Coffeebreakwhatever

Already reviewed

Revisado: 12-02-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Please see my original review. The app is asking for another review but read existing one

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good story

Revisado: 11-14-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

good story. nice to read about people working together to make a life for themselves

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A Nice Listen

Revisado: 11-05-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Chris and Carolina have been married for 20 years. He has been having an affair for the past year, and serves Carolina with divorce papers. While at the same party with the same friends, Chris brings his "fiancee" and she announces she is pregnant. The day the divorce is final... they get married and go off on a 3 week honeymoon to Paris. The divorce granted Carolina the "lake house" and a car and a mild alimony for 3 years and her clothes - literally, just her clothes. She has been under the impression the lake house they have had for 7 years has been rented out all that time, only to find it wasn't and hasn't been taken care of - specifically needing a new roof - and no furniture or household goods in the house. But it is her only home so she goes around town (small town) trying to find needed items, hiring a roofer, and getting to know all the townspeople. Every time a problem arises, someone in town helps her out. The rest of the story is just how she figures things out and makes a go of it at the lake house.

My review: Every where she went, she was given a discount, a freebie, a special deal, free help etc. It got to the point of being "so sweet it's fattening". Everything just fell into her hands. I stopped reading at chapter 13 as it was just over-kill. However, a few days later I picked it up and resumed reading and the X-mother-in-law comes on the scene and let the games begin!!! The story gets some life and Carolina got some backbone and stood up to the MIL and her x-husband and a few people in town that weren't that nice to her! It was rather enjoyable. Still, the problems arose and always - a quick resolution was at hand - she got a discount on the dishes because the shop owner needed the shelf space. She was suddenly able to trade her Jeep to a family that needed a larger car for their smaller car and $5000 she needed to pay off the roofer. She got things delivered for free because the delivery person just happen to be going that way anyway. Everything was "at the right place at the right time". In the end, she found out her MIL and X husband had each done a really rotten thing to her that put her in quite a bind and both things were unique and she called them out on it and stood up to them. Yea, Carolina! Only the MIL made restitutions. It was a nice read once things began to happen.

A few things I thought were very "off" were - how did she not know he was cheating on her for a year? Also, why did she not make any demands in the divorce, and her attorney didn't either. Husband "gave" her the lake house (not their expensive house in town), his older Jeep and not the Mercedes convertible, and her clothes and only her clothes and 3 year alimony. Why didn't she at least fight for personal items from her home? Her jewelry, furniture pieces, household items? Why didn't her attorney try to get her more or suggest she fight for more? how did she not know that the lake house was in such bad shape? They/she didn't go to the house even once in the 7 years they had it? The MIL bought a bedroom set for $5000 (no spoiler here!) - but never said where she used it - her place, Carolina's or her sons. Her son didn't tell his mother that he divorced Carolina and remarried and had a baby on the way so when she showed up at the Lakehouse, she thought he was there. Carolina told her what happened and it got no reaction from the mother. I thought that odd.

Also, the narration was about a 3 star. The female narrator didn't do the male voices very well. Thomas, a 40-somthing year old guy, the narrator had his voice sounding like a really old man, struggling to speak so that is what you imagine when you "see" him in your mind. It was also kind of like a "sing-song-y" kind of speech, always upbeat and happy sounding even when the bad things were happening. There was always an "up-swing" in the voice - kind of like if you are watching a murder happen in a movie, the back ground music would be "A Spoonful of Sugar" or something sounding cheerful.

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What a fabulous story!

Revisado: 11-01-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

What a fabulous story! I listened to this audible book - and was totally floored, not just with the story, but the "reasons" that the author used to make the story and why the character is the way she is! The author did a fantastic job writing this story so that not only do you enjoy the story but your mind is allowed to figure/assume or think of the "what ifs" and the since it is also written in what could be "current day" and a life that a real person very well could have, it was nice to read about something that really could happen and a person that is in that situation. This allows the reader to feel what the main character is feeling.

Serenity is just a working-class, hourly-paid 24-year-old woman who was brought up in foster care and pulled in and out of families, along with her brother and sister and is literally living paycheck to paycheck with nothing in between - just barely surviving. No family, no friends and just getting laid off her job. She is on her own trying to make ends meet. So many things happen in the story, and with every issue or event that happened, I found myself coming up with questions as to why it happened and who did it, etc.

Out of the blue, she literally bumps into William - middle-class businessman who offers to buy her a coffee a few times then seems to just be there when she gets mugged - I was thinking "William set it up for her to be mugged and is trying to "recruit" her up for something bad". Then I thought, "is he her father? Is that really his job or is it a disguise?" things like that. Then things settle and my assumptions was wrong and things are calm for a bit and then BAM! Something happens to her and the thinking starts again which keeps the reader really involved in the story! Never a dull moment! She has issues with her estranged sister, estranged brother, her mother, her past, and trying to explain her emotions to William. And of course, who is her father? Is he a crime lord or a high-powered Senator, neither of which wants to have her tarnish their reputation? And what about the secrets her mother has been keeping from her? So many possibilities!

I don't want to give any spoilers so I will end it by saying - the story was really good, but the REASONS Serenity was as she was, were what I think the author used to make the story even better and more emotional. Serenity has to come to terms with her past and separate the positive things that made her the strong, independent, hard-working, hopeful woman she is today, while "leaving the pieces behind" that have caused her to fall, fail and continually hinder her ability to move ahead in life and make a future for herself.

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A thoroughly enjoyable story

Revisado: 11-01-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

What a fantastic story! Takes place in 1939. Ben Sheridan is released from prison where he has been for the past 12 years, for a crime he did not commit. He returns to his home town where everyone remembers what happened. However, he meets Heather O'Mally - the girl he saved all those years ago, while killing her abductor. Now that he is home again, the crimes start to happen again. And of course, Ben is accused. But did he do it? Could be. If he didn't, who did and why? It is a good small-town mystery and an incredible story "can't put it down" story. The story was well written and was carried along perfectly. The Narrator was fabulous. I have to say I am not sure I would have enjoyed it as much had I read it, as opposed to listening to it. It was a female narrator, and she did a fantastic job with both male and female voices as well as specifically adjusting between dialog and narrative. Taking place in the south (North Carolina, I think) the narrator had perfect southern accents for each character and did it very well. Her voice for Ben Sheridan - to me, sounded just like Nicolas cage in the movie "ConAir". So when Ben spoke, I had Cage's face in my mind to go along with it! Heather - she sounded like Calley on the old prime-time soap "Dallas", so when she spoke, and that's the face I saw in my mind! Funny to think that, but it just goes to show the quality of this narration - it can make you "see" the person you "hear". Good job to the author and the narrator.

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With some editing - could be a 5 star

Revisado: 10-26-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

A 3 star, although with a little editing and a new narrator, this book could be a 5 star. I listened to the audible version. It is a short story.

The narration was terrible. It was spoken so fast, I had to turn it down to .85 to get the appropriate speech speed. The sentences ran together with little pausing (for a comma) and stopping (for a period/end of a sentence) or presenting any kind of excitement or other emotion. It was hard to tell when the dialog stopped and the narrative started. The characters were in their early 30s, however, the narrator's voice was VERY young and juvenile sounding and didn't fit the characters at all. They "sounded" like teenagers. There was very little voice altering for change of character talking. There was very little emotion in the narration.
The story, was good - however, a bit choppy in chronicling events and time such as Every now and then talk about quilting and the store was tossed in but it just didn't seem to make smooth transitions - just tossed in there for effect or something. And there were so many characters, I lost track of who was who and why they were there etc.
However, the story of the house and the necklace were pretty good, but could have been a little bit more specific and the "ghostbusters" part was described pretty decent but could have been written a bit more adult and the characters a bit more serious when talking about it since they weren't teenagers but 30 years old. The ending was really good - didn't see that one coming, although it was always a possibility. The author leads the reader to believe one thing then and then slips the other thing in at the last minute and that made the ending very good. Some editing and a new narrator and this story has the makings of a 5 star review.

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just had nothing to offer

Revisado: 10-16-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

the narration was terrible. there's no emotion in the voices, and no voice alteration to distinguish between male or female characters, or description versus narrative. it was the usual, overused storyline of girl chooses between two guys, misunderstanding happens and they all get mad because nobody speaks to each to get the facts. then they talk, she picks one, they live happily ever after. the description of the woman as always being the most gorgeous, most beautiful woman in the world and the guys being described as the most hot and sexy man ever, was used so many times I got tired of hearing it. and to be told that Esmae handled the farm all by herself while dating every night /day and going to all kinds of social functions during the day, was rather insulting to the reader. one person could not have handled all that. sorry, it was just a bad story

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Good, quick murder mystery

Revisado: 07-20-22

The story is set in the late 1800's in the Gold Rush years - specifically the Comstock Gold Rush. Since that is one of my favorite ears to read in - I thought it'd be more about the gold rush. I was also intrigued that it was a short story, 25 minutes. Sometimes that is all I want - a quick listen. I also didn't notice it was a thriller with some violence or I guess they call that a murder mystery. Neither of those are my preference in genre. I got this book in the audible version.

That being said, I did listen and although I myself, didn't care for it for the reasons above, I put that out of my mind for this review. I know many others like murder mysteries so I make this review based on that - what I would think of it if I did like murder mysteries.

If I did prefer that genre - I would say this is a good fit! Basically, a young man and woman get married and head out West, taking part in the Gold Rush adventure that was so volatile at the time.
I don't want to give any spoilers, so I will just say - it doesn't have anything to do with a gold rush, other than that was the time it is. At first, it is a bit sad - then it tells some background information - then things change and the "thriller" part starts. Then the violent/murder parts start. Then the listener is thinking "why did he do that?", changing to," wait...who is doing that?". Then a ghost appears. And then... well you will just have to listen to find out "who did that" and who the ghost is and why! And then a surprise is revealed at the end that you don't see coming. I had my feelings about that but am not going to tell you as it might ruin the mystery part for you when you read it! But it is a twist for sure!
I think the author did a good job with description and details to set the stage and make the story come to life in the listener's mind.

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