Wrecked by Emily Snow

Narrated by Chandra Skyye

Meet Evelyn Miller. She’s a nineteen-year-old voice student whose greatest talent seems to be wrecking things. Two years ago, her older sister died in a tragic accident for which Evie can’t stop blaming herself. Ever since, she’s been set on a path of destruction. Not only has she broken up with her long-time boyfriend, but she’s lost her musical scholarship, and exposed her father’s infidelity. Now, she’s at a new university, determined not to wreck things this year. She wants to start over, partly in her sister’s memory, but mostly for herself. She’s tired of being the girl responsible for all things bad.

However, Evie’s good intentions are very quickly put to the test. Reese, her swoonworthy voice instructor, is linked to Evie’s past. Can she move forward without revealing her secret to him, and what happens when she begins to fall for him? For so many reasons, Reese isn’t someone Evie should be crushing on, but why does it feel so right?

Wrecked is a moving and emotional story. Evie Miller is flawed, but I found her easy to identify with. She wants so desperately to make up for the harm she’s caused, but youth and confusion get in her way. She wants to love Reese, but worries what that will mean to her family. Ms. Snow has created a heroine with many challenges to overcome before she can claim the happiness she deserves.

I was very pleased with narrator Chandra Skyye’s performance. She’s a narrator I’ve liked since I first listened to her almost a year ago. Her voice is light and very pleasant to listen to.

Told in first person, Wrecked is completely from Evie’s point of view. Ms. Skyye tells the story with a southern accent, which sounded quite authentic, even though it’s not natural. She allows the listener to really know the many facets of Evie’s character. She brings the character to life, and this is what I most love about the audiobook experience. I wasn’t just reading words on a page. I was allowing Ms. Skyye to make the book come alive for me. Her ability to do this is a sign of a great narrator.

Ms. Skyye’s character differentiation is very good. No two people sounded alike. Her male characters are given lower voices, but none came off as fake. From Evie’s fun-loving roommate to her self-centered father, Ms. Skyye was true to the author’s creation, enhancing it with her vocal talent.

As with most New Adult books, Wrecked has its share of angst and melodrama. However, it’s a heartwarming story if you can see beyond that.

I was a bit disappointed with the way Ms. Snow handled Evie’s chosen major. Many years ago, I was a voice student, and the fact that the heroine was a singer was one of the things that made this book seem so attractive to me. However, it was as if Ms. Snow was only playing lip service to Evie’s major. The details were scant, and I never got the sense that Evie was all that invested in her music. She practiced, went to lessons, and performed, but there-was no spark. I wanted to know Evie as the aspiring musician she was supposed to be, but that aspect of the character fell flat.

Having said that, I did enjoy Evie’ and Reese’s story. It deals with some pretty intense issues, and is filled with relatable characters. I definitely recommend it, especially if you’re a New Adult fan.

Shannon

Narration:  A-

Book Content:  B+

Steam Factor:  Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence:  Minimal

Genre:  New Adult

Publisher:  Tantor Audio

Wrecked was provided to AudioGals by Tantor Audio for review.