Audiobook Review – Wanderlust by Lauren Blakely

Wanderlust by Lauren Blakely

Narrated by Richard Armitage and Grace Grant

Standalone Contemporary Romance. Released exclusive to Audible first for 6 weeks.

How does Lauren Blakely do it? She churns out like a book a month and EVERY ONE IS AMAZING. Wanderlust is a bit different for Lauren. It’s a little more romantic and a lot more descriptive than her regular narrative, and focuses more on the location and experience than the snarky banter and humor. Don’t get me wrong, there is still funny, but I wouldn’t classify it as a romcom.

“The first time I met him, his accent nearly charmed the panties off me.”

Mee tooooo! Let me tell you ladies, this is a book I HIGHLY recommend you go for on audio, which it’s on exclusively until the ebook releases March 20. The way Lauren writes, it feels like she writes for audio. Some books don’t translate as well to audio, but Lauren is a listener herself, and she picks the best narrators and really gives them notes to know the characters. Wanderlust is even more special, because the hero not only has a sexy British accent, she got Richard Armitage (google image link) to narrate it! Known for the Hobbit and Wolverine, he was a perfect narrator, and OMG, when he speaks French? Swoon.

I loved Joy. She was a confident, smart, independent American moving to Paris for a position as a chemist. Joy is ready to reinvent herself as this worldly American in Paris, but she didn’t quite realize that her French was basically nonexistent, and her attempt at it got her in some funny predicaments. When a sexy Englishman rescues her, she can’t help but get a little drooly over him. Until she finds out he is off limits, because they will be working together.

“The smile that spreads across my face is wide and radiant.
It’s not a date.
It’s nothing at all like a date.
It’s a friendly outing.
And I can’t wait.”

Experiencing Paris through these young lovers eyes was magical. I felt like I could smell the air, taste the chocolate, see the colors. This one got me in the feels a few times also, and I found my eyes leaking a bit. They were such a great and healthy pair, but he made a promise, and his wanderlust was calling. He could never ask her to wait.

Likes:

More romantic than we are used to from Lauren.
Very descriptive and visual.
I felt like I was transported to Paris.
How smart and independent she was.
I loved her job and found her fragrance hobby fascinating.
The first kiss.
Sigh…I loved Griffin.

Dislikes:

Absolutely nothing

The Narration:

As I said before, holy hell, Richard Armitage! He’s not a narrator, he’s an actor, and he really brought you right into the story. And hearing this British guy speaking French is sexy AF. Grace Grant feels like a real down-to-earth person and I liked her narration a lot. I highly recommend Wanderlust on audio, and I think the narration made it even more special.

The Down & Dirty:

I felt like I went on a romantic adventure with Wanderlust by Lauren Blakely. Lauren is one of my top 3 authors normally, and if she wasn’t already, Wanderlust would have put her there. The strong, smart, determined American and the sexy Brit who can speak multiple languages were just perfect for each other. The switching POV, the pacing and the way the story was framed were also perfect. But my favorite thing was the fact that I felt like I was transported to Paris. Since it might be my only chance to go, I’ll take it!