Audiobook Review: Seat Mates by Cara Bastone
Seatmate is the 3rd book in the Love Lines series by Bastone and it’s just a sweet and funny as the two previous books.
This time around there’s no mistaken calls or texts involved instead the main characters, Sam and Gwen meet via a public bus. They are both on their way back to NYC after spending time with family.
Sam takes this bus ride once a month from his mother’s home back to his studio apartment in NYC. He normally keeps to himself on these rides but he finds himself chatting up Gwen the whole ride.
They have easy chemistry with each other and keep up a funny and flirty banter going in a less than ideal situation. They learn a lot about each other within an afternoon. Same is a physical therapist who needs a break and Gwen is a global trotting blogger/photographer who is trying to back it back in time to bet a rival to win the chance to interview a very famous photographer who Gwen adores.
Seatmate is narrated mostly by Amanda Ronconi (Gwen’s POV) and Zachary Webber (Sam’s POV) with a cast of other narrators voicing smaller characters within the story. The production is full of sound effects (bus, street and other sounds/noises) Some chapters are done in Gwen or Sam’s POV while others are voiced with both Ronconi and Webber as the characters talk to each other. Much like Sam and Gwen’s easy chemistry, Webber and Ronconi mesh well together making for a very enjoyable listen.
I hope there’s more audios in this cute series in the future.
My Ratings:
Story: A
Narrators: A
Jennifer
About the Book:
I have exactly 5 hours and 10 minutes to get from Boston to New York City or the professional opportunity of a lifetime disappears. My only travel option? The second to last seat on a discount bus. Across from the bathroom. Wearing last night’s clothes (don’t ask). All worth it if I can make it in time.
My nerves almost get the best of me but then there he is, sitting down in the seat next to me. Tall. Friendly smile. Bright indigo streak in his brown hair. The perfect distraction. Turns out he’s on his way to reconnect with an old flame. The one that got away. We can both make it on time—just barely—if the traffic keeps flowing.
Playing road trip games, avoiding calls from his mother, and effortless conversation keeps us from clockwatching… until the bus breaks down. And my seatmate turns into my copilot as we wrangle a ride in a car three decades old. And hit all the traffic. And oh, Lord the detours. And somehow I end up careening cross-town on the handlebars of a Citi Bike carrying a box of kittens. (Yeah, don’t ask.)
He’s my hero every step of the way…and I might be falling for him. But what happens when we reach our final destination? Could my seatmate really be my soulmate?
Author: Cara Bastone
Narrators: Amanda Ronconi, Zachary Webber, Josh Hurley, Carol Monda, Corey Allen, Allyson Johnson, Eric Yves Garcia, Tanya Eby, Dina Pearlman
Series: Love Lines #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Audiobook Release Date: March 24, 2022
Publisher: Audible Studios
Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins
Source: Audible Plus Membership (Purchased)
Audio Speed: 1.2x