I received a free copy of this audiobook to listen to and review for Wicked Reads.
Oddly enough, I Wished for You has proven to be a rather difficult audiobook to write a review for. I say it’s odd because I thoroughly enjoyed both the story and the narration but am at a loss for words to properly explain why. You see, for me, it’s so well-balanced that I’m not sure where to start. Colette Davison has written a story that gives me the perfect amount of romance, self-discovery, angst, drama, baggage, and love, and then went and topped it off with an extra guy. So, I’ve not only had the pleasure of listening to a story that has hit all my warm and fuzzy romance boxes perfectly, but she made it a polyamorous romance that develops among three guys who have been friends since school. It’s practically the perfect romance for me. That’s not to say that Seb, Matt, and Connor have it easy as I did say there’s the right amount of angst and drama, but it was enough of both to satisfy my appetite yet not so much that I was over it. While I’m trying to avoid specifics because I think readers and listeners should get to encounter the various obstacles and successes the guys encounter along the way on their own, I have to say that I think what really did it for me was that the guys were so considerate of one another’s needs – emotional and physical – and did all that they could to allow each other to move at their own speed. There was a concerted effort by each man not to pressure his other partners to move faster than they were ready for and I found that level of consideration to be… see, word loss, because heartwarming isn’t the word I’m going for, but I can’t think of the perfect word to express how much this touched me.
As for the narration, Piers Ryman was awesome. I believe this is the first audiobook I’ve listened to in which all the characters are British, and I adored it. Even though I love a British accent, I’ve been hesitant to listen to an audiobook in which all the characters are British (or maybe I haven’t found one yet), but upon listening to the sample and hearing the slur of a drunk, broken-hearted Seb, I had to hear the whole thing. While I’m not naïve (or ignorant) enough to say that all British people sound alike, I’m not educated on the specific accents, so I can’t even begin to suggest where the lads are from. What I will say is that despite there being three main male characters and Ryman having to perform them as both sober and intoxicated (as well as other heightened emotions) at various points in the story, not once was I confused as to who was speaking – this includes when I would cue the book back up after several hours to resume listening to it after work. Seb, Matt, and Connor’s voices were so distinct from one another that it made it far easier to listen to than I anticipated, which only made it even more enjoyable. I Wished for You is a first for me from both Colette Davison and Piers Ryman, but I certainly hope to be able to read and/or listen to more by both the author and the narrator.