Used

By: Kate Dunbar

Narrated by: Stella Hunter

Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Heartbreakingly beautiful and completely engrossing, Used is packed full of twists, turns, and a gripping romance sure to leave listeners emotionally spent and asking for more.

At the age of 17, after a decade of lies, hurt, and severe abuse by her brother, Lucas, Sabra Valentine is able to breathe.

Lucas is behind bars, thanks in large part to Sabra's quick thinking and self-preservation - even if that's one more secret she has to keep.

Now, seven years later, life is moving forward, and Sabra is starting to heal, live, and love again with her friends and Trevor Collins by her side. He's tall, dark, and sexy, and he doesn't fall for Sabra's games. The future is finally looking bright - until one phone call shatters everything.

Used is a romantic suspense with domestic-thriller elements. Please be aware that there are topics that may be triggers for some listeners, and this work is meant for mature listeners.

©2020 Kelly P. Simmon (P)2021 Kelly P. Simmon

Just Phenomenal!!

Used by Kate Dunbar is an absolutely page turning read. Couldn't put it down for a second. Loved the Audiobook and ebook as well.

Highly Recommend it to all readers.

Good book

*Warning this book has triggers
with that being said it was a good book.

At first I had a hard time with it and the content but once I got past that it is a very well written book.

I enjoyed it for the most part. There were a few scenes that did seem right or believable but not having ever experienced the h situation i cannot honestly say.

Beautiful story

I was pulled in from the beginning with Sabra’s story. At times I wanted to hug her and keep her safe -and then yell at her for pushing Trevor away and keeping this secret from everyone...but as the story progresses, I understood her shame and fear.
This story hits on such an emotional level while still bringing the love and humor to the characters.
I can’t wait to read more from this amazing new author!

Just Missing Something

I really wanted to enjoy. I have a love for dark stories and taboo subjects. But I just couldn't get into this story. Narrator was fantastic though.

Suspenseful!

This book was interesting because it was very dark at times and very light at others. It was an interesting juxtaposition and it really added to the suspenseful nature of this book.

Sabra was a bit of a confusing character to me because sometimes I liked her and other times I didn't. I didn't like that in the opening chapter it seemed like she was playing games with Trevor. It really bothered me that he was such a good guy and supposedly one of her best friends, but then she admits to stringing him along for the last 4 YEARS. I ended up having to push myself through to get past that. Another thing that bothered me was her surprising lack of self-preservation. The situations she put herself in that are dangerous for a woman WITHOUT a stalker, let alone one WITH a stalker were pretty mind boggling. Ex: walking in parking lots at night with her face in her phone, going to semi-isolated places alone with strangers, etc. It just seemed like she didn't have a care in the world at times, while other times she was scared out of her mind (understandably so, of course). It was odd to me and it kind of took away from the overall dangerous vibe of the story. One of the things I did like about her though, was her friendship with Micah and her overall strength. The end of the book was really impactful and truly showcased how far she has come and how much stronger she was now than she was in the beginning.

On to Trevor, I liked him a lot. He had the patience of a saint. I honestly don't know how he put up with Sabra in the beginning because she was a mess and wouldn't tell him why. She just kept ghosting him for weeks on end and it drove me crazy as the reader. He was genuinely a great guy and probably my favorite character of the book. His protectiveness and his friendship were beautiful to witness.

The suspense aspect of this story as well as the flashbacks were really interesting and gripping. I do wish the flashbacks had a little bit more to them because we don't even know with 100% certainty what was going on with Lucas and Sabra. It's barely even eluded to, so we never get to understand how it started and evolved. I don't need any of the situations in explicit detail, but I think a little more information and a little less guessing would have taken this book to a whole new level. That being said, Kate Dunbar did a really great job of showing us how dangerous Lucas was without the extra detail and that is the sign of a pretty amazing writer, in my opinion.

One thing I didn't like, which is ultimately why I knocked a star off, was how once we get to the middle of the book it's just all about Trevor and Sabra's relationship. It felt like a romantic college-aged romance at that part and I felt like the Lucas aspect was lost a bit. However, when it came back, it came back with a vengeance. And even though I wanted to throw my AirPods across the room when Sabra made the incredibly idiotic decision (re: lack of self-preservation) I still couldn't find it in me to stop listening.

I've never listened to anything by Stella Hunter, but I can say that I will definitely look up other books she's narrated. She had a great voice and a pretty good male voice. She did a really good job acting out the parts, particularly the parts with Lucas. I do think there were moments where she made the characters sound seductive when they weren't trying to be and that kind of took me out of the moment.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book. It was very gripping and very much kept me sitting at the edge of my seat. Whether you listen to or eyeball read this book, you will most likely enjoy it.

I was sucked in from the very start!!

Used is Kate Dunbar's debut novel and I absolutely loved it! I had the pleasure of listening to it on audio and Stella Hunter was fantastic. This story isn't always easy, but the romance is worth it. Sabra is trying to live her dream, friends, Trevor. Things are looking up until she gets a phone call that changes everything. Now she's pushing Trevor away because she doesn't want him to learn about her past. What happened to her. She's better off just being alone so no one finds out. But Trevor isn't going to let that happen. He wants to show Sabra she's worth it. Worth everything. This is a hard subject and Dunbar did it so well. Not too many details, but just enough to know what Sabra went through and how hard it was for her to overcome. She has a lot of healing to do and now that's she let Trevor in, she isn't alone anymore. I was sucked in from the very start and thought Stella did this emotional story justice and then some. Looking forward to more from Kate!

✫✫ 4.5 Stars ✫✫

What a great debut novel for Kate Dunbar! I was unsure if this was going to be a very dark book because of the warnings but in the end it really wasn't IMHO. Yes there were dark themes and situations but most of them were in the past and even in the flashbacks we didn't get more than a quick retelling without descriptions or details. So while I am sure this book needs trigger warnings for some, it wasn't an issue for me at all.

In the very beginning I thought the story was going to be very different and I am so glad I was wrong. I really enjoyed the love story between a girl with a bad past and a boy who just wanted to love her. For me this was a story about sexual abuse, family dysfunction, shame and growth all in one. We learn that no matter how bad the past, if you find the right person to trust and share your issue with, you can come out of it a stronger person. Loved that so much!

Stella Hunter's narration was great, she has a young voice and was perfect for these characters. She hit all the emotions spot on and her voice for Lucas was creepy.

WOW ❤️ 5 ⭐

WOW ❤️ 5 ⭐
What an amazing story for Kate Dunbar's debut novel! This was a very emotional story that at first I thought was going to be hard to to listen to but it was very well written. When the story goes to the past abuse, it was just touched upon the time when it happened and no details were mentioned. Sabra was such a strong woman getting on with her life with Trevor until her brother Lucas was let out of jail. I wish she didn't try to do everything on her own and alienate Trevor. I found myself with tears many times listening to this story because my heart was breaking for Sabra because she was just so ashamed to tell Trevor her past until she had to. I also found myself happy and smiling and enjoying their love story. I love Trevor and what a wonderful man he is and that no matter what she did or said to him, he kept coming back and always loved her. This was a wonderful story of letting real love in to help heal you and start living again. Stella's narration was just phenomenal! She did all the voices and characters fantastic, and if you didn't know better, you would have thought there were male and female narrators. I think her beautiful narration also helped bring out the feelings in this audiobook. I really loved this book and would recommend it, if the abuse triggers aren't an issue for you.

What a Fantastic Debut!

Kate Dunbar’s debut novel, Used, is not my regular type of read. I am also on a blog hiatus because I just can’t focus on most books right now while I am in the middle of a home renovation. I had no such issue with USED. In fact, I listened to it in a couple of days, riveted, and tried to beg off on plans so I can continue listening.

"A shadow sits on the steps leading to my door. And I know exactly who it is. It’s the same shadow that’s been following me my whole life."

Sabra is finally opening up to the idea of a relationship with her close friend Trevor after holding herself back for 4 years because of her past when her past comes back to haunt her. Her brother Lucas was released from jail and is back in her life to terrorize her.

Sabra’s story is told in the present, but there are some flashbacks that allude to what happened to her in the past without a lot of triggering detail. Her brother was a sick fuck, and the more you read and see the ways he now tortures her from afar, the more you realize happened in the past, yet Kate never actually tells you.

Trevor. OMG, Trevor was amazing. He was so patient (four years!), and he was determined to fight her demons and the walls she put up. He was protective and supportive and was just the perfect guy to help Sabra through this horrible ordeal.

“I want a present and a future with you, sweetheart. We can’t ignore the things that have happened or were done to us in the past. They have helped mold us into who we are today. And I love who you are today.”

I have never read a story where a character is emotionally and sexually tormented by a sibling and it’s a scary situation that never even occurred to me, but is probably way more common than I thought. But I must say, it drove me a little crazy that Sabra didn’t have enough self-preservation to tell her parents, a counselor, a friend….anyone. Her best friend Micah (who was an amazing character) knew a little, but nobody knew it all. She is very lucky to have both Trevor and Micah in her life.

“Please don’t shut me out again. Please let me be here for you. For whatever you need.” He pauses. “I’m here, Say.”

Likes:
•A completely unique story, unlike anything I have read before.
•Kept my attention riveted when nothing else has.
•The way it was told, with vague flashbacks and glimpses of the past was seamless and so well done.
•Trevor was literally perfect in every way.
•Micah, her best friend, was a fantastic addition.
•Despite the darker theme, there was still enough light romance to balance out the book.

Dislikes:
•The flashbacks may have been a little too vague. I think a little more info might have added to the suspense and emotion.
•I wanted to scream at Sabra a few times. Her sense of self-preservation didn’t work very well. She told nobody her concerns and put herself in stupid situations.

The Narration:
Stella Hunter did a fantastic job bringing Sabra’s journey to the reader. She brought all the emotion and fear Sabra was experiencing, and she told the story beautifully.

The Down & Dirty:
Despite Used by Kate Dunbar not being my usual light and happy read, I was sucked in and wanted to cancel all plans so I could find out what happened next. Used was suspenseful and romantic and kept my interest from start to finish. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel because it is written SO WELL. It was a tricky way to tell a story, with flashbacks that don’t reveal a lot but enough, and Kate executed it without flaws. I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next!

Rating: 4 Stars, 3 Heat, 4.5 narration

Emotional, healing, a love story of a survivor

Used, Kate Dunbar's debut novel, is emotional, gripping, and both haunting and lovely at the same time. Kate's novel deals with some very heavy issues, but it is ultimately a story of catharsis and a love-letter to survival and healing following physical and emotional abuse.

This book definitely contains triggers for some, so please know going in that it involves a back-story of abuse and the reappearance of abuser into Sabra's life after years of absence. While there is a romance budding and growing throughout the book, the story is not just about Sabra and Trevor's relationship, but also about Sabra's sense of self, her survival instinct, her tendency to protect others ahead of herself. Sabra's transformation throughout the book is so well-written and organic, and we see her bloom and ultimately have the strength that she needs to allow others to help her heal. This whole story was written with such a delicate balance of emotion and rawness so we can truly understand Sabra's life journey.

The audio, narrated by Stella Hunter, was alternately haunting, playful and powerful. The narration truly matched the feeling of the story, the impact, the pain and the healing.