Tag Archives: audiobooks

Review: American Dirt

Posted on by
Reply

American Dirt by Jeannie Cummins
Publication: Flatiron & MacMillan
Publication Date: 1/21/20

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced listening copy of this book from LibroFM and MacMillan Audio in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review, or rating.

GoodReads Synopsis: Lydia Quixano Perez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.

Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with four books he would like to buy–two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.

Review: American Dirt is the first book I’ve read from Jeannie Cummins. The audiobook narrator of this book was amazing. As I was listening to the book, I felt like I was listening to a drama show. As for the actual book, I was intrigued by the author’s captivating writing style. However, there were times where the story felt like it was dragged on a bit instead of progressing. The relationship between Lydia and Javier fell a bit flat and was inconsistent through the story. Besides those issues, this was still a five star read for me based upon the writing style alone. I’d recommend picking this up if you’re looking for a strong and heavy contemporary novel.

Rating: 5/5

Review: Get A Life, Chloe Brown

Posted on by
Reply

Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Publication: Avon Books

Publication Date: 11/5/19

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced listening copy of this book from LibroFM, Avon Books, and Harper Audio in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review, or rating.

GoodReads Synopsis: Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamourous family’s mansion. The next items?

Enjoy a drunken night out.
Ride a motorcycle.
Go camping.
Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
And… do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…

Review: Get A Life, Chloe Brown is the first book I’ve read from Talia Hibbert. This contemporary romance had a decent storyline and the characters were well-developed. It’s great that the author was able to develop characters that went beyond the typical in a romance book which I applaud her for. I appreciated that the author added a trigger warning in the beginning of her book. However, this book just wasn’t my cup of tea. I felt like the book dragged in a few areas. As for the main characters, I felt like the chemistry between them was too forced. It also didn’t help that I wasn’t a fan of the writing style at all which makes me unsure about picking up the future books in the series.

As for the actual audiobook, I despised the narrator. Her voice was too shrill for my taste and I couldn’t stand the high pitched voice she was using for Chloe and the deep voice she was trying to use for Red. About half way through the audiobook, I put it down and decided to purchase the ebook version. The ebook version made the reading experience much more pleasurable. I also felt that by reading the ebook, I could rate and review overall book fairly. My three star rating has nothing to do with the audiobook and everything to do with the actual storyline of the book.

Personally I wouldn’t go out and recommend this book to everyone, but at the same time, I wouldn’t shun anyone from reading it as well. If you like contemporary romance, then you may enjoy this one more than me.

Rating: 3/5

Review: The Witches Are Coming

Posted on by
Reply

The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West

Publication: Hachette Books

Publication Date: 11/4/19

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced listening copy of this book from LibroFM and Hachette Books in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review, or rating.

GoodReads Synopsis: What do Adam Sandler, Donald Trump, and South Park have in common? Why are myths like “reverse sexism” and “political correctness” so seductive? And why do movie classics of yore, from Sixteen Candles to Revenge of the Nerds, make rape look like so much silly fun? With Lindy West’s signature wit and in her uniquely incendiary voice, The Witches are Coming lays out a grand theory of America that explains why Trump’s election was, in many ways, a foregone conclusion.

As West reveals through fascinating journeys across the landscapes of pop culture, the lies that fostered the catastrophic resentment that boiled over in the 2016 presidential race did not spring from a vacuum. They have in fact been woven into America’s DNA, cultivated by generations of mediocre white men and fed to the masses with such fury that we have become unable to recognize them as lies at all.

Whether it be the notion overheard since the earliest moments of the #MeToo movement that feminism has gone too far or the insistence that holding someone accountable for his actions amounts to a “witch hunt,” The Witches are Coming exposes the lies that many have chosen to believe and the often unexpected figures who have furthered them. Along the way, it unravels the tightening link between culture and politics, identifying in the memes, music, and movies we’ve loved the seeds of the neoreactionary movement now surging through the nation.

Sprawling, funny, scorching, and illuminating, The Witches are Coming shows West at the top of her intellectual and comic powers. As much a celebration of America’s potential as a condemnation of our failures, some will call it a witch hunt—to which West would reply, “So be it. I’m a witch and I’m hunting you.”

Review: The Witches Are Coming os the second book I’ve read from Lindy West. I enjoyed listening to Lindy narrate her latest nonfiction book. Her writing style continues to be intriguing and witty. I admire how unapologetic she is and her ability to express her opinion in way that takes off the rose colored lenses. However, I did feel that The Witches Are Coming fell flat in comparison to Shrill. In The Witches Are Coming, I like that she sheds light to sensitive and relevant topics for people to continue talking about, but I didn’t learn anything new. I was looking forward to gaining new insight about these topics beyond what was already in the news. Despite that tidbit, I do recommend you check out her latest book.

Rating: 3/5

Love or Hate Audiobooks?

Posted on by
6

Do you listen to audiobooks? I started listening to audiobooks a couple of years ago (back in 2017). At first, I had mixed feelings about them, but now, I like them! I still prefer reading physical books and ebooks over listening to audiobooks, but nowadays, I do like to look into audiobooks as an option too.

If you’re on the fence about listening to audiobooks, here are some pros and cons to help you decide if they’re right for you to try out!

Do you like audiobooks? Why or why not?