In This Moment by Autumn Doughton

In This MomentNarrated by Cris Dukehart and Kris Koscheski

In This Moment is typical of many New Adult titles that are flooding the market today. It’s filled with angst, sex, broken people, and a romance that should be doomed to fail, but manages to pull through somehow. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s more a matter of familiarity.

Aimee Spencer has totally transformed her life in the past year. Still reeling from the tragic accident that ended her best friend’s life, Aimee has just returned to Florida after spending time in Oregon with her grandparents. She wants her first year of college to be a fresh start. She’s not a party girl anymore; instead, she’s quiet and studious. She wouldn’t turn aside adate, but neither is she seeking anything serious. Despite her facade of togetherness, Aimee is still haunted by the loss that tore her apart.

Cole is the campus playboy. Girls throw themselves at him all the time. To him, dating is just a game, something he doesn’t have to work at, and certainly not something he puts a lot of stock in. When Aimee trips, landing unceremoniously in his lap, he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her. She’s nothing like the girls he usually dates. First off, she seems more than willing to avoid him. She texts her mother several times a day, and she refuses to reveal any of her secrets. Everything about her tells Cole to stay away, but he finds it impossible.

Cris Dukehart is a talented narrator whose work I first became familiar with when I listened to Shelly Crane’s Significance. Because Ms. Dukehart nailed that series, I was concerned that I would hear the voices of Ms. Crane’s characters when she spoke, rather than those Ms. Doughton created. At first, this was true; Cole is given the same deep drawl I remember so well from Ms. Crane’s hero Caleb. However, over time, I was able to push aside those memories, and allow myself to get to know the characters in this book.

Ms. Dukehart is very good at giving each character a unique sound. She employs a wide range of pitches, accents, and speech mannerisms to make sure the listener does not have to rely on dialogue tags. Everyone came across as real and very believable.

When I listen to a book, it’s important that I feel like I really understand the main characters. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen in the case of Aimee. I’m not sure whether to chalk it up to the writing or the narration, but there was something very superficial about the character. I wanted to like her, to sympathize with her, to root for her, but I just couldn’t. Ms. Dukehart portrayed her emotions well, but Ms. Doughton didn’t always give her a lot to work with. Several contradictions in the written portrayal of the character made it difficult for me to get a good sense of Aimee.

Kris Coscheski is a narrator I’ve never listened to before. His speaking voice is very smooth, but a bit higher than I prefer. His characterizations were decent, although he did slip into a falsetto at times, when performing Aimee’s rather neurotic mother. This sometimes happened in his portrayal of Aimee too, but not nearly as often.

I found Mr. Coscheski’s depictions of the male characters to be quite pleasing. He imbued them with enough masculinity to make up for the sometimes jarring quality of his general narrative. Cole is a pretty easy person to understand. He’s athletic, outgoing, and smart. He is very protective of his younger sister, which endeared him to me.

If you’re looking for a story that will really occupy your mind, In This Moment probably isn’t it. We know everyone’s agendas right up front. The unfolding romance between Aimee and Cole is predictable enough that you won’t miss much if you happen to get distracted. For some, this might be something to listen to while multitasking. Or, you could pick it up if you want to visit familiar territory inhabited by slightly different characters. If you don’t start the book expecting something wonderful, you’ll do just fine.

Shannon


Narration:  Cris Dukehart: B+     Kris Coscheski: B-

Book Content:  C+

Steam Factor:  Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence:  Minimal

Genre:  New Adult

Publisher:  Tantor Audio

 

In This Moment was provided to AudioGals by Tantor Audio for review.

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