I originally read My Life as a Country Album in June of 2017 and even a year and a half later, LJ Evans’s story about first loves and second chances at loving and living again still gets to me. Evans has grown as her My Life as an Album has moved forward (and recently came to a satisfying conclusion), and this series starter is a reminder of how much promise she already had from the very beginning
I’m going to be repeating myself with this statement: there’s a lyricism to this author’s storytelling. It’s that special quality that made me sit up and take notice when I first read this book and it’s still front and center while listening to the audio version. This was Camdyn Swayne’s story and I can almost guarantee that there should be at least one thing that listeners will either be able to empathize with or recognize as something they experienced themselves. Her love for Jake Phillips was pure and honest and it hearkens to days when things were simpler for someone like me…but there’s nothing simple nor easy about their tale, although rest assured, it is ultimately inspiring.
Sarah Puckett is a new-to-me narrator, and for the most part, she did a good job bringing this beautiful love story to life. There were times where her accent sounded a wee bit campy to my ears, but that could totally be a case of “it’s me, not you” on my part. Thankfully, it didn’t take away anything from the actual story nor did it sully my overall listening experience and I wouldn’t mind listening to more from Puckett in the future.
I would give the narration four stars and the story five stars, so that gives My Life as a Country Album an average rating of 4.5 stars. ♥