Hop on the Bus

First Love Is Never Easy

By: Jason Caldwell

Narrated by: AC Oliver

Length: 3 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Gus has big dreams. The gifted musician wants to follow in his father's and grandfather’s footsteps and become a Marine and join the Drum and Bugle Corps. But for a young man of limited means, that could prove difficult. A lifetime of adversity and self-doubt could easily dissuade Gus, a young man on the autism spectrum, from trying, but a unique opportunity soon presents itself and encourages him to move out of his comfort zone for the first time in his life.

Shannon Poplin is a popular young musician. She and her father have earned quite the reputation for their stellar performances for veterans and those who live in senior homes. But the recognition Shannon has gained doesn’t shield her from a shocking betrayal by her mother. In fact, it forces her to use extra scrutiny when interacting with everyone. Unfortunately, Gus falls into that category. If he doesn’t muster up the courage to ask to join Shannon and her father, his chance for grants and scholarships to attend University of Colorado Boulder to study music may be deterred. Will Gus overcome his self-doubt and try to build a relationship with Shannon?

©2020 Jason Caldwell (P)2021 Jason Caldwell

A story that touched my heart

Warning:
For those of you that truly undersand the trials of having a disability this story will reach you emotionally in some way.

There were many times during the story that I found myself wanting to cry either happy tears or sad ones. Gus goes through so much, but refuses to let it completely get him down. He keeps moving forward towards his goal by stepping out of his comfort zone one step at a time. He may not have the words exactly, but he has the heart.

AC Oliver does a totally awesome job of reading this book. He not only gives each character their own voice, but you will feel the different emotions or connections that each situation calls for. One of my favorite parts is when pop to Gus's absolute horror shows up to help deal with the bullies. I just had to chuckle while listening. On the other end of the scale I had to cry during a very touching part when Gus gives Shannon her gift. What gift you ask? Well, read the book to find out and let AC Oliver take you through the tale! You won't regret it!

I do hope there will be more to the series.

Heartfelt

This book was emotional to read because of the struggles Gus faced being a high school senior with high functioning Aspergers. He knows he is different from the other students.He is bullied for his differences. He is a skilled trumpet player. Shannon is a fellow student who befriends Gus. She invites him to join her family's band. Their relationship develops into something more. The author was able to provide what life is like for Gus from his pov. I appreciated this because it is authentic and real for someone living with autism.
Narrator AC Oliver brought authenticity to Gus. He voiced the characters well.

Once I started, I had to finish

Excellent performance, the narrator has great voices and you definitely knew who was who.
Story was really good too, I got emotionally attached to the main character, it was relatable, it was a feel-good heart-happy type of story that I needed after this hard year. I love a first person narrator and AC Oliver drew me in. Definitely cried at some points.
Looking forward to more from the narrator and I’ll be spending a credit or two on Jason Caldwell.

Loved it

I really enjoyed this sweet story of young love. It was an enjoyable listen.

Great Book-1 reservation

I really liked the idea for the story. Great character building and the author did well using unpopular, “broken”, normal, likable people! I like how the characters seemed to grow and were able to have good conversations. I was cheering them on.

However, I won’t be recommending this book to anyone I know personally due to the sex scenes. It was not just an inference-there were details shared that were not necessary to the beautiful story. I believe a “coming-of-age” story does not need the characters to have sex. Young people are able to grow and mature and know that sex is a huge decision that perhaps needs to be reserved for marriage. I realize this is my opinion.😉
Therefore, if this doesn’t bother you at all-read/listen to this book today.

The narrator does an excellent job with the characters! It took me a little while to get used to the way he voiced the character while describing his thoughts and actions. And the story kept me hooked. I did increase the speed just a touch for my comfort.

Loved this love story

This was such a cute story love story. I really enjoyed the connection between Gus and Shannon.

Audio MADE this book

Honestly the narrator made this book.
H is on the spectrum and the narrator obviously knew how to portray this.
Great coming of age story.
Cannot wait to continue the series if author chooses to continue this as a series.

first love

wonderful story of Gus learning to handle his autism and face life, falling in love along the way
enjoyed the narration