Since branching away from the romance genre, I decided to step tentatively back in with Must Love Silence by Lucy Bexley. This is a cute, humor entwined love story about an audiobook narrator falling for a writer. Given the subject, I opted for the audio version (hello to all the Abby Craden fans out there), which was a delightful way to experience this story.
A quick plot—
Reese Walker is strapped for cash when her sister’s recovery bill lands on her doorstep. Not keen on leaving her apartment but willing to do anything to support her sister, Reese heads to New York to apply for an audiobook narration gig. The book in question belongs to Arden Abbott, big time lesbian romance author who’s rebuilding her career on a second chance. The stakes surrounding the project are high, and the tension in the recording studio is enough to make even an extrovert uncomfortable. It doesn’t help that Arden is very particular about each word that comes out of Reese’s mouth, or that coffee spills keep causing clothes to come off. Reese has to learn how to step out of her comfort zone and deal with Arden head on.
Seriously, I wouldn’t let Arden near me with coffee. Luckily she wasn’t getting it from McDonalds (ba dum ts).
The writing was laced with humor, which wasn’t surprising—see Just my Type, and some pretty nice similes/metaphors that reached my literary itch. The story was entirely told through Reese’s point of view via third person narration, which gave us a solid look into her life. I kind of like in romance when the narration only focuses on one of the romantic leads, as opposed to switching between the two, because then it’s more about the main character and their journey. It’s still a love story, but the obstacle is “man vs self” as opposed to some outside force threatening the characters’ happiness. I felt by the end that Reese grew as a person and learned a lot from breaking her some 200-day streak of not leaving her apartment.
I was impressed with how deeper themes were touched upon in this book without making it feel heavy. Sobriety being the biggest one, but also classism, family obligations, and that introverted instinct that sometimes borders on loneliness. I would say this book is low-angst, but not “fluffy.” If you’re looking for an enemies-to-lovers slow burn where characters get a second chance, Must Love Silence might be for you!