Love & Worth by Halley Royal Hupp

Narrated by Hannah Marie and Nick Crawford

Standalone Christmas Romance

Love & Worth was offered to me by the author last year when it first released, but there was no audiobook at the time. This year, the audiobook came out and the author again offered me a copy, which I happily accepted. I’ll admit that Love & Worth isn’t a book I would normally choose on my own, as I tend to reach for shorter holiday romcoms. Still, I figured I’d try something new this year.

Love & Worth by Halley Royal Hupp takes place in Leavenworth, Washington, a Bavarian-themed town that fully embraces Christmas, which also helps explain the title of this holiday romance.

Twelve years ago, William left his high school girlfriend and his family behind in Leavenworth, Washington, to make it big in the tech world. He hasn’t been back since. His circumstances have changed, though. A one-night stand resulted in a pregnancy. He supported her during the pregnancy and wanted to be a good father when the baby was born, but due to birth complications that were never really explained, the baby’s mom passed away three months later, leaving William as the sole guardian.

On his way home with his baby, William gets caught in a massive snowstorm and realizes he’s close to Leavenworth. He decides to surprise his parents after 12 years with a Christmas visit and an unexpected grandchild.

Adi, his high school sweetheart, loves Leavenworth and never wanted to leave, not even for William. She married someone else, became a teacher, and started trying to have a family. When she found out she was unable to have children, her life dream, her husband left her. She now lives alone in her house right across from William’s parents.

As the couple reunites, it’s clear they still have feelings for each other. But with a baby in the mix, things are complicated. William lives hours away from Leavenworth, a place Adi will never leave. He also can’t help but wonder if Adi wants him for him, or for the child he now has.

Love & Worth had Hallmark movie vibes and was a sweet story. I just felt like there were a lot of plot holes that never really filled in for me. I especially don’t see why he hasn’t been home to visit his parents in twelve years. They seem like great people who love him very much. Why didn’t they visit him? I’m not sure I ever really got past this enough to completely fall for Love & Worth. There was no trauma, and his parents were good people who clearly loved him, but twelve years? As a mom of sons, I can’t even imagine that.

The Narration:

Both narrators, Hannah Marie and Nick Crawford, were new to me, and I think they did a good job with the material. At first, the narration felt a bit stilted and choppy, but once I adjusted, it became clear that this likely came from the author’s writing style. The short, clipped sentences created the rhythm I was hearing in the audio.

All in all, Love & Worth was worth the listen, and I’m glad I gave it a try, but it wasn’t a standout for me. I never fully connected with either character and found myself feeling more sympathy for William’s parents than anyone else. I also wish there had been more town descriptions. I didn’t realize until later, thanks to TikTok, that Leavenworth is a real Bavarian-style town, and I would have loved to see that setting brought more fully to life.