the setup…
Emily Evans is obsessed with Wordle, playing everyday with a 300+-day streak going on. She’s 27-years old and landed in the small town of Waldon, Prince Edward Island when a friend of her mother had a rental available for free. She’s a receptionist at an auto shop and is trying to figure out what her dream job should be. Emily also is quite lonely and lacks close friends but one day when she’s stuck on the day’s Wordle, John Smith, one the mechanics who rarely speaks to her, surprises her by not only revealing he plays the word puzzle but helps her keep her streak going. Meanwhile, a volunteer assignment at a barrel museum moves her steps closer to finding that dream job along with a romance.
the heart of the story…
I love Wordle, play everyday with a few of my blogger friends. It was interesting to have that in the background and analyze Emily’s approach to solving the puzzles. I liked her and found her to be stuck emotionally but couldn’t figure out how she got there. She’s kind and a pleaser, finding more pleasure in connecting with the senior citizens in her community than people her own age. When she starts volunteering at the barrel museum, Emily comes into her own, even though she’s unrealistically idealistic. I came to like John despite his taciturn nature. However, their romance lacked fire and energy.
the narration…
This is a case where it’s just me. Katie Koster’s voice is a dead ringer for someone I know who I find irritating so that’s all I could hear. She gave an energetic and lively performance so you’ll need to sample and judge for yourself.
the bottom line…
I loved having Wordle be a major element of the romance, finding it interesting and entertaining. Overall, I enjoyed the story despite my issues with the narrator and the romance. Emily’s kind nature and affinity towards the care and nurturing of the senior citizen community was inspiring and needed more promotion. It’s timely, relevant and beyond admirable.
Book Info
- Release Date: December 3, 2024
- Narrator: Katie Koster
- Audio Length: 9 hours, 33 minutes
- Publisher: HarperAudio
Blue Mood Café 
Love the premise, Jo, too bad the author wasn’t a good fit for you.
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Oops I meant the narrator!
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Thanks, Nicki💜
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Lovely review, but sorry the reader fell short.
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Thank you, Marialyce💜 I feel bad as she couldn’t help that she reminded me of a very unpleasant person.
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I so Wordle daily too so this one sounds appealing. However, a lacklustre romance is a no-go for me. Wonderful review Jonetta.
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Thanks, Jodie💜 This felt more like contemporary fiction with romantic elements. The romance was nice and friendly. Just didn’t spark my imagination.
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A very interesting premise with some great themes.
Anne – Books of My Heart
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Very appealing for Wordle lovers.
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Yeah, if the voice sounds like someone you aren’t fond of, that had to be grating. The story sounds great.
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I tried hard to ignore it😏 Lovely story with some strong themes.
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I like the sound of this – love Wordle. Current streak is 1073 but it’s really more as I changed phone and wasn’t signed in 😄
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That’s amazing! My longest streak was ~203 days.
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I love wordle and think it’s a great plotline to a story. I started over as I was playing without logging in for a long time. According to my stats, I have only played 275 days, which is obviously not accurate. This sounds like a fun book. Great review. I have the ebook on hold at the library and it should become available to me soon.
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Thanks, Carla💜 It was a cute element to the story. I hope you enjoy!
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