A Blogging Bibliophile

Audiobook Review – ALC provided by Home Cooked Books and SM West.

I really enjoyed listening to this series starter from SM West. It was a small town, friends to lovers story that had plenty of angst / drama.

Oliver and Wren were childhood friends who always loved one another, but for just couldn’t seem to ever get their timing right. Finally, just when it seems that that timing is finally on their side, their world’s come crashing down around them. From the book’s description, we already know that Oliver’s biggest mistake – aka his ex fiancée – is the driving force behind all of their problems.

When I first started listening, I felt like part of the book was missing – like I had missed some important information. It was only after I looked the book up on the Kindle store that I realized there is a prequel novella. While I did get up to speed by chapter 3 or so, I felt I really could have benefited from reading the prequel.

I loved that these two were committed to making their relationship work, no matter what they had to face. I just wish that there had been a little more communication on Oliver’s side to avoid some of the blindside attacks that Wren had to face. In a book with so much drama, I was happy that there was no third act breakup and that they finally got their HEA.

Samantha Brentmoor and Robert Hatchet did a wonderful job narrating and bringing Wren and Oliver’s characters to life. I was so convinced by their voice acting and the story, that I found myself actually talking back to the book while listening during some of the more frustrating drama moments!

I was able to get so absorbed in this story that I listened to this almost from start to finish on a road trip to San Francisco without having one moment of road rage lol. I would definitely recommend this to fans of small town romance. I can’t wait to see what happens next in Winslow Grove.