Ashlee Willis
- 19
- reviews
- 5
- helpful votes
- 39
- ratings
-
You've Got This
- By: Maxine Morrey
- Narrated by: Gloria Sanders
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fleur French does not have the best of luck when it comes to life and love, and her current boyfriend Jasper is yet another person who only seems to like Fleur when she moulds herself into his idea of the perfect partner. So, when she finds herself single, jobless and homeless, Fleur has to decide if she’s ready to finally be herself – if only she knew who that was.
-
-
So much potential but it didn’t totally deliver.
- By Michelleb Avery on 07-17-24
- You've Got This
- By: Maxine Morrey
- Narrated by: Gloria Sanders
All the feelings
Reviewed: 05-10-24
Sometimes stories like this don’t feel real enough to be engaging. This story did such a good job with dialog that felt like actual conversations people would have, actions people would have taken, and authentic feelings. Even the big choices made by the characters didn’t seem too outlandish or that they were made just for the plot. The anxiety I felt as the book neared the end was intense, as I wasn’t sure if I was going to get the resolution I wanted, but that’s part of good story telling.
That being said, I was originally caught off guard by the narration as it didn’t seem to fit with the character. Luckily, that didn’t last long but it was jarring at first.
This was such a good listen and definitely recommend. It would be great for a long drive.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Christmas Star
- An Audible Original
- By: Kate Forster
- Narrated by: Rachael Tidd
- Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's nearly Christmas, Julia Devine's favourite time of the year. She's just programmed a wonderful lead into the holidays at Sunny Street Cinema, which leaves her plenty of time to worry about going home to Cumbria for Christmas. Her mum and stepdad are fine, but the thought of spending another holiday with her awful stepsister Becca is enough to make a Scrooge out of anyone. When Becca calls to let her know about the dreamy pilot she's bringing to Christmas lunch, Julia finally snaps and does something very silly.
-
-
All the best holiday eyerolls
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 11-16-23
- The Christmas Star
- An Audible Original
- By: Kate Forster
- Narrated by: Rachael Tidd
Christmas without all the cliche
Reviewed: 12-21-23
This book had me smiling, laughing, and commenting out loud which I rarely if ever do when listening to a story/book. It brought all the warm fuzzy feelings of a Christmas love story without the traditional Christmas love story tropes. Everything seemed to be organic. Such a good listen.
My only complaint is that I kind of wish there had been an epilogue with an update!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Christmas Shopaholic
- By: Sophie Kinsella
- Narrated by: Nathalie Buscombe
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Becky still adores the traditions of Christmas: Her parents host, carols play on repeat, her mother pretends she made the Christmas pudding, and the neighbors come ’round for sherry in their terrible holiday sweaters. Things are looking cheerier than ever, until Becky’s parents announce they’re moving to ultra-trendy Shoreditch - unable to resist the draw of craft beer and smashed avocados - and ask Becky if she’ll host this year. What could possibly go wrong?
-
-
I have missed Sophie K books!
- By M Markel on 10-29-19
- Christmas Shopaholic
- By: Sophie Kinsella
- Narrated by: Nathalie Buscombe
Made me feel things
Reviewed: 12-07-23
I felt so many things about the main character. She’s kind, generous, and tenacious, but also shameless, a little rude, and sometimes self centered. The amount of times I got second hand embarrassment and had to turn down the volume was more than I can count, but the fact that I felt that viscerally is a testament to the author and narrator. That being said, the main character really straddled the line between likable and not. Every time I debated whether I could keep listening, she did sometime redeeming or something interesting happened.
I will say, that I expected the story to be similar to the movie “Confessions of a Shopaholic” but it’s not. I do wish I would have known that before hand because I was expecting the story to move in a different direction. The last hour really brings everything together and shows all of the characters self awareness and the awareness of everyone else in their circle. It ends in the way a Christmas story should. It’s definitely worth a listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
On a Night Like This
- Winter Nights, Book 3
- By: Liz Maverick
- Narrated by: Dara Rosenberg, Andrew Eiden
- Length: 3 hrs and 34 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a broken engagement, Cher decides to leave heartbreak behind by signing up for a holiday house swap. For the next few weeks, she’ll ditch sunny California to spend her first Hanukkah in New York City, a time of snow-covered sidewalks, festive store windows, hot cocoa, and...cute neighbors? As Cher is moving into her temporary new apartment, Eliot is moving his ex’s belongings out, and he soon finds himself offering to play tour guide. He’s nursing a broken heart too, and spending time showing the beautiful traveler around is exactly what he needs.
-
-
A great holiday read!
- By Margaret on 11-22-23
- On a Night Like This
- Winter Nights, Book 3
- By: Liz Maverick
- Narrated by: Dara Rosenberg, Andrew Eiden
Kind of like “The Holiday”
Reviewed: 12-01-23
This book was a cute holiday listen but was very reminiscent of “The Holiday”. The main difference being we already knew all of characters, with the exception of Cher.
I did have two hang ups that kept me from giving 5 stars. First, I didn’t feel Dara Rosenberg was the right fit for this story. I can’t explain why, but I just didn’t enjoy that as much. Her voice as Eli was also hard to listen to. Second, I get really bothered when a guy who had a crush on his friend makes things seem like her fault. Sarah never led him on, but this book kind of makes it seem that way. I understand that he had feelings that were unrequited, and he needed healing from the grief, but the way he ignored every other call from her had me almost upset. Maybe this is because I’ve been in this position, but it comes off as manipulative. Especially rally as he says he wasted years of his time on her. I didn’t feel this way about Elliot until this book.
That being said, a lot of the book was really sweet and it’s nice to get a peek into how the other characters have grown over the years. The relationship did seem organic and not overly forced which I liked. It’s definitely worth a listen but only after the first two books!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Bright Winter Lights
- By: Liz Maverick
- Narrated by: Andrew Eiden, Emily Lawrence
- Length: 3 hrs and 33 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Billionaire businessman Adam Bosch decides to bring a date to the family Hanukkah party this year in hopes of getting a break from his mother’s matchmaking. Trouble is, his busy schedule hasn’t left much room for romance. Since he’s always remained cordial with his high school sweetheart Sara Schwartz, he gets back in touch and asks her to be his plus one. And if he’s being honest, it’s a good excuse to see her again...since he’s never quite forgotten her.
-
-
A Guy's Review: I loved it!
- By Max-T on 12-08-22
- Bright Winter Lights
- By: Liz Maverick
- Narrated by: Andrew Eiden, Emily Lawrence
Cute!
Reviewed: 11-29-23
I liked this story better than the first in the series. Even though there was the classic “misunderstanding” trope, it gets resolved quickly so there’s no time for an eye roll. The characters act pretty much how you would expect someone yo act in real life which helps. It’s a cute easy listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Eight Winter Nights
- By: Liz Maverick
- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky, Jason Clarke
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Last year, Rachel Bacharach met the man of her dreams at a Hanukkah party — and then her outgoing best friend Tamara swooped in and “called” Oz Caplan for herself. It’s a typical outcome for the dependable, bookish Rachel, who is never able to extinguish the spark she immediately felt for Oz. But being secretly in love with her best friend’s boyfriend all year hasn’t been easy.
-
-
Just no...
- By R Forrest on 12-02-20
- Eight Winter Nights
- By: Liz Maverick
- Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky, Jason Clarke
Take it for what it is
Reviewed: 11-28-23
There’s a happy ending which is what you want. If you go into it with a “hallmark” mentality, it’s fine. It’s the classic ‘guy doesn’t see what’s right in front of him’ trope. I only wish the best friend hadn’t been involved because that makes it weird. In such a short story, the characters don’t have time to develop the way you would hope and you don’t get attached to any of them. I listened to this during an afternoon at work, and it helped the day go by faster. As long as you suspend disbelief, it’s worth a listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Christmas Pact
- By: Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Sebastian York
- Length: 2 hrs and 54 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Riley Kennedy’s emails keep getting crossed with her male colleague, Kennedy Riley. The infuriating man forwards them along with his annoying commentary and unsolicited advice. At least she never has to see him in person, since they work in different locations…until they come face to face at the office holiday party.
-
-
Nope
- By Gwyn Gwyrdd on 12-05-19
- The Christmas Pact
- By: Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward
- Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Sebastian York
Romantic…adjacent?
Reviewed: 11-27-23
If you took just the main plot points of the story, it sounds like a cute rom-com. But the details take it in another direction. Not only did the male narrator give me the ick when he spoke, his dialog was manipulative and crass, and his behavior was toxic. If Riley had told people the truth about Kennedy, there would have been red flags all over the place and no one would have told her to pursue him. I’ll take cheesy and cliche over toxic any day. As for Riley, who sends an insanely private email asking for advice from your work account??
I did like the female narrator and she even made the male character sounds slightly less awful. The general idea of the book could be fine but it needs a lot of reworking to not feel sexist and creepy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Takedown
- By: Lily Chu
- Narrated by: Phillipa Soo
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For Dee Kwan, every day is the perfect day. No, really. She has a house she loves, a job she adores, and a ridiculously attractive “nemesis” who never seems to mind when she wins their favorite online game. How can life possibly get better? (It can’t, obviously. It can only get much, much worse.) Soon Dee is forced to share her adorably cozy home with her parents and estranged grandmother. Then she’s tossed into the deep end at work, tasked with cleaning up a scandal for the intimidatingly chic luxury fashion firm Celeste. If that weren’t enough, she discovers her hot nemesis works there, too.
-
-
LOVE LOVE LOVE!
- By CK on 11-02-23
- The Takedown
- By: Lily Chu
- Narrated by: Phillipa Soo
Rough
Reviewed: 11-24-23
Although it was incredibly hard to do so, I did not want to finish this book. The only reason I did finish, was to lend credibility to my review. I wanted to stop after the first hour. This is my first listen to a book by Lily Chu and a narration by Phillipa Soo. I read another review that said echoed by thoughts, and said that this was unlike other books, so I’m going to give them another listen.
I like Phillipa Soo, so I was shocked that I did not like the narration. It was almost monotone and when there was inflection it was in odd places. It also seems slightly fast but if I slowed down the speed, the monotone was exaggerated. It made listening feel like work and I was consistently bored.
The authors overuse of metaphors for the main character was draining. Everything was “like” something else instead of what it was. So instead of showing the reader through character development or context, we were simply told things. The MC was also hypocritical at times and petulant when things didn’t go her way. I also felt like the relationship growth between characters didn’t naturally evolve. Things somehow happened to slowly and too quickly at the same time. The book did pick up slightly at the halfway point, but only marginally.
In surprised that more people haven’t made comments like this. Because of the overwhelming praise for the book, author, and narrator, in addition to the comment that this is an outlier, I’m hoping to give the author and narrator another go.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Rebound
- By: Leeanne Slade
- Narrated by: Claudia Jessie
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kitty Harris has it all: cosily coupled up with boyfriend Archie, she’s putting in the hours at an ad agency to land her dream job. OK, so maybe they’ve become a bit too comfortable in their routine, with pizza night every Thursday, and maybe the agency isn’t so much up-and-coming as been-and-gone, but Kitty is happy. Until one diamond ring sitting pretty in her pepperoni ruins everything. Kitty does NOT want to get married, not after being caught in the crosshairs of her parent’s destructive divorce.
-
-
PERFECTION!
- By Kelly on 05-05-23
- The Rebound
- By: Leeanne Slade
- Narrated by: Claudia Jessie
Just in time
Reviewed: 11-20-23
The resolution of the story takes place at the last second, which is both wonderful and a little emotionally taxing (in a good way). I binged the book, so the emotions were probably felt more intensively than had I listened over a longer period of time. I appreciated that the book tried to avoid tropes as much as possible. The ones that couldn’t be avoided at least felt realistic, with the exception of the miscommunication due to unspoken feelings. But tbh, most people aren’t brave enough, so I guess that one is realistic too. Overall I really liked it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Wedding Season
- A Novel
- By: Katy Birchall
- Narrated by: Daphne Kouma
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Freya Scott is getting married. Her wedding to Matthew, her long-term boyfriend, is the first of eight in her calendar this year, and as someone who prides herself on being meticulously organized, Freya is intent on making it the perfect day to remember. But when Matthew calls things off hours before they walk down the aisle, Freya’s entire life plan goes up in smoke. Humiliated and heartbroken, the last thing she wants is to attend a summer of other peoples’ nuptials on her own.
-
-
loved!
- By Diana K. on 05-20-22
- The Wedding Season
- A Novel
- By: Katy Birchall
- Narrated by: Daphne Kouma
Cute, endearing, and fairly realistic
Reviewed: 11-15-23
I really enjoyed this book. Even the emotional parts that probably bring readers own breakups to mind. But that’s part of its charm. Getting to “okay” isn’t a straight line and in the beginning it never feels like you will get there, but one day, out of nowhere, you’ll realize that you are okay. Sometimes the worst day of our life had to happen in order to save us from worse pain down the line. Even though you can guess how the story will end, it’s fun to keep listening and see how the characters will get to their “okay”.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!