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!

7 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.

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

... "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.

1 person 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

4 Stars

This is a great story! Funny, sexy, hot, and all the other feels with a HEA.
A bit at the end was cheesy but kinda in a cute way. Narrative did a good job, just a couple of times I was confused who was talking at the end of the book because the accent didn’t change correctly but the characters also were acting different then they did from the rest of the book so that played a part in my confusion of the accent:)

Loved this book!

Lucy Lennox writes such sweet stories! I love all of her books, and this one is no exception. If you've read or listened to her other books, you will love this one, too. If you are not ready to commit to one of Lucy's series, this is a perfect choice. Michael Dean as always does a fantastic job narrating and bringing the characters to life. I definitely recommend it!

So worth the read! Absolutely wonderful!

I would highly recommend and cannot encourage to read this more! Such a wonderful story and so well written. Thanks to the author and for the great narration as well by Michael Dean.

Awesome

This story gave my heart ache and tears and loved every minute of it.Awesome