Eye of the Beholder

Stone Springs, Book 1

De: Gracie Ruth Mitchell

Narrado por: Hope Shangle, Dillon Sickels

One girl. One boy. One bargain…

Mina
Look, I’m no social butterfly. I don’t care what the extroverts say—talking to people is scary. I’d rather hang out with my books than actual human beings. Books don’t call you names or dump water over your head in the cafeteria.

But high school is almost over, and I’m realizing I have nothing to show for it but good grades. I need to come out of my shell if I want to get the attention of a certain football player, and I’m going to need help. My neighbor Cohen is the man for the job. Sure, his attractiveness makes me nervous, and yes, he smells obnoxiously good all the time, but it’s fine. I’ve got this.

I mean, probably.

I’ve probably got this.

Cohen
Mina’s got a thing for my buddy Jack. I’ve got a thing for getting into a good college. My plan is simple: I’ll help Mina get Jack’s attention if she’ll tutor me for the ACT. No big deal, right? But working with Mina isn’t going to be easy. Her social skills are iffy at best, and don’t get me started on her (lack of) flirting skills. It’s a good thing she makes me laugh, because we’re going to be spending a lot of time together…

©2020 Gracie Ruth Mitchell (P)2024 Dreamscape Media

Absolutely adorable in every way! 🫶✨🌼

I first read this book about 2 years ago on KU and loved it so much. But I am mostly an audiobook listener as my way of reading now, so when I saw that it was available on Audible, I immediately had to snatch it up! I have had the audiobook for about 3 weeks now and have listened to it 3 times so far… It’s just that easy on the ears and leaves your heart swooning every time! 🥰

🦻Let’s start with narration since good narration always enhances a story—
Hope Shangle and Dillon Sickels weren’t narrators that I knew before, but I really enjoyed both of them! They both had excellent expression, and their tones were perfect for high school voices and pleasant to listen to.

📖 Now for the story itself—
Gracie Ruth Mitchell’s story of two teen neighbors, Mina and Cohen, accepting and loving their own uniqueness is smartly and beautifully written. Although you know that romances will go a certain way, this one’s dialogue and events feel fresh and interesting. The characters are genuine and relatable with all their doubts and hopes that are a part of everyone’s high school experience. Thankfully though, there wasn’t unnecessary angst or drama or immaturity (which can sometimes plague YA characters) so the story was still enjoyable for someone who is in her 30s and a while past high school (aka: me 😉.) And I appreciated that there wasn’t explicit content. I loved that Mina, who gained so much confidence, was always feminine and introspective. Personally, I’m a lover of floral too, so I think we could have been friends! Cohen won me over easily with his humor and vulnerability as we see him deal with his changing family dynamics. It’s clear from pretty early on that they are a perfect match, so there is a delicious build up of tension before we finally get a kiss… But let me tell you, when feelings are finally laid out on the table, there is definitely pay off!! 😍🤩💫 I am giving this book 5stars, actually 5 wildflower bouquets! 🌼🌷🪻🌸🌻

I have the next book in the series which features Cohen’s sister on my TBR list and I can’t wait to dive into this world again as well as check out some of Gracie Ruth Mitchell’s other works!