The Words Shimmer

By: Jenn Matthews

Narrated by: Rachael Beresford

Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Yorkshire anatomy lecturer Ruby Clark considers her life low-maintenance. She teaches at the local university, has two well-behaved teenage daughters, and what she doesn't know about human anatomy isn't worth knowing. Unfortunately, that knowledge doesn't stretch to plants, and she's been asked to help out on a school garden project.

Being a paramedic doesn't do Melissa Jackson's back or knees any favors, so she's looking into university courses to try a less strenuous line of her work. But the brash, proudly out, down-to-earth woman's biggest challenge is keeping her dyslexia a secret. That, and living down the stigma that follows her when people find out.

A university open day throws the two women into each other's orbits. When Mel, an expert green thumb, makes a few helpful suggestions on Ruby's garden project, Ruby convinces her to team up to make it a success.

Personality-wise, they couldn't be less compatible. Mel's brazen attitude, cocky jokes, and affinity with earthworms immediately rub the hyper-professional, straight-laced Ruby the wrong way. Can they ever find common ground?

Contains mature themes.

©2019 Jenn Matthews (P)2019 Tantor

Great story

Loved the main characters
Great storyline addition wity dyslexia
Felt the feelings
Nice build up of romance

adorable

loved the narrator's style of reading. very well written. cute and a bit refreshing after some of the lesbian romance novels I have been reading

Sweet love story

This is a super sweet live story. I love how they built the characters relationship up. And I love the over 40 representation of women and the affects it does to our bodies.

Great story especially for teachers

It is time for us to understand dyslexia, and this book being a wonderful story for us older women, helps to understand it. Rachel Beresford dose a great job narrating it as well.

Excellent!

I loved The Words Shimmer. What a great story. I loved the interaction between Ruby and Melissa and loved the kids making a garden. The one takeaway from this book is that you don't know what the person sitting next to you is going through. Be gentle, thoughtful, respectful and kind.

3.5

3.5

Spicy: 1/5
TW: homophobia

Ruby, a mom of 2, Chloe and Jasmine, is a nurse who teaches anatomy to Nursing students. Ruby has been voluntold to complete a community project she has no interest in, nor working with young kids. The community project is a garden for young kids to learn where food comes from. Thankfully, she has struck up a strange relationship with Mel, an older student at her university, who might be able to help her pull off this project. During their time together, feelings start to arise, and Ruby suffers from a moral clause of dating a student (not her student) plus having Mrs Denzie breathing down their necks anytime Mel and Ruby look at each other, let alone touch. Will this be the end of her career? Will she choose love over fear?

Mel is returning to school at 47 and happens to meet a stuck-up woman named Ruby on her first day. Despite the rather rude and strange encounter, Mel founds Ruby intriguing and attempts to befriend her. While trying to make Ruby feel better, she gets roped into helping with the community garden due to her long Gardening history. Will Mel be able to keep it professional, or will she crumble and let Ruby’s attraction get to her?

Mrs Denzie’s character had my blood boiling. The way she treated her students, especially Michael, had brought up some of my own past experiences. You know it's good writing when emotions start to become strong.

I enjoyed how there was so much diversity in this novel. There were homophobic issues, narcissism, late coming out, learning disabilities (dyslexia), and so much more. It’s a cute read, and I would recommend it.

Weak story line.

I really tried, I listened for a long time hoping this story would become something but it was really just a bunch of conversations strung together that had very little to back them up. The characters are flat and even when they end up agreeing on something they don’t seem connected at all.