This is a must listen!

Sometimes I listen to a book and so emotionally involved that I feel like I am there. Kate Dunbar brings to life a story of abuse, family dysfunction, heartbreak and healing. Our story features Sabra, a college student looking for that big acting break and trying to enjoy her life. Trevor has been her friend for years, and as things turn from friends to lovers, we see a change in Sabra. And our story begins. Sabra is an amazing woman. She is strong and resilient, but there are definite skeletons in her closet. Trevor is the kind of man you want by your side. He is sweet, loving and patient. Dunbar takes us through their story, from Sabra's point of view as we find out her past. It's written with past and present in each chapter, letting us learn as things go on. Suspense is high and the story relevant. Dunbar has put her soul into this story, and it is one that will stay with me.

Stella Hunter narrates this story and her performance is fantastic. This has a lot of emotional scenes, and Hunter sets us up, giving each character the valuable features that make the listen realistic. I felt like I knew the people, felt their pain, and healed with them. She truly gave life to the book and I enjoyed it.

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Sabra and Trevor!

Sabra has worked hard to try and overcome a devastating situation that started when she was a child and continued through her teenage years. She wanted to keep what was going on a secret so that she didn’t hurt those she loved the most and she thought she found a solution before it came down to either her or her tormentor until it all came crashing down.

Years later she appears to be living the life of a normal college student until her past resurfaces. She and Trevor have know each other for four years and have been getting closer until she receives news that throws her into a tailspin. She feels threatened and doesn’t want to bring anyone else into the line of fire but Trevor isn’t about to let her just walk out of his life.

He is patient and understanding and hopes that with time she will realize he can trust her with her heart and her past.
This is an emotional story of strength and resilience with compelling characters that draw you in. The narrator did a great job at bringing out not only the emotion but the suspense of the story as well.

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Wow! I loved it!

Wow! I loved it! This is a captivating debut novel written by Kate Dunbar. Sabra and Trevor's story is breathtaking, suspenseful, and enthralling, filled with twists and turns. Sabra is beautiful, and a strong, resilient survivor. Her past is heartbreaking. Trevor is handsome, caring, and supportive. The back and forth, past to present, is well done and easy to follow. Stella Hunter did an outstanding job with the narration. I HIGHLY recommend it.

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When true love wins

This story will have you glued to the stoy right till the last work. Kate Dunbar the author wrote a heartfelt, gripping story. She also teaches you that you should never let the past stand in the way of true love . The world-building was is very well done and the descriptions given make it easy to visualise everything. Both the characters are very different but they are also very well drawn together.
Heroine is Sabra. Hero is Trevor

Sabra thankfully has Trevor by her size . When the past comes back , Sabra is afraid that Trevor will drop her. Trevor is by her size Once Trevor finds out what really happened he knows he can’t let his love die

Stella Hunter performance is great . She did all the tones for the characters perfect.

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Emotionally charged!

This is Kate Dunbar's debut novel.... SAY WHAT?!?! Let me tell you guys something, I've had some experience with some of what Miss Dunbar wrote about. She created very vividly what goes on in the head of a survivor. There's so much doubt and fear. There's a bit of self-loathing and even promiscuity. Dunbar shows us the effects of abuse and what's in the mind of the abused. This story made me feel so much. I found myself talking out loud to Sabra.

I'm wildly impressed that Kate Dunbar gives us such an emotional story with layers of love and taunt manipulation with some psychological warfare mixed in. We see a sick obsession come to a head in Used and it is one crazy ride fraught with cold calculation and intimidation. I was truly held captive and am looking forward to reading more from Miss Dunbar in the future.

I was quite pleased with the narration by Stella Hunter. I do wish the conversations were done in dual narration but since the book is only in one POV, I get it, but there was a lot of conversations with males that could have benefitted from that male voice. Hunter tried and does change her voice for the males and it helps. Other than that one quirk of mine, I LOVED this narration. I feel like Hunter did a perfect job of adding the emotions that Sabra delt with into her voice. I felt the fear, the anger, the hope, the longing, the delight and even the fun. I felt those mundane days along with the days riddled with fear. Amazing job! I give narration 4 stars.

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Fabulous debut👏🥳

Huge congratulations to Kate Dunbar on her debut 👏👏👏This is a fabulous start to what I’m sure is going to be an amazing journey and career for her in the book world. I love her writing style and the way the book flowed with ease just the way I like it. Its raw, heartbreaking, emotional and traumatic but it’s full of strength, grit, healing and determination as well. Sabra is so strong but yet so broken at the same time. The book goes from present to past where we get little snipbits of what transpired between her and her brother Lucas when she was just a child and she does so well to keep that secret by trying to live as normal a life as possible until she gets the call that Lucas has been released from prison. He’s back and he’s back for her. Sabra’s strength and courage throughout the book is an inspiration and I instantly fell in love with Trevor who treated her so well it brought tears to my eyes. My only wish after reading this book is that everyone who has been through something like this will finds some happiness and peace again and maybe even a Trevor of their own💕
This book was provided to me through audio by Little Dog Press and narrated by Stella Hunter for an honest audiobook review.

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Heartbreaking and Compelling

Used by Kate Dunbar is so much more than a book about abuse. The author handles the topic with compassion, awareness, reality and panache. I loved how love was the healing mechanism in this book. The imagery and descriptions were vivid and emotional. Stella Hunter was perfect at performing this book. She added the right emotions and brought the characters to life. I highly recommend it. Thank you #AudiobookObsession for recommending this title to me.

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A raw and emotional debut!

Used is an fantastic debut novel by Kate Dunbar, the blurb grabbed me instantly and sounded like a book that was right up my alley. A romantic suspense with, twists and an aspect of psychological thriller about it, I found this a brave, well written, inspirational debut.

Sabre is the heroine of the story and we get to know her throughout the novel over 20 years of her life from age 8. She is a heroine that experiences something awful at the hands of someone that shouldn't cross those lines, a trigger topic for some but a reality for many women across the world. Used does not go into the details of the darker elements to the story, however they are inferred and allows the reader to imagine the horrors Sabre has been through. If I was reading a true psychological romance I would prefer those details be given; but for a romantic suspense I really didn't miss them. Omitting them kept the focus on Sabre and her emotional state in the present rather than her past.

Trevor is the Hero of the story, her friend and a guy she has always had a mutual attraction to. He really is the light in this book, he is strength and a shoulder to lean on, he brings a levity, romance and hope to Sabre's world and I found him really endearing.

The writing quality was consistent although I did find there was a lull about quarter of the way through for a few chapters, but once it picked up again I couldn't put it down.

Now Stella Hunter's performance on the audio was phenomenal! She really captured the emotionality needed to portray Sabre's story. I also loved her male vocal and found her performance a pleasure to listen to, I will definitely seek more of her work out.

I can't give many details away, but this is definitely a debut I can recommend to those readers who like a romance that pulls on the heart strings and explore a story about the darker side of humanity, that not many have the courage to tackle.

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Overhyped, overrated

Narration for the most part was ok. However, the narrator overdid the depiction of the male voice... e g 'Sabra....' a deep, guttural growl. Almost animalistic. Passionate men, particularly those in love don't talk like that.
Story gave the impression a buildup was coming. It didn't. Wouldn't recommend.

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