Audiobook Review: Free: My Search for Meaning by Amanda Knox
Free: My Search for Meaning
Author: Amanda Knox
Narrator: Amanda Knox
Published: March 25, 2025
Audiobook: 10 hours 18 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: April 21-27, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Amanda Knox reflects on her world-famous confinement in an Italian prison—and her return to an “ordinary” life—to reveal hard-won truths about purpose and fulfillment that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt trapped in their own circumstances.
Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in prison and eight years on trial for a murder she didn’t commit—and became a notorious tabloid story in the process. Though she was exonerated, it’s taken more than a decade for her to reclaim her identity and truly feel free.
Free recounts how Knox survived incarceration, the mistakes she made and misadventures she had reintegrating into society, and culminates in the as-yet-untold story of her return to Italy and the extraordinary relationship she went on to build with the man who sent her to prison. It is the moving saga of how she wrests back her own life from the grip of her story’s notoriety and returns to the quiet matters of a normal life—seeking a life partner, finding a job, or even just going out in public.
In harrowing (and sometimes hilarious) detail, Amanda reveals her personal growth and hard-fought wisdom, recasting her public reckoning as a private reflection on the search for meaning and purpose that will speak to everyone who has persevered through hardship.
Jessica’s Review:
Amanda Knox: Hers is a name we all know and think we know the story, but we don’t. There is so much more to her story and after her eventual acquittal. Free: My Search for Meaning gives us her story of moving on and becoming the strong woman that she is.
Free does mention some of her time in prison, but the main focus is her life afterwards. She works to persevere and rise above her past challenges to become whom she now is. She is herself without apology, take it or leave it, and like her or don’t.
I learned more about her and her story. I was not aware that she eventually married and has children. She also developed a relationship with her former prosecutor Giuliano Mignini, eventually writing him and shockingly becoming friends! She is a stronger woman that I am. I could never see myself reaching out to the man who believed I killed my roommate and who was determined to see me be in prison for as long as possible.
Knox is very eloquent in both her writing and narration. She has definitely become Free and has moved on in her life. Thank you for bringing your story to us Amanda.
Book Review: The First Wish of Mr. Murray McBride by Joe Siple
The First Wish of Mr. Murray McBride
Series: Murray McBride #3
Author: Joe Siple
Published: March 18, 2025
Kindle: 266 pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: March 19- April 20, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
The prequel to the Murray McBride series—by the author of the beloved USA Today international bestselling novel The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride.
The day before Murray McBride moves Jenny, his beloved wife of eighty years, into a memory care center, she convinces him to search for a case her grandfather buried long ago, said to contain “a treasure worth more than gold.” With the help of some new friends, Murray and Jenny retrace their steps from years before. Over the course of the day, Murray tenderly retells their love story—how they met, the challenges they faced and overcame, and their initial attempt at the quest.
But the closer they get to the treasure, the more clearly Murray remembers why they abandoned the search the first time. With the exhilarating discovery at hand, Murray must decide whether to unearth the treasure, even if it means bringing up painful events from the past.
Jessica’s Review:
Joe Siple, you got me again with this prequel learning Murray and his wife Jenny’s love story. I didn’t cry this time, but came close to it, especially as I got towards the end!
The First Wish takes place in both 1910 and 1996. In 1910, Murray and Jenny meet while in school; in 1996, it is the day before Jenny is being moved into a memory care center due to her decline with Alzheimer’s. Also in 1996, Jenny is 99-years-old and Murray is 98- years old. They have also been married for just over 80 years. What a life they both have lived!
Both 1910 and 1996 are filled with a variety of emotions. I was fully invested in both storylines as I just adored Murray in The Five Wishes and loved reading about Murray and Jenny’s meeting and eventual love story that covers 80 years. The reader also feels emotions with the dealings of Alzheimer’s/Dementia of both Murray as the caregiver and Jenny as the one suffering from the disease. Siple handles this well.
Both timelines deal with a journey to find a treasure that is ‘worth more than gold’. I was intrigued in multiple ways: First, will the treasure even be located? Two, what could be worth more than gold?!?! Chapter 11 through the end really got to me emotionally. What was mentioned was dealing with life throwing you curveballs: 2024 was a year that threw a huge curveball for me, but I am doing much better now in 2025.
Many thanks to Joe Siple for bringing these characters to life in this series. This is one reader who really appreciated reading these books. And it is thanks to a book club that I am in for introducing me to The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride. I would not have heard of this book without that book club.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
My April 2025 Reads!
We are now in May, so it’s time to share what I read in April! I read five books, four on audio and one on kindle.
Here are the books in the order that I finished them:
The Love Haters by Katherine Center- Audio- 3.5 stars (This one comes out on May 20th)
The Summer House by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois- Audio- 3 stars
Hard to Get by Laura Moher- Audio- 4 stars
The First Wish of Murray McBride by Joe Siple- Kindle- 5 stars
Free: My Search for Meaning by Amanda Knox- Audio- 4 stars
My ‘favorite read’ was The First Wish of Murray McBride by Joe Siple. I didn’t quite cry like I did with Five Wishes, but I did come close a few times! This series has just touched me for this year, these are special books and I have truly loved reading them this year!
My ‘least favorite’ read was The Summer House by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois. It just was not for me.
What did YOU read in April? Let’s see how May reading goes!