Anyone But You

By: Jennifer Crusie

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

For Nina Askew, turning 40 means freedom - from the ex-husband whose career always came first, from their stuffy suburban home. Freedom to have her own apartment in the city, freedom to focus on what she wants for a change.... And what she wants is something her ex always vetoed: a puppy. A bouncy puppy to cheer her up. Instead she gets...Fred.

Overweight, smelly, and obviously suffering from some kind of doggy depression, Fred is light-years from perky. But for all his faults, he does manage to put Nina face-to-face with Alex Moore, her gorgeous, younger downstairs neighbor.

Alex looks great on paper - a sexy, seemingly sane, surprisingly single E.R. doctor who shares Fred's abiding love for Oreos - but a 10-year difference in age, despite his devastating smile, is too wide a gap for Nina to handle.

Ignoring her insistent best friend, some interfering do-gooders, and the ubiquitous Fred - not to mention her suddenly raging hormones - Nina thinks anyone but Alex would be a better bet for a relationship. But the more silver-haired stiffs she dates, the more she suspects it's the young dog-loving doctor she wants to sit and stay!

©2005 Jennifer Crusie (P)2005 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Considered by many to be a romantic comedy classic....the novel is given a note-perfect reading by Susan Ericksen....Also worthy of note: the upbeat, jazzy score." ( AudioFile)

Dog, romance, and fun

Nina Askew is forty, divorced, and newly freed from the last tie to her ex-husband--the stuffy suburban mausoleum of a house they lived in and she always hated. She has a small apartment she loves in the city, the third floor of a divided-up Victorian. She's swearing off men, at least in any way that involves commitment. And today, she's off to the pound, to get what she could never have while married to stuffy, ambitious Guy--a dog. A puppy. A bouncy, energetic, small-breed puppy, who will add joy to her life.

At the pound, there are indeed a whole bunch of happy, energetic, little puppies. And then there's Fred. Fred is a basset/beagle mix where the basset genes clearly prevail. He's a full-grown dog. He's definitely not small. He looks depressed--as if he knows it's his last day, and if he doesn't get adopted, it's the death chamber tomorrow. He's not at all what Nina wants, and she can't leave without him.

It's Fred, after she teaches him to use the fire escape to reach the fenced yard for potty trips, who accidentally introduces her to Alex, the handsome, ten-years-younger ER doctor in the apartment below her. They are both immediately attracted to each other.

She's convinced he's too young, can't be interested in an older woman whose body is starting to sag in a few places. He's convinced she can't be interested in a young guy she regards as a kid, who'll be dealing with medical school debt for some years to come because he's in ER, not some lucrative field like cardiology (his father), ob/gyn (his brother), or oncology (their sister).

What follows is a fun romp, with interesting characters and a great dog. Fred really is the hero here, though Nina's best friend, Charity, and Alex's brother, Max, as well as Norma, the very active and fit 75yo on the fourth floor who has her own "younger man" (in his 60s), also do their parts. It's just a lot of fun. Susan Ericksen, as always, is an excellent narrator.

Recommended.

I bought this audiobook.

I Love Fred

Fred is the funniest Bassett hound I’ve ever encountered. The combination of brilliant narration and humorous writing make this one of my favorite light hearted novels to reread as a pick me up in dismal times.

Fred seals the deal

This was really cute. I agree with another review regarding some of this author's narrators but I think this one was well read. I loved Fred and thought he stole the book. The main character did get a bit whiney about her age, but other than that this is a really fun read!

Loved it!

I am really loving Jennifer Cruise’s books. I only discovered her earlier this year, but so far I have yet to be disappointed. It’s too bad they can’t get more than one narrator, a man and a woman would make it all the better, but I guess they just do what they can. But I loved this book too.

Witty and fun book.

I thought this book was so much fun. I love a book like this that can make me laugh out loud. The dialog between the characters and the interactions with Fred cracked me up. Susan Ericksen did a really great job with the narration. Loved it!

Cute Romance!

Where does Anyone But You rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

What did you like best about this story?

It is a short, light-hearted romp. Just as good as when I originally read the book.

One of My All-Time Favorites

If you could sum up Anyone But You in three words, what would they be?

This is one of my very favoritest romance novels ever. The story is simple yet beautiful. The characters are real. The situations (with the exception of the dog on the fire escape) are entirely plausible. I have read the paperback more than once and bought it on Audible so I could listen to it when I needed to get in a happy space (migraine - couldn't read). I just can't emphasize enough how much I love this book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Anyone But You?

Alex's reaction to Nina in the ER.

What does Susan Ericksen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She really brings depth to Nina's character through her tone.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes - I cried. More than once.

Any additional comments?

One of the most beautiful love stories ever. Jennifer Crusie's best work.

Great writing, real characters, important theme

All the characters had depth, even the dog, and they were likable and full of personality. The themes were great too - like and accept yourself and listen to and accept what others are.

Cute but a little disappointing

This is one of my favorite Jennifer Crusie books but I was disappointed with the narrator. I still enjoyed it but found her treatment of Nina to be a bit on the whiney side. Loved Fred..:)

Funny romance

I think I’ve listened to this book 5 or 6 times since I bought it. It’s the perfect balance between funny and romance. Great!