The Birthday List by Devney Perry Series: Maysen Jar #1
Published by Tantor Audio on May 22, 2018
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Melissa Moran, Jeremy York
Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Women's Fiction
Audible
Poppy Maysen carries a journal in her purse. Its pages were filled long ago by a man who craved adventure, lived life to the fullest and never failed to make her laugh. The journal is his birthday list—one she vows to complete.
She’ll do the things he wanted to do most. Because maybe, just maybe, if she can finish his list, she can start to live again.
Poppy expects going through the birthday list will be hard. She expects it to hurt. But what she doesn’t expect is Cole. Could the man who watched her heart shatter be the one to put it back together again?
The Birthday List is a story of loss and new beginnings. I can see how some might find it inspirational. When life deals you a devastating blow, it’s easy to wallow in grief. The fact that Poppy is motivated to get back up and push through her pain is wonderful.
Cole is amazingly supportive of Poppy and so patient. Most of the items on the birthday list are fun, and the way Poppy and Cole work together as a dedicated team to check off all the items is nice. I also really enjoyed the concept of Poppy’s clever restaurant, The Maysen Jar. Randall, her grumpy loyal customer, is a hoot.
The story is super slow, though, and I admit I grew tired of the list. Also, the romantic aspect is too sappy for my taste. Cole’s dialog, in particular, seems overly sweet and unnatural. He lays it on thick with the constant “my Poppy,” and “beautiful Poppy.” I think the narrator’s delivery contributes to the saccharine nature even though his voice is pleasant. The female narrator enunciates every syllable. It makes her easy to understand, which is a good thing. It’s just that rather than being absorbed in the plot, I was reminded that I was listening to someone read a book.
It’s a nice story, but it didn’t give me all the feels. I tend to be a picky audiobook listener, so perhaps I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind to truly enjoy this book.
About Devney Perry
Devney Perry is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author. Born and raised in Montana, she loves writing books set in her treasured home state. After working in the technology industry for nearly a decade, she abandoned conference calls and project schedules to enjoy a slower pace at home with her husband and two sons. Writing one book, let alone many, was not something she ever expected to do. But now that she’s discovered her true passion for writing romance, she has no plans to ever stop. Devney loves hearing from readers! Connect with her on social media.
I’m really sad you didn’t love this one. It’s still one of my favorites of hers. I didn’t listen to it, though. I did love Letters to Molly even more, though.
Lately, I definitely think it’s a case of “it must just be me”. I’m a mood reader and I’m feeling a lot of meh in what I’ve read lately, and they’re books my friends have loved.
Letters to Molly is currently free, so I picked it up!
YAY! Enjoy it!