Renee

Loved it

Reviewed: 30-05-2023

So many funny lines brought to life by excellent narration. Footnotes were handled well. Glad my book-club picked it and this edition released a week before we meet.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Emotionally gripping

Reviewed: 20-05-2021

A story of love and loss, family, friendship and forgiveness.
Wonderful story and excellent narrator.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Loved it

Reviewed: 13-06-2019

I devoured Ben Elton books when I was younger but hadn't read one in a while. This one didn't disappoint and the author bright the book to life with his own narration.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

All the chemistry

Reviewed: 18-03-2019

Loved all the tropes - geek girl, rich boy, second chance, friends to lovers, fake boyfriend. Funny and steamy with excellent narration.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great insight

Reviewed: 24-02-2019

I really enjoyed hearing the author's voice and her reflections on what she'd written many years before.

This book would particularly appeal to writers of literary fiction and poetry.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

info-packed

Reviewed: 20-01-2019

Lots of information about everything that goes into successfully publishing a non-fiction book. Doesn't get bogged down in the technical details of each segment but does give suggestions of where to find more. Aimed more at people who are considering writing or are yet to publish, though a good refresher for those with some experience.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Perfectly matched narrators - all-time favourite!

Reviewed: 27-07-2017

Tess Woods's debut novel, Love at First Flight, stayed with me long after I finished reading it, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of her second novel, especially when I discovered that Beautiful Messy Love was the story of the children from the first book. Beautiful Messy Love is a stand alone novel, though. You don't need to have read Love at First Flight to enjoy it, but once you read it I'm sure you'll fall in love with Tess's incredible writing and rush out to grab a copy. I was lucky enough to receive an advance ebook copy and devoured it within a couple of days. I also received a surprise paperback advance copy too. I loved the story so much that I bought the audiobook the day it released and finished that within a couple of days, too. So now, I have the whole set!

Wow! This was the best audiobook I've ever listened to - and I've listened to almost 200 audiobooks (you can see them all HERE). There are four different narrators that are perfectly matched to the four different point of view characters. The book was a five-star read anyway, but this extra attention to detail took it to the next level. If you're an audiobook fan - this is an auto buy. If you're not sure about audio then this book is a great place to start. The narrator for Toby - SWOON!

I found Lily very relatable - in my early 20s, I also struggled with studying a difficult university degree and debated whether to finish it. My heart went out to Anna and I loved Tante Rosa - the grumpy Egyptian matriarch made me smile. My favourite character would be Toby's brother, John - he cracked me up so many times with his inappropriate, self-absorbed comments. He was like the Aussie version of Joey from Friends - but more of a prick (and his girlfriend's name was Renee - I'd never put up with his crap, though).

I went from laughing at hilarious one-liners to sobbing, on multiple occasions - a roller coaster of emotions. Two intertwining love stories, overcoming issues of race, religion, fame and grief. This book is firmly at the top of my Best of 2017 list.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

#kissfitz is the bee's knees

Reviewed: 31-05-2016

It's been weeks since I finished this and I still can't find all the words.

I'd been waiting for this book to come out since the middle of last year, since I discovered the inspirational Natasha Lester's blog and maybe, perhaps, began to slightly stalk her online ... Natasha has heaps of writing advice to share and I couldn't wait to see how she applied it all in her historical fiction novel.

Wow.

Natasha's writing is a bridge between literary and commercial fiction. There is romance, mystery, medical drama, historical fiction, costumes, dancing, parties, study, life and death. Natasha paints such a vivid picture of life in New York during the 1920's. I felt like I was there, walking alongside Evie, sipping champagne during the prohibition and occasionally breaking into the charleston. I loved Evie's spunk and determination. Even though Evie has blond hair, the girl on the cover captures her essence perfectly (and the cover is so pretty).

This book is the bee's knees, the cat's pyjamas and the bandicoot's bellybutton! It's a book I found myself live tweeting as I was reading (that's the polite way to say twitter stalking).

I listened to the audiobook edition. The narrator was fabulous. Kelly Burke spoke clearly and at a good pace, bringing each character to life.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

Engaging memoir

Reviewed: 21-03-2016

I listened to the audiobook edition of this autobiography. When I realised that it was narrated by the author, I was a little nervous. Narrating an audiobook is more than just reading aloud and often authors don't quite cut it as voice actors. Well, I was impressed. Not only could Robert write an engaging memoir, he could articulate well via audio too. He spoke clearly and gave his story an authentic Aussie feel.

I read a lot of fiction, so I saw Robert as a character in his own story. I found him to be likable and relatable. I might not have been born with a tumor on my face, but I also faced schoolyard bullies, grew up in Australia, loved reading as a kid, felt nervous as a teenager talking to the opposite sex and fell in love. Robert was able to share his life story with a dose of self-depreciating humour and bring out my Aussie instinct to barrack for the underdog.

I found hearing about the ins and out of living with a physical disability very interesting. I spent the last few years working with people who have a disability, though most of them had intellectual disabilities and weren't able to share their feelings and experiences as eloquently as Robert.

I often find it difficult to review an autobiography, to be able to separate my opinion of the person from my opinion of their writing style. In this case, I was impressed with both. I received this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

Female sniper & ex military journalist

Reviewed: 14-04-2015

A Romantic Suspense with a female sniper and an ex military journalist, throw in a S.W.A.T. team, some cops , a little girl and a psycho and you have an exciting story. I liked Jazz, she had a shady past but had done so much to better herself and she continued her personal growth throughout the story. I was a little surprised that her shady past hadn't come up during the background checks that would have been required to become a sniper, but I'm happy to look the other way because this is fiction and it makes for a great story. The romance was full of tension and steamy. The suspense kept me guessing.

I used Whispersync and swapped between the ebook and the audiobook. I enjoyed the audio more because the narrator was pleasant to listen to and was great at characterisation. She was able to give an authentic feel to each of the characters, ranging from a 3 year old girl to an alpha male.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!