Tag Archives: Natalie Naudus

Talk Bookish To Me — Kate Bromley

Author: Kate Bromley
Narrated By: Natalie Naudus

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars (and I’m being generous)
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses cheating, parent death, and hit and runs.

“Talk Bookish To Me” follows Kara Sullivan, a romance novelist that’s stuck in a writer’s block, as she finds the cure to that bad slump when she is reunited with her first love and college boyfriend, Ryan Thompson, through a friend’s wedding celebration. Little did she know that her proximity to Ryan and their past love could only lead to more heartbreak.

Lets start with the praise. I loved Natalie Naudus’ narration. I will definitely be looking out for audiobooks worked on by her. I also like books that talk about books, so having the main character be a writer was fun. The spicy bits weren’t the best but they were definitely creative, alright?

Now, on with the not so good. Take the cheating content warning very seriously, it isn’t just lightly mentioned, it is literally a shit show. I didn’t particularly like Kara, but can definitely confirm I hated Ryan more. Cheating in books is a big turn off for me, it is my one pet peeve. I hate it when cheating is consensual (aka both parts know they’re cheating), but I hate it even more when it isn’t (aka one of the parts doesn’t know the other part is cheating). So I can honestly say I was really enjoying the book pretty much until that plot line was uncovered. It took all I liked about the book and threw it out the window. Honestly, I feel that by giving it a 3.5-star review I’m being lenient on the cheating just because I loved the narration. Normally I would rate it much lower.

Anyways, personally I did not like this book because of its plot, but if you’re into cheating tropes, then this book might be for you.

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Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC — Serendipity: Ten Romantic Tropes, Transformed — Edited by Marissa Meyer

Authors: Elise Bryant, Elizabeth Eulberg, Leah Johnson, Anna-Marie McLemore, Sandhya Menon, Marissa Meyer, Julie Murphy, Caleb Roehrig, Sarah Winifred Searle, and Abigail Hing Wen

Narrated by: Aida Reluzco, Alaska Jackson, Ewan Chung, Gary Tiedemann, James Fouhey, Jeanette Illidge, Natalie Naudus, and Reena Dutt

Genre: Young Adult
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Content Warnings: None that I can think of.

“Serendipity” addresses different romantic tropes, twisting them into extraordinary and more inclusive versions of the tales we’ve heard a hundred times before. Following prompts like unrequited love, fake relationships, and grand romantic gestures, the stories are sharp and entertaining.

This compilation of stories delivers what’s promised. This book is perfect if you’re looking to delve into different worlds and stories without the time commitment of reading a whole book. Think watching a movie versus watching a short Youtube video. If you’re in the mood for short videos, then this is the book for you.

I was lucky enough to be provided with the audiobook thanks to NetGalley. I found most narrators to be charming and their voices fit their characters perfectly. There was just one occasion in which I felt the voice didn’t match the character I imagined, but even then, listening to this audiobook was amazing.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for short, heartwarming stories. This compilation reminded me of Rainbow Rowell, Maureen Johnson, and John Green (think the Christmas-y compilation they were a part of in 2016, “Let It Snow”, this book kind of has those vibes), so I would recommend this book to anyone who’s liked their writing.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: January 4, 2022 (TODAY!)