RMan
- 24
- reviews
- 91
- helpful votes
- 48
- ratings
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This Is a Love Story
- A Novel
- By: Jessica Soffer
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 104
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 99
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 99
For fifty years, Abe and Jane have been coming to Central Park, as starry-eyed young lovers, as frustrated and exhausted parents, as artists watching their careers take flight. They came alone when they needed to get away from each other, and together when they had something important to discuss. The Park has been their witness for half a century of love. Until now. Jane is dying, and Abe is recounting their life together as a way of keeping them going: the parts they knew.
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2 out of 5 stars
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A waste of time — not worth the credit
- By E. Zimmerman on 03-12-25
- This Is a Love Story
- A Novel
- By: Jessica Soffer
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
Maybe if you love poetry?
Reviewed: 03-07-25
I only made it halfway through and had to file this under DNF. The repetitive style of the writing (all of the “you remember” preceding every line) and the lack of dialogue replaced by description made the characters feel hollow and the story lacked connection. I was bored and kept waiting to feel something. Based on what the book is about, I think it’s telling that as a reader I felt so disconnected from it. Just not for me.
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1 person found this helpful
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One Big Happy Family
- A Novel
- By: Jamie Day
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 41
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 39
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Story4 out of 5 stars 39
The Precipice is a legendary family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. With the recent passing of their father, the Bishop sisters—Iris, Vicki, and Faith—have come for the weekend to claim it. But with a hurricane looming and each of the Bishop sisters harboring dangerous secrets, there's murder in the air—and not everyone who checks into the Precipice will be checking out. Each sister wants what is rightfully hers, and in the mix is the Precipe's nineteen-year-old chambermaid Charley Kelley: smart, resilient, older than her years, and in desperate straits.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Shocked of amazement
- By Charles gomez on 02-19-25
- One Big Happy Family
- A Novel
- By: Jamie Day
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
And I loved The Block Party so much
Reviewed: 08-31-24
It takes a lot for me to DNF a book, print or audio, but I couldn’t make it through this one. I was bored and didn’t enjoy it at all. The Block Party was a fun read with interesting characters and engaging story, so I didn’t hesitate to buy this one. I will note that I read The Block Party and listened to One Big Happy Family but I don’t think that made much difference.
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Very Bad Company
- A Novel
- By: Emma Rosenblum
- Narrated by: January LaVoy
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 111
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 100
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Story4 out of 5 stars 100
Every year, executives at the trendy tech startup Aurora gather the company’s top employees for an exclusive retreat in Miami, and this year Caitlin Levy—Aurora’s newest hire—is joining the team as head of events. The benefits are outstanding: a seven-figure salary, stock shares, a discretionary bonus, limitless vacation days—what could possibly go wrong?
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3 out of 5 stars
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A bad company indeed
- By Sergio Roden1 on 05-17-24
- Very Bad Company
- A Novel
- By: Emma Rosenblum
- Narrated by: January LaVoy
January LaVoy killed it, as usual
Reviewed: 06-26-24
The story was really good, but the narration made it so much more enjoyable. The little nuances of this audio performance are what brings it to the next level, particularly how she delivers funny or sarcastic dialogue. She’s crazy talented.
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1 person found this helpful
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My Lovely Wife
- By: Samantha Downing
- Narrated by: David Pittu
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,598
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7,705
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7,692
Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored. We look like a normal couple. We're your neighbors, the parents of your kid's friend, the acquaintances with whom you keep meaning to get dinner. We all have our secrets to keeping a marriage alive. Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great narrator! Crazy story!
- By EasyBreezySunflower on 03-28-19
- My Lovely Wife
- By: Samantha Downing
- Narrated by: David Pittu
This bored me
Reviewed: 06-09-24
Amazing narrator. Story was so uninteresting to me. I kept waiting to be interested enough in the characters to care about the story, but it never happened.
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The Last Book Party
- A Novel
- By: Karen Dukess
- Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3 out of 5 stars 117
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 106
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Story3 out of 5 stars 107
In the summer of 1987, 25-year-old Eve Rosen, an aspiring writer languishing in a low-level assistant job, jumps at the chance to attend an early summer gathering at the Cape Cod home of famed New Yorker writer Henry Grey and his poet wife. Eve lands a new job as Henry Grey’s research assistant and an invitation to Henry and Tillie’s exclusive and famed "Book Party". But by the night of the party, Eve discovers uncomfortable truths about her summer entanglements and understands that the literary world she so desperately wanted to be a part of is not at all what it seems.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Great story, distracting narration
- By L. Snyder on 08-15-19
- The Last Book Party
- A Novel
- By: Karen Dukess
- Narrated by: Jesse Vilinsky
I had to DNF this out of boredom
Reviewed: 06-03-24
The characters were not interesting and nothing was happening an hour and a half in, so I found it tedious and quit.
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Come and Get It
- By: Kiley Reid
- Narrated by: Nicole Lewis
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 235
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 220
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 220
It's 2017 at the University of Arkansas. Millie Cousins, a senior resident assistant, wants to graduate, get a job, and buy a house. So when Agatha Paul, a visiting professor and writer, offers Millie an easy yet unusual opportunity, she jumps at the chance. But Millie's starry-eyed hustle becomes jeopardized by odd new friends, vengeful dorm pranks, and illicit intrigue.
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1 out of 5 stars
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LGBT Propaganda on Overdrive
- By Gretchen on 02-16-24
- Come and Get It
- By: Kiley Reid
- Narrated by: Nicole Lewis
Characters lacked depth
Reviewed: 05-19-24
I think this would be considered literary fiction, but the characters were hollow so the story was flat, since I wasn’t interested in any one of them. It may be a good book club pick because when I finished it I wished I could have learned what people liked about it, but I would suggest skipping this one.
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First Lie Wins
- A Novel
- By: Ashley Elston
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 25,031
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 23,810
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 23,810
The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss, Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job. Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job isn't like the others. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes—especially after what happened last time.
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5 out of 5 stars
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What’s The lie?
- By Luke Schafer on 01-13-24
- First Lie Wins
- A Novel
- By: Ashley Elston
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
I couldn’t have cared less.
Reviewed: 03-28-24
I’m at a loss as to what so many people saw in this book. I almost didn’t even finish it. Flat characters and boring story line. Not what I expected at all.
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The Collected Regrets of Clover
- A Novel
- By: Mikki Brammer
- Narrated by: Jennifer Pickens
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 920
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 854
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 853
From the day she watched her kindergarten teacher drop dead during a dramatic telling of Peter Rabbit, Clover Brooks has felt a stronger connection with the dying than she has with the living. After the beloved grandfather who raised her dies alone while she is traveling, Clover becomes a death doula in New York City, dedicating her life to ushering people peacefully through their end-of-life process. Clover spends so much time with the dying that she has no life of her own, until the final wishes of a feisty old woman send Clover on a trip across the country to uncover a forgotten love story.
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5 out of 5 stars
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We are all dying, but living is the key
- By C. Heness on 06-12-23
- The Collected Regrets of Clover
- A Novel
- By: Mikki Brammer
- Narrated by: Jennifer Pickens
Loved it
Reviewed: 03-06-24
The story and the performance were excellent! I wish more people would read this. If you have lost someone close to you, so much of it will resonate. If you haven’t, it will help you for when the time comes.
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The Saturday Night Ghost Club
- A Novel
- By: Craig Davidson
- Narrated by: Corey Brill
- Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 357
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 316
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 316
Growing up in 1980s Niagara Falls - a seedy but magical, slightly haunted place - Jake Baker spends most of his time with his uncle Calvin, a kind but eccentric enthusiast of occult artifacts and conspiracy theories. The summer Jake turns 12, he befriends a pair of siblings new to town, and so Calvin decides to initiate them all into the "Saturday Night Ghost Club." But as the summer goes on, what begins as a seemingly light-hearted project may ultimately uncover more than any of its members had imagined.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Emotionless
- By Noura on 10-18-20
- The Saturday Night Ghost Club
- A Novel
- By: Craig Davidson
- Narrated by: Corey Brill
Maybe it’s me because people love this book
Reviewed: 01-14-24
I wanted to love this so much. I have seen it on peoples best book of the year lists. For me, it just didn’t go anywhere. Like at all. I kept waiting. This narrator is one of my favorites (amazing in Tell Me Lies), but he couldn’t save this one for me. Can’t stress enough it must be me. I only wrote this for the sake of other people who feel the same and need to see this type of commentary. No disrespect intended.
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Kings County
- By: David Goodwillie
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 30
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 27
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 27
From the raucous heights of Occupy Wall Street to the comical lows of the publishing industry, from million-dollar art auctions to Bushwick drug dens, Kings County captures New York City at a moment of cultural reckoning. Grappling with the resonant issues and themes of our time - sex and violence, art and commerce, friendship and family - it is an epic coming-of-age tale about love, consequences, bravery, and fighting for one’s place in an ever-changing world.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Boy does this meander, but I loved it!!
- By RMan on 11-06-23
- Kings County
- By: David Goodwillie
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
Boy does this meander, but I loved it!!
Reviewed: 11-06-23
This is literary fiction at its best. And with Marin Ireland reading it. I loved every unnecessary, drawn out inch of it. And I mean that with total respect because how good does a book have to be to still be so engaging, in spite of those things? Excellent.
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