The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Narrated by: Lola Tung
I’ve just realised that I should probably mention the narrators for these audiobooks as this series is pretty much about how good of a job they did. The idea to have Lola narrate this series was a stroke of genius. It makes the book so immersive, especially as I listened to book one after watching season one. There are a lot of differences between the show and the book but the fact that Lola narrated it just made it seem like an expansion of the story and world I already knew.
I’ll likely talk about the other books in this series in a future post, but just know, if you loved Conrad’s episode from season three, book three is an absolute treat.
Audiobook Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Synopsis: Some summers are just destined to be pretty.
Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer — they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.
Influencer by Adam Cesare
Narrated by: Chris Briney and Isabela Merced
It’s a complete coincidence that I’ve chosen books narrated by Chris and Lola in this post – they are Belly and Conrad from The Summer I Turned Pretty for those who don’t know. The acting and narration of this book is probably the only reason why I enjoyed it. I wasn’t blown away by the actual story but Chris and Isabela did such an incredible job. I need him to play a psychopathic killer in a TV show or movie, I think this book has more than proved that he’s up for the job.
If you have an Audible Plus subscription, I’d definitely recommend checking this out. I’m not sure if I’d be willing to spend a credit or actual money on it, but as a free book available from the subscription, it’s pretty good. Look up the content warnings first though, it’s pretty intense.
Audiobook Review: Influencer by Adam Cesare
Synopsis: Aaron Fortin is new in town. He drives a brand-new Acura—a gift from his parents for uprooting him in the middle of senior year. Showing up on his first day at the local public school in that nice of a car? He knows he’ll never blend in, and he doesn’t care to try. The car, the new kid mystique, he can use all that…
Crystal Giordano carpools to the same school in her friend Trevor’s beat-up van. In the van along with Crystal and Trevor are Paul, Harmony, and Gayle. Crystal’s technically part of their misfit group, but most of the time, she feels like she’s the only one who doesn’t fit.
When Aaron Fortin sits at their lunch table, Crystal can see he’s not who he says he is. But how big of a fraud is Aaron Fortin? Crystal clumsily exposes Aaron and becomes his target, falling victim to his insidious campaign to erase her. Only then does she discover who he truly is—and it’s so much worse than she thought.
As her friends begin to follow him one by one, Crystal wonders if she can protect them or if his influence is just too strong.
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Like this post? Why not read this one too: ARC Review: The Roommate Arrangement by Samantha Markum