Cat Sebastian’s books (especially her more recent ones, including her Highwaymen series) just absolutely KILL on audio. Her descriptions and the way she plays with emotions translate perfectly to this medium, and this book is no exception. This is a lovely story that could tentatively be described as a sunshine/grump romance, but I don’t want to downplay the complexity of Sebastian’s characterization by shoving this into a strict category. This is a generally lighthearted romp about two men finding their way to love in a time and place where queer people were just starting to come out of the shadows in popular culture. She alludes to The Charioteer a lot in this story, and I can see the similarities.
No one does Sebastian’s books better justice on audio than Joel Leslie. He’s so insanely good. Besides a few slips, he manages to nail a Brooklyn accent (in another book, he does a Tennessee accent so convincingly I felt like I was listening to one of my cousins talk, so no surprise there) and his female characters never have those irritating, cliched voices that many male voice actors feel like they need to put on when reading female lines. I’m here for American!Joel and all his variations. Cat Sebastian/Joel Leslie books are an insta-buy for me now.