Review: I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick

Author: Kit Frick
Edition: audiobook 
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (June 30, 2020)
Genre: Young Adult Mystery

Synopsis

My review of I Killed Zoe Spanos

I Killed Zoe Spanos is a thrilling YA Mystery that is not what it seems. A confession that doesn’t add up, missing memories and a town full of people who know more than they let on. I went into it not knowing anything about the story and am glad I did, it amplified the mystery and made discovering the truth extra exciting. I highly recommend the audiobook version of this story, all the narrators are wonderful and their performances drew me in and didn’t let go!

Plot and Pacing

A fair warning, the first half of I Killed Zoe Spanos is kind of slow, but in a way that I personally enjoyed. It allowed me to get to know the characters and the setting. It also meant that the underlying tones of discomfort and confusion could fully work; I was figuring things out with Anna in the past while also being a few steps ahead of her.

I was a big fan of the true-crime podcast that happens within the story, it was wonderfully done in the audiobook and really added texture to the fictional world. Overall, I was very intrigued by the dual timeline that got closer and closer to each other as the story progressed and I as a reader gained more information.

I Killed Zoe Spanos starts out as a “how did it happen?” story because we assume we know the crime and who did it. But as the story continues, the truth gets less and less clear and that made this book incredibly intriguing! The way information was sprinkled throughout the plot was so much fun and I’m already looking forward to reading it again one day to find all the foreshadowing.

Characters

Anna is complex and not at all perfect, the glimpses into who she used to be and the past she is trying to escape from were relatable. I felt her choices (especially the bad ones) made sense for her development, even if they were frustrating at times. Especially intriguing was getting to see the two versions of her, Anna in the present and Anna in the past and piecing together how they’re connected.

Kit Frick did a wonderful job of making the secondary characters unique and memorable and Martina, everybody’s favourite podcast host, holds a special place in my heart.

Audiobook performance

I Killed Zoe Spanos is one of those books where the audiobook truly makes the story come to life. Both narrators Jenni Barber and Jayme Mattler deliver a stellar performance that had me hooked from the beginning. Because the story is effectively told through dual timelines, having two different voices to differentiate the time was incredibly helpful. And like I’ve mentioned, the podcast within the story just works so so well on audio! If you get the chance, I highly recommend you check out I Killed Zoe Spanos as an audiobook, you won’t be disappointed.

This book is for you if…

…you enjoy young adult mysteries that aren’t what they seem
…you’re looking for a medium to fast paced story with a great audiobook performance

You might also like: My Review of The Inheritance Games