Author: Lauren Blakely
Narrator: Andi Arndt, Jason Clarke, Erin Mallon, Savannah Peachwood, Emma Wilder, Jakobi Diem, Dan Bittner
Publisher: Audible Originals
Publication Date: August 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Audible | Amazon
Description: Skyler’s breakup survival plan is simple: Swear off men for a year and celebrate her man cleanse with a solo tropical vacation to Hawaii. Snorkeling, sightseeing, zip lining, and leisurely dinners by the sea are just what the doctor ordered to mend her broken heart.
That is, until she meets a hunky adventure tour guide who makes her want to break all her own rules. Handsome, funny, and exciting, Caleb is by far the hottest local attraction. Will a romantic island fling lead to more heartbreak - or a new beginning?
My Thoughts: Initially, what I thought was going to be a fun adventure for a woman taking a manbatical after her latest break-up just didn’t measure up. I really liked the idea of taking a year off of dating and focusing on self-care with a tropical vacation to Hawaii thrown in to celebrate it. I just didn’t feel invested in Skylar or her journey and never felt connected to Caleb.
Books with the vacation fling premise can be quite fun and entertaining, but this one just fell flat for me and honestly, I think it’s because it was an audiobook and it was only 1 hour and 17 minutes long so there was absolutely no time to flesh out Skylar and Caleb so the reader can get to know them better. Also the sound effects were too much. By this, I felt like I was in a crowded restaurant with all the white noise in the background; flatware scraping on plates, conversations that aren’t clear enough to make out what’s being said but distracting enough to pull me out of the story. The most annoying for me were the scenes where Skylar is texting her friend about Caleb. There were sound effects for the sounds on the phone when you are typing out a text. I’m rolling my eyes so hard, I began to worry, they would get stuck. At one point, I started to think there was a problem with the recording and that something else had been recorded with this book. Sometimes too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing.
I enjoyed the performances of all the narrators and the story itself was OK. I think I would have enjoyed it more as a Kindle book with quality time spent getting to know the characters better.
My Final Verdict: If you are a person that is easily distracted by a lot of extraneous noise may want to give this one a pass. If you are a reader looking for a quick fix and welcome the plethora of sound effects, this book will fit the bill.
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