Narrated by Andi Arndt
Clementine Johns is recovering from an assault during which she suffered a brain injury and was in a coma, which results in a complete loss of memory. Her sister Francine is her only family and her guide through this new world. To help reconstruct her life, she has Francine take her to her former boyfriend, tattoo artist Ed Larsen. Ed is devastated to see Clem because she had accused him of cheating and moved out, breaking his heart, just one month before.
The use of amnesia as a plot device is truly a slippery slope in all forms of fiction. In soap operas, it’s used to excuse all sorts of crazy story lines and actor-changes, and in all formats, apparently it’s done without much scientific evidence to back it up. This alone made me curious – after all, the original Overboard movie from 1987 with Goldie Hawn is one of my favorite movies even though I know it’s complete science fiction. (Heh heh) So I know I can be sucked in if the author does it right!
In Repeat, Clem’s attack was an apparent robbery – of course, she doesn’t remember it at all, but everything was taken. And her condition isn’t treated as lightly as in Overboard; Clem continues to have side effects, including a seizure, and she loses her job because she doesn’t remember how to do it. But some of the details left me wondering (and I can’t check a print copy until it’s released April 7!). Since she was such a big part of Ed’s life only 30 days before, why don’t his friends and coworkers know she was assaulted and has amnesia? While I found the story entertaining to read, I felt a lot was left unexplained, and my mind was constantly going off on tangents, wondering how plausible Clem’s situation was, while listening.
After googling the keywords “amnesia” and “plot device” to satisfy my curiosity, I found several articles calling the trope lazy. I do think amnesia can be one way to turn a character around, and yeah, in soap operas and other series, I would agree it’s lazy, but to use it as the originating driver in a stand-alone novel could work in the hands of a skilled plotter. The reader doesn’t know anything else; the character hasn’t been established one way then changed because, amnesia. And it sorta, mostly, pretty much, almost worked in Repeat, but it needed more exposition. And ok, there was a slight suspense angle that, as predicted by those articles, was pretty much apparent way too early on. Ok, I give in, the plot was thin; I was intrigued because I wanted it to be credible and interesting. But, at only 6 hours, plus it’s in the Romance Package, it was worth it.
Repeat gets the star treatment from one of contemporary US-based romance’s most prolific and talented narrators, Andi Arndt. When I see Arndt listed, I’m guaranteed quality narration – her acting is always good without going over the top, her character differentiation flawless and consistent. Her medium range allows her to easily suggest characters of all genders/ages without any vocal gymnastics; her reading of the love scenes is always spot on, and you feel the emotions of the characters throughout. She gave Clem an almost monotone, flat feeling at first, implying someone without any emotional investment as you might expect from an amnesiac, and her reading of Ed brought out all the feels and empathy from me. Arndt brings a solid professionalism to all her narrations that automatically lift them at least one grade.
To recap: intriguing trope, pretty thinly veiled suspense, lots of unanswered questions, great narration, Romance Package.
Melinda
Buy Repeat by Kylie Scott on Amazon
I’d have to agree with this assessment of the story. It was enjoyable, even with the thin plot and creaky tropes. But, the characters were engaging, Arndt’s narration was perfect, and I ended up liking it quite a bit.
The only complaint I have (and it’s a small one) is that this is an Australian writer who writes American characters set in the US. She uses Australian/British phrasing quite often in her work, and I find it somewhat jarring. It’s been a few weeks since I listened to this, but I think I recall things being ‘organized’ rather than ‘arranged’ or ‘planned’, which are more common American usages. I also think she refers to a ‘cupboard’ while in America we would say ‘closet’. Nit-picky, I know, but it pulls me out of the story. I like Kylie Scott a great deal, she’s an auto-buy for me, but I wish she’d get her vernacular straight.
Otherwise, this is a fun, light romance with enjoyable characters and dialogue. Just don’t scrutinize that plot too closely and you’re golden!