Love Me Louder

De: Christina Lee

Narrado por: Noah Michael Levine

Noah Dixon is damaged goods. After an accident leaves him physically scarred and emotionally vulnerable, dating isn't in the cards, so he throws himself head-first into his retail job. When he's obligated to attend his best friend's engagement party on Fire Island, it dawns on him he's about to spend yet another weekend feeling totally invisible and alone among a swarm of gorgeous men.

That's when the idea of an escort comes in.

After Will Crossen was forced to put his theater major on hold in favor of two jobs to tackle his ailing mother's hospital bills, he tells himself becoming an escort isn't that big of a deal. It's just another form of acting, right? He doesn't expect his newest customer to be the cheery, overconfident sales associate he avoids like the plague at his day job. Talk about awkward. But what happens on Fire Island stays on Fire Island...especially when a smoldering attraction sparks into flames. But between their jobs, Will's massive familial responsibilities, and Noah's vulnerabilities, they don't stand a chance unless they find a way to let love speak louder than their demons.

Contains mature themes.

©2018 Christina Lee (P)2019 Tantor

Wow

This story is the best love story I’ve read/listened to. You fall in love with each of the characters and then fall in love with their romance.

My melting heart!

I LOVED this one.

We all have insecurities and Noah has them ten fold but what I admire and love is that he dosnt let them control his life. He does let them run wild in his head.. but who dosnt. He is afraid of love and thinks he isn’t worthy because of how much emphasis is out on physical appearance— and he is correct on that one.

Will comes right along and makes his way under all Noah’s defenses.

Super good read!

I should hate it - but I love it!

This story has assembled so many of the things I don't particularly enjoy in contemporary romance - assumptions, misunderstandings, and fish net stockings. Instead, like Macbeth's witches, Lee manages the right recipe to make all these things work - adding in physical scarring, insecurity, family obligations and drag queens. Will is so endearing as he fumbles his way through growth and understanding to find love. Noah takes a bit longer, his journey has been mentally taxing and he is filled with deep rooted feelings of inadequacy and guilt. But he does take the first steps to propel the story to motion by reaching out to an escort agency to help him get through a party weekend with friends.

This is a slightly rough story that ultimately makes the listen more worthwhile. It is hard to imagine how Noah lives in Manhattan from this job at a Pottery Barn style home store. Having been in city retail, I noticed a lot of holes in that aspect of the story, but nothing too egregious. Much like television, there is a lot of license with how people in NYC live. What really matters here is the story, and where this story works is that Lee focuses a lot on feelings, without wallowing in said feelings. These guys have been through the wringer, and they have their defenses, and their lonliness - as well as things that bring them joy. In other words, they often feel like real people, where too often the men in these stories are the stuff of fantasy.

I think the narrator was under appreciated in some reviews. His clear, dry delivery kept this story on track with discernible character voices. Had a Joel Leslie with a lot of vocal antics been the narrator this story would have slipped into complete farce. Sometimes, what the story needs is a steady hand. Levine does that here beautifully.

My primary complaint is the overuse of the misunderstanding/ what I should have said style plot. Lee manages to make it work, but I think she still could have reached her payoff with fewer trips to: I guess he doesn't want me like that.

This is definitely a recommended title.

So beautiful

I loved this storyline. It conveys the message we tend to see ourselves in more of a negative way than most others do. There is truth also because there are those who see imperfections as a negative thing instead of seeing it as what made us who we are today.

Well written

At first I thought this was going to be a story where Noah was secretly in love with his childhood friend, Tony. But I’m glad the story went a different way.
I think the author did a great job of demonstrating the longterm and constant, unrelenting emotional & psychological damage that is often left by disfiguring scars, and showing that as painful as they were physically, the remaining pain is so much worse and can affect every aspect of the persons life.
I also think she did a great job of explaining what schizophrenia is (and isn’t) and how deeply and pervasively it can affect the person and their family and friends, and how delicate the balance can be with medication, as well as how frustrating it can be to find the right combination.

Very sweet romance

Loved the premise and some fun looks behind the scenes we don’t know a lot like drag shows and escort services. Like many of these romances, the author drags out the story, repeatedly repeating the conflict between desire and fear

Sweet story

I started and stopped and restarted this audio a few times due to the narration... but hear me out... Noah Michael Levine has a unique style of narration that takes time to grow on you. I dropped this single narrator title in favour of trying another one in which Noah reads in dual narration, after which I returned to this. Bottom line? I think this narrator is unfairly underrated. Ultimately, I enjoyed this book enough to award 5 stars all round. I don't hesitate to recommend this.

Beautiful, romantic, riveting, hurty and lovely

I loved this story. It had depth and rawness that you don’t get from every story. Both characters are damaged and rough around the edges.

We get to see two broken, and realistically rough and tumble people find a way to fit their broken pieces together and make something beautiful.

The angst level is a tear jerker, there was amusement, and spiciness. I love when characters find a way to help someone who has body image issues learn to love themselves or get started on the path to doing so again.

The narration was spot on! Noah Levine did an excellent job with each character portrayal. I especially loved the way he voice Noah. Swoon.

From start to finish I was entranced and addicted! I love every bit of his voice from inner monologues, amusing moments, spicy scenes and sweet connections.

Excellent audiobook!

Overall excellent!

Well written but not well performed

This is such a good story with one of my favorite tropes! I loved both characters and am glad they found happiness. Truly a sweet story. The narrator did not do it justice. There was no emotion and I had to try really hard to feel it. I couldn’t feel the personalities in his voices. Even the flirty banter fell flat. Disappointing. I likely won’t choose another book with this narrator

good story

It was a sweet romance. It's about connections that go more than skin deep. Narration was good but would have liked a little more emoting.