Back at again with another recap of a few audiobooks I've been listening to and enjoying for various reasons. Of course, I can't just keep to one genre because of who I am as a person -- but here's...
Hello friends! Back at again with another recap of a few audiobooks I’ve been listening to and enjoying for various reasons. Of course, I can’t just keep to one genre because of who I am as a person — but here’s my thoughts!
The Magic Of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden
If you are into magical realism, you should pick up The Magic Of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden. This story is about Lolly Blanchard who has essentially been stuck in the ten years since her mother died. She wanted to run her own restaurant in England and was deeply in love. However, she breaks off the relationship and stays home in Seattle to care for her younger sister and help her father run the failing diner. As Lolly’s birthday is about to come, her aunt gives her three lemon drops which are magic. Each drop will allow her to live one day if she had made a different choice in life — stay in England, marry Rory, or what if her mom had lived. Lolly explores the what ifs, but only for a day. What happens though when that one day just isn’t enough? Will she find the courage and strength to chase her own happiness?
I was so invested in this audiobook. Largely I could tell this because I got SO mad at one part where Lolly wakes back up in one of her different days and she has the opportunity to seize the life she doesn’t but she does not take that chance because of all these other factors but really I feel like if she would have just opened her damn mouth and communicated, she would have been able to make it work. I can understand this narrative choice, particularly as the end is all about how we can’t just sit stuck and ruminating on what ifs, we have to choose our happiness. But oh my god it was so frustrating. Other than that, I liked Lolly and her devotion to her family. I also liked Rory, he was a good male lead. The story was pretty solid, cozy, and interesting. The audiobook is narrated by Katie Koster and is 11 hours and 58 minutes — a good listen.
The Sweetest Connection by Denise Williams
The Sweetest Connection by Denise Williams is the third of her airport novellas. You do not need to have read the previous novellas to have an understanding of what is going on or context. I say this from experience as I had only read Williams’ full length books before. The Sweetest Connection is about Teagan who works at the airport candy shop and dreams of traveling the world and Silas who works as an airport customer service representative. The two are great friends. One day they stumble upon this love letter and go on a bit of a hunt to figure out who it is from as well as who it is to.
I enjoyed The Sweetest Connection. It made me want to check out the other airport novellas. I also really liked the narration of this audiobook. It is narrated by Angel Pean and Teddy Hamilton. The audiobook is short as well – only 3 hours and 23 minutes. The story is easy to follow, adorable and had me believing in Teagan and Silas’s chemistry. This is a great audiobook for those who have shorter commutes.
The Fraud Squad by Kyla Zhao
I thought The Fraud Squad by Kyla Zhao was a fun read. This book follows Samantha who wants to work as a journalist but instead is at a PR firm. She wants to get the scoop on high society. Unfortunately, Samantha is a nobody – her mom is a manicurist. This means that she has no chance at getting the society articles as she’s not really one of the elite. That is, until Samantha’s coworker Anya who is wealthy and Timothy who also comes from an elite family, agree to help Samantha fake her way in with a scheme they call the fraud squad. It actually works too! Soon she’s rubbing elbows with the Singapore elite.
Zhao’s book is escapist fun. Yes, there’s some serious moments of course. It goes into covering class. I loved that it was set in Singapore, I don’t read a lot of stories set there so this was nice to pick up something new to me. Samantha is someone I absolutely wanted everything to work out for. It’s hard not being wealthy and wanting to be in a different life and chase your dreams. The ending wasn’t my favorite but I got why things played out the way they did. The audiobook is narrated by Siho Ellsmore who was a new to me narrator. I had no complaints. Overall, the audiobook is 11 hours and 33 minutes long. I listened to it sped up with no issues.
The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
The Heart Principle by Helene Hoang is the third in the Kiss Quotient universe series. I LOVED this book. Like the first two, I listened to the audiobook version. This story follows Anna Sun, a violinist who goes viral and really has her career kicked off. Unfortunately, she’s burned out and just can’t be bothered to play her music. To top it off, her boyfriend decides they need to open their relationship and he needs to sow his wild oats before fully committing to her. However, what’s good for the gander is good for the goose, yeah? So, Anna decides to join Tinder. There she meets Quan Diep who has tattoos, rides a motorcycle and is so very different from her boyfriend. The connection is instant. Will it last longer than a hookup?
As I said, I loved this book. It blends joy and pathos perfectly. You see, Anna’s father experiences health issues in this book which require her to be a caregiver. Yet, we get a different perspective as it is not really something Anna can handle and do well. We also see Quan’s company going through acquisitions. And we see Anna and Quan get to know and fall for each other. Oh, and Anna learns she’s autistic. I loved the thoughtfulness and intention in this book. I also loved the representation. The audiobook of The Heart Principle is narrated by Natalie Naudus and Brian Rishii. It is 9 hours and 30 minutes long and a fabulous listen. Seriously, if you are newer to audiobooks and like contemporary romance — pick one up by Helen Hoang, they’re really great listens.
Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour
I don’t quite know or remember what I expected from Yerba Buena, Nina LaCour’s adult fiction debut, but it was different from the other books I’ve read from LaCour. This story follows Sara Foster, who as the book opens has a girlfriend and lives in a small town. Unfortunately, her girlfriend goes missing and later is found dead. Sara can’t stand it in her town and runs away to LA. She eventually becomes this famous bartender. Her path eventually crosses with Emilie Dubois, a student who has been in undergrad for like 6 years. Currently Emilie makes her money by arranging flowers for the Yerba Buena restaurant. The connection Sara and Emilie feel when they first meet is electric. However, the two both carry emotional baggage and are continually pulled apart.
Admittedly, I really liked the beginning of Yerba Buena, when we get Sara’s backstory and reason for coming to LA, also her journey to LA which is traumatic in itself. I just found that part compelling, emotional and interesting. I was a little lost in the middle of the book, but also could be due to my own personal life distractions. By the end though, my interest came back. I liked how things resolved for Sara and Emilie. I actually liked how Emilie ended up finding her path in life too. The audiobook was probably not the best personal choice for me to experience this book — because I’ve been so distracted. I think someone who can focus will like this better. The audiobook is narrated by Julia Whelan who truly is an excellent narrator and it is eight hours long.