Try free for 30 days

A 30-day trial plus your first audiobook free.
1 credit/month after trial—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Ten Below Zero cover art

Ten Below Zero

By: Whitney Barbetti
Narrated by: Natasha Soudek
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

"In here," he said, pushing on the skin above my heart, "you're 10 below zero. And you're closer to death than I am." My name is Parker. My body is marked with scars from an attack I don't remember. I don't want to remember. I choose to live my life by observation, not through experience. While people are laughing and kissing and connecting, I'm in the corner. Watching them live. I'm indifferent to everything, everyone. The only emotion I feel with any kind of depth is annoyance, and I feel it often. A text message sent to the wrong number proves to be my undoing. His name is Everett, but I call him rude. He's pushy, he's arrogant, he crowds my personal space, and worst of all: he makes me feel. He chooses to wear all black, all the time, as if he's waiting to attend a funeral. Probably because he is. Everett is dying. And he's spending his final days living, truly living. In doing so, he's forcing me to feel, to heal. To come face to face with the demons I suppressed in my memory. He hurts me, he fulfills me, he completes me. And still, he's dying.

WARNING: This is not a story about two happy people who fall easily into love. This is a story about two broken people who find one another - and don't necessarily like each other. These characters are blunt, rude, and at times annoying. They are broken and sheltered and vulnerable.

©2014 Whitney Barbetti (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: Romance

What listeners say about Ten Below Zero

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

WOW!!!! i loved this book, it made me smile and laugh and it also made me cry.

i normally prefer dual narration but Natasha did a great job and her voice 100% suited Parkers story.

This is a MUST read / listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Nothing less than perfect!


𝙐𝙣𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣: 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙤𝙗’𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙, 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩. 𝙃𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩.

𝙏𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨. 𝙏𝙬𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙚𝙩, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙞𝙩..

One mistaken text message changes two lives. One decision to say ”fuck it all, I’ve got nothing to lose”, leads us to the story of Parker & Everett who’ve both given up on life. Parker has survived a serial killer & her mind has erased the trauma of events, but left her with physical scars that remind her daily. The most prominent a scar across her face.

”𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙨?”
𝙄 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜.
“𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚?

Everett has his own physical scars & trauma, due to life long health battles that have left him dependent on alcohol & with a no care attitude that runs even deeper than Parker’s. He wears all black, she doesn't necessarily care about how she looks. *𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚*

Parker retreats within herself, minimally participates in life & build walls so high that no one can hurt her. Everett has completely given up on life, as there are reasons that he believes have given him no choice.

𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚. 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨. 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙢

So, what do you get when you cross a mistaken text, with a last-minute decision to abandon the dull, colourless corner of your life, leaving fear behind & instead decide to be unusually reckless?
You get Parker & Everett.
Two people who challenge one another. Two people that awaken the uncomfortable parts within one another, with no apology.

In Ten Below Zero, we find Parker, emotionally shutdown & suffering, & Everett, an unapologetic ‘asshole’ (Parker’s descriptor not mine 😉) that makes it his life’s mission to challenge Parker into submitting to ‘life’ & living it.

”𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚,” 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙. ”𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚?” - 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩

”𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚. 𝙄𝙛 𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨.”
- 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙧.

This story follows not just Parker & Everetts emotional journey, but their literal journey across the country. Each stop along the way has a purpose, & each place serves to make a memory that begins to heal old wounds, breaking down walls of armour & challenging stubborn beliefs into submission. This story is about two broken people that are ultimately fighting to make the other see that life, no matter how dark, is worth fighting for. Nobody said love was easy & loving yourself can prove at times to be harder.

𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩. 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.
- 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙧

This story is an emotional, character-driven journey of self-discovery & healing.
As a reader you'll witness their pasts, the reasons why they behave sometimes as poorly as they do, albeit refreshingly honest, as neither feels they have a thing to lose. Nothing that is genuinely worth it is given with ease. There's usually tears, mistakes & a tonne of ’why’s’, that only in hindsight, can we see the illuminated path from a stressed & messy beginning to a big sigh of ’that was fucking worth it’. The journey that is ’Ten Below Zero’, is beyond worth it.

This beautifully written standalone novel delves into an abyss of overwhelming feelings that will stay with you long after it’s over. It will break you, it will make you look at yourself, & it will leave you with an after taste of satisfaction. I say that because there are novels out there that don't come close to satisfying the reader's needs, they leave you feeling ripped off. When you invest in Everett & Parker, you've invested well. Their story is imperfectly perfect. You’ll want to yell at both of them, & you'll take up a verbal sparring match that neither of them can hear, but you'll passionately dish out anyway. You'll feel enough for these two damaged characters, that you'll try in vain to direct their words & actions, just so that they'll stop hurting one another. Just so they'll stop hurting themselves.

”... 𝙄’𝙢 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙙. 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜, 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚.”
- 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩

”𝙁𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙛𝙛.”
“𝙏𝙤𝙤 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙬. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚.”
- 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩

You know how sometimes endings feel rushed, or make the story feel incomplete & unsatisfying? I think this book has one of the most perfectly timed endings that I've read. In short, it's perfection; it's delicate; it's an answer to a question you didn't know needed answering. You're left with a smile, even if emotionally ruined. Whitney Barbetti, destroyer of hearts & a pen wielding Samurai. Even when you don't think you can trust her for another page, another chapter, she sweeps in & puts you back together.

The last three words, on the last page of this novel are sublime. They link back to several moments peppered throughout the novel. It's not until those last three words that you truly understand how Everett feels for Parker & how he had hinted all along. It's not until those last three words that you, as a reader, understand how he felt, way before he tells her.

”𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚.”
“𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮; 𝙄’𝙢 𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪.” 𝙃𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙙. “𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙.”

𝙃𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙗𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙩, 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙚. “𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙩?” 𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙚𝙙. “𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚.”

🅃🄴🄽 🄱🄴🄻🄾🅆 🅉🄴🅁🄾
Read it!
It’s about that simple.
And it’s about that hard.

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔.

*The narrator for this novel made it very difficult to feel what this novel truly has to give, hence why I purchased an ebook, of which I'm grateful. She was too monotone, nothing was expressed in a way that this book deserved. If you give up on this audio, please purchase the book to read.










Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

good book

it was an emtional rollercoaster, and it made me tear up, which is something i dont usually like in a book, but it was addictive and poignant and completely worth the sniffles.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.