Dying to Forget (The Station) (Volume 1)

By: Trish Marie Dawson

Narrated by: Kimberly Woods

Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Sometimes the day you die is only the beginning of a new job.

Piper Willow dies the summer after her high school graduation and finds herself in a spiritual terminal called the Station. She's given only two choices: Move on to the unknown where she'll be faced to spend an eternity in her own personal hell or be trained as a Volunteer and return to Earth as the subconscious for a person in need of outside assistance. Does Piper have what it takes to save a life, to be the nagging voice inside another person's head? Or will she fail and end up lost and tormented... forever?

©2012 Trish Marie Dawson (P)2014 Trish Marie Dawson

Intriguing Idea

**I was given an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

This book is told from the viewpoint of Piper Willow, a young girl who was victimized at a party while a teen. Soon after her attack, her best friend is killed in a car accident. Piper eventually commits suicide, unable to deal with the stress and the guilt. Immediately after death Piper finds herself at The Station, a fork in the road for people who ended their lives early. She is informed that she will need to make a decision; opt out and move on (basically to hell) or volunteer to be the subconscious voice of reason for other people on the verge of suicide. Piper volunteers.

The author does an excellent job of describing the characters and leading us where she wants us to go. She creates a believable world whose premise is based on second chances. I also liked the message that all actions have consequences and these wounded souls find redemption by helping others. I have to admit this is not my typical choice of story line. The book was emotional and depressing at times as we learn the details of each new supporting character’s lives, and what has brought them to the brink of committing such a terrible and desperate act. Having said that, Dawson creatively turns a tragic topic into a message of hope. The book was narrated by Kimberly Woods who was the perfect choice for this story. Her voice fit well with the age and personality of the “heroine”, bringing Piper’s character to life.

What did not work for me was Piper’s second assignment. The author did such a masterful job of pulling you into the story of Sloan I expected the same level of understanding and effort when she met her second assignment, Abby. Instead the solution seemed shallow and unbelievable. Not to the point it ruined the story, but enough that I was left wanting more when she returned to The Station. Additionally, as much as I understand the temptation to end a book with a cliffhanger, I personally hate that technique. Sure, it forces the reader to buy the next book but I prefer my books to have a beginning and an end with the next book in the series picking up with a new kind of beginning. I do realize that is a personal choice and many will disagree.

Overall, this book did keep me interested and engaged until the very end. I’m not sure I would recommend it to young adults, as this book does not adequately portray the realities of suicide or teenage trials. However I did find it thought provoking and an intriguing idea.

Melanie P. Smith | Author

dying to read the next one!

I loved the story, it was different. The narrator brought this story to life with her voice. can't wait to read the next one!

Very Heartfelt

When I first started listening to this work, I was disappointed that the narrator had a monotone style. Please don’t stop here. A few minutes into the story I understood why. The narrator’s voice was a good match for the main character. A young girl old enough to drive, but still finding her way through personal tragedy. Where the author started us with this character may cause you to worry that the book will be depressing. I believe we had to see where this character’s pivotal actions started.

This work doesn’t fit neatly into a genre category. I believe young adults will get a lot from this as the characters are very relatable and realistic. Also anyone that has experienced the loss of someone near to them that committed suicide might find a small measure of comfort. This is not a clinical psychological study. It is not any type of lecture either.

It is somewhat like the television show Quantum Leap from years ago. The main character finds themselves thrown in to help someone that is in jeopardy of committing suicide. The difficulty is that Piper willow doesn’t know why and where the pain comes from that the individual is facing. So she has to feel her way through the situation, look for clues and try to determine what will help this person.

This is a work that is not a standalone work, complete in itself. To feel a sense of finish, one will need to purchase the further books to see what has become of the characters you met in this one.
I was provided a code to listen and write an honest review.

different but great

Absolutely loved this! It takes something serious and tries to make it into a positive thing.

Lighthearted and hopeful, with a needed message.

What made the experience of listening to Dying to Forget (The Station) (Volume 1) the most enjoyable?

I rarely find the time to read, so I thought I could listen instead, while working on novel illustrations. Turns out, I was right. Still took forever to get through it, but I got through it much quicker than I would have been able to by actually reading. Kimberly Woods speaks with a clear voice, enunciating every word; & with a soft & calming tone, making it a great read for right before bed (although that's not when I listened to it, but if I could I would). I think her voice embodied the character of Piper well, & she did a good job of keeping up with the humor in the novel, causing me to giggle on multiple occasions.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dying to Forget (The Station) (Volume 1)?

"Fire... Fire! Fire! Fire!" - Perfectly acted out by the reader, and had me literally laughing out loud.

Have you listened to any of Kimberly Woods’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was the first time I'd tried listening to an audio book, but after this, I will definitely be trying more audio books in the future. There were a few times when I wished I could speed it up a little because it went a bit too slow for me personally, but nonetheless, I could tell she really immersed herself in the story, which in turn made me feel more immersed in the story too.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I wasn't sure about dying to forget at first, but a few pages in I was crying. CRYING. Over a book. Because I relate to Piper. I have been there. Drugged & raped. & a cutter. & even suicidal. Thankfully that's all in the past now (I've healed a lot since then & even founded a support group called RISE (Rape Incest & Suicide Education) Definitely recommended for teens & for anyone who has been through any kind of abuse or trauma. You will cry, you will laugh, & you will find healing in its pages. This is why all books should be written - to uplift, encourage, & empower people.

Any additional comments?

Thank you to Trish Dawson for writing a book that tackles issues needing more light shed on them, while being entertaining & fun at the same time. ***I was given an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

Goid read,; second time I've read

This is the second time I've read this book. I relate well to Piper. I'm excited to see what the future holds for her st "The Station."

Volume 1

What did you love best about Dying to Forget (The Station) (Volume 1)?

A must read and looking for the rest of this series. I fell in love with the characters Grabed me from page one and did not let go. The ending will really leave you hanging on for the next book. Fresh and new idea and plot. Sad but also hopeful and uplifting On to the next book in the series.

Interesting hitting hard topics.

Four Stars Overall

The story opens with a date rape, mostly likely from a drug. It then proceeds to a car crash which kills her friend, a funeral, cutting to cope with emotions and a suicide. I do not normally read/listen to Young Adult, so this is out of my genre. It felt rushed to me because all of that happens in the Prologue and the first two chapters. I had many questions that were not answered. The first was "if everyone blamed her for the friend's death, why was she not arrested for vehicular homicide?" But this might be an adult way of thinking, rather than a teen's. Something like this seemed to get little or no mention, yet how she manipulated (or at least suggested) her first assignment went into great details--- what to buy, how to clean. his music, waking up etc. Even the emotional and social topics discussed could have been explored more in depth, as this is only a 4 hour audiobook--there was plenty of time to go deeper into intense issues. The story reminded me of the 1980s movie, the Heavenly Kid. Suicide, weigh station, help someone else from the afterlife, prevent suicide. (in the movie it was accidental suicides). The second assignment seemed superficial, and again, the author had a great set up but did not explore the possibilities.

With that being said, Ms. Dawson has a terrific ability to describe settings and emotions. I did not find repetitive words or phrases, grammatical errors or narration errors. The vocabulary and story telling were well done, both by author and narrator, I just wish it went deeper---but that is a good thing, since it kept me interested. I will definitely be looking into Ms. Dawson's other titles.

One thing that might have bothered me was the first person point of view in the present tense. I absolutely abhor it. At first I kept replaying it, because I did not feel connected. Then I realized it was the tense that bothered me... but that is my own personal preference. Again, that might be a genre thing, I know YA does a lot of first person because the teens connect with the main character that way.

Overall, it was a good book that should have gone deeper. However, I did not yet read/listen to the next books in the series, so perhaps some of my questions will be answered in those books. As for the cliffhanger, I enjoy them if the next books are available--which the audiobook of this title is not yet published--but the ebook is.

Four Stars

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting twist on the afterlife

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Sure. Good story. Good narration.

What did you like best about this story?

The emotion.

Any additional comments?

Voice fit perfectly for the main character. Smooth, easy to understand, well flowed. Story was well developed. Really felt like I got to know each of the characters. Very emotional.

Really Enjoyed it, paid 1.99

Any additional comments?

Only paid 1.99 cause I bought the Kindle version for 0.00 which allowed me to buy this at the discounted price of 1.99. I really liked it. I plan to buy the 2nd book. Better then I thought it would be. A little depressing at first but it turns around the be a light enjoyable read.