4.5 stars - upgraded to a 5 overall!!

I've become such a fan of Lucy Lennox. I generally love her books. This one was no exception. Such a sweet story overall. Doesn't matter if things are predictable - things like a reveal, or the angst or drama, or damaged history that makes characters do the dumb things they do. It's still well written, well paced and incredibly endearing. Michael Dean did a great job in narration. He seems to have toned down some of the yelling during smexy times that he has occasionally done in the previous books. All I know is that he's gotten better, more seasoned and still delivers on the feelings which helps elevate an already well written story. Kudos!

9 people found this helpful

Fun cabin the woods, plus dog

I truly enjoyed the story but needed some willing suspension of disbelief to get into it. It’s not a bad pandemic read, given that our heroes spend most of the book socially distanced while remodeling a backwoods cabin. It’s a lot of togetherness and fun along with some challenges. On the other hand, if I never get another story where a major plot driver is paying for medical care out of pocket, I will be grateful. (The stark wrongness of the US medical setup, which makes people desperate for funds, is loud here.) Still, my first quibble is *only* $10K for a bone marrow transplant? Try $300K. Secondly, the attempt at making a backwoods small town Wyoming boy, who has never left Wyoming(?!?), not be homophobic is nice but weird. That Nine slips casually in to physical affection with a man, when raised in a stew of casual, if non-malicious, homophobia is a tough sell, honestly. It relies heavily on the reader wanting that to be true. So in that way, it both works and doesn’t work. Accept it, and the book is good times. Scoff too much and it won’t work. I went with accepting the ease and tried not to overthink it. And the story, past that, was worth my time, when not gnashing my teeth about US medical costs. I like a good fake relationship romance because the characters have to stay together. I like seeing characters develop their own in jokes (chicken closets!) along with their communication skills. Here, I also liked the physical comfort Nine and Cooper had with each other as well as their enthusiasm for and effort in putting out a good virtual product. They do part ways for a bit. The wrongness of them being apart so permeates the separation, it’s a nice relief when they sort themselves out. But there’s another quibble. I think the characters made mostly reasonable choices, but they were playing fast and loose with Cooper’s presence/absence for far too long. Add in that he was out in public when his cover story was …not that, and a fight in front of a witness, I kept expecting some sort of public or monetary fallout. I’m conflicted because I didn’t want there to be fallout but also felt Cooper’s time out stretched credulity. Also, I wanted a more of a scene/vlog post description of the finished cabin. We get the relationship footage, but I wanted the cabin reveal too. (Full disclosure, I live in a half rehabbed house, so this cabin rehab premise is my catnip.) A major point in the book’s favor is the continuity of Nacho the dog. He gets fed and exercised and is consistently accounted for. He doesn’t drop in and out. Well done. Steam: Medium. Plenty of M/M goings on, to various degrees, but nothing out of the ordinary beyond the GFY premise and a man with actual body hair. Narration: I like how this narrator voices the characters. On occasion it was briefly unclear whose POV we were in; it needed slightly better scene change indicators. The characters were different enough that I got it sorted out fairly easily.

7 people found this helpful

Hilarious, entertaining and a feel good listen! 👨🛏️👨

Lucy Lennox's books are such a feel good read for me and this one was no exception. This was such a sweet story about two bull headed men who are pretending to be a couple for a reality show on YouTube. The dialogue was fun and hilarious and the characters were likeable, relatable, quirky and well fleshed out. Paired with Michael Dean's exemplary audio delivery this book was definitely a highly entertaining and enjoyable listen.

3 people found this helpful

Absolute love!

I adore Lucy’s books. They are filled with an airy and very light happiness and enough tension to make you hold your breath. Separate thanks to Michael Dean - he is my favourite narrator of all times!

3 people found this helpful

Loved This Story, BUT Michael Dean...UGH!

This story is so sweet and probably in my top 5 books in the MM genre. I just LOVE these two guys. I do love angsty love stories so I wish there was more of that to make this a series. I found it funny to read another review that said that Michael Dean sounded much better during sexy-times than in other books where he sounds like “he’s commenting on a horse race”. I chose this book based on this review. That is exactly what I thought after my 2nd MD narrated book. I swore off anything else he narrates after that. While his sexy-times are A BIT better, he still reads way too fast and way too intensely. His voices are also inconsistent and that’s probably due to the speed at which he reads. This makes it confusing to follow the characters at times. He has a great voice. Even his fem-boy voice is nice, when many narrators do an awful job with this type of character. However, I will go out on a limb to say that there is a much broader audience (even in the Gay community) for more masculine voices. No offense to anyone!!! I almost feel like because Cooper is an actor, MD decided to give him a fem voice? WTH?! In any case, despite MD’s shortcomings, this story is well worth the credit and the time. Enjoy!

2 people found this helpful

... "he was afraid you didn’t want him" - Eli

Would I listen to it again: yes Did the story keep me engaged: yes Was I invested in the characters: yes Story comment: easy pace, likeable characters and a sweet and entertaining story - everything I've come to expect from Lucy Lennox. Nine (aka Issac) is such a big hearted, gentle soul and Cooper is just sassy enough to keep his life interesting. Delightful 😊 Narrator comment: I enjoyed Michael Dean's narration of Say You'll be Nine. I had no problem distinguishing characters and the rhythm, inflections and intonations all worked to bring the book to life.

2 people found this helpful

****SO FUN!!!😜****

I've never giggled & guffawed at the efforts of Ms. Lennox before. "Nine" evoked such fond feelings for the relatable folks we come to love & appreciate! Sweet & sexy, a humorous journey as we're introduced to the ensemble of characters who are as nutty as real life! Nine is a total joy, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading, before treating myself to the talents of Michael Dean's superb narration! As per usual, his beautiful husky voice was spot on! How he crafts the unique personas is truly a great gift for us all. Yet another book you can enjoy over & over again. If you don't find persons with whom to relate in this charming story..., you may want to take up knitting! Lennox & Dean are my absolute favorite power couple! Thank you!!

1 person found this helpful

9? no a 10!

I don't know what magical voodoo Lucy Lennox has, but she seems to know exactly how to write books that make me so happy.

1 person found this helpful

Great story line

Enjoyed this book very much. Seemed very relatable and not just about the characters having sex.

Beautiful story 💕

Nine is the sweetest person who seems to be very undervalued, even by his own family. Along comes the very colorful Cooper and they tend to clash a bit. But as they learn to work together a beautiful friendship/relationship starts to build. It is another great story by one of my favorite authors. I listened to this too and it was very well done!!!