No Ordinary Life

By: Suzanne Redfearn

Narrated by: Whitney Dykhouse

Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Faye Martin never expected her husband to abandon her and their three children...or that she'd have to struggle every day to make ends meet. So when her 4-year-old daughter is discovered through a YouTube video and offered a starring role on a television series, it seems like her prayers have been answered. But when the reality of their new life settles in, Faye realizes that fame and fortune don't come without a price.

In a world where everyone is an actor and every move is scrutinized by millions, it's impossible to know whom to trust, and Faye finds herself utterly alone in her struggle to save her family.

Emotionally riveting and insightful, No Ordinary Life is an unforgettable novel about the preciousness of childhood and the difficult choices a mother needs to make in order to protect this fragile time in her children's lives.

©2020 Suzanne Redfearn (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Top Pick! From a deeply emotional place, Redfearn writes with a beautiful rawness that captures the emotions of the characters. Steady pacing, heartfelt dialogue and intense conflict make this story an extraordinary read." (RT Book Reviews)

"Redfearn specializes in tales of families in crisis...Fans of Steena Holmes and Amy Hatvany will appreciate Redfearn's family drama." (Booklist)

"Suzanne Redfearn's No Ordinary Life is a gripping exploration of a mother's love and the lengths she'll go to protect her children. Redfearn honestly captures one family's meteoric rise and heartbreaking undoing. Compulsively readable, this poignant story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned." (Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times best-selling author of The Weight of Silence)

loved the narration!

No Ordinary Life was narrated beautifully! It made you fall in love with Molly and her voice!

Another weak female character

I'm disappointed once again in the continuing trend of weak female characters. I found myself rolling my eyes time and time again as the female lead kept making the worst decisions. I couldn't relate to her character and found myself wanting to turn the book off a few times. however I did enjoy the character building of the children and getting a glimpse into the Hollywood child actor scene.

I did find the ending frustrating after listening to the whole book I wanted to hear a little bit more about how the characters ended up.

I personally do not recommend this book

A good story but...

First off, the narrator was excellent at bringing the characters to life. The story in itself is very good but the mother, (Faye), was annoying, wishy washy and most of the time she made things worse for everyone. I was holding onto hope that she would stop being whiny but she never does. She takes pride in the fact her baby girl is working and is financially bringing the family out of debt, but, when her son also joins the acting work force, she offers little praise for him. She is all over the place, and isn't very likeable. I've read other reviews that praise her for being a mama bear, maybe I missed something because I didn't feel this at all. Simply put.. She got on my nerves! However, isn't that what makes a good book? A character you love or even one you really dislike! I don't think anyone will regret purchasing this book and I'm interested to see what other readers thoughts are on the story and characters.

No ordinary life

I loved this book! it shows how deep a mother's love goes and the extent she will go for her children. that riches is not what is important to family.

Great listen

I really enjoyed this book. So different from the murder mysteries and domestic entanglements, etc that seem to be the popular subjects. The narrator was perfect and the story line kept my attention all the way through. Bravo Susanne Redfearn and Whitney Dykhouse. Thank you for this great experience. Cheers!!

Stardom drama

Read the book because of the author and really not a fan of this one… The mom and her spineless demeanor throughout the book made me want to reach into the pages and strangle her. Ugh. She was ridiculous on so many accounts.

I also give two iotas about celebrities and stardom so it didn’t grab me either. Does it suck and there’s tons of money. Yeah.

Oh so much just meh with this one.

Good character development… dad was a complete ahole and showed true to character. Molly sounded cute.

Predictable. Has a quick feel good ending if you need that.

Narration

Great narrator! The mama? What a stooge? She did everything so wrong. Sad. Good lesson for parents.

Captivating and difficult to stop listening to!

I found myself alternating between tears of laughter, tears of sadness, and tears of anger. This book explores the highs and lows of living with sudden stardom, and the ultimate choices that must be made.

I loved this and recommend to all!!

This is the second book from Suzanne Redfearn that I've listened to and I absolutely loved both and this isn't my usual genre that I like. I got to know all the characters and really felt that I was there with them. The narration was exceptionally great!! I knew each character just by the change in voice.
Because of this book, I'm forever a Suzanne Redfearn and Whitney Dykhouse fan!!

Interesting story

That story line was intriguing. I personally did not care for the vulgar language especially in the settings portrayed. Liked twist at end.