It could have been great

I really wanted to like Ruthless People by J. J. McAvoy. The story itself? Honestly, it has potential—dark, twisty, morally gray chaos that should’ve been right up my alley.

But the narration? Absolute garbage.

I don’t know who at Audible thought this was a good idea, but the fake Irish accent is so bad it’s distracting to the point of ruining the entire experience. If you’re going to base characters around a specific culture, commit to it. Hire someone with an actual Irish accent. It’s not that hard.

And Melodie’s parts? Why is a man reading them? It completely pulls you out of the story. A dual POV book deserves dual narration—especially when the female lead is as strong and central as she is.

Instead of getting lost in the story, I spent the whole time cringing every time the accent slipped (which was… constantly). It turned what could’ve been a gritty, compelling listen into something I had to force myself to finish.

Bottom line: this might be a solid read on paper, but the audiobook is a hard pass. If you’re interested, do yourself a favor—skip the audio and just read it.