A dull and boring take on a good idea

The overall premise of this book, dialing someone while under the influence and then proceeding to blabber out a whole bunch of stuff that you normally wouldn’t say otherwise, is one that is very real. However, I would say that’s the only source of realness (reality?) in this book. While I understand this book is fiction, it is fiction that is set in the modern world. There are no elements of fantasy or sci-fi. As such, there should at least be a semblance of real world dynamics. There’s an awkwardness in how the author writes about certain situations and there seems to be a general lack of understanding of people and how things work. The characters themselves are predicatable and dull and don't do much to add onto the overall feel of the book.

On the topic of Rana:
Rana is meant to be a rather broken, or damaged, person due to her past. She lacks trust in others, feels she can do everything herself, and has self-esteem issues. That being said, her character is confusing. She refuses to take a casual selfie of herself, but allows jealously to fuel her actions so much that she takes a risqué photo to send to Landon while he’s on a date. She’s jealous of Landon going on a date early on in the book even though neither one of them has taken the step to even bring up the possibility of being in a relationship with each other. Rana also has a lack of sympathy for Landon. She has made mistakes in her own past, but judges his mistakes readily and easily. Even though she gets over it, she acts as though his mistakes are significantly greater than hers. Additionally, she goes through the stereotypical thought process every woman in romance books seems to go through: she can’t possibly be without Landon. She needs him to breathe and to live. And, something that bothers me to no end: Rana, despite being hurt by people in the past, has no sense of self-preservation. She lives with a man that she feels might try to kill her. When the guy leaves and takes a whole bunch of her clothes with him, she doesn’t do anything about, saying she doesn’t “want to cause trouble”. Even when she finds out that he had left a camera in her room and had recorded her, she doesn’t want to do anything about it and treats it as though it’s no big deal.

On the topic of Landon:
Landon himself often comes off as sweet and caring originally. However, just like with Rana, there’s contradiction in his character.There are things he says and things he does that come off as creepy or even controlling. When Rana and Landon first start talking and they both confess that they both have a bit of an awful past, Landon tells her to take her time and that he wants her to be comfortable with him. But, that all starts to change when she sends him the “sexy” selfie and she’s reluctant to go much farther and doesn’t want to leave her comfort zone. He tells her, “Either you let me see you, let me be with you, or I’m going to have to take this sexual energy out on someone else. Is that what you want?” There is nothing sexy about essentially threatening a woman who really likes you to go farther with you even though you know she's not comfortable.

To give an example of when this book falls away from reality:
Landon, as one would expect, asks Rana how she got his number. After all, it’s been 13 years since they last spoke. Rana found Landon’s number by googling his name. She tells him, "You must be the only Landon Roderick in the U.S.” For one thing, I can honestly tell you that I googled his name and found many Landon Roderick’s in the U.S. For another, personal phone numbers are not that easily found on the internet, especially when said person does not have a social media account, which is something that the two talk about later on in the book. You are more likely to find parts of someone’s phone number in the WhitePages, but you typically have to pay for a service to get the full thing. It would have been more feasible for Rana to have found some sort of work phone number since Landon owns a food truck, meaning that he has to have some form of communication available as a business owner. I know that this seems to be something silly to nit-pick on, but this is just 1 example. There are many more.

On the topic of the sex:
Honestly, it’s disappointing. It’s fast, often because of lack of detail, and just typical. There’s nothing really “hot” and nothing that really jumps out as different. There is, of course, the common situation of the girl not having had sex in years, but the man still acts as though she must have had sex the night before with how quickly he starts the action. And, like with Rana and Landon, there's a lot of strange contradiction when it comes to the sex as well. Rana’s been hurt before, but somehow she seems fine with being told by Landon, “If you aren’t already on the pill, you need to get on it." While I’m sure some people see this as sexy, there’s a lack of consideration for what Rana wants and it’s honestly a generally creepy statement. There's also a lack of understanding of how sex works in general, as seen with one of the last sex scenes described, but I won't get into that.

While I gave this book a very low rating, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have any good qualities. There were times were there was a genuine feel of romance, such as when Landon sets up a virtual date. Unfortunately, the 2D feel of the characters and the overall awkwardness of the book makes it one that I would not recommend. Andi Arndt's narration was really the only thing I'd recommend.

25 people found this helpful

Mind blowing twists and raw emotion!

Did I just devour this audiobook in one day? Why yes! Yes, I did. Once again, Penelope Ward delivers an amazing story. When it comes crafting an intriguing, engaging and shocking plot full of twists you never saw coming, this author is simply brilliant. Add in unique characters with fantastic chemistry, and this story really has it all. Top recommendation for this year! Once again, I'm just BLOWN AWAY. Standing ovation to Andi Arndt for delivering an amazing performance for a one of kind character and for somehow not breaking down into a sobbing mess during key scenes of her performance. I did all the crying for both of us instead.

24 people found this helpful

Surprisingly charming, hot, funny, sweet, good!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The author's timing was impeccable for her twists and turns and funny moments. This book was a surprise. I was not a die-hard fan of this author before, she was barely on my radar, but she is a new favorite!

What did you like best about this story?

The story drew me in from the start. The premise of the entire first "drunk dial" was plausible and it kept me riveted from there. The characters were real, had great personalities, and the dialogue was spot on for every occasion. The sexual scenarios were good, and everything was well written. Days later, I am still thinking about these characters and how their lives might be doing. I seldom do that with ANY book...

What does Andi Arndt bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her perfect pronunciation is appreciated, and her vocal inflections capture the true spirit of the author's intentions for her characters. She's fantastic.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed. I wanted to cry in a few places too!

Any additional comments?

Download. Listen. It's worth every penny or credit. :)

22 people found this helpful

Best female narrator!

Just wanted to say that I think Andi Arndt is the best narrator I've heard in a long time!

16 people found this helpful

BEAUTIFULLY FLAWED AND PERFECT!!!!

This book is easily one of my absolute favorites of the year and will be a repeat listen without a doubt. The title doesn't really give you an idea of the depth and love that is at the core of this beautiful love story. Penelope Ward cleverly intertwined humor, wit, and romance into a story line that had little to do with being drunk. Everyone wants the type of passion, love and acceptance that was revealed in the relationships of the characters in this story.
I fell irrevocably for Landon, Lilith, Ronna and Pappa! This was such a beautiful story, and the emotion was just, oh my gosh, I was totally caught up in all the feels!!

5 well-deserved stars!!!

11 people found this helpful

✫✫ 5 Stars ✫✫

Wow I really enjoyed this book so much more than I expected too (and I expected to love it lol). I love how this story starts out like a Rom-Com but take a turn for the serious!! These characters are realistic, funny and a little damaged! Together they find their way and my heart melted! I truly liked everything about this audiobook! Every character was so unique and the troubles the main characters face were real and the way they dealt with them was also very real. This book left me smiling at the end with a very happy heart!!! I know I said it a lot but I think my favorite thing about this book was the epilogue and how realistic is was, not every happy ending has to be perfect, it just has to be happy <3

The narration of course was great, Andi Arndt always is!

10 people found this helpful

Pleasantly Surprised

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, again I went in blind. But I don’t have the best track record with Penelope her books and I are about 50-50. But this one hit the mark. I loved Landon his whole vibe had me hooked.

Rana was a little bit of a mystery to me, I just didn’t understand why she would keep the roommate when he rubbed her the wrong way. I get it she needed the money but she “didn’t want to cause problems” kind of pissed me off let’s be honest that was just ridiculous but I digress.

Other than that, I really liked how mature both these characters were with their passed. They didn’t just give it up on the first date, thank god for that. And when they did open up to each other no one flew off the handle they handed each situation with respect. And that my friends is what makes a romance novel a hit for me. I am not a fan of drama for drama’s sake. Do I love a good dilemma sure who doesn’t but I hate when authors think they need to throw in a little drama to make the books more interesting because nine times out of ten it falls flat and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. So I am very glad this book didn’t have that.

The narration for this audiobook was great. I am a fan of Andi and it has been a while since I picked a book up by her.

9 people found this helpful

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

This was such a great book. The story line was so beautifully written, such a romantic story. OMG I just died over the "virtual date" it made me cry. And then the plot thickens a little with the past UGH
God what a good book.
And Ande Arndt wonderful narrative as always one of my favorite.

8 people found this helpful

Not sure why so many loved this....

I didn't find this book funny or interesting. It was original. I usually love this author but not this book. I couldn't finish it. I'll be returning it.

4 people found this helpful

Man bun!

I loved this book! Funny, hot, sweet, not too emotional! Love Andi Arndt's narration as always!

4 people found this helpful