Imperfect Match

By: Jordan Castillo Price

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

A man whose future is assigned. A heart that yearns to be free.

There’s a reason why Lee Kennedy is still in college - and it has nothing to do with his academic performance. He’s switched his major repeatedly and stalled on his Master’s thesis, but there’s only so much longer he can hold out. And once he graduates, it’s time to trigger the Algorithm.

Everyone in Lee’s family has allowed the Algorithm to match them with a spouse. As has everyone on his block. His neighborhood. In fact, everyone he’s ever known. Pairing with his own Algorithm match seems inevitable...until, at his sister’s wedding, he meets Roman.

The waiter lives in the Taxable District, a neighborhood that’s only a brief train ride away, but feels like another world. The seedy District is governed by different standards - different expectations - so it’s not exactly a surprise that Roman isn’t married. But it’s definitely a shock to taste his lips.

One forbidden encounter leaves Lee questioning everything. He longs for the freedom to choose not only his own partner, but his own destiny. When defying the Algorithm will cost Lee his livelihood, his family and his home, is he strong enough to take another path?

This coming-of-age story will appeal to listeners who enjoy character-driven science fiction. It’s a complete standalone novella.

©2018 Jordan Castillo Price (P)2018 Jordan Castillo Price

The boomers and the tax rats

Another excellent story from JCP. This world is similar to ours but the classes are segregated. This story focuses on the middle class and lower class. The middle class, or boomers, tend to be rude, arrogant and snobbish. The lower class, or tax rats, have less couth and have learned to get what they want primarily through bartering and scavenging. Of course, the stereotypes come through, but Roman and Lee (and Lee's family) don't quite fit the molds. Marriages are determined by an algorithm which matches couples - hetero couples - by DNA comparison. How cool is that? Well, not the hetero couple matching and I wouldn't want to live there or anything, but the imagination to create such a place just boggles my mind. There is, of course, more to it. Lee and Roman make a pretty good couple. I think Lee bends a lot more than Roman does but in a good way. As you would expect from JCP, the writing and pacing are tight and the dialogue is interesting and fitting.

John Leslie does a stellar job with the narration. HIs accents and tone work great with the characters and story.

Highly Enjoyable, Great Performance by Leslie

Jordan Castillo Price always finds a way to put a unique spin on dystopian society, and her Imperfect Match is a clever take on predestined mates. There’s wonderful world building in this one, which is no surprise to fans of Price’s other wonderful novels. Imperfect Match stands alone, and makes a fantastic audiobook.

The audio edition is narrated by Joel Leslie, who makes full use of his extensive range of voices. There's a diverse group of characters in Imperfect Match which varies between the highly educated folks of the Benefit Sector and the low income residents of the Taxable District. I enjoyed the snark he infuses in the discourse between the two groups. It made for some terrific scenes, and Mr. Leslie makes the most of Price’s quick-witted dialogue.

There’s a fair bit of tongue in cheek humor centering around the main character, Lee, and his excessive reluctance to committing to a loveless marriage. I enjoyed watching him step outside his cloistered world and find a way out of his predestined future. It takes some real courage, but Lee seizes control of his life and works hard to find his happily-ever-after.

Beautifully written, with interesting characters, and some fantastic love scenes, Jordan Castillo Price’s Imperfect Match is a winner!


an audiobook copy of Imperfect Match was provided to me by the author for the purpose of my review

I loved it

A single kiss can change your future forever…
Lee Kennedy has never stopped to question his reluctance to finish his studies and start a family. Pampered and protected, he’s never wondered how the Tax Rats, the people outside the privileged “boomer” district, live. Sharing a forgiven kiss with Roman Sharp, tax rat and waiter at his sister’s wedding, makes him realise there are deep roots to his reluctance to trigger an algorithm and follow the path he is supposed to. But following his heart may risk his family, his career and his future for good. Is it worth it?
I must recognise I’ve been completely enthralled by this story. In a dystopian society where your status determines your future, Lee goes through a journey to self discovery and acceptance. We find out the particularities of this society at the same time Lee does, although there are things which are only hinted at, not fully explained, that kept me very intrigued (like what happened in the past that led to this new concept of society). The main focus of the book is not the romantic relationship between Roman and Lee, which is really slow burn but plenty satisfactory at the end, it is Lee’s struggle to accept himself and to decide what role he wants to play in his own life. One of the things I liked the most about this story is the fact that there is no judgement, whatever path you decide to take, there is joy at the end. There is a HEA for Lee and Roman, but there is also a HEA for Emma and Howard.
Joel Leslie’s narration was, as always, extraordinary. The anguish of Lee’s situation, his heartbreak, his fear, all those emotions transpire all long the story. The change of pitch and intonation between the posh boomers and the tax rats is also remarkable. It’s been a pleasure to listen to him bringing these characters to life with his performance
I loved it.

My life, my choice, my match

So ... I’m a proud and out geek. 😂 And it’s no wonder that I have always found the future equally fascinating and terrifying. With the rate we are advancing in 21st century, I can’t imagine how advanced we will be in 50 years. And I’m so grateful that Jordan Castillo Price has helped me along with this fascinating and entrancing sci-fi tale. A future when people will be matched with each other by an Algorithm? 😱 Sign me up for this baby! 😁


Lee is a rebel for the lack of a better word. 😁 He’s almost 30 and still in school and unmarried. And that is, well, simply unheard of for a Boomer. Lee can’t come to terms with an idea that the person Algorithm chooses for is his perfect match. And then he met Roman. Roman from taxable district who is wild, free and tempting as F. Roman is everything that Lee isn’t and he longs to taste those lips for just once. But escaping the Algorithm is easier said than done. And it’s even more difficult to follow your heart rather than listening to your brain. Lee has to be braver than ever if he wants a happily ever after with his perfectly imperfect match, Roman. 😌


I truly think Jordan Castillo Price writes one of the best sci-fi books out there mainstream or gay. The ideas are just refreshing and enthralling. I love Lee simply because he’s the blacksheep of the Boomer society. He doesn’t blindly follow rules just because he was told to since he was born. He questions, he finds out the truth for him and he doesn’t let anyone and anything dictates his life. I believe he and the Algorithm truly reflects our current society. It’s always good to have people who rebel just a bit. 😉 This is a slow burn, soul-searching romance that is a bit heavier on self-discovery and sci-fi aspect. And I loved how Lee evolved from a shy little caterpillar to a full-grown out and proud college professor who’s in love with Roman. ❤️ As always, Joel Leslie did an excellent job narrating this story and I was entranced from the very beginning. I recommend this audio to all the nerds and geeks out there who’s still looking for their perfect or imperfect matches. 😉 Loved it! 😘


4.5 my life, my choice, my match stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫




Audio rating

Story - 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Narration - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance- 4.25 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Overall- 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Joel Leslie is a PERFECT MATCH for JCP!!!

This is my second go at this story—the first being an ebook—and Joel Leslie’s narration made the dystopian world JUMP cristal clear into my brain!

Where before I found the world building a bit weak and reliant on our own notions of what a super-controlling and divided dystopian world might look like; here I saw it all with the help of Joel Leslie.

And I’m not discrediting JCP’s writing because it ROCKED! In fact, I’d love to have more stories staged in this world.

ARE YOU LISTENING JORDAN CASTILLO PRICE?? More books in this world!!!


Original ebook review:
What a great, sci-fi novella from the always fabulous JCP! This was so much fun to read and slowly pick up on the interesting world-building she created for us in this futuristic, dystopianesque romance!

It’s a classic divide of the haves and the have-nots. Yet it’s the have-nots who have freedom; the haves live a life dictated by the almighty Algorithm. Although JCP doesn’t truly flesh world out, she relies on reader’s pre-conceived ideas of what living in a completely predetermined society would look like. I’ll give her a pass on this one....but I would have liked more detail in this and of both our MC’s families, since they came from the opposite sides of the tracks, so to speak.

Still, JCP showed us the two worlds rather than telling us about them—something which kept the pacing of the story clipping along.

This work proved fun and light despite the dystopian type setting. We got some heat between our MCs and got to see our Boomer (the haves) lose his V-card quite happily.....although it felt somewhat rushed.

Still, JCP is one of my favorite authors in MM romance and I’ll happily read anything she writes!

Enjoy....I sure did!

Coming of age against the machine

Feels like a story for a class project. It’s interesting what details of modern life make it into the future dystopia & which don’t. Broken windows theory makes it, LGBTQ marriage not so much, as such.

I enjoyed it but I didn’t really understand what the story was about for most of the middle, which made it less engaging for a while.

But aside from a little stranger danger, & frustrating systemic barriers - the real core conflict - it’s a relatively low angst gay love story that is mostly gentle to the readers. Makes it a relatively safe pandemic read for all it’s a post pandemic dystopia.

Steam: Low until it’s hot & bothered. Slow/no burn as upper crust hero sorts out his privilege to better accommodate his desired mate, which pays off in a deeply pleasing reunion.

Narration: steady.

Modest MM romance

Imperfect Match is a scifi MM romance set in the future where there’s a cultural divide between the haves and the have-nots. This takes place after a plague of some sort has reduced the population, and the rich with all the social benefits (called “boomers”, and it’s not kind slang) are expected to participate in compulsory heterosexuality. They learn sex education in school in a very clinical way so they can produce two children, ideally a boy and a girl. Our hero, Lee, is a boomer. The other group of people, the highly-taxed “tax rats” live near boomers and instead of ash, they barter goods. Like any good opposites attract romance, Lee’s love interest, Roman, is from this other group of people.

When Lee and Roman first meet, Roman is pushy, and I didn’t see how this could develop into a romance. I just didn’t get a good feeling for him as a character. The focus is on Lee and the journey he goes through. He doesn’t want to marry a woman, but he doesn’t want to burden his family or the potential match that is picked for him by the algorithm. He is doing whatever he can to stay in school and not be married. Meeting Roman starts the change that he was meant to take in his life.

At the beginning of the story, Lee is somewhat shy and timid. He is afraid to take what he wants. By the end, though, he has made significant change in his life, and though his path is not the one his family would have expected, the do support him the best way they can. And Lee gets to have the love he wants with Roman.

One of the attractions of this story for me was narrator Joel Leslie. If he’s your narrator, you’re going to get something good. He made an artistic choice in this story that I didn’t realize at first was part of the artistry. People like Lee have a specific accent that has sharp, explicit diction. Every time Joel was speaking as a boomer, he would do things like loudly pronouncing the H in “what”. So much respect for him as a performer to put that level of artistry into it.

This story is for MM fans and those wanting to read/listen to a story where someone comes to accept himself. It has a happy ending, as all good romances do, and the world concept is interesting enough to hold attention for the length of a novella anyway.

Disclaimer: I was given this free review copy audiobook and have voluntarily left this review.

I wouldn't mind more!

Imperfect Match was such an interesting story. I really wasn't sure what to expect going in, as Jordan Castillo Price is a fairly new to me author, (I've only read a short story by her), but I knew I'd at least enjoy Joel Leslie's the narration. I'm happy to report I not only enjoyed the narration, I really enjoyed the story as well!
I'm a fan of dystopian tales, and even though this was a short listen/read, JCP created a an intriguing world and characters I came to care about. Lee was quite an endearing rebel, although I'm not sure he'd consider himself a rebel- he was just doing what he could to avoid a situation he didn't care for! Along the way he really comes into his own, which sounds kind of an odd thing to say about an almost 30yo, but considering the circumstances not too surprising.
Meeting Roman triggers something in Lee, making him realize exactly why he's been resisting bending to societial requirements. Roman was good for Lee, opening his eyes, showing him that things could be different.
But I liked how Lee took his time to figure himself out first, before embarking on a new relationship.
I found the end of the story to be really sweet and would have definitely liked a bit more!
And sure, it would have been nice to learn a little more about how their world came to be- how and why society was divided like it was, but overall this was very engaging story.




I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Flawless

4 Blue Roses
4 Blue Flames

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Narrator Joel Leslie delivered a flawless performance of this dystopian paranormal romance.
He has an abundance of talent and is able to perform multiple personalities in a single scene, for example the wedding of Lee's sister.
Different family members, the main characters and even the staff at the wedding. Everyone had a different voice and personality. Not one sounded the same. It's truly a memorable experience if he performs a good book.
Lee and Roman is almost star-crossed lovers. The audiobook drama does not revolve around inner turmoil, but rather overcoming the physical obstacles. The courage to change the way you view the world and admit to yourself and others you can adapt and live happily in an imperfect world.

I recommend this audiobook for when you want to experience a different kind of romance.

Happy Listening

The Impefect Match is the the PERFET MATCH

Jordan Castillo Price can do no wrong in my book when it comes to creativity in her Stories, and how she tells the Story in her unique style with Wit, Heart and Humor. This Author spins a wonderful Story in this novel of a future world that is believable and where Romantic Matches are determined by a Mysterious System that matches couples for life. However, the heroes of the Story are about two Men who are able to transcend the System that would declare our Heroes as Imperfect Matches. Of course, the talented Joel Leslie does his usual magic as Narrator giving voice to the written word and Characters of Jordan Castillo Price. Ms. Price has been blessed also with the gifted Gomez Pugh, Narrator .in the Psych Cop Series!