Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Everything I Didn’t Know
AUTHOR: Nicky James
NARRATOR: Nick J. Russo
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 12 hours and 25 minutes
RELEASE DATE: August 16, 2023
BLURB:
It was supposed to be an escape. A new life living off the land. It was supposed to be a peaceful community. A family. But it was a lie.
Six months after he arrived, Bowie learned the hard truth about Oasis. There are rules, and they are made to be followed. The consequence of disobedience is deadly.
Once you’re in Oasis, you’re never getting out. And its cultish founder has eyes everywhere.
One year into his survival, with a plan to escape slowly simmering to life, Bowie is faced with a problem. New members have joined the community, among them a man who catches Bowie’s eye. Foster is attractive, older, and as far as Bowie is concerned, completely unavailable. This doesn’t stop Foster from flirting or poking his nose where it doesn’t belong. His reckless behavior will get him in trouble, but Foster doesn’t seem to realize he’s playing with fire.
One wrong step and history will repeat itself.
Bowie can’t allow that to happen, and telling Foster the truth about Oasis comes with risks. A fragile alliance forms. A budding romance develops. And more secrets are unveiled.
When their plans fall apart, Bowie and Foster find themselves in a tangled race to escape Oasis and expose the commune before it’s too late.
REVIEW:
Bowie and his best friend Collin were college students who joined a group fighting climate and environmental disasters. At the end of the day, they moved to a rural community called Oasis, headed by a man named Father Wilder. Their goal? Take care of Mother Earth and minimize their carbon footprint and live off he earth without poisoning the environment. However, underneath the happy and contented and dedicated community is a sinister undercurrent. Because one you come to Oasis, you can never leave – as Collin found out the hard way, and so did Bowie.
Foster and his fiance Paxton are new recruits who end up at Oasis 18 months after Bowie. They want to live life away from the rat race and the overwhelming and constant harassment of technology. Bowie is assigned to help the new couple acclimate to their new role. Foster suffers from horrible allergies and he seems less than obsessed with his fiance – in fact is seems like maybe he and Foster have a little bit of a flirtation going. When Foster is out after curfew Bowie finds him and tried to tell him that he better watch his step – there are definitely deadly consequences for not following the rules of Oasis. Foster is obviously drawn to him and his attraction sets Bowie off and ends up forcing Foster to have to share more than he intended.
Bowie has moved up the ranks at Oasis and gotten closer to Father Wilder. But he has been biding his time and trying to figure out a way to get out. Foster and reluctantly Paxton end up working together with Paxton. But the consequences of failure will be catastrophic if they cannot find a way to stop the coming storm.
So this is a hard listen – at least it was for me. It starts off with a jolt and then things really slow down. Then at about 50% things get rather fraught and angst-ridden. Bowie and Foster have a slow burn attraction that could be the death of both of them. Foster, while older, is definitely the more impulsive of the two. Frankly, in many ways, he is the less mature of the two despite being 7 years old than Bowie. Bowie has never had an easy life and he’s been on his own a lot longer than Foster. They obviously care for each other though and realize the stakes are incredibly high. The mystery and suspense were well written although I thought the middle section slowed down the story and did not increase my enjoyment. The twists were well planned an executed – some I could see coming but others were quite surprising. The suspense and the danger take more of the focus in this story than the romance. The psychological toll of this cult was creepily fascinating. I will say not everything is completely wrapped up here, but Bowie and Foster end up in a good place.
Nick J. Russo did a fantastic job performing this story! It’s taught with danger and suspense and I was on the edge of my seat for the last 30% or so of the story. The characters are unusual and the group think and mind control/manipulation was very well written and acted. Honestly this kind of story is just scary in thinking how easy it is to manipulate those who are constantly looking for love/validation and haven’t gotten it in the right time/place. A really fabulous performance of a rather disturbing story. Highly recommended.
RATING: 
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