Wander and Roam

Wander Series, Book 1

By: Anna Kyss

Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio

Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

In the last year, Abby Bentley has failed out of college and lost her high school sweetheart. Unwilling to return home, Abby signs up to volunteer on an Australian farm, where she can hide away from her family and isolate to her heart's desire. Best of all, no one will care about her past. Abby soon discovers she'll be sharing most of her daylight hours, as well as a very small yurt, with the farm's other volunteer: sexy, flirtatious Sage.

The more hours they spend together, the more conflicted Abby becomes. Torn between a growing attraction to Sage and faltering loyalty to her old boyfriend, Abby escapes to her refuge of writing letters she will never send. When Abby finally reveals her past, Sage's secret about his future threatens their bond. With Abby running from her past and Sage trying to escape his future, can they build a relationship in the here and now?

©2014 Anna Kyss (P)2014 Anna Kyss

Loving Down Under

Wander and Roam by Anna Kyss was a sweet story about losing love and finding yourself. It's a strong contemporary new adult romance. There's not much back story for the main characters though the constant reminder of Abby's loss dragged down the pacing. The relationship developed slowly and then when the story ended, I was ready for the next book to see what happens next.

Arserio's narration was good, varying her voice for the main characters to make it believable. Super Australian accent too!

I review for the Guilty Indulgence Review Site.

Wander And roam

Lovely and tragic romance. I enjoyed the characters and their quest. While I felt so sad, I had a chance to feel deep emotions.

Self-reflection, Discovery, Escape

Would you try another book from Anna Kyss and/or Shiromi Arserio?

Yes, I know Anna Kyss wrote some Fantasy/Paranormal books that sound interesting.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Susan, she seemed really understanding and kind.

Did Wander and Roam inspire you to do anything?

It makes me appreciate life more.

A sweet story

Any additional comments?

Although this genre was very different from what I normally listened to, I very much enjoyed it. It touches into the emotions of loving and losing someone and how life eventually goes on. I will get the next audiobook.

Left me Falling Love and Crying - Great Listen!

Let me start with the narrator which can be a deciding factor to any book that I listen to. It can decide whether or not I will listen to a book from start to finish in a few days or over a lengthy time frame or they are not doing the story justice and I stop listening. The narrator Shiromi Arserio did the book justice. Her eventone voice and the way the story leaves you wondering what will happen next was right on the mark.

Now the story itself. I feel in love with the 3 main characters. The author keeps the listener or reader wanting to learn more about the main character Abby. As the book opens up you think why this young teen throwing away her college career with bad academics. Who is this Robbie? And why are her parents the way they are!

Abby leaves very subtle hints about a relationship with her boyfriend Robbie. What has happen to what seemingly seems to be a bad relationship. However, as the book moves forward keeping the listener/reader guessing till her day in Sydney, Australia with the next main character, Sage. She reveals the reason behind her relationship with Robbie.

Sage as the character meets Abby for the first time.You find yourself falling for him right from the start. How the flushing Abby feelings are confused since she is there in Australia to work on an organic farm to clear her head (okay run away) from her feelings for Robbie. She wanted the solitude to try and see if she could come to terms with the relationship. As she writes letters to Robbie and putting them in these purple envelopes will she send them or are they part of something else?

The next character Susan, the owner of the organic farm. She is a good grounding character between Sage and Abby. Her young and good advice leaves Abby thinking she is butting in to get her and Sage together. But, as the story winds down becomes the friend that Abby never thought she could have. Learning the backstory to Susan's life on the farm.

So as to not spoil the listen/read this book actually had me welling up with my own emotions of losing a love one. This book really caught me off guard (in a good way)and at the end of the listen hoping for more of Sage and Abby coming in Book 2. At least I hope they are part of the next book. But, leaving the reader with the feeling there is always a second chance in life's loves.

Solid New Adult Story Set in Australia

Any additional comments?

Wander and Roam: Wander Series, Book 1 by Anna Kyss is a sweet story about lost love and rediscovery of oneself. I'm a big fan of Anna's fantasy series,The Underground Trilogy (Wings of Shadow and Wings of Memory, so far), and this story is a worthy entry into contemporary new adult.

The story centers around Abby who is kicked out of college for failing to attend classes after losing her high school boyfriend. To help mend her broken heart, Abby volunteers on an Australian farm, where she meets Sage who is also running away from reality. They inevitably form a friendship, with Sage slowly pulling Abby out of her shell. The best part of the story is when Abby finally realizes that "'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all," which just happens to be one of my favorite quotes by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Unlike Anna's other books, I had a hard time connecting with the characters. We are not given much back story for either of the lead characters, and Abby's angst and feelings of hopelessness gets tiring. It reminded me a lot of how Bella lost herself while missing Edward in the second Twilight book. Also the story just ends. I have a good idea of what will happen in the next book in the series, and perhaps it would be better to include both books in one volume?

Shiromi Arserio's narration was solid. She had differing voices for both male and female leads and she did a very convincing Australian accent. Good job!

Wonderful story

Where does Wander and Roam rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's one of my top books that I've listened to.

What about Shiromi Arserio’s performance did you like?

I loved how she brought the characters to life in my head as I was listened to the audio book

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

This book made me fall in love with these two characters to find out the secret Sage was hiding floored me.

Any additional comments?

This story is simply amazing and one you do not want to miss