Liza Roth
- 6
- reviews
- 1
- helpful vote
- 21
- ratings
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The Breakaway
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Weiner
- Narrated by: Nikki Blonsky, Santino Fontana, Jenni Barber, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 323
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Performance3 out of 5 stars 311
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 311
Thirty-three-year-old Abby Stern has made it to a happy place. True, she still has gig jobs instead of a career, and the apartment where she’s lived since college still looks like she’s just moved in. But she’s got good friends, her bike, and her bicycling club in Philadelphia. She’s at peace with her plus-size body—at least, most of the time—and she’s on track to marry Mark Medoff, her childhood sweetheart, a man she met at the weight-loss camp that her perpetually dieting mother forced her to attend.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Good story but…
- By B. Troutman on 08-30-23
- The Breakaway
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Weiner
- Narrated by: Nikki Blonsky, Santino Fontana, Jenni Barber, Soneela Nankani, Joy Osmanski
Die Hard JW Fan But….
Reviewed: 09-15-23
Ugh… I don’t know where to start with this one. I excitedly pre-ordered some time back and had a calendar reminder for the release date. I’m not sure if I can finish this… it’s terrible all around. It’s like she had all these great ideas in her head and put them all in one hodge podge if a story. I’m wondering where her editor was on this one. It felt like Top Chef when the critique is that there are too many flavors in the dish. Each flavor or idea is good, but too many competing just makes a mess.
JW has definitely had a theme of writing plus size leads which I find refreshing. I am a huge proponent of HAES, fighting Western beauty standards, and smashing the patriarchy. But this book definitely pushed the agenda to the point that I was annoyed. I’m looking to escape in one or JW’s clever stories, not be reminded of how shitty diet culture is (which it definitely is).
I’m just not sure what this book is. A novel? A story showing different points of view via the different characters? A book educating us on body neutrality? A reminder not to slut shame and assure consent? A commentary on the impact of Roe being overturned and how devastating that change can be to a person with an unwanted pregnancy? (Using trite, stereotyped characters nonetheless.)
And finally… the narrator (a talented actress) needed to stick to her day job. Unnatural pauses, pronunciation which led to a struggle in comprehension, grating voice, unexpected emphasis on syllables or words.
Hoping JW comes back in her next novel showcasing how brilliant of a storyteller she can be.
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1 person found this helpful
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Dead West
- The Nils Shapiro Series, Book 4
- By: Matt Goldman
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,399
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 3,195
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,184
Nils Shapiro accepts what appears to be an easy, lucrative job: find out if Beverly Mayer’s grandson is foolishly throwing away his trust fund in Hollywood, especially now, in the wake of his fiancée’s tragic death. However, that easy job becomes much more complicated once Nils arrives in Los Angeles, a disorienting place where the sunshine hides dark secrets. Nils quickly suspects that Ebben Mayer’s fiancée was murdered and that Ebben himself may have been the target.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Not good - Narration is awful
- By Matt on 08-05-20
- Dead West
- The Nils Shapiro Series, Book 4
- By: Matt Goldman
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
Worst Narration
Reviewed: 03-16-23
Had to stop listening because I was actively getting irritated, listening to this narrator’s voice. It ruins the book.
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Really Good, Actually
- A Novel
- By: Monica Heisey
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 522
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 470
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Story3 out of 5 stars 472
Maggie is fine. She’s doing really good, actually. Sure, she’s broke, her graduate thesis on something obscure is going nowhere, and her marriage only lasted 608 days, but at the ripe old age of twenty-nine, Maggie is determined to embrace her new life as a Surprisingly Young Divorcée™.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Skip it
- By Cindy Simms on 01-18-23
- Really Good, Actually
- A Novel
- By: Monica Heisey
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Insufferable
Reviewed: 02-18-23
I wanted to tear my hair out at the lazy, long lists. “This or this or this or this or this…” for a solid couple of minutes. Also listing out meandering internet searches (this search, this search, this search, blah blah kill me). Listening to them is like torture that I don’t think I can make it through the rest of the book. Save the credit.
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Creep
- By: Jennifer Hillier
- Narrated by: Talmadge Ragan
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,656
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,562
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,561
Dr. Sheila Tao is a professor of psychology, an expert in human behavior with her own hidden past. But she's not the only one keeping secrets. When Sheila began an affair with her sexy graduate assistant Ethan Wolfe, she knew she was playing with fire. Consumed by lust when they were together, she was riddled with guilt when they were apart. Now she's finally engaged to a good man, and it's time to end the dangerous liaison. But Ethan has something different in mind. He intends to make her pay for rejecting him.
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4 out of 5 stars
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The narrator makes all the difference. Unfortunately, this one needed a different narrator!
- By Critter Mama on 07-04-14
- Creep
- By: Jennifer Hillier
- Narrated by: Talmadge Ragan
Narrator is Unbearable
Reviewed: 08-25-22
It’s a shame… the story is interesting but the narrator is awful. Her voice is all wrong, sounds slurred sometimes, sounds robotic sometimes. I have 8 hours left and don’t think I can do it. It’s like nails on a chalkboard.
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The Good Sister
- A Novel
- By: Sally Hepworth
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,949
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,480
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,467
Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister, Rose, three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights, and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life, and disrupting her routine can be...dangerous. When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.
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5 out of 5 stars
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wow!
- By NanaD on 04-15-21
- The Good Sister
- A Novel
- By: Sally Hepworth
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
A Good Listen
Reviewed: 01-29-22
Fun, easy listen. Binge listened over a few days, couldn’t wait to get back on my car to commute to/from work so I could continue listening!
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You Loved Me Once
- By: Corinne Michaels
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14,024
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12,918
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12,850
As a doctor, I walk a dangerously delicate balance of being compassionate but not overly invested. The same is true in my personal life - love is a luxury I can’t afford. It isn’t until Dr. Westin Grant breaks down all my walls and offers me a future, I find myself wondering if I’m brave enough to risk my heart. When who I was and who I’ve tried to become collide during my clinical trial, the fate of one patient changes everything.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Breathtakingly Beautiful, Powerfully Poignant!
- By kgagnon on 06-17-21
- You Loved Me Once
- By: Corinne Michaels
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Took a little bit to warm up
Reviewed: 11-30-21
The beginning was a little slow and the protagonist could be a little irritating. Overall a good listen
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