Why I listen to The Grump Who Stole Summer?
The Grump Who Stole Summer caught my eye on Netgalley with its promise of second chance romance. It also sounded very amgsty which is what I was in the mood for at the time that I requested it. Personally, I have to be in a certain mood to read super angsty romances. I much prefer the easy flirting way to falling in love. Trust me when I say this audiobook was anything but that as it deals with some pretty sensitive material that may not be for all audiences.
What’s the story here?
Alice and Smith first met in the summer in her treehouse. They were both trying to escape a party being thrown by her sister Tiana. Neither one of them is really into the partying scene. They are also total opposites in personality – he is a grump and she is filled with sunshine. From the moment they meet there is a connection of sorts and the more time they spend together the deeper it grows. Until suddenly something happens to change all of it and they go their separate ways.
Three years later they are thrown back into each other’s orbit when Alice is forced to volunteer at a local bookstore. After what happened with Smith, she has been going down a pretty dark path of partying and not worrying about the consequences. Her mother thinks that volunteering at the bookstore will help get her back on the straight and narrow. She does not know the history between Alice and Smith and the chemistry between Alice and Smith is just as strong.
How did I like The Grump Who Stole Summer?
When I finished The Grump Stole Summer, I had a bitter taste in my mouth. This was not anything that I expected. It is just angst, angst, and more angst. Both main characters are so issue filled and would benefit from some serious therapy. Their relationship felt borderline obsessive at times.
I wish I was joking about the borderline obsessiveness of the relationship. It’s just so ick. I could not support it. I also had trouble supporting the two characters in general. Alice felt very “poor me. I’m a suffering rich girl” vibe while Smith was very “grumpy asshole”. And when I say “grumpy asshole” I mean basically the worst one dimensional grumpy asshole you could imagine. Yes, he has suffered trauma but that is no excuse for his actions. Some of the things he says to Alice I think are supposed to be endearing but, they put up the red flags for me. All of it is a giant no from me.
How was the narration?
The Grump Who Stole Summer is told in a duel perspective. It is narrated by Kelsey-Ann O’Dowd and Brian Meslar and is 9 hours and 22 minutes in length. I listened to it at 1.5x speed. The narrators did what they could with the characters but, they could not help the story as a whole.
Rating: 2 Stars
**I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
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