• Until I Met Her

  • Emma Fern, Book 1
  • By: Natalie Barelli
  • Narrated by: Kate Rudd
  • Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (1,307 ratings)

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Until I Met Her  By  cover art

Until I Met Her

By: Natalie Barelli
Narrated by: Kate Rudd
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Publisher's summary

Beatrice Johnson Greene, a bestselling crime writer, has an unusual favor to ask. When a chance encounter brings Emma Fern into her life, she thinks she's found just the person for the job. Soon Beatrice will wish they'd never met.

For Emma, desperate to please, it's an offer she can't refuse. All she has to do is lend her name to Beatrice's next novel, her first in a new genre. But when the book becomes a huge triumph, Emma finds herself the toast of the literary world. From nobody to somebody without writing a word.

It's her first taste of success, and now Emma wants more. This is her masterpiece, after all. It says so on the cover.

Only Beatrice knows the truth. And surely there's a solution to that.

Revised edition: This edition of Until I Met Her includes editorial revisions.

©2017 Natalie Barelli (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

What listeners say about Until I Met Her

Average customer ratings
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Listen to a sample..

The narrator drove me batty, but it might be an idiosyncrasy of mine... her emphasis and pauses drove me nuts.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good book terrible robot voice

This is a great book to read but I would NOT recommend listening to it on audible. The reader sounds like a robot and it is so distracting. It is hard to concentrate on the story because of the reader. Almost quit listening several times because it was so bad.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Publish this again with a good narrator

I enjoyed the story. It had interesting and dark twists, however it was painful to listen to. The narrator was way to robotic and seemed to be struggling to read fluidly. It took a so much away from the story that I stopped enjoying the book.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Worth the money and time to listeN

The story is intriguing and builds momentum quickly. Listened to it in two sittings, highly recommend.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Emma Fern almost makes Amy Dunne...

...(of Gone Girl fame) seem laid back and kind. I'm not comparing Until I Met Her to Gone Girl, but I am comparing the evil protagonists of the two novels. Natalie Barelli has written an fascinating psychological thriller. Despite my urge toward revulsion, I enjoyed Until I Met Her. Kate Rudd does a fine job narrating.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

if you must, then read it... don't listen to it

Some originality to the story line, but the narration ruined it for me. Sometimes the narrator was so robotic and other times like a child learning to read. I wasn't sure I would even finish the book. I did; but I definitely can't recommend spending a credit on it.

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14 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Bingeable listen

FYI there is a sequel to this book
I noticed that several reviewers didn’t like the ending. It didn’t bother me but I wanted potential readers/listeners know there is a sequel and it may be a series not sure. I enjoyed this book! The ending didn’t bother me but I don’t necessarily need a tied up end to like a book. When I first started listening I thought I recognized the narrator. Doing a little research I realized it was my least liked narrator. However, I thought she must have heeded the advice and toned things down because I didn’t find her near as grating. Unfortunately once the book got more suspenseful the Rudd started the overly theatrical narration. Arghhhh ok so I bumped up to 1.5 and that helped. She wasn’t as annoying as her earlier works but she’s still not my favorite and I am glad she isn’t narrating the sequel.

I found this book interesting because usually you are in the head of an innocent ingenue not a conniving sociopath. You get the impression the main character is just a girl next door but you soon realize that isn’t the case. Although the narration isn’t the best the book is still worth a credit!

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining

Many people are under the misconception that book smarts are the mark of a high intelligence. It is this driving force which motivates Emma. Emma is creatively talented has business smarts. Her husband, Jim is intelligent and brilliant, He is the head of the Millennium Forum the most cutting edge economic think tank.

Then into Emma’s life comes Beatrice Johnson Green, she is Emma’s favorite author. Emma becomes enamored with the attention from Beatrice and blind to her machinations. And Beatrice was pure bitch behind the scenes.

With her puppy adoration of Beatrice, Emma drops her other friends, spends less time with her business and husband. She is presented with a moral dilemma and her need for others to perceive her as smart, takes her down a dark path where she sold her soul.

The story very entertaining about the growing friendship between Emma and Beatrice. They have a wonderful time of shopping, partying and meeting important people. There is a convergence of incidents and Emma finds herself the new best seller of the of the literary world.

This not a psychology thriller in the traditional sense as defined, “Psychological thriller is a thriller story which emphasizes the unstable psychological states of its characters. ... Psychological thrillers often incorporate elements of or overlap with mystery, drama, action and horror (particularly psychological horror)”

Much of the book is spent with the ladies going to parties, drinking and girl time in Beatrice’s boudoir. Their friendship, which began as-ardent fan and revered author- friend and author who is friend? Finally, they are two renowned authors, equals.

Natalie Barelli does a great job of keeping us on the edge of our seats. When Emma is nominated for a literary award, Beatrice with brutal power and arrogance demands that Emma tells their secret to the world. When Emma goes postal on everyone in her path you will not be able to put the book down. Emma is confrontational with the police and fights her husband’s mistress. Emma protects her new life with the viciousness of a pit bull. This is the psychology thriller time.

The main objection to the story is the narrator, Kate Rudd. All the male characters sound the same and Kate tends to start slow and pick up to a breathless crescendo when she reads. It was slightly annoying.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good story, hideous narrator

Interesting story but wow what an AWFUL narrator. Was this read by a human, or by a robot? Several interesting twists and I really enjoyed the story but dude, screen your narrators. She was beyond bad.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

It's little gems like this that make me love this field si much. I can't recommend this book enough. It's a great book.

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6 people found this helpful