A typical case of a story elevated by the voice actor
In order to review this audiobook, I feel I need to separate the written work from the voice performance. I have to say that my enjoyment of this story wouldn’t have been as much if I had read the book.
Lilah Silver is a young B-list actress who usually plays parts at horror movies. Noa Birnbaum is a talented makeup artist who is just starting her career and has a secret admiration for Lilah. As they work long hours together in Lilah’s latest movie role, they discover a budding mutual attraction. Would they be able to act on it despite their professional relationship and a criminal who’s lurking in the shadows?
This is a new adult rom-com with a mini intrigue on the side. There is a good amount of minority representation in the story with bisexual, trans, and polyamorous characters. Both leads are Jewish and they bond through their common traditions and cultural influences. I’m sure this will make many readers happy as Jewish characters are definitely underrepresented in lesbian fiction.
One of my issues with this story is that I found that the chemistry between the mains went up and down like a yo-yo. There are moments when the level of heat cranks up but other times when it feels like a proverbial bucket of cold water is thrown at the reader. It doesn’t help that the intimate scenes are fade to black but, despite that, the “will-they won’t-they” push-pull made me less invested in their happily ever after.
The mini intrigue subplot was entertaining and Ms. Naudus’s performance made it nail-biting in some parts. Even though it’s pretty obvious who the culprit is, the development of the mystery is thrilling, if not a little bizarre at the end. There are clues to the mystery that are easy to spot but the overall sub-plot is still enjoyable.
This book would have rated 3 stars for me if it wasn’t for Natalie Naudus’s narration. This is the typical case of a story elevated by the voice actor. I have to say, in the audiobook world, there are narrators and there are voice actors. I normally use these terms interchangeably but, in this case, I have to highlight the fabulous acting talent of Ms. Naudus. Listening to this audiobook was like watching a theatre performance, that’s how talented she is. The voice inflections, the changing of tone, the breathing spaces, all of that make you feel immersed in the story completely. Her performance made the shortcomings of the written words less relevant and the audiobook worth a listen. 4 stars.
Length: 10 hours, 21 minutes.
