Ghost Town

I started listening to *Ghost Town* on a sweltering afternoon, thinking it’d be a light distraction—just another coming-of-age story set in a nowhere town. Boy, was I wrong. Robert Petkoff’s narration pulled me in immediately, his voice a steady, reassuring presence that made the suburban decay feel oddly comforting. He nails the tone of teenage malaise, where every emotion is amplified but never overplayed, and his delivery of the adult characters—especially the parents—adds layers of quiet despair that ground the story. The first half meanders like a lazy river, which feels intentional, mirroring the characters’ own inertia. But then, like a summer storm rolling in, the tension snaps into place with a sudden, brutal clarity. My only critique: the ending feels a tad abrupt, like Perrotta wrapped things up just a little too neatly. And while Petkoff’s performance is stellar, there were moments where I wished he’d leaned harder into the more grotesque elements of the town—those quiet moments where the horror of suburban life peeks through. Still, the audiobook’s production is pristine, with no muffled dialogue or jarring edits, and the runtime flies by because the story is so immersive. If you’re looking for a coming-of-age tale that’s less about first kisses and more about first cracks in the illusion of safety, this is it.