Thursday, 24 November 2016

Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks , Narrator Ari Fliakos (Romance, Contemporary fiction, Audiobook, 10/10E, short 'n' sweet review)


  October 2016, Hachette Audio, 14 hours and 57 minutes, Audiobook, Review copy from Audible


Content: family life, some adult romance, tissues needed

Summary from Audible
At 32, Russell Green has it all: a loving family, a successful career and a beautiful house. But underneath his seemingly perfect life, cracks are beginning to appear...and no one is more surprised than Russ when the life he took for granted is turned upside down. 

Finding himself single-handedly caring for his young daughter, London, whilst trying to launch his own business, the only thing Russ knows is that he must shelter London from the consequences of these changes. 

Then a chance encounter with an old flame tempts him to take a chance on love again, and with the support of his family, Russ finally comes to understand the true nature of unconditional love.


Nayu's thoughts    
My first book by Nicholas and it's awesome! I'd heard of him through a friend who loves his books, so when it came up on Audible's monthly review list email that I get I thought I'd have a listen. I wasn't disappointed, but I didn't realise I'd be bawling my eyes out at the end through something tragic! I told another friend who asked why on earth I'd read his books (she knows how upset I can get over sad topics in books) because his books always have a mega twist at the end that leaves you a bit wrung out. 

It was a beautiful tale about Russell first becoming a father, then due to partially circumstancial separation with his wife, becomes a single dad. It's really tough on him, as it is for any single parent. He learns he can't rely on his family in some respects as much as he naievely hoped to constantly babysit his adorable girl while he works. He has a lot of hurdles, some he stumbles over, but thanks to his close relationship with his sister and a reconnected friendship with a woman he knew in the past he has enough support to get through the tough times. 

It got a bit daunting when the separation became an official thing, and it looked like he might lose custody of his daughter, as the two were close (no matter what his wife's lawyer said) and I was heartbroken by the thought of the two being separated. What got insinuated at one point had me fuming and feeling sick for Russell, as the implications were horrendous. As for the title, well it makes sense due to music and a children's book. 

The narration was spot on, and the only thing which bugged me as inappropriate was the random music parts. One part was entirely relevant, but the rest were just annoying and took me out of the atmosphere of the story a little. I hope to read more books by Nicholas in the future, although least now I'll be armed with a box of tissues before I read it!

Find out more on Nicholas's website

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