Charlie Sunshine

Close Proximity, Book 2

De: Lily Morton

Narrado por: Joel Leslie

Sometimes love is a lot closer to home than you think.

Charlie Burroughs can’t keep a man. All he wants is a good relationship like the ones he sees his friends having, but none of the men he picks ever work out. Despite him trying to be the perfect boyfriend, the men are either threatened by his looks or his epilepsy or a combination of the two. It’s lucky that he has his best friend, Misha, to turn to. The two of them are closer than peas in a pod and fiercely loyal to each other. He can’t imagine his life without Misha in it.

Misha Lebedinsky is the complete opposite of his best friend. Being the support system for his mum and twin sisters leaves Misha with neither the time nor the inclination for a relationship. Quick and frequent hookups are his favorite means of communication, and any other pesky emotional needs he has are met by Charlie, whom he’s devoted to. He lives a life of happy compartmentalization with no intention of ever changing.

All of this changes when the two best friends move in together. Being in close proximity means that they suddenly start to see each other in a very different light. But Charlie struggles when his drive to be the perfect partner clashes with the fact that he’s in love with a man who knows every little thing about him. And even if he can get past that, can a relationship ever work with a man who’d need a dictionary to tell him what love means?

From best-selling author Lily Morton comes a love story about a sunny librarian who has relationship written all over him and a cynical banker who doesn’t even have it in his blurb.

©2020 Lily Morton (P)2022 Lily Morton

Friendship Shines in Sweet Best Friends Love Story

This sweet, steamy, and angst-free best friends-to-lovers romance between "relentlessly cheerful" librarian Charlie and his grumpy flatmate Misha is an easy and enjoyable listen.

The snarky banter and genuine caring and affection between the two as friends first really shines. Misha is wonderfully defensive of Charlie (the red knickers...) and once they've coupled up, they're refreshingly open with their emotions and talking things out.

The deepening of their relationship from longtime friends to boyfriends is deliciously steamy and without complication, and watching Misha fumble through dating for the first time is pretty adorable. Charlie's health (he has epilepsy) is presented respectfully and as an aspect of his life rather than a central focus of the story.

Narrator Joel Leslie delivers a solid performance here, with convincing British accents and female voices. The fairly subtle difference between Charlie's and Misha's voices was enough to differentiate.

This book totally works as a standalone. The cover is striking but I'm still not sure who it's supposed to be given the character descriptions (a slight pet peeve). I received this free review copy audio book by request and have left this honest review voluntarily.

Sweert Sunshine!

Charlie is such a doll, how could anyone not love him???
This was a sweet friends to lovers romance. Charlie and Misha have been friends forever, but both were pretty oblivious when it came to their feelings for each other. But once Charlie moves in with Misha, those long suppresed feelings finally start showing themselves.
I liked that there wasn't a lot of drama with these two. Yes, Charlie had a little bit of a freak out, but it was understandable, considering how he'd been treated in the past by boyfriends. Although how he thought Misha would act that way was a little silly of him. But hey, you're gonna feel how you're gonna feel!

Joel was Joel, another great job.

Can't wait for Felix and Max's story!

Brillantly Performed!

I enjoyed this book. It's not my favorite from Morton, but it's got all of the terrific dynamics and fantastic witty & biting banter that makes her so well-loved. The forever oblivious ongoing state of these two friends grew a little long for me when I'd read it in the past. However, after recently listening to Joel Leslie's brilliant narration those small grumbles easily fell away and I simply became immersed in the story. Leslie's performance really breathes life into these characters and helped to evoke a connection that I was missing before. Loads of fun to listen to - highly recommend the audio!

Right in front of each other

Charlie has a Sunshine persona. One he displays as he feels needs to be just so in order to be in a relationship.
Misha is his best friend who is a grump compared to him.
When life forces them to live together, they slowly come to realsise what has been right in front of them all along.

This being a best friends to lovers story, the plot is low angst but full of feels, care and passion.
I love how Misha grew as a character and was the perfect support system to Charlie.

The narration was done amazingly well and each character was brought to life splendidly.

Full Smiling Heart

I love most romance novels especially the ones without graphic sex, I love romance. In the L Morton books I have read the most important thing i really enjoy is the delightful banter and humor. I live in an age of CNN and MSNBC and Fox. But I most treasure my time with the friends I have made within Charlie Sunshine and LM’s other books.

Another Great Romance!

A book by Lily is an automatic buy because her books never disappoint. This book is no acception. As always, this romance is sweet and filled with laughter. Very enjoyable, as always.

enjoyed it

Would I listen to it again: yes
Did the story keep me engaged: yes
Was I invested in the characters: yes

📖 Story comment: Good pace, likeable characters, nice flow.
I liked the way Charlie's character was written, I've had no experience with someone with epilepsy, but I like the way it was handled with no "magic fix".

🎧 Narrator comment: Joel Leslie doing what he does best, nailed the characters and their personalities and bought the story to life. Overall an enjoyable performance

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough • 5 enjoyed it • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4⭐] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4⭐] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5⭐] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75⭐] • 10 own it in all formats [5⭐] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5⭐]
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so good

This is a book about opposites attract and best friends turned lovers. Charlie, who is mostly sunshiny, and Misha, who is not sunny at all, have to navigate around the obstacles of being best friends to lovers and overcoming insecurities. They have the cutest relationship as friends and as boyfriends. This is a really good story with an excellent narrator.

friends to lovers

Both Charlie and Misha suffered from head in the sand syndrome, refusing to see what was in front of them. It was so hard to see Charlie struggle to be the sunshiniest perfect boyfriend, convinced that it was the only way to keep one. I really empathized with his feelings of frustration and inadequacy from his chronic health condition. And Misha, bless his heart. His lack of relationship experience want he often lead with flippant when honesty and emotion were needed. They had a rocky road, but finally found their way. Joel Leslie is a Rockstar narrator and this book is no exception. I read the ebook previously and am so glad to experience the story in audio. Another outstanding performance by both author and narrator.

Engaging, Entertaining, and Everything You’d Want

Charlie Sunshine is the story of two best friends who are so oblivious to the fact they're perfect for each other. I could leave it there, but it's also so much more.

Charlie Sunshine is the nickname of one of the main characters because that's the version of himself he shows the world. It's the version he thinks they want. Misha is his best friend and new roommate. He's solid, dependable, and very much an eternal bachelor, which is the opposite of Charlie.

It's very obvious to everyone and a surprise to no one how the story ends, but that's not the point. The point is the journey, and this one was heartfelt, imperfect, and has everything I want in a romance—excellent writing, wonderful character development, and personal growth.

Joel Leslie did a marvelous job with this audiobook. I cannot imagine anyone doing it better. He brought them to life in such a raw, powerful way that pulls you into the story and doesn't let go. Every time I hear him narrate, it reminds me how much I enjoy his work and makes me want to hear more of it!