I Owe You One by Lauren North (Audiobook)

 

Jess has returned home following the failure of both her relationship and business. At home, she finds her older sister, Bryony, begging for help. Bryony convinces Jess that she needs to fake her own death to escape the coercive control of her husband. Jess feels she has no choice but to help since Bryony saved her life when they were younger.

I've never read anything previously written by Lauren North, but I have loved the two books she has published under the pen name L. C. North. Listening to I Owe You One gave me an opportunity to correct this situation. Just from reading the blurb, you realise this is going to be filled with twists, I just didn't realise how many twists and cliffhangers there were going to be.

You are straight into the action as the story opens. Bryony is begging Jess to help her fake her death. My interest was immediately piqued, wanting to know why. The story then jumps back in time slightly, giving us a chance to learn more about Jess and her situation. We discover that Jess's life is in turmoil; her business has failed, she caught her partner with another woman, and her mother has moved into a nursing home as a result of dementia. The only positive is the fact that her older sister, Bryony, is happily married and living close by.

The chaos of her life is compounded when Bryony tells her about the abuse she is suffering. I immediately felt sympathetic towards both women, hoping that together they could resolve the problems they were struggling with. I could also understand Jess's confusion; Bryony's husband, Alex, was Jess's best friend, and she finds it difficult to believe that he has changed so much.

Alongside the problems Bryony is asking for help with, Jess is also avoiding threatening phone calls from a mystery caller and any contact with her partner. We also discover that Jess has blocked out the traumatic event from her childhood when Bryony saved her life. All of these add extra layers of suspense.

The storyline features numerous cliffhangers; just when you think you have guessed what is happening, the author pulls the rug out from under you, and you have to recalibrate all of your thoughts. I cannot believe how many OMG moments the author has managed to pack into the story. I vividly remember one moment in particular where I desperately needed to know what was happening but had to pause the audiobook as I was going out, needless to say, I listened to the next chapter as soon as I got home. This really is one of those audiobooks where you want to listen to the whole thing in one go.

I Owe You One by Lauren North will be published on 8th April 2026 in ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for a review copy.

Audio Details

Lauren writes psychological suspense novels that delve into the darker side of relationships and families. She has a lifelong passion for writing, reading, and all things books. Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and her dark imagination of always wondering what’s the worst thing that could happen in every situation.

Lauren studied psychology before moving to London where she lived and worked for many years. She now lives with her family in the Suffolk countryside.