Bear, Otter, and the Kid

By: TJ Klune

Narrated by: Sean Crisden

Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Three years ago, Bear McKenna’s mother took off for parts unknown with her new boyfriend, leaving Bear to raise his six-year-old brother Tyson, aka the Kid. Somehow they’ve muddled through, but since he’s totally devoted to the Kid, Bear isn’t actually doing much living. With a few exceptions, he’s retreated from the world, and he’s mostly okay with that - until Otter comes home.

Otter is Bear’s best friend’s older brother, and as they’ve done for their whole lives, Bear and Otter crash and collide in ways neither expect. This time, though, there’s nowhere to run from the depth of emotion between them. Bear still believes his place is as the Kid’s guardian, but he can’t help thinking there could be something more for him in the world ... something or someone.

©2011 TJ Klune (P)2012 TJ Klune

Loved it!

I loved ir so much I listened to this book twice and Sean Crisden is an amazing Narrator! He totally Brought this story to life! I can’t decide which is my favorite character between Bear, Otter, Tyson, Creed, Anna and Mrs. Paquinne. I found myself laughing at the most unexpected moments. Great Book! ❤️❤️❤️

Contented sigh

Love this book and decided to listen through again because it’s been a while. Narration and story are amazing. Lots of tears and laughter and love and friends and family. Love, love, love Otter.

Corny but Enjoyable

Enjoyed the book! A great gay romance fix. The narrator had awesome voices but his volume would drop off at the end of some sentences and I would miss the last few words. He was still one of the better narrators I’ve heard, though!

Great

This was a rather unconventional M/M love story involving 3 MCs; Derek, who is straight (except for when it comes to Oliver) and Oliver, the older brother of Derek’s best friend. Oliver is gay and has always secretly been in love with Derek but never acted upon it since Derek is straight. Then we have Derek's younger brother, Tyson who is referred to as "The Kid" throughout the book. Tyson is extremely bright for a nine-year-old and it would seem that he is quite adept at taking care of his older brother Derek when the need arises. When Derek was 17 years old his mother abandoned him leaving him with the duty of raising the younger Tyson who is 6 years old at the time.

The book opens three years later with a 20-year-old Derek having adjusted very well to the role of brother/father to now 9-year-old Tyson. At this time Oliver who had moved away for three years decides to return to Seafair, Oregon where our story takes place. Derek, who always had "feelings" for Oliver realizes that he loves him as they are reunited. Derek has to work through his “straight to gay” feelings, oddly enough with the help of his younger brother, Tyson. This situation lends itself to a lot of drama and humor throughout the book as Derek and Oliver both finally begin to put a label on the relationship they have. I'm not usually very fond of children when reading M/M fiction but in this case Tyson was an exception for me as I thoroughly enjoyed his part in the book. His role was usually to contribute what the reader is thinking and would like to interject into the book. Just when it seems like the two young men are making progress expressing their feelings toward each other Derek's homophobic mother suddenly returns and threatens to put an end to the relationship. How can our two young lovers overcome this obstacle that now rests between them? Will Derek be able to keep both Oliver and Tyson in his life?

This is book one of a three-part series. It can be read as a standalone book also but if you're like me you will want to get the second book and probably the third because it is a joy to read. All the main characters and secondary characters are very well written and will capture your heart. I also listened to the audio version of this book and the narration was done by Sean Crisden. Sean is one of those narrators who does a great job with different voices and makes the reader forget that it is all being narrated by one person. On a scale of 1 to 5 I rated this book a solid 5 for both the story and narration and would highly recommend it to fans of M/M fiction.

A little melodrama, but very entertaining

I was only recently introduced to the author's work, but I'm quite grateful for the introduction. This one isn't as light-hearted as The Lightning Struck Heart, which is hilarious and definitely worth a read, but I enjoyed the sometimes serious tone just as much.

While the characters sometimes reacted more melodramatically than I think is realistic, that didn't really cut into my enjoyment of the work. The characters were flawed, hurt, and emotional, but largely believable.

I plan to purchase the next book in this series, but maybe a break between, since I know that these people are emotionally draining.

It's been said that the characters are too selfless, but I don't agree. I've known many people like them in my life, and they tend to gravitate towards each other. Also, when the situation called for it, they all proved that they were capable of putting their needs above others.

Had me in tears

The book kept me up all night because I couldn’t stop. It’s not the first Klune book to get such a high rating but it is the latest. It was an emotional rollercoaster. Anxiety and anticipation, happiness, tears of sadness, and happiness again. It’s somewhat formulaic with the ups and downs but it’s the characters themselves that made it interesting.

Engrossing from step one.

I have to say - before anything else - that the narrator, Sean Crisden, absolutely nailed this one. Every character has a voice, and those voices built upon the characterization that T.J. Klune gave them, and brought them even more to life.

Not that they needed any help. Bear, the Kid, and the cast of characters that surround them (especially Anna and Otter, of course) are so richly designed that they live and breathe for the reader (or, in my case, listener.)

Without giving anything away, the situation is this: At eighteen, Bear is left with guardianship of his younger brother because his mother takes off with her boyfriend. His entire life narrows down to the realization that he needs to take care of his brother - the wonderfully written Kid from the title, who is barely six or so at the time. That his best friend, his best friend's bother (Otter) and his girlfriend Anna are there to help - not that Bear feels he can trust anyone ever again.

This is the crux of the story, that Bear can't open himself up to accept help without mallet to the head, and that trust for him does not come easily.

Also - there's the way he feels about his best friend's older brother - Otter - not that he wants to think about that at all.

T.J. Klune spins a wonderful story here - it's engaging, it's enraging (seriously, Bear is so incredibly infuriating at times, but in a way that makes you keep going), it's sexy, it's emotionally disarming (the Kid is freaking adorable), and - frankly - it's completely engrossing. I was absolutely hooked on this story from step one.

I'm definitely finding more T.J. Klune.

Brilliant narrator, excellent story.

What made the experience of listening to Bear, Otter, and the Kid the most enjoyable?

The narrator was exceptional. I could tell he really got what TJ Klune was trying to do, all the inner dialogue, all of Bear's complexities were really brought to life by him.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bear, Otter, and the Kid?

When the world comes crashing down around Bear's ears and he escapes to the beach and Otter leaves his heartbreaking voicemails. Ack! The narrator did that so well.

What about Sean Crisden’s performance did you like?

I already said, but it seems to me that he really tapped into Bear's character. Be warned though, the second book in the series 'Who We Are' is narrated by one of the worst narrators I've ever encountered on audible. I really wish it could be done over by Sean Crisden.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A Rollercoaster of Angsty Goodness. Lol

Story is great.

Story's great, narrator isn't. The guy they switched to for the second book great and I was bummed he didn't stock around after.

Still, it's TJ Klune so it's worth the purchase for the story alone.

LOVED!!!! I HOPE THEY MAKE THIS INTO A MOVE!!!!

Where does Bear, Otter, and the Kid rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVS OF ALL TIME... I LOVE IT SO MUCH...

What other book might you compare Bear, Otter, and the Kid to and why?

I DONT KNOW IT WAS A BOOK THAT WAS ITS OWN

Which character – as performed by Sean Crisden – was your favorite?

ALL OF THEM I LOVED BEAR ... I LOVED OTTER, AND I LOVE THE KID

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES ... I COULD NOT STOP.....

Any additional comments?

I HOPE THIS BECOMES A MOVIE