This Isn’t Happening

by Anna Snoekstra, Dan Bittner (Narrator), Kamali Minter (Narrator)

From the best-selling author of Only Daughter comes a twisty cat-and-mouse novella about a young woman who meets up with her ex seeking revenge, only to realize over the course of the evening that she may be the one in danger.

Scholarship law student Margot’s fling with her classmate Sam almost cost her everything. Now, she’s going out to dinner with him to a luxurious French restaurant with a plan to even the score. But Sam arrives late and is acting increasingly strangely. His hands are shaking, he’s nervous and jumpy; he’s behaving nothing like the privileged charmer she knows. As the night unfolds, Margot realizes Sam has a terrifying plan of his own.

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction, Thriller, Short Stories, Mystery, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

2 pages, Audible Audio

First published May 11, 2023

About the author

Anna Snoekstra was born in Canberra, Australia in 1988. She studied Creative Writing and Cinema at Melbourne University, followed by Screenwriting at RMIT University.

Anna's short films and music videos have screened around the world. She has written an array of published and award winning short fiction. Her debut novel ONLY DAUGHTER was published in September 2016 (Mira). Her second novel LITTLE SECRETS will be published November 2017 (Mira).

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best- but not the worst. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Very quick. Very predictable. 🤨

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story 3 stars**
Audio 5 stars**
Narrators Dan Bittner
Kamali Minter

[Jennifer Withers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although very well narrated and performed, there was a lot in this novella that didn't make sense to me. The premise was intriguing but the execution not so much. I didn't really understand either of the characters' motivations - none of it made sense to me or seemed like something anyone would do in a real-life situation, so I found the whole thing unbelievable and so couldn't buy into the characters at all.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audible audio
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Bit out there but still a fun way to pass the time 👍🏼

Narration and sound effects were good, didn't see the one part at the end coming but had to smile a bit at very end.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was...OK. I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it, but if you are looking for something included in Audible Plus to listen to just to pass a little time...this was not terrible. The premise is decent but the execution didn't quite work for me. It's very short, but thr characters were very flat and boring so I just want invested in the story.

[Tiff · Rating 3 out of 5]

well I definitely didn't see that ending coming. not sure how I feel about all of it though...

[Kira Simion · Rating 5 out of 5]

For free right now with Audible plus membership.

Honestly the narration and the fact that this short story was free is what made it for me. The narrators were so entertaining and real when I was listening. Otherwise I think it’d be a 4 star read. But it’s good for a long drive and work!!

Also I want to say I love how the woman in this was consistent and stayed a baddie. Love <3

[E · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. Listened to this on Audible.

This isn’t worth your time because of the ending - the main girl is recording everything, even the confession of murder. Lame, there were no twists… the sound effects and voices were fine though. It wasn’t scary or thrilling. Waste of time.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my 🫢

[Cassandra Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short little Novela that kept you guessing until the end. Well told and read!

[Joop · Rating 2 out of 5]

I watch too much true crime to find the twist surprising

[Kue Tee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok and a quick read. It was not as surprising as I thought it would be. The ending could have been longer by allowing the reaction to the fact that she is turning over a recording. Otherwise, this is a quick read.

[Sundria (Sundi) McCormick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little mystery. I really was surprised by the ending. Kept me guessing.

[Tara Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit predictable with the ending but still an entertaining quick thriller. Performance on this one was on point.

[Maryjane Strange · Rating 4 out of 5]

great thriller novella! i enjoyed the inner dialogue & CRAZY ending!!

[BrookeC · Rating 2 out of 5]

The audio quality was weird and the story wasn’t great.

[Laura de Leon · Rating 2 out of 5]

These overproduced novellas available with Audible Plus really aren't working for me.

[Julier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Excellent audio production- unobtrusive ambient noises, good actor performances . Story slowly built up tension and then fizzled.

[Aaron Esthelm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing of note happens in this. They hint at some big thing going on in the beginning but they get to that super fast and resolve it just as fast then suddenly a murder. It just has no soul. A bunch of plot points from other things cobbled together into a story that while makes sense and flows fine has nothing to say and breaks no new ground.

[Alicia George · Rating 2 out of 5]

This needed more of well....everything....but it has potential

[Shilo Parcel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished listening to "This Isn't Happening" by Anna Snoekstra, a suspenseful novella about a law student, Margot, seeking to settle scores with her ex, Sam. The character development and plot twist are commendable, with Sam's transformation from a privileged charmer to something more sinister keeping me on edge. However, the hurried pace and lack of depth due to the short length of the book, coupled with a twist that felt slightly abrupt, made the experience less than perfect.

[Jamie Wahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good suspense build up. Ending wasn’t anything exciting.

[Anastasiya M · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't good but it wasn't all too bad either. It was free on Audible and it was a short book so I wasn't expecting too much as I rarely find great books with short lengths.

It turned out to be somewhat predictable from the beginning, fast-paced but it lacked the length to build up suspense and maybe work in a couple of details and twists that weren't as obvious. The story felt rushed and underdeveloped, with an abrupt twist that just didn't work well for me. I didn't pick up on any thrills I felt while listening to the book and the ending was far from believable.

Read more here: https://sincerelyyoursannie.wordpress...

[Kamla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well produced and surprisingly good. Its akin to a radio play with excellent sound effects and acting.There could have been an alternative ending to the story - and the option to turn it into a longer novel. I found it very entertaining - especially for a freebie from Audible Plus.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a short Audible original story that caught my attention. While it had an interesting premise, it fell flat on its face. Small spoilers ahead, but nothing major that will ruin the story if you're interested.

There were only two characters you needed to focus on throughout the story. Both characters were flat and boring. While I wanted to be more invested, I just couldn’t care enough about the story. “This man stole my paper and now I lost my funding for college! Grr!” Okay…? How am I supposed to care one bit about this when both characters are cringe-worthy and complain the entire story? And what starts with “you stole my homework” turned into “this dude might want to kill me”. How the heck did she pull that tidbit of info out of nowhere? True, she does mention that she’s recording him and he’ll be angry if he finds out, but automatically thinking your friend/fling would literally kill you if he found out is a little on the dramatic side, don’t you think? Her thought process was so random and overly dramatic. Her actions were just as random and stupid as well. Honestly, I was hoping the ending would help, but all it did was make me roll my eyes.

The reason why I’m giving this two stars instead of a flat one star is because of the way it was presented. Both readers did a fine job and, even though I didn’t like Margot as a character, I did like the woman that read her lines. I can be judgmental with audiobooks, but I had nothing to complain about with the people chosen for this one.

If you want something super fast and super simple, I wouldn’t suggest this one. I’d suggest the Audible original I just finished recently called “Self Help” instead.

[Vicki Tripp · Rating 3 out of 5]

She goes on a date with her ex who stole her college essay, got her tuition taken away the last semester, and then ghosted her, just so she can get a recording on her phone of him admitting it. He asks weird shit like "how long would it take for people to notice you're missing" and "did you tell anyone you were meeting me tonight?" And for some reason she still gets in his car because he "has a headache" and can't drive. At some point he takes her phone, They go to a pharmacy and he's peeping where all the security cameras are and she decides to outrun him in the parking lot and steal his Tesla. But then like a dumb goes back and gets him because a felony and buying a new phone is WAY scarier than getting Murdered! She drives him home only to find out he Menendezed his parents and he's trying to play it off like it was a home invasion. Then like an even bigger dumb she tells him she knows he's lying and he asks her to have his back and say he was with her. Luckily her phone was still recording and got all that, the cops just had to sift through over an hour of their weird conversations I'm assuming. The end. Wasn't bad did keep me guessing what was up with dude until the last 15 min.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short novella tells the story of two people who are each trying to get something important out of the other over dinner in a French restaurant. Margot wants to get her one-night stand, Sam, to confess (as she secretly records him) that she had nothing to do with him stealing her essay—a theft that almost resulted in her getting thrown out of law school for plagiarism. Sam wants something a lot more important—help getting his new life started. Unfortunately, he needs the help a lot more than she does because he’s done something terrible to give him the boost he thinks he needs to be the success his dad always wanted him to be. Only read this one if you don’t mind a disturbing ending.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick Audible Original. It’s a fun premise of revenge with a twist upon twist at the end. I think the story telegraphed what was happening a little too easily in the last 20% of the story, but it did keep me engaged because I wanted to know what was going to happen with both of the characters in the story. One drawback was me getting irritated with the stupid choices made by the female character who’s in law school and therefore, I would assume is an intelligent individual. But she must’ve had blinders on… or maybe an entire blindfold by the end of the evening. Guess I prefer it when the guy is the dummy. Haha!

[Pia Copeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)
Quick, tense, and twisty.

This Isn’t Happening by Anna Snoekstra pulls you in from the very first page. It’s a sharp psychological thriller about a woman confronting her ex, with revenge on her mind—but nothing unfolds quite as planned. Snoekstra does a great job keeping the tension high and the reader guessing who’s really in control.

It’s fast, moody, and layered with unease, perfect for a one-sitting read. My only wish is that it were a bit longer so the characters could breathe more, but the brevity also adds to the story’s punch.

If you enjoy dark, emotionally charged suspense with a twist, this one delivers.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margot is meeting Sam at a restaurant to hopefully get him to confess (to her recording phone) that he copied her essay which resulted in the end of her Harvard scholarship. He’s not acting himself. He seems to be grateful to Margot for reaching out, but he also is acting pretty jumpy. When he asks her to drive him to a local pharmacy for meds to treat his migraine, she really thinks he’s on to her and is planning something sinister. She’s not wrong.

Nice twisty turn at the end but for someone planning to be an attorney, girl better start recognizing facts and evidence a little quicker.