The Rumor by Elin Hildebrand

[Samyann]

Audiobook Format. Released by Hachette Audio in mid-2015, The Rumor is written by Elin Hilderbrand, narrated by Kathleen Mcinnerney, and the unabridged audiobook is just about eleven hours of listening.

Rumors of affairs, most of which are true, and annoying female gossip traverse the pages - which, I guess, was the point. This is definitely a young adult book, as most of the characters are teenagers. The rest are stay-at-home moms with nothing to do other than tend gardens, worry about their teenagers, have juvenile conversation with each other, and gossip.

If you’ve any level of intelligence beyond say … oh … 10th grade, take a pass at high speed. If you’re a teenager, especially the air-head type, go for it. A beach read you’ll probably leave at the beach. Based on the silly content of this book, I actually laughed out loud when a character suggested some sophisticated book titles to a teenager. Given all that is The Rumor, that’s hilarious - but, the book isn’t a comedy - it’s a Peyton Place or soap opera.

The narrators did okay - but annoyingly valley-girly. If you’re considering The Rumor, do yourself a favor and listen to the sample.

The fact that this book has so many good reviews is baffling. For me, The Rumor was a waste of time - glad I’m not the only reader who had a similar take. Not recommended.

[ashnance]

Thanks for the review! The title sounds interesting, so it's helpful to know the flaws before picking it up.