Enjoyable listen

Erik Therme consistently writes stories with characters that are likeable and easy to relate to. Roam is no exception and the two main characters very quickly wrap you up in the story of their lives. The pace is brisk throughout and before I knew it the book was over. An enjoyable tale excellently narrated by Joe Hempel

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ok book

stranded by the side of the road, he’s more than willing to give her a ride. Young, beautiful and distraught—she’s everything a single guy could ask for in a girl. What he doesn’t know is that she already has a guy: an abusive, drunken boyfriend who left her there in a fit of rage

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Damaged youth.

Why am I finding this audiobook so hard to review? I finished it over an hour ago and haven't been able to put pen to paper to express my feelings. I'm thinking it must be down to the characters, they all seemed so lost and sad, dragged down by their dismal pasts. I guess I'm feeling 'there but for the grace of God....'

During the passing of one night we meet Sarah and Matt, broken down in her car on her 21st birthday, Kevin...and Scott. All living their lives in the middle of the night, somewhere in a run-down area of America. All lost souls in their own way.
A night that will have a profound effect on all four characters, for better or worse.
Finally, day breaks and the story draws to a close.

Almost a five star book, just a bit confusing early on, as to who was who and why the characters had suddenly switched in the narrative.

Finally, my review would not be complete without mentioning the excellent narration by Joe Hempel, who let me forget completely that I was listening to him at all.

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Enjoyed

I did enjoy this, at 1st story was bit lost, then it pulled the characters together.
A coming of age story in my opinion, choices to make, dangers along the way, when lead female was doubting the lift, was it genuine or something else, that felt real, I know I would've been thinking the same.
Friendships and being tested. Not sure how Erik gets into the heads of the youths like he does.
Narrator was good, nice flowing voice and tempo.

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"In the fading light of Millennium Park ..."

Any additional comments?

This unusually constructed book focuses on five main characters and three, in particular, whose intertwined activities are followed over the course of one evening and night. For Sarah, this evening was to have been special: it was her birthday and she and boyfriend, Matt, were to have celebrated it together. When it all goes wrong, Sarah goes in search of old friend, Scott, hoping to stay with him overnight, if only she can find him, and is helped in her quest by a young man named Kevin, a secretly aspiring author, who offers her a lift in his car. Eventually she just books into a room at the hotel where Scott's girlfriend is the unpleasantly offensive night time receptionist. It is here that the book draws together in it's climax.

Initially, the story feels disconnected, switching, in the present tense, between locales and people, but like an elegantly drawn sketch, the full picture slowly emerges. We follow the happenings at an almost real time speed which propels the story forward in a very tactile​ way. Each of these main protagonists is cleverly drawn, slowly emerging as fully formed people with their personal sadnesses, guilts, fears and hopes. The book is filled with teenage angst and introspection, small cruelties and aggression, and I would certainly not want to live in their home town. Nor did I find any of the protagonists particularly sympathetic but they were eminently compelling, nevertheless.

Joe Hempel, as narrator, is superb. The text is read briskly, but not too fast, is clear and his use of intonation helps define the emotion.. Each of the characters, too, has a clearly distinctive voice, lending to each a further reality of their personalities. An excellent performance, and, overall, a great listen with a perfect symbiosis of author and reader. A great peek into the troubled minds of an equally troubled generation, trying to find a future where little is there to give hope, all presented in an unusual thriller. I was freely gifted a copy of Roak, at my request, by the rights holder, via Audiobook Boom. My thanks. It really does give hope that, whilst things are very likely to go wrong, sometimes they might just come out right instead. Recommended to anyone enjoying detailed character representation and a thriller that is just that little bit different.

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Slow-burn characterisation

Roam by Erik Therme was an interesting “read”. I was attracted to this book not by its blurb or other reviews, but due to the fact it was narrated by Joe Hempel. I love Joe’s narration style, and it lends itself to horror and suspense genres.

This is a short novel with a slow burn and intense characterisation. I didn’t find Sarah, the main character, likeable at all. She is indecisive, obstinately selfish, and her inner voice is in constant conflict. The thing is, it doesn’t detract from the story.

Erik Therme is a master of characterisation. Sarah’s constant self-doubt juxtaposes against the confidence of Matt, the insecurity of Kevin, and the insanity of Scott. I wanted to see where the story would lead and while the ending was perhaps formulaic and a little trite, I found this an enjoyable read with a flowing narrative and intensely-realistic characters. I’ll certainly seek out more of Erik Therme’s work (whether it’s narrated by Joe Hempel or not!)

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This did not hold my attention

I don't feel like the way that this book was put together was the best. It felt jumpy and lacking in flow. A few of the scenarios seemed repetitive. It does tackle some important issues, and some would want to know in advance there are heavy themes of domestic abuse. I really wanted this to be more cohesive so that I could understand, beyond that, what the point of it really was.

The narration was fairly good, but not a big stand out to me. I also wondered at times why it was narrated by a male reader.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and balanced review.

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