I was perusing my library’s list of available audiobooks a few weeks ago, and came across all four of these and they were all available. I immediately checked them all out and over this last week or so, listened to and enjoyed them all.

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren, Narrated by Jonathan Cole & Cindy Kay

Published May 16th 2023 by Gallery Books, Simon & Schuster Audio

5 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

True Love Experiment is a wonderful romance where Fizzy, Felica Chen, romance author and all round great person finds her true love. We first met her in The Soulmate Equation, and I was so happy to hear that she was getting her own story. Connor Prince is a documentary filmmaker and single father, who is ordered to make a reality dating show if he wants to keep his job. He recently met Fizzy in a local bar and when he finds out that she is a famous romance author, he approaches her to be on his show. Originally, Fizzy refuses, but he gives her carte blanche for her contract and she agrees. The problem is, that instead of falling for one of the wonderful men on the show, Fizzy falls for Connor. What will happen with their relationship or the show if his boss finds out.

I was a bit worried because I am not a fan of reality television, but his story was a hoot. It was not so much about the show, but the relationships. I have to say that I loved Fizzy’s conditions. Each of the contestants had to fit a character ARC from her books. Connor worked hard to find those men and their descriptions were wonderful, they had me swooning. As much as some of the men were perfect for Fizzy, the chemistry between Connor and Fizzy was amazing. The audiobook was narrated by Jonathan Cole and Cindy Kay. I do enjoy a book that has both a male and female narrator as they are able to give voice to both of the main characters. They brought the story to life for me and made it just that much better, although that is hard to do. If you enjoy a fun, steamy, heartfelt romance, then I recommend you pick up The True Love Experiement.

Ms. Demeanor by Elinor Lipman, Piper Goodeve (Narrator)

Published January 10th 2023 by Harper Perennial, Blackstone Publishing

4 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ms. Demeanor was a book I had seen on several blogs and it sounded like a lot of fun, so when my library got the audiobook, I grabbed it to give it a listen. Jane Morgan is a lawyer, on her way to partner, but when her nosey neighbour calls the police when she is having sex on the roof of her apartment building, she is made an example of. She is placed on house arrest after being found guilty of gross indecency. With an ankle monitor, she can’t leave her building. She is put on suspension from the law firm and is at loose ends. When a doorman lets slip that Jane isn’t the only resident wearing an ankle monitor, she strikes up a friendship with fellow white-collar felon Perry Salisbury. She becomes his caterer and provides him with meals a few times a week and they become more than just friends. She meets others in her building and things get a little complicated. Apparently the nosey neighbour dies, but leaves a letter for the police that if something happens to her, Jane is probably responsible. Throw in a Polish Count and his sister who now live in the neighbour’s apartment, an illegal marriage so he can stay in the country and meeting Perry’s parents who are rich and this story has a lot of twists and a lot of fun.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters in this book, from Jane and Perry right down to Jane’s family. They were all well developed and I felt like I got to know them. There were a lot of silly things that happened to them, one thing after another, but that made the story fun. One thing Jane does is start a Tik Tok channel showcasing food from the 1800s. She adds personal anecdotes that attracts a lot of followers. It reminded me of a channel that my daughter-in-law shared with me about recipes from the 1950s, which is hilarious. This was just a fun, entertaining story that I enjoyed and recommend if you are looking for something light and fun for a summer day. Piper Goodeve narrated the audiobook and I enjoyed her performance. She gave voice to a lot of characters of different genders, age and nationality and did them well. I enjoyed her performance.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez, Narrated by Kyla Garcia and Zachary Webber

Published April 11th 2023 by Forever

5 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Yours Truly is the second book in the Part of Your World series. The one thing I love about this series so far, is that each book has characters dealing with kind of mental health issue. Dr. Briana Ortiz is just finalizing her divorce after her husband and best friend are caught fooling around. Her little brother, Ben is in kidney failure and needs a donor before he dies. Meanwhile her boss and mentor, the chief of emergency medicine is retiring and she expects to get the job, but Dr. Jacob Maddox is hired from another hospital and he is being put up against her for the promotion. Dr. Maddox suffers from extreme anxiety. He is feeling terrible, especially after so many of his patients died his first day there, in fact, the nurses are beginning to call him Dr. Death. He sees Brianna and is attracted to her, but when she runs into him, making his drop and break his phone, he wants to give her a piece of his mind. When he does, they both get their backs up, until he finds out what was going on at the time. Socially awkward, he writes her a letter of apology and they begin an epistolary relationship. When Brianna agrees to fake date Jacob, things snowball to real attraction. The problem is, they both feel it, but are sure the other doesn’t, (I really dislike the lack of communication trope) Will these two realize they are perfect for one another?

This was a great story. I loved both Brianna and Jacob and wanted them to get together so badly. Both of them had baggage and I’m not sure which one was worse. Jacob’s anxiety caused his previous relationship to break up, but Brianna’s understanding was perfect. She made sure that he had what he needed and as he tried new things to please her, I was smiling from ear to ear. This book brought out all the emotions, happiness, sadness, anger and joy. I think I loved Lieutenant Dan, Jacob’s three-legged rescue dog as much as Jacob did. He was his emotional support dog and besides work, went with him everywhere. I loved the way Brianna was with him. This was just such a wonderful story that I highly recommend. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Kyla Garcia and Zachary Webber. They nailed the voices of the main characters and gave them a great personality. The secondary characters were also well voiced. I am very happy that I was able to listen to this book and I highly recommend it.

Happy Place by Emily Henry, Julia Whelan (Narrator)

Published April 25th 2023 by Berkley, Penguin Audio

5 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college, but once Harriet begins her residency they begin to grow apart. It has been six months since they broke off their engagement, but they haven’t told their best friends yet. For the last ten years they have spent time at their Happy Place, a Maine cottage. This is going to be their last getaway as the cottage is being sold. They both go, thinking they will be able to pretend for a week, but when they are put in the room with the kingsize bed instead of the room with the twin beds they always get, they know it is going to be even harder. Trying to relive those days causes some issues with the friends as they are older and in different places, but the more time they spend together, the more Harriet and Wyn remember how they felt and still feel about one another.

I loved this story and these characters. These BFFs were all wonderful, although not perfect. They argued and bickered like friends do, but they also supported one another, made up and although maybe not the best choice, did whatever they thought was right to keep each other and their friendship intact. Harriet has a lot of pressure on her. Her parents were pushing her to become a doctor, even offering to help pay off her schooling. She didn’t want to let anyone down, but ended up letting Wyn down unintentionally. Wyn was a sweetheart who was willing to do what he had to do to keep their relationship afloat. When it began to affect his mental health, he needed to break it off, but his heart was still with Harriet. I loved seeing that love rekindle and Harriet finally take hold of her life and make decisions for her and not everyone else. Although this is a romance, it has some serious themes regarding following your dreams, pleasing parents, mental health, grief, friendships and family. I really enjoyed this story and recommend it. Julia Whelan narrated this audiobook and as always added to my enjoyment of this story. With her expression, emotion and voices, I was immersed in the story and loved every moment of it.