LOVED IT ALL

Any additional comments?

Can I just squee and squeal and rant about how much I loved, loved, loved this story and audio and leave it at that?

No? Oh. Okay. Well, then. Ummm. Okay...this is awkward.

Nick Stahlnecker is eighteen and wants to experience life. He's smart, but doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up, has no filter, and has a pretty co-dependent relationship with his best friend Devon. There's a lot he doesn't know, but what he does know is that construction worker, Jai Hazenbrook, is super hot and he really, really wants to know what he tastes like.

Jai is twenty-five and spends three months every summer working back in his hometown and living in his mom's basement just so he can afford to spend the next nine months traveling the globe experiencing life. He's completely unprepared for this weird kid to come into his life.

~~How is this kid even real? Real people have filters.~~

But the more time he spends with Nick, the more he realizes that he likes him.

~~It’s weird, then, that he likes Nick.
Nick is everything Jai is not. Nick is loud. Nick has no discernable filter. He’s smart, but he’s also scatterbrained. He has energy levels that can only be attributed to a diet full of caffeine and sugar. By rights, Jai should find him exasperating. Instead, he finds him oddly charming.~~

Adulting 101 is low angst, really sweet, ridiculously funny, totally awesome, and I seriously cannot recommend it enough.

The narration absolutely lives up to the awesomeness of the book! Nick J. Russo NAILS the character voices and the tone of this story. He also manages to convey all the texting really well, making them true conversations.

Though there are some slight sound issues throughout the audio (cutting in and out mostly) it wasn't enough to detract from my complete enjoyment of the audiobook.

Bottom line is I loved it and recommend it to everyone!

6 people found this helpful

Really great, funny stuff!

*4.5 stars*

I usually don't listen to audiobooks that I've read in ebook form because I'm always afraid that the narration will ruin the story. However, this certainly wasn't the case with Adulting 101. Nick J. Russo simply crushed it with his stellar reading.

The book was everything that I remembered. It was funny, charming, totally endearing, and sexy in a clumsy, overexcited way.

The best part of the story, other than the spot-on narration, was the bromance between the MC and his best friend. Their friendship gave my insides squishy, happy feelings, and I couldn't get enough of their texting banter.

Adulting 101 is hilarious. You will laugh with/at the characters and at their ridiculous situations, and it will make you feel simply good. It's a feel-good story.

My only issue with the story, and the reason for my 1/2-star deduction, was fact that it was written in third person, present tense. Third person, present tense is incredibly awkward while reading, but it sounds even worse when read aloud. I couldn't stand it, and I think if the book was written in past tense I would have given it the full 5-stars.

Overall, you can't go wrong with this one. Sure, it isn't a marriage-proposal level of commitment by the end (I'd say tentative HEA), but it is one of the most entertaining audiobooks that I've listened to in a long time. Total win.

2 people found this helpful

Fun read, excellent listening experience!

The narrator did a perfect job of bringing the characters to life. I truly enjoyed every minuet of this book. I laughed and cried as I followed Nick on his journey of trying to figure out how to be an adult. Jai is very patient, and even though Nick annoys him at first, there is something sweet and innocent that Jai is attracted to. My favorite part is Nick learning to control his "indoor voice", and how he continually shocks his parents with his graphic description of his "sexy times" with his boyfriend. This is the first book I've read by Lisa Henry, and I can tell you, it won't be my last!.

2 people found this helpful

Super funny & cute

From all of the many ways these 2 guys get caught indecently to all of the humorous life lessons poor Nick had to learn the hard way, Jai and Nick (or #Jick) as I affectionately refer to them as now, will always be my favorite gays.

What I also loved about this book was the familial dynamics. Despite numerous differences in both families and also between parent and child, there was so much love and understanding. It was a little heart achy but a lot heart warming.

And let's not even go there with Devon and Nick. Ok, just kidding, let's do go there because the bromance between these Besties was my absolute favorite part of the book. I wish everyone had a friend that was so understanding and so unapologetically affectionate and open. Truly my favorite part of this audio.

Nick Russo was a great narrator, although I felt he was a little more of a story teller than narrator. His very slight inflections wasn't enough for me to distinguish each character but his telling was so great that it didn't bother me.

2 people found this helpful

Laugh out loud funny!

Where does Adulting 101 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book ranks in the top ten of the all the audiobooks I've listened to in the past year. It would have made the top five if not for one niggling detail that kept taking me out of the setting. Some of the dialogue and awkward situations had me barking laughter. The story was worth it just for those moments!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Adulting 101?

"This can only end one way." There were so many good moments, but my favorite is the unflagging positivity of the main protagonist Nick. He brings an ADORABLE level of insanity to everything he does, including the situation where he uses this line.

What does Nick J. Russo bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The reading is flawless. The voices are so distinct and it folds in a nice layer of immersion when listening to the story. I haven't heard anything by this reader I wasn't impressed with.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Good times were had by all.

Any additional comments?

The one thing I found difficult to get around was the present tense of the story. I kept getting confused. I stopped listening several times because of this but did finish the story because the dialogue is fantastic and the story was really fun!

2 people found this helpful

Laugh Out Loud Funny!

What a delightful book! It is my first Lisa Henry book, and this book came highly recommended on Audible FB Group page. It's a very light, sweet and witty read. I like how realistic things are, even Nick's over analyzing, babbling, awkward but cute self. I like Jai's character is more confident and mature, even if he's also handling his own issues. They balance each other out. The bromance is epic! I love that there was no jealousy on each other's significant other on the bromance. This book talks about that transition from high school to college, coming of age, self discovery and self growth. It is also very funny, the witty banters are ridiculously hysterical. Nick J. Russo's portrayal of characters are on point. I even love how the voiced out the female characters. Excellent narrator. I highly recommend adding this book to your "feel good" reads.

1 person found this helpful

Wow

This is the first book I’ve listened to by this narrator and it was amazing. The story itself is fantastic - so much humor and feeling. But the narration truly brings it to life in the most wonderful way. I am awestruck and can’t wait to listen again.

1 person found this helpful

Love it!!

Reminds me of being 18 and having no clue in life. What a great story.

1 person found this helpful

Be Ready To Laugh Out Loud

What a funny yet very relatable book about the trials of excepting being an adult. Nick J Russo is so great at making you feel like you’re actually there experiencing how the MCs feel. Lisa Henry is a new to me author that I will read again.

1 person found this helpful

Not Adulting 101

It's stupid and funny and makes no sense but I love it. Nick and Devon is crazy and Jai isn't much better, but its lighthearted and funny and exactly what I was looking for. Nick Russo was excellent at narrating this mess of an awesome book!

1 person found this helpful