Audiobook Review: Just One Year by Gayle Forman

After spending a perfect day with "Lulu", Willem wakes up in the hospital, with Lulu nowhere in sight. Willem retraces his steps to discover how he ended up in the hospital and sets out to find Lulu. Along the way he tells the story of his family and the great disconnect between his mother and himself, and learns more about himself then he thought he knew.

I don't read a lot of contemporary YA fiction. I have a couple of favorite authors that write contemporary YA fiction and I generally try to read/listen to their books. These include Maureen Johnson, John Green, Rainbow Rowell and Gayle Forman. I loved the If I Stay/Where She Went books and also Just One Day (the first half of this series). I'd heard mixed reviews about Just One Year, but I decided I needed to know how Willem and Lulu's journey would end.

After having finished the audiobook of Just One Year, I have to say this was the story that "I" wanted told. It might not be the story that everyone wanted to hear, but it was the one I wanted. I wanted to know why Willem had been travelling for so long, never stopping long, never spending any real time with anyone. In Just One Year we find out why he is this way and what it takes to make him keep his roots in Amsterdam. We find out the story of his past and his family, and how the disconnect between his mother and himself and his Uncle starts to narrow and they become more of a family. We delve into his acting and feel his passion for it. It is a beautiful story.

Gayle Forman writes a beautiful story, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Loving travel myself, I loved all of Willem's travels from India to Amsterdam to Cancun - it was a great a adventure! I loved all the colorful people he meets on the way and we meet his friends in Amsterdam and his family. It was a great story and even though I personally would've liked more Lulu, I still loved every second of it.

Daniel May narrates Just One Year and gives a great voice to the character of Willem. There is a diversity of accents in this book and he delivers them all superbly. I wouldn't hesitate recommending this series to YA fans. I do recommend starting with Just One Day though to get the full experience of these two books.

About this Audiobook: 
Written by: Gayle Forman
Narrated by: Daniel May
Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
 Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:10-10-13
Publisher: Penguin Audio

Audiobook Review: Killing Cupid by Laura Levine

It's almost Valentine's Day and the only date on Jaine's horizon appears to be her cat, Prozac. However things start looking up when she's asked to write a brochure for a dating agency, Dates of Joy. However Joy Amoroso is the latest thing from joy, instead she's a cruel woman that is intend on taking money from people and not finding them their true loves, as she promised. Jaine wants to write her brochure, earn her money and get as far away from her as she can. Unfortunately Joy also promises to set Jaine up with someone. However her intended date is the last person Jaine would want to date, a rich, old guy that seems obsessed with her cat. Jaine isn't surprised when Joy drops dead from a poisoned chocolate, as there seems to be a lot of people that wanted her dead - herself included. With Prozac's, her cat, help she will have to untangle this mystery before she ends up behind bars.

I've read all of the mysteries in this series, starting with This Pen For Hire. I like the zany antics of Jaine and her gay shoe-salesman neighbour, Lance, and her kooky parents that live in a retirement village in Florida, and have a addiction to buying unnecessary items on late night tv. Together they make for a fun mystery series and I've been hooked from the start.

I was thrilled to discover that Killing Cupid would be available as an audiobook as I've previously read all the books in this series and I wanted to experience Jaine in audio format. While the narrator, Brittany Pressley, wasn't the voice I had thought of in my mind, from reading the previous eleven novels, I quickly adapted and grew to enjoy her impressions of Jaine, Lance, Prozac and all the oddballs at the dating agency.

The mystery itself was fun. I love discovering that the murder victim wasn't well liked because there is always a great variety of murder suspects. In this case, there was a long line of disgruntled dating customers and even Joy's own Aunt, who she stole the business from. It was certainly difficult trying to figure out who the killer was.

Killing Cupid was another fun, zany instalment in the Jaine Austen mysteries. If you're looking for a mystery series with a lot of laughs, then I suggest trying out these mysteries. They are best read in order, so start with A Pen For Hire. For me, I'm now patiently waiting as I look forward to discovering what Jaine gets up to next and I'm hoping that there might be some romance in store for Jaine too!

About this Audiobook:
Written by: Laura Levine
Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
 Series: Jaine Austen Mysteries, Book 12
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:12-31-13
Publisher: Audible Studios