The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise and She Wouldn’t Change a Thing

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley
Narrator: Hillary Huber
Published by Berkley Publishing Group, Penguin Random House Audio on March 28, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Friendship
Length: 9 hours 58 minutes
Pages: 352
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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One of Southern Living's Most Anticipated 2023 Releases
One of Today's Most Anticipated 2023 Releases

An unforgettable pairing of a college dropout and an eighty-four-year-old woman on the run from the law in this story full of tremendous heart, humor, and wit from the USA Today bestselling author of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island.

Twenty-one-year-old Tanner Quimby needs a place to live. Preferably one where she can continue sitting around in sweatpants and playing video games nineteen hours a day. Since she has no credit or money to speak of, her options are limited, so when an opportunity to work as a live-in caregiver for an elderly woman falls into her lap, she takes it.
 
One slip on the rug. That’s all it took for Louise Wilt’s daughter to demand that Louise have a full-time nanny living with her. Never mind that she can still walk fine, finish her daily crossword puzzle, and pour the two fingers of vodka she drinks every afternoon. Bottom line: Louise wants a caretaker even less than Tanner wants to be one.
 
The two start off their living arrangement happily ignoring each other until Tanner starts to notice things—weird things. Like, why does Louise keep her garden shed locked up tighter than a prison? And why is the local news fixated on the suspect of one of the biggest jewelry heists in American history who looks eerily like Louise? And why does Louise suddenly appear in her room, with a packed bag at 1 a.m.  insisting that they leave town immediately?
 
Thus begins the story of a not-to-be-underestimated elderly woman and an aimless young woman who—if they can outrun the mistakes of their past—might just have the greatest adventure of their lives.

I loved this book! It was such much fun to be on the run with this unlikely duo. Louise is an 84-year-old woman whose family insists that someone move in after she suffered a broken hip. Tanner is a 21-year-old former college soccer athlete who takes the job but would really rather just be left alone to play video games. When they leave their home on a cross-country journey, they form an unlikely friendship. Once I started reading this book, I did not want to stop.

I was taken by both of these characters and really enjoyed watching them get to know one another. It appears that Louise has a bit of a past and I couldn’t wait to see exactly what was going on. They each had their own story to tell and seemed to understand each other. Their road trip across the country was full of surprises and I just had a lot of fun waiting to see what would happen next. I loved the sense of humor worked into the story which helped keep a smile on my face the entire time that I was reading this book.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Hillary Huber did a fabulous job with the story. I thought that she did a fantastic job with the various character voices which helped to bring the story to life. I found her voice to be very pleasant and easy to listen to for hours at a time. I do believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this story was fun from the very start and quickly fell in love with the characters. I cannot wait to read more of Colleen Oakley’s work.

I received a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Penguin Random House Audio.

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

She Wouldn't Change a Thing by Sarah Adlakha
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Published by Forge Books, Macmillan Audio on August 10, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Women
Length: 9 hours 19 minutes
Pages: 320
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Library, Publisher
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Sliding Doors meets Life After Life in Sarah Adlakha's story about a wife and mother who is given the chance to start over at the risk of losing everything she loves.

A second chance is the last thing she wants.

When thirty-nine year old Maria Forssmann wakes up in her seventeen-year-old body, she doesn’t know how she got there. All she does know is she has to get back: to her home in Bienville, Mississippi, to her job as a successful psychiatrist and, most importantly, to her husband, daughters, and unborn son.

But she also knows that, in only a few weeks, a devastating tragedy will strike her husband, a tragedy that will lead to their meeting each other.

Can she change time and still keep what it’s given her?

Exploring the responsibilities love lays on us, the complicated burdens of motherhood, and the rippling impact of our choices, She Wouldn't Change a Thing is a dazzling debut from a bright new voice.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

This was really good! Maria is a frazzled mom, pregnant with her third child, and working as a psychiatrist. She wakes up one day to find herself in her 17-year-old body and is desperate to get back to her husband and children. I thought that the story was quite original and I loved that it made me wonder what I would do if I found myself in Maria’s situation.

Maria was a great character. I quickly related to her as she was dealing with the struggles of having young children. I have always said that I wish that I had known what I know now in my teens but after reading this book, I am not so sure. I really did enjoy seeing her figure out exactly what she needed to do in the teen life that she was thrown into. I loved that there were a few surprises worked into the story along with some incredibly heartfelt moments. I thought that the epilogue was especially well done.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Cassandra Campbell did a fantastic job with the narration. I have listened to her work in the past and feel like she is a very versatile narrator. I thought that she did a great job with the character voices and added just the right amount of emotion to her reading. I am certain that her narration added a lot to this story.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others. I found this to be a very enjoyable story with a really original premise. I look forward to reading more of Sarah Adalakha’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Forge books and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

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