Audiobook Review – I Do(n’t) by Leddy Harper

I Do(n’t) by Leddy Harper

Narrated by Lillian Claire & Roberto Scarlato

Standalone Romantic Comedy

I was so excited the day I Do(n’t) came out on audio! I have been dying to read Leddy Harper, and now that she is signing at Wicked Book Weekend, I was even more excited to read her.

Leddy has a talent with comedic timing, humor and banter. I smiled a lot while listening to the story and even chuckled out loud a few times. But to be honest, the whole storyline didn’t make sense to me. I mean I understood what was going on, but not really why.

“…had I known when I knocked on your hotel door after the wedding that what we did that night would end our friendship, I would’ve gone to my own room.”

Janelle has had a crush on her brother’s best friend since she was little. But the night of her brother’s wedding in Vegas Janelle got so drunk, she doesn’t remember a thing. including losing her virginity to her life-long crush. His feelings hurt that she didn’t remember, he told her what happened and took off, and they don’t see each other for 5 years.

Janelle went away to college like all of her (much) older siblings. She didn’t get home a lot over the next 5 years, partially to avoid Holden. But to pay back her student debts, Janelle goes on a reality dating show, where she gets a big cash bonus if she marries the guy on the show. There is only one problem. She has one major loose end to tie up at home.

When she confronts Holden about the problem, he basically holds her hostage. He feels she needs to be there because her family has major problems happening that they never told her about (and blame her for not knowing), so he makes her live with him for a few months before he gives her what she wants. But of course, you know what happens with things like this!

Likes:

Lots of fun banter.
Fun to listen to and made me smile throughout.
Her inner voice made me laugh.
I love the cover.

Dislikes:

I just don’t understand the reason her family was so mean to her and excluded her from everything then blamed her for it.
Holden’s secret was crazy big. WTF did he expect to do with it? That’s something that will ruin someone’s life.
I found her to be immature and whiny at times and just never fell for her.
I thought Holden was an asshole, and he had a hard time winning me over, though he did by the end.
I just don’t get why he never even tried to contact her over 5 years. He’s the asshole who took a girls virginity while she was so fucked up she blacked out, especially if he had feelings for her.
Some repetitiveness.

The Narration:

Though they both sounded familiar to me, according to audible, this was my first experience with both narrators, but I absolutely loved them both and thought they enhanced the story.

The Down and Dirty:

I enjoyed listening to the book even though a lot of the subject matter kind of pissed me off. I just couldn’t understand why she was treated so shitty by her family and why he would hold a secret like that from her for 5 years. That isn’t the mark of someone who cares about someone else. Still, the funny inner monologue and banter still made this an enjoyable read. I wanted so much to love it though, and just never connected and fell in love with either character.