Third time I've read this and I still love it. It hits me in the feels every time! ( )

Great Journey

I found this story through Flash Rip because I wanted to know the MCs after their brief cameo.

I loved seeing Australia through Ethan's eyes AND ears. The story was so well written it gave me some understanding of what it's like for people with hearing disabilities. I hope I do better when I meet them...

[I just Googled if it's ok to say: people with hearing disabilities] ( )

Ethan comes from a place where he has tried to make a relationship work by changing his attitude, not a cure all as it turns out! and all comes crashing down on the eve of his wedding.

He's smart; he gets away by going on his honeymoon as planned ... to Australia. And because the novel is read by Joel Leslie and because of the honeymoon location, I think the novel is written by NR Walker and shocked to see just now that it is by Kiera Andrews.

Her research is good and there isn't too much that jars, not like Leslie's pronunciation of half a dozen place names. Over and over he says Parramatta in a way no one has ever heard it said! It's a bit annoying ...

but not enough to squash this rather nice and satisfying romance between the devastated Ethan and the kind, somewhat lost Clay, the bus driver on the tour. Clay is an innocent, and a decent, honest man who has no artifice. He discovers his sexuality in his 40s thanks to crossing paths with New York resident and a man nearly a generation younger, Ethan.

I recently read Artic Sun by Annabeth Albert where I was taken on holiday to Denali National Park, and this novel takes me on holiday to the Great Barrier Reef and other places on the Australian east coast. Which is always a great foundation for an enjoyable read, and could be why I didn't chafe at the bit when this audiobook was 13 h and 44 m.

Way too long for a romantic comedy or any romance novel, but I have no complaints this time. The build towards the relationship is slow for sure, but it works.

Narrator Joel Leslie, I believe, is an Englishman who has done lots of work in America. He narrates so much Australian romance, particularly NR Walker, and I've read that he is known to be great with accents such as the Australian accent. Not! I think it is why I have a bit of a set against him even while I recognise how great he is. That, and the fact he is over-the-top exaggerated almost in a campy way, until he settles into a role. He's ever so much better when he isn't narrating anything in Australia, which is when I start picking him apart!

Publishers, please please please use an Australian audio actor for Australian voices! ( )

This was such a sweet story. A slower pace with lots of tension. I enjoyed it and how everyone was accepting of Clay. The insta-love aspect worked well with the built in angst. The dual pov helped the story build more slowly and made it feel like I was there with Ethan and Clay. ( )

4.5 rtc ( )