When Liv Hall and her friends find boxes of letters hidden in her grandfather’s attic, they discover hundreds of psychic predictions addressed to the Premonitions Bureau, a bureau to investigate psychic abilities that mysteriously closed in 1993. As the group reads decades-old premonitions, they stumble on letters from powerful psychics who mailed in their predictions and then disappeared.
A post online about the found predictions alerts a black ops group in charge of the military’s paranormal research, who will do anything to get their hands on the letters and the psychics who wrote them. Liv and her friends now know too much, and they’re directly in the crosshairs. To survive, they’re going to have to rely on each other and the unlikely help of psychics who thought they’d left the dangers of the Bureau behind forever.
The Premonitions Club is a highly original, genre-bending YA novel that delves into psychic abilities, family secrets, surveillance, and information control.
The story follows teen Liv Hall, who moves into her grandfather’s house in Hyde Park, NY, after his death and her parents’ divorce. As she investigates his cluttered attic with her friends—Jaxon, her crush with hidden psychic ability; Forester, a cute neighbor; Winnie, her childhood friend; and Nebony, the popular social media influencer—Liv uncovers secret boxes labeled “DO NOT OPEN.” These contain decades of letters addressed to the “Premonitions Bureau,” documenting psychic predictions from the late ’60s to early ’90s, many of which came true. When Nebony posts about their findings on Instagram, it triggers unwanted attention from a covert organization determined to suppress psychic phenomena. As the teens decode prophecies and discover their own psychic gifts, they race against time to evade sinister forces.
The story, centered on a real “Premonitions Bureau” that collected psychic letters from 1968–1993, features historical elements and fascinating real-life prophets and events. The story is told in a multi-POV structure with perspectives alternating between Liv, the main protagonist, and the other teens—Winnie, Jaxon, Forester, Nebony, and Matty. The transitions between POVs are seamless and easy to follow, creating a multilayered narrative where readers get to delve into the psyche of each character and experience their self-discovery, romantic inclinations, and psychic insights alongside them.
The characters are all interesting and relatable. However, because of the many POVs and the fast-paced narrative, some of the connections and conflicts between characters are not overly developed. The slow-burn romance between Liv and Jaxon is the most developed relationship and is a heartfelt respite from all the escalating tension. With such a diverse range of characters/perspectives, the character arcs are really varied by the end!
There are compelling themes explored throughout this story, including the concept of fate vs. free will, organized surveillance, and more common YA themes of belonging and identity struggles. When the teens discover that some of the premonition letters came true and begin to awaken their own psychic talents, it sparks a discussion amongst them as to whether the future is predetermined—or can be rewritten. Jaxon has the strongest clairvoyant visions but also has an overwhelming sense that if acted upon in time, the premonitions can be altered—how his theory plays out is unpredictable and rarely ends with entirely positive outcomes. To make matters even more complicated, each character has their own relatable adolescent struggle (on top of all the escalating danger they face)—sexual identity, crushes, family dynamics, mental health, learning disabilities, and the need for acceptance!
The pacing is pretty relentless from start to finish. If you’re listening to the audiobook, it’s recommended to listen at a slower speed, not only because of the fast-paced, twisty narrative, but also because of the fascinating details about psychic abilities, auras, premonition dreams, and real-world predictions that came to pass. The story culminates in a high-stakes, thrilling climax that includes a lot of reveals and intricate details—you’ll want to read the last chapters carefully to fully grasp everything. After the thrilling climax, the final chapters feel a bit rushed, quickly detailing what happens next for the characters, followed by an encrypted transmission that poses more questions than answers and may leave readers unsatisfied. Having said that, with this open-ended conclusion, there’s the possibility to expand this book into an exciting series!
Overall, The Premonitions Club is an emotionally charged YA paranormal thriller, perfect for fans of Stranger Things and The Inheritance Games. This book’s inclusion of complex and fascinating subject matter makes it suitable for not just YA readers but also adults. Those who enjoy conspiracy-driven, psychic-centered stories with romance and engaging teenage introspection will love this book!
Narrator Performace
Bailey Carr performs the majority of the narration, giving unique voices to each of the six teen characters—Liv, Jacob, Winnie, Forester, Matty, and Nebony! Carr portrays protagonist Liv with an abundance of emotional intensity, perfectly capturing a character who’s grappling with so much at once. The interactions between the teens, many of whom are only getting to know each other, come across as very authentic and contemporary. Carr’s portrayal of Winnie is especially intriguing, as she vividly brings out the character’s high intuition and unique psychic abilities, using an extremely articulate and passionate voice. The dialogue between Liv and Jaxon is a major highlight of the story, and Carr makes their chemistry palpable and their slow-burn romance a welcoming respite from all the tension. In the high-stakes climactic scenes, Carr increases her pacing and uses impressive acting skills to keep listeners on the edge of their seats!
Hillary Huber voices the intermittent encrypted messages of the “black ops” organization that is attempting to track down the teens and premonition letters. Huber perfectly captures the sinister and threatening feel of these messages using lots of tension and a sense of urgency in her tone, adding more suspense and intrigue to the story!
James Anderson Foster and Tim Campbell narrate some of the fascinating prediction letters and the voices of Winnie’s father, Scott Sawyer, and Liv’s father, Grayson Spencer. Both narrators perform with strong, clear voices that are engaging and easy on the ears. The performance of Scott Sawyer becomes especially entertaining when he recounts how he met Grayson and how their lives became threatened through their connection to the “Premonitions Bureau” and is infused with heartfelt emotion and suspense.
Overall, Bailey Carr’s outstanding lead narration, coupled with the expert narration of the other narrators, makes the audiobook a thrilling, unstoppable listen! It’s a perfect audiobook for those who enjoy fast-paced thrillers with paranormal elements and a dash of romance. And if you haven’t listened to any of these narrators before, you’ll quickly discover why they are some of the most talented narrators in the industry!
Narrator Performace
Bailey Carr performs the majority of the narration, giving unique voices to each of the six teen characters—Liv, Jacob, Winnie, Forester, Matty, and Nebony! Carr portrays protagonist Liv with an abundance of emotional intensity, perfectly capturing a character who’s grappling with so much at once. The interactions between the teens, many of whom are only getting to know each other, come across as very authentic and contemporary. Carr’s portrayal of Winnie is especially intriguing, as she vividly brings out the character’s high intuition and unique psychic abilities, using an extremely articulate and passionate voice. The dialogue between Liv and Jaxon is a major highlight of the story, and Carr makes their chemistry palpable and their slow-burn romance a welcoming respite from all the tension. In the high-stakes climactic scenes, Carr increases her pacing and uses impressive acting skills to keep listeners on the edge of their seats!
Hillary Huber voices the intermittent encrypted messages of the “black ops” organization that is attempting to track down the teens and premonition letters. Huber perfectly captures the sinister and threatening feel of these messages using lots of tension and a sense of urgency in her tone, adding more suspense and intrigue to the story!
James Anderson Foster and Tim Campbell narrate some of the fascinating prediction letters and the voices of Winnie’s father, Scott Sawyer, and Liv’s father, Grayson Spencer. Both narrators perform with strong, clear voices that are engaging and easy on the ears. The performance of Scott Sawyer becomes especially entertaining when he recounts how he met Grayson and how their lives became threatened through their connection to the “Premonitions Bureau” and is infused with heartfelt emotion and suspense.
Overall, Bailey Carr’s outstanding lead narration, coupled with the expert narration of the other narrators, makes the audiobook a thrilling, unstoppable listen! It’s a perfect audiobook for those who enjoy fast-paced thrillers with paranormal elements and a dash of romance. And if you haven’t listened to any of these narrators before, you’ll quickly discover why they are some of the most talented narrators in the industry!
Bailey Carr performs the majority of the narration, giving unique voices to each of the six teen characters—Liv, Jacob, Winnie, Forester, Matty, and Nebony! Carr portrays protagonist Liv with an abundance of emotional intensity, perfectly capturing a character who’s grappling with so much at once. The interactions between the teens, many of whom are only getting to know each other, come across as very authentic and contemporary. Carr’s portrayal of Winnie is especially intriguing, as she vividly brings out the character’s high intuition and unique psychic abilities, using an extremely articulate and passionate voice. The dialogue between Liv and Jaxon is a major highlight of the story, and Carr makes their chemistry palpable and their slow-burn romance a welcoming respite from all the tension. In the high-stakes climactic scenes, Carr increases her pacing and uses impressive acting skills to keep listeners on the edge of their seats!
Hillary Huber voices the intermittent encrypted messages of the “black ops” organization that is attempting to track down the teens and premonition letters. Huber perfectly captures the sinister and threatening feel of these messages using lots of tension and a sense of urgency in her tone, adding more suspense and intrigue to the story!
James Anderson Foster and Tim Campbell narrate some of the fascinating prediction letters and the voices of Winnie’s father, Scott Sawyer, and Liv’s father, Grayson Spencer. Both narrators perform with strong, clear voices that are engaging and easy on the ears. The performance of Scott Sawyer becomes especially entertaining when he recounts how he met Grayson and how their lives became threatened through their connection to the “Premonitions Bureau” and is infused with heartfelt emotion and suspense.
Overall, Bailey Carr’s outstanding lead narration, coupled with the expert narration of the other narrators, makes the audiobook a thrilling, unstoppable listen! It’s a perfect audiobook for those who enjoy fast-paced thrillers with paranormal elements and a dash of romance. And if you haven’t listened to any of these narrators before, you’ll quickly discover why they are some of the most talented narrators in the industry!
