Wait for You by J. Lynn (Jennifer L. Armentrout)

Narrated by Sophie Eastlake

I first read Wait for You in digital format last year but I enjoyed it so much I was happy for the opportunity to review the audio version. When one has already read a book (and can remember it – as was the case here) there is not, of course, the same tension and eagerness to find out what is going to happen. This can allow an opportunity to experience the story in a different way – to pick up nuances about the plot or characters which may have been missed in the rush to the finish.

I don’t often reread, but at times, I do listen to books I have already read. Provided I’m confident in the narrator and I liked the book in print format, it is usually a success. I tend to skim when reading so, even when I have adored a book, there are little things I have missed when I turn to the audio version. It’s kind of like a little Easter Egg for me. And, to add to the experience, I also have the narrator’s interpretation of the characters to enhance the listening journey. In fact, when one already knows the plot, it can be easier to focus on the narrator’s performance. Since Wait for You has a narrator I enjoy, it was really a no brainer.

The story is told from the first person POV of Avery Morgansten, a college freshman who has moved to West Virginia to be as far away from her family and past associates/former friends as possible. On the first day of college, Avery literally runs into Cameron Hamilton. Cam is gorgeous and charming, with startling blue eyes and an easy grin. Even though he is a college junior, it turns out they share a class, Astronomy 101, and both are late for their first day.

Avery does not care for being the centre of attention and bails on the class. She’s never had a boyfriend and doesn’t go to parties. Since an incident five years before, her interaction with others has been limited and requires her to re-learn the whole friendship deal. Fortunately the latter comes back to her quickly.

Much to her surprise, it turns out that Cam lives in the apartment across the hall and they are soon hanging out together. Cam asks her on a date but she refuses as she believes Cam is a player. She is very leery of a romantic relationship anyway.

Cam did get around a bit in high school, but he isn’t the manwhore Avery fears. Even though we only get Avery’s POV in this book (there is a novella where the story is told from Cam’s POV by the way), it is obvious to the listener that Cam is deeply smitten from the get go. That said, his patience is quite remarkable.

Cam and Avery gradually become good friends and finally, Avery agrees to go out with him on a date. Her secrets and the nasty texts and emails she keeps receiving are a barrier to their happiness. Avery has to be brave and speak up and out before they can have their HEA.

In true New Adult fashion, Wait for You is also something of a coming-of-age story. Although the romance is strong and front and centre, this is also a story of how Avery grows and starts to deal with a very traumatic event in her life. Trigger warning: there is a description of sexual violence but it is not graphic. However, listeners who dislike sexual violence as part of the storyline might want to avoid this one.

Through to her narration of Thea Harrison’s Elder Races series, Sophie Eastlake has become a favourite narrator. However, she does have somewhat of a limited range in voicing her male characters and they often sound very similar to one another.

We primarily hear Ms. Eastlake’s portrayal of Avery and she conveys well the youthful quality of her character and the emotions she felt – and there was a fairly wide range here – Avery has been through the wringer. When Cam is about, it is most often only with Avery and there is no doubt during these conversations, who is talking. Cam’s voice is only a little lower but huskier and it has a slightly different accent which was, I believe, more about the way the narrator holds her mouth than anything particularly intentional. Cam didn’t sound like Dragos from the Elder Races but only because Dragos is waaayyyy more arrogant. (Cam could have been Dragos’ younger, more relaxed brother however.) When Cam and his father are in scenes together, there is little differentiation. Similarly, when Cam’s friends, Jase and Ollie, are in the “room” they do sound awfully similar and it is hard to tell them apart.

The other major characters in the story are Avery’s friends, Brittany (who has a delightful Southern accent which makes it easy to tell when she’s speaking) and Jacob, who acts as the “sassy gay (and black) friend”. It’s easy to distinguish Jacob from Cam – I wonder if that had anything to do with perceived masculinity of the characters though? He sounds much closer to Avery than anything else and, thinking about it now, it did bother me a little because Jacob is definitely a male character.

What Ms. Eastlake does excel at is conveying the growing emotion and connection between Avery and Cam and selling their passion and love for one another. Cam is a mature young man but there are good reasons for that maturity and he is perfect for Avery. He is endlessly patient and does not rush their physical intimacy. Also, he is very careful about consent, which I appreciated very much. Cam’s love and care and respect for Avery is apparent not just in the text but also through Ms. Eastlake’s portrayal. Avery’s confusion, fear, hope, and burgeoning passion are also on display for the listener.

I enjoyed Wait for You in print and audio formats. I’d recommend it in either format actually – why not do what I did and experience both?

Kaetrin

Narration:  B

Book Content:  B+

Steam Factor:  Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence:  Some description of sexual violence but not graphic

Genre:  New Adult Romance

Publisher:  Harper Audio

Wait for You was provided to AudioGals for review by Harper Audio.