I had an opportunity to listen and review the audiobook version of Yes & I Love You by Roni Loren thanks to NetGallery and Dreamscape Media. This was a pop culture filled fun and steamy rom-com! Hollyn Tate is trying to make it on her own in the big city of New Orleans. Her work as a free lance writer and her online local entertainment reviewer persona, Miz Poppy, is gaining traction in the local scene. She has a big break when her boss offers her a promotion, but the caveat is that she has to add video content to her blog. She has Tourette’s and anxiety, and she’s been working really hard to come out of her shell. She’s come a long way, but is being seen going to be too much to handle?
Jasper Deares is an actor trying to put his life back together after a bad breakup; he’s working as a coffee barista until he can figure out his next move. He accidentally discovers Miz Poppy’s secret identity, but can he leverage his passion for improv to help Hollyn overcome her shyness? Will Miz Poppy help him in his big break, or will his bad luck continue?
This version was narrated by Desiree Ketchum and overall I appreciated the different characters’ voices. My only hang up was the pronunciations of some of New Orleans street names. While I don’t believe that the characters grew up in the area, I feel like they would have had different pronunciations of the local streets. While the story is creating a new and upcoming New Orleans, it does feel like this story could have been set in Anytown, USA, not a lot of the New Orleans feel came through in this listening.
The story is told with both Hollyn and Jasper’s voices, it outlines the struggle of becoming an adult while still finding your passions. I appreciated the way that Hollyn’s (and other character’s) Tourette’s were described and the different ways their tics were manifested in their daily lives. Thanks to Miz Poppy’s blog there were many pop culture references found in the movie reviews. This is the first book in the “Say Anything” series, I’m interested to read more from Roni Loren.
Balancing Mommy 