just didn’t feel “thrillery” enough for me.

Listening to Benny and Joy’s stories from back in the day? It just wasn’t doing it for me at that point. I went in expecting tension, mystery, that edge… and instead I felt like I was stuck in backstory when I just wanted things to start.

I actually considered not finishing it.

But… curiosity got me. I needed to know how it ended.

So I did something I almost never do—I skipped ahead and listened to the last 25%.

And FINALLY… it clicked!

Everything suddenly made sense, pfew!

Now that I knew the ending (yes, fully spoiled), I went back and listened to the whole book from the beginning again. And this time? It was a  completely different experience.

I could appreciate it. Even admire it.

Because Tiffany Crum didn’t just throw a thriller at us—she built it. Slowly, carefully, layering everything in a way that only really hits once you see the full picture.

I won’t spoil anything, but let’s just say: this book is full of secrets. And even though Benny and Joy are extremely close, they still manage to hide some really heavy, somber parts of their lives from each other.

Reading it, I had two very distinct reactions.

On one side, I was genuinely moved by Joy and Benny’s friendship. Their podcast moments, all the absurd “how to survive” theories… I found myself smiling, even snorting at times.

And on the other side… I was completely chilled by the truth behind Joy and Zander’s disappearance as it slowly unraveled.

So yes, it was a rocky start for me. No denying that.

But would I recommend it? Absolutely—especially if you like mysteries and thrillers that take their time and come together in a bigger way at the end.

And I have to mention the narration—Julia Whelan and Sean Patrick Hopkins were spot on!

Thanks for reading.

Sophie