Drive

Bittersweet Symphony Duet, Book 1

By: Kate Stewart

Narrated by: Wen Ross, Kai Kennicott

Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Nominee for Best Contemporary Romance (Goodreads)

Named one of the Top 10 hottest romance reads of 2017 by Huffington Post and The New York Daily News!

Music...the heart’s greatest librarian.

The average song is three and a half minutes long; those three and a half minutes could lead to a slow blink, a glimpse of the past, or catapult the soul into heart-shattering nostalgia.

At the height of my career, I had the life I wanted, the life I’d always envisioned. I’d found my tempo, my rhythm. Then I received a phone call that left me off key.

You see, my favorite songs had a way of playing simultaneously. I was in love with one man’s beats and another’s lyrics. But when it came to the soundtrack of a life, how could anyone choose a favorite song? So, to erase any doubt, I ditched my first-class ticket and decided to take a drive, fixed on the rearview.

Two days.

One playlist.

And the long road home to the man who was waiting for me.

Drive is the first book in The Bittersweet Symphony duet, an angsty, steamy, white-knuckle ride full of love, loss, and self-discovery. From the bestselling author of The Ravenhood Trilogy Kate Stewart.

©2017 Kate Stewart (P)2023 Podium Audio

I'm Convinced Kate Stewart Wrote This just for Me

Guys, who doesn't love a book about a broody musician and a gal that just inspires him? This book has everything you want... angst, emotions, heartache, success, failure, all of it. It's also a great nod to Seattle in the 90's, which is why I'm in love with it and now in a forever book coma. I wasn't crazy about the voices because in my head they were a bit different, but it wasn't enough to make me stop listening. This book is a rollercoaster. I appreciated the story and the message that love sometimes isn't enough. Did I say I loved it?

So So Good!!

One of my all time favorite stories brought to life in this duet version. So so good, ugh. I'm ready to hurt through this goodness again.

love story

this is a good book if you like love stories. the tropes are a bit expected but it gives what it needs to keep you reading

Fantastic - So Worth the Credit

This is a 4.75 star treasure! Sincerely one of the better audiobooks in the genre.

Cindy Lou

Very captivating heart felt story. Hung on every word to hear how life would turn out in the end.

Drive Haunts Me

Some books stay with me. Something reminds me of a character, a plot twist, or even a gut-wrenching feeling, and I have to revisit the characters like old, beloved friends. I never thought Drive would be one of those books. The blurb turned me off. Plots about rock musicians, the Austin music scene in 2005, a college student/aspiring music critic? As a 75+ grandmother whose music tastes lean toward folk and classic rock of the 60's, I was pretty sure it would go into my DNF pile. Still, I like Kate Stewart's writing, so I gave it a try. It hooked me from the first chapter--another one of those books that kept me up well past midnight. I've read it three times, but I didn't invest in the audiobook until I'd listened to Reverse, Drive's sequel and it gutted me--the best of 2023 so far, hands down. Drive is definitely worth the credit. The main character, Stella Emerson, is a college junior with one passion--rock music. Stella meets and falls in love with two men during the course of the book; Reid Crown, an aspiring song writer/rock musician; and Nate Butler, the 26-year-old owner/editor of Austin Speaks, and ad-driven local newspaper. At it's heart, Drive is about the chance interactions which irrevocably alter the lives of those around us. Drive comes with a playlist, and I've taken the time to really listen to it while reading the lyrics. I have to say that this grandmother's horizons have broadened considerably. I loved this book. There is one thing, though. I only gave the narration four stars because, although Kai Kennicott's voice worked perfectly with my image of Nate Butler, I just couldn't believe his narration of Reid Crown. Kennicott's voice just isn't deep enough, and it distracted me. Not his fault, but it just didn't work for me. Drive is a "must read/listen to first" to make sense of Reverse, the sequel. Reverse is a good read, but it is a great audiobook. Don't miss it.

Great story

Had me sitting on the edge in torment guessing the ending. Only con is although the make narrator did well, I think a different voice should have been used. Maybe Teddy Hamilton or Joe Arden

Such a beautiful love story

Man I love her books. They break my heart. I can’t wait for her next one!

❤️ AN EMOTIONAL & EPIC RIDE ❤️

What a twisted, tragic, beautiful rollercoaster ride.. and I was oh so smug thinking I knew who was waiting at home for Stella and who had just gotten married. However, I soon realized that Kate Stewart had an emotional, heartachingly bittersweet, climatic and mysterious story yet to tell. And she wasn’t going to reveal who was at the end of Stella’s long drive until her self-discovery was settled, until her cast of characters felt character growth, until the past and present chapters had been painstakingly revealed and until all the tears had been shed. It was a wonderful wonderful journey and it was nicely brought to life by Wen and Kai who were great at bringing Stella’s happiness, hurt, heartbreak, awakening, self-discovery, love and true love to life.

Worth a credit? Yes I loved it. It’ll pull you under, it’ll have your heart split in two very different (but equally loveable) directions and it’ll leave you with a happy ever after you’ll want more of.. so luckily there’s books 2 and 3.. yay - happy dance.

Omg

I absolutely loved Ava's version but the duet version takes Drive to an entire other level. The wait for reverse is going to be painful. Love this story so much!!!!