Look, I'll be honest - I picked this up during a particularly brutal stack of sophomore essays on The Great Gatsby. Needed something light. Something that wouldn't make me think about symbolism or the American Dream. What I got was a romance novel that made me cry in the faculty parking lot.
Not my usual territory. My students would be shocked. (Actually, they'd probably be thrilled I read something published after 1950.)
When Two Voices Actually Work
Dual narration in audiobooks is tricky. I've heard plenty where it feels like two different books awkwardly stitched together - the literary equivalent of a group project where nobody communicated. Erin Mallon and Zachary Webber mostly avoid this trap. Mostly.
Mallon's Sloan has this grounded, practical quality that I immediately trusted. There's a slight roughness to her delivery that feels earned - this is a woman who's been through something, and you hear it. She doesn't oversell the grief or the humor. She just... inhabits it. The kind of narration where you forget someone's reading to you.
Webber's Jason is charming in that way rock stars in romance novels always are, but he commits to the sincerity. The text messages between them - and there are a lot of text messages - could've been insufferable. Instead, they're genuinely funny. The timing between these two narrators? That's where it clicks. Comedy is all about rhythm, and they found it.
Some listeners apparently found Webber's sections less engaging. I get it. Mallon's chapters have more emotional weight, more texture. But I'd argue that's the story, not the narrator. Jason's arc is lighter by design. He's the sunshine to Sloan's storm clouds.
The Emotional Gut-Punch I Wasn't Ready For
Here's the thing about Abby Jimenez - she writes romance, but she's not afraid to go dark. Sloan's backstory involves loss. Real, devastating loss. And the audiobook doesn't shy away from it. There were moments during my lakefront walks with Denise where I had to stop and pretend I was looking at the skyline because I was absolutely not going to explain to passing joggers why a grown man was tearing up over a book about a dog. Apples Never Fall did the same thing to me—family drama that sneaks up on you emotionally when you're expecting something lighter.
Yes, there's a dog. Tucker. He's the catalyst for everything, and both narrators nail his scenes. (Mallon's exasperated affection for this chaos puppy is perfection.)
The pacing works. Nine hours flew by - which, if you've ever listened to me drone on about Middlemarch during faculty meetings, you know is not something I say lightly. There's a stretch in the middle where the will-they-won't-they tension could've dragged, but Jimenez keeps throwing complications that feel organic rather than manufactured.
Who Should Hit Play (And Who Should Skip)
If you're a contemporary romance person, this is a no-brainer. The production is clean, the narrators are skilled, and the story delivers exactly what it promises - with some unexpected emotional depth thrown in.
But here's my caveat as someone who usually lives in the classics section: this worked for me because of the audiobook format. Mallon and Webber elevate material that might've felt formulaic on the page. They find the humanity in the tropes. That's what good narration does - it interprets, not just recites.
Skip it if contrasting narration styles bother you. Some listeners really struggled with the shift between Sloan's chapters and Jason's. And if you're sensitive to grief narratives, be warned - this one doesn't just mention loss, it sits with it.
My students would hate that I'm recommending a romance novel. I love it.
Worth Pausing the Grading For
I finished this at 11 PM with a stack of ungraded Gatsby essays still on my desk. No regrets. Sometimes you need a book that reminds you stories can be fun and moving and hopeful without being shallow. Jimenez gets that balance right, and these narrators make sure you feel every beat of it.
Denise asked what I was listening to. I told her. She downloaded it immediately. That's the highest recommendation I can give.
