Review of ‘Who’d have thought’ by G Benson

Audiobook narrated by Tanya Eby

Neurosurgeon Samantha Thomson needs to get married fast for unknown issues so she offers cash-strapped ER nurse Hayden Pérez 200.000 dollars to tie the knot. Sam comes across as cold, distant and sometimes downright rude, so living together and trying to convince everyone else that they love each other is a tall order. But as they get to know each other, feelings start to go deeper and suddenly faking isn’t as hard as it seemed. What could go wrong?

I’ve read this book when it was released and put it on my list of best lesfic books of 2017 so when I saw the audiobook available for free on Audible Escape, getting it was a no-brainer. The theme of sham marriage is not new in lesfic but Benson presents it here so skillfully that makes up for the lack of originality. Both main characters are crafted with special detail in their personalities and little quirks. Ms. Benson’s descriptions are quite cinematographic, the reader can actually feel their chemistry growing slowly until it sizzles out of the pages. The plot keeps the reader guessing the reasons for the sham marriage and even manages a nice twist at the end.

The book is written in third person from the exclusive point of view of Hayden’s which brings an air of mystery surrounding ice queen Samantha. The secondary characters play a fantastic supporting role, adding realism and sometimes humour to the plot. Frank the cat is hilarious as Hayden’s judgemental alter ego, a magnificent performance without (obviously) uttering a word. Also worth to mention is the introduction of the concept of non-binary sexuality via Hayden’s friend Luce, who challenged some of my prejudices about gender fluidity. I love it when an author makes me think without sounding preachy. That was the cherry on the top for this fabulous read.

The narration of this lesbian fake marriage audiobook by Tanya Eby was very good with an overall light tone that fit the plot. She conveyed Hayden’s self-deprecation and humour very well and she was satisfactory for the more emotional moments. The story has a cast of very diverse characters and her interpretation for most of them was spot on. As a bonus, her Spanish pronunciation was quite decent for a non-native speaker.

A very easy 5+ stars for the story, 4.5 stars for the narration. Overall, 5 stars.