I read this book when it was first released in e-book and loved it then. I was so glad to see it released in audio. However, my memory is pretty terrible though, so although I remembered the story’s catalyst, I anticipated very little in specific detail as I was listening. The bright side of having such a bad memory is that when listening to this book, it was almost like experiencing it for the first time. And this book is an emotional experience – Jasper and Rob go through SO much, both in their individual lives and together. There’s so much hurt, so much regret, and so much to come to terms with and grow from. They’re very relatable characters, each in their own ways, even if the exact circumstances of their lives aren’t exactly the same as everyone’s. They’re just so real, so human, with feelings that can be easily understood. And in case one might be concerned that it’s all sadness all around, there are lighter moments and definitely many sweet moments. Part of what makes this a tear-jerker are those sweet and bittersweet moments.

As far as the audio narration, the narrator sounds a bit too old for Jasper’s character if he were Jasper telling the story at the time it happened, so I listened as if an older Jasper was telling the reader about this critical time in his life. (It’s not all from Jasper’s POV though – it switches part of the way, which is one of the things I’d forgotten.) The narrator does a very good job of emoting, pacing, and is surprisingly good at voicing female characters, considering that he has a pretty deep voice. (It probably helps that there aren’t very many very young females though.) He uses a kind of sound effect echo chamber at times, when a character is remembering something someone said, imagining a conversation with someone not there, or even when telling themselves something in their internal monologue. Some might find this off-putting, but I thought it fit this book when used. I might not be inclined to download an audiobook specifically for this narrator, but I wouldn’t necessarily avoid a book he narrates.

I would buy a book by this author specifically because its by this author though, (and have done so).