Audiobook Review: Dinner at Fiorello's by Rick R. Reed

Henry Appleby has an appetite for life. As a recent high school graduate and the son of a wealthy family in one of Chicago’s affluent North Shore suburbs, his life is laid out for him. Unfortunately, though, he’s being forced to follow in the footsteps of his successful attorney father instead of living his dream of being a chef. When an opportunity comes his way to work in a real kitchen the summer after graduation, at a little Italian joint called Fiorello’s, Henry jumps at the chance, putting his future in jeopardy.

Years ago, life was a plentiful buffet for Vito Carelli. But a tragic turn of events now keeps the young chef at Fiorello’s quiet and secretive, preferring to let his amazing Italian peasant cuisine do his talking. When the two cooks meet over an open flame, sparks fly. Both need a taste of something more—something real, something true—to separate the good from the bad and find the love—and the hope—that just might be their salvation.

Listening Length: 7 hours and 11 minutes
Narrator: Joel Leslie

I had to cogitate on this one for a couple of days before I wrote my review. I wanted to come at it from the right perspective to make sure I do it justice and still make sense about what did and didn’t work for me. I came to the conclusion that I needed to look at Dinner at Fiorello’s as more of a coming of age book for Henry and a coming to terms book for Vito and not so much a romance between the two of them. And there was romance, definitely, but it wasn’t front and center to the overall story to me. Once I did that I could appreciate the story for how well it was written and narrated.

I really liked Henry from the very beginning. He’s a rich kid with, what seems like, every advantage, but he doesn’t have it easy. His mom is disconnected, his father is a selfish egotist and his best friend turns out to be a total shitheel. His father is grooming him to become a lawyer just like he is while Henry’s passion lies in the kitchen and the food he can create. He so desperately wants to explore this side of himself and he sees the summer after graduating as possibly his only chance. Then you add in the fact he hasn’t come out to his family and the kid is under a lot of pressure. I say ‘kid’ because he’s 18, but he really is a mature 18 with a pretty grounded sense of self. He didn’t read older than that though, the author balanced enough angst in there to keep his age real.

This was the strongest part of the story for me. The whole thing could have just been about Henry and I would have eaten it up. He was written and narrated so well I had the urge to befriend and protect his character from the baddies, former best friend who shall not be named, I’m looking at you here. I also celebrated his victories with him and when he found the inner strength to be true to himself I was all kinds of happy. I have to say though, I was sad for his friend too. The kid was messed up and obviously torn about his feelings, BUT, you don’t do that shit to my Henry, not cool. I also really liked the narrator’s voice for Henry, it fit perfectly and captured all the emotion without being over the top.

I’m not really sure where to go with Vito. His story is frickin’ heartbreaking and listening to it was just plain sad. I get it, his loss was overwhelming and not that far in the past so it all made sense. I could see why he’d be attracted to Henry but as the story moved on and Vito compared Henry to his former husband on more than one occasion it made me feel like Vito was really not ready for this and Vito readily admits that he isn’t. Again, that all made sense, I think I had just gotten so attached to Henry, that I wanted more for him.

The author made the city of Chicago and its surrounding areas, which I have never had the pleasure of visiting, into another character in the book. I really could visualize every setting clearly and that added to the story in a meaningful way. The narrator does a great job with the Italian accents in the story. Accents can really be a make or break for an audiobook and Joel Leslie made it seem effortless, making it easy to listen to. I really enjoyed the narration throughout, if I’m on the fence with an audiobook in the future and see that he’s narrating, I’m adding that one to the cart.

So, while I was a little torn on how I felt at the end, besides kinda sad that is, I’m glad I waited a couple of days to get my perspective straight. I think if I’d have had more time with them together when I knew Vito was all in, then the romance would have worked better for me. But, I enjoyed Henry and his story so much, I was able to let that go a little and just root for Henry and where he was going. I ended with lots of optimism for him personally even if I wasn’t completely feeling it for Henry and Vito together. I give them a cautious HFN with lots of hope because that’s what Henry wants and deserves. Vito just better appreciate what he’s got there, that’s all I have to say.

For more info on Dinner at Fiorello's and where to get your copy head over to Dreamspinner Press.

**a copy of this audiobook was provided for an honest review**

Review: Signs of Life by Melanie Hansen

A Resilient Love Story

Successful lawyer Jeremy Speer has it all—a loving husband, a beautiful home, and a cherished dream that’s about to become reality. He’s learned not to take happiness for granted, meeting the challenges of life and love head-on with unwavering commitment and fierce devotion. A series of tragic events leave Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain. He’s able to piece his life back together, but instead of embracing it, he merely exists, using isolation and punishing physical exertion to keep the world at bay.

High school teacher Kai Daniels has a heart for at-risk kids—he was one himself, and a teenage brush with the law and some troubled years behind bars left him scarred inside and out. With courage, hard work, and the support of friends, he’s built a fulfilling life that leaves no time for a relationship.

An intense encounter with Kai at a gay club ignites a spark in Jeremy that he thought was extinguished forever, but he’s unwilling to destroy the fragile peace he’s managed to create, and he leaves Kai humiliated and disappointed. Things should have ended there, but a bizarre occurrence brings the two together in a way neither of them expected.

I seriously thought the first chapter of this book was going to kill me. It says in the blurb "A series of tragic events leave Jeremy shattered, adrift on a sea of unimaginable pain," and boy did it - but it also left me adrift on a sea of pain.

 Pain for Jeremy.

So much pain.

How I made it through the chapter in one piece I'm not entirely sure.We see Jeremy cut down to a mere existence from someone who has everything he wants. And it's hard to read, so hard. I grieved with him and felt the impossibility of moving on. Part of me wanted to crawl into his existence with him.

Except, if you are alive you owe it to yourself to live, not just exist.

Kai is perhaps the exact opposite of Jeremy. Where Jeremy has led a fairly privileged life, Kai is only where he is for virtue of having someone help him make the right decisions as a teen and to get him off the path he was travelling. He gives this back to the community in which he lives. He wants to help. Kai is so full of life. He gives and gives, without being a pushover. Where Jeremy felt closed in, shut up, curled around himself, Kai felt open and alive.

This book is so well written, every emotion is magnified a million times. I cried and I laughed and I loved with these characters. The characters were given time. They were given the right to make errors, to react to situations in a human way, and I really liked this. It is often the case in books that pain and angst and difficult times are dealt with easily - which is great for a bit of escapism. This book offered the escapism though, but with something else. It offered real emotions, not just  words on a page.

It offered a cast of characters rich in personality and character. Fully rounded.

It offered time.

It offered pain and happiness.

It offered hope - not just for the characters, but for the reader too.

Writing a review that doesn't come with a deck load of spoilers is hard for some books, and this is one of them. I would recommend it to everyone, just have tissues at hand!!

Find out more at Goodreads.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Glass House by Suki Fleet

At seventeen, Sasha is a little lost and a lot lonely. He craves friendship and love, but although he’s outwardly confident, his self-destructive tendencies cause problems, and he pushes people away. Making sculptures out of the broken glass he collects is the only thing that brings him any peace, but it's not enough and everyday he feels himself dying a little more inside. Until he meets Thomas.

Thomas is shy but sure of himself in a way Sasha can't understand. He makes it his mission to prove to Sasha that he is worthy of love, and doesn't give up even when Sasha hurts him. Little by little Sasha begins to trust Thomas. And when Sasha is forced to confront his past he realises accepting the love Thomas gives him is the only way to push back the darkness.

This book is basically Suki Fleet doing what Suki Fleet does best. That is taking broken characters and helping them mend. Making us, the readers, love them enough that they heal. I swear I am the WORST unicorn friend sometimes, because I barely give the others a look-in when a Suki Fleet novel comes in for review. The Glass House is another example of this author at her finest. So, sorry uni's, I think I gave you like five seconds to claim this one for review but...as Ann says, better ask forgiveness than permission and so please forgive me (I feel no guilt so guilty at claiming this fab read).

By the end of the first sentence I knew I was going to love Sasha hard. The wall he has surrounding himself is so thick and cold, like the glass he sculpts with, it's pretty much impenetrable. Sasha is the kind of person you know has so much depth if you can just get under his layers and I love how Suki manages to do this. It's not easy insta-reveal, but a slow, natural uncovering of this hurting being. 

We can tell his past is complex and hard and this has helped form the attitude he faces the world with. It would be so easy to make a character like Sasha a stereotype, but Suki Fleet manages not to do that. She makes him real. Every aspect of him...this is a trait she manages for all her characters. Whether I as a reader like them or not, they are all very real.

Again Thomas is a wonderful MC. He has warmth and light, and I love that he fought his natural shyness to get to know Sasha. I love that he wanted to see more than the superficial outer layer of Sasha, but instead needed to see through to the real him. As their friendship developed and slowly became more I relished how protective they became of each other. For neither of them was this an easy relationship - as friends or lovers - but they were invested in it and I loved that.

In his own way Thomas experienced loss of love as much as Sasha. The shiny, homely house and warm loving nan couldn't quite hide the fact that he was alone too in many ways. We look at Sasha and his circumstances and judge him as poor Sasha, look at the crap hand he's been dealt - and it really is. Thomas on the other hand, you see the good and not the pain of loneliness and parental absence. It feels like neglect to me, just in a different guise to usual.

I always like the setting of Suki's books and this was no exception. I find the cold, damp flat Sasha and his sister occupy so easy to imagine. The cold concrete and ugly seventies exterior. Soulless. Desolate. It fit so perfectly the character of Sasha and I could virtually smell the dampness and see the mould. This applied to to the warm little estate house Thomas and his nan occupy. Cosy, homely and full of love. In both cases the setting matched the character beautifully.

Talking of Thomas' nan - I ADORED her. With her paper-cutting and love. It's more than I can say for the parents' of the piece. Thomas', their important jobs (and they were important but still, they chose to have a child) and Sasha's sorry-excuse for a mother. I had no pity for her. Some people generate their own bad luck, and the healthy dose of self pity with every sentence she uttered made me hate her all the more.

It all fitted together so well - the characters, the setting, the storyline. Suki Fleet writes books with heart, with characters to love and to root for. The kind of book that stays with you long after you've read the last page. Recommended to everyone.

A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.

To find out more, check out Goodreads.