Who We Are

By: TJ Klune

Narrated by: Charlie David

Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Bear, Otter, and the Kid survived last summer with their hearts and souls intact. They've moved into the Green Monstrosity, and Bear is finally able to admit his love for the man who saved him from himself.

But that's not the end of their story. How could it be?

The boys find that life doesn't stop just because they got their happily ever after. There's still the custody battle for the Kid. The return of Otter's parents. A first trip to a gay bar. The Kid goes to therapy, and Mrs. Paquinn decides that Bigfoot is real. Anna and Creed do... well, whatever it is Anna and Creed do. There are newfound jealousies, the return of old enemies, bad poetry, and misanthropic seagulls. And through it all, Bear struggles to understand his mother's abandonment of him and his brother, only to delve deeper into their shared past. What he finds there will alter their lives forever and help him realize what it'll take to become who they're supposed to be.

Family is not always defined by blood. It's defined by those who make us whole - those who make us who we are.

©2013 TJ Klune (P)2013 TJ Klune

Why oh WHY do they change narrators in a series?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, but really not a fan of the narrator. One of my favorite series. Love the balance between angst and humor. Especially the seagull chapter.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Otter. I love his protectiveness, his complete happiness with his relationship.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Made a 9 year old boy sound like a flaming queen. Just ick.

Was Who We Are worth the listening time?

Mostly. But I definitely going to reconsider buying a series where the narrators have changed.

Great story, HORRIBLE narrator!

Charlie David should just shut up, he's awful and after having Sean Crisden in the first book, this was a big disappointment.

Good story, narrator needs a dictionary

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Yes. Please re-record with Michael Lesley as the narrator. This narrator had issues. He did an AMAZING job (IMO) on TJ's other books like "The Lightning-Struck Heart" and "Tell Me It's Real."

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator mispronounced or completely misread a number of "big" words the kid and others used. It drove me nuts as I shouted out loud the correct pronunciation or the correct word. "Egregious." "Stead" is not pronounced like a horse ("steed"). Etc.

Could you see Who We Are being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes, I would actually love to see the whole series of 3 books (1 more promised) be made into a short streaming series on Netflix or Amazon. Seriously. Casting would be key though, and the internal monologues might be tough to pull off if not handled correctly.

this story went downhill quick

why is bear stupid and thoroughly neurotic for no reason? why is the kid a jerk now what happened to him being sweet and smart. why does Miss Paquin British? was this book written by somebody else and why did they change the narrator who dies none of the voices correct

Virtually, unlistenable

After loving the first book, this one is virtually unlistenable. The gentleman reading should have listened to book one. I know the characters can't sound exactly alike but they're totally different. It's supposed to be only a few months after the first book but the kid sounds like he's now 17. Otter is now effeminate. And I can't listen past chapter 3.

If you loved the first, you will love the second

If you could sum up Who We Are in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, Funny, Heart-Warming

What did you like best about this story?

The main character's, Bear, witty insight and inner dialogue.

Any additional comments?

There are a lot of things that happened in this book and so I would insist that if you read, Bear Otter and the Kid, you definitely need to read this one.

Great, but just not as good as Bear, Otter and the

A good continuation of lives of Bear, Otter and the Kid. The author does an admirable job of squeezing another instalment from a storyline that wrapped up pretty nicely in the first book.

Not as good as the first book, but a really great end to a cute little love story.

Absolutely adored both the story and the narration

I read Bear, Otter, and the Kid in 2012 and absolutely loved the beautiful story of family and love. I'm not sure why it took so long for me to get to Who We Are but when I was looking for a new audio book to listen to, it seemed a great time to continue the story.

This is a story of Bear and Otter, wrapped in each other's love, facing the next steps in their future.

"....I came back for you, and I promised myself that I was never going to let you go again." He sighs. "All I want is to grow old with you and know that one day, it'll just be you and me, that we'll be able to look back and be proud of what we've done with our lives. I want to know that you belong to me and I belong to you. I love you with everything I have and I can promise you what I'll never ever stop. I couldn't, even if I wanted to. It won't be perfect, Bear, nothing ever really is. There will be days when we are angry with each other, and days where it seems the world is a fucking messed up place, but it won't matter. Because I'll have you and the Kid and you'll both have me....."


The blurb provides a really good indication of the journey this book takes - it's full of love and family, happiness and sadness, heartache and jealously, death and new life - hilarious one minute to warm and sweet the next to shedding tears - definitely an emotional journey!

As far as being a tearjerker, there was a section of this book that had tears streaming down my face as some of the book seemed so relevant to recent events in the author's life. Those of you who know or follow T J Klune will know exactly what I am referring to...

The audio book is narrated by Charlie David and I loved the way he voiced this book. It is obvious that the narration is by an actor. Charlie David really captures the emotion in the moment, not just reading the words from the pages. His pace is quite fast which I really, really like. It is not a slow, dragged out kind of reading, rather a vibrant and engaging telling of the story. I think he perfectly captures the characters and is wonderfully suited to the craziness of thoughts in Bear's head! The sex scenes are fabulous with the voice capturing passion and love. He could be soft and loving, funny and sarcastic, quite, thoughtful.......If you haven't checked out any audio books narrated by Charlie David, do give them a try!

And speaking of other books, there is good news! As we speak TJ Klune is working on the third book in the series. There is no release date as of yet but if the epilogue of this book is any indication, pretty soon we will be hearing more of the Kid!

4.5 Stars 🌟

This is the second book in the series that introduced us to Bear and The Kid (lest us not forget that Otter is also part of this trio). I'm not exactly sure why, but I enjoyed this book even more than the first book. It is still told from Bear's perspective, but there is finally a little bit of stability in the lives of Bear and the Kid.

They have moved into the Green Monstrosity and we get to see everyone's life progress from the utter mess that it was in the beginning. No, things are not perfect. Yes, there is still a whole lot of crap that has to be dealt with but somehow, I was invested. BOY was I invested.

I don't even know how to explain this, but somehow Mr. Klune seems to have a direct line that somehow sinks directly into my heart. He does this EVERY SINGLE Time.

Without going into spoilers, let's just say that there are parts of this book that grabbed me and grabbed me HARD. Honestly, I should just expect it by now. He has a way of making me FEEL each and every emotion with his writing. This book was no different. Just when we felt like things might be leveling out and maybe, just maybe, that things might be on the upswing....NOPE. That should be my warning bell that I needed to stay close to a box of Kleenex's. And boy oh boy did I freaking need those Kleenex's.

UGH....Every. Single Time.

Would I have wanted to not read this book in order to not feel the feels? Absolutely not. It was worth every word. Every single freaking tear. I do not know how he does it, but I have fallen completely and utterly in love with Bear and with Otter and with the Kid.

Truly and utterly in love.

Now, I have to go because I need to read the next book in this series. Heavan help me, I'm not sure if I can take it, but I can't even contemplate not knowing what is coming next.

SO Good!

Any additional comments?

The beauty of these characters is in their imperfection.

And the dinner party. The Dinner Party - God you should read the book, if for no other reason, than the dinner party.

Humor, lots of emotions, a great cast of characters, I enjoyed the narration...recommended!