Next Stop, Chancey

Chancey Books, Book 1

By: Kay Dew Shostak

Narrated by: Suzanne Barbetta

Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

Looking in your teenage daughter's purse is never a good idea.

After all, it ended up with Carolina Jessup opening a bed & breakfast for railroad fanatics in a tiny Georgia mountain town. Carolina knows all about, and hates, small towns. How did she end up leaving her wonderful Atlanta suburbs behind while making her husband's dreams come true?

The town bully (who wears a lavender skirt and white gloves), an endless parade of teenagers through her house, and everybody's talk about a ghost have Carolina looking for an escape, or at least a way to move back home. Instead, she's front and center for all of Chancey's small town gossip.

Unlike back home in the suburbs with privacy fences and automatic garage doors, everybody in Chancey thinks your business is their business and they all love the newest Chancey business. The B&B hosts a Senate candidate, a tea for the county fair beauty contestants, and railroad nuts who sit out by the tracks and record the sound of a train going by. Yet, nobody believes Carolina prefers the 'burbs.

Oh, yeah, and if you just ignore a ghost, will it go away?

©2015 Kay Dew Shostak (P)2016 Kay Dew Shostak

Loved This!

Any additional comments?

Having been born in a small town, then living in the suburbs and now a large city, I can attest to the uniqueness of small town living. Next Stop, Chancey perfectly captured the advantages and drawbacks with characters that were quintessentially small town. With great writing and humor, I was drawn in to the story of Caroline and her family. Being a long listen, pacing is important to keep the listener engaged and the narrator did a great job both with moving the story along and bringing the characters to life. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I would highly recommend Next Stop, Chancey. Now grab a sweet tea and have a listen for yourself.

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator. This review is my honest opinion.

Hated that it ended

Great story with trains and a B&B! Great characters. Loved how Carolina transformed! PERFECT narrator

Small town, big gossip

It is far too seldom that I foray into genres that don’t belong to my main fare, and I’m glad I did for this book. The synopsis intrigued me, as I grew up in a small town — more or less unaware of the gossip — then lived in a big city for more than 30 years, and now I’ve returned to my home town. I wondered: is there a huge difference between people in rural North America and people in rural Germany?

Well, yes and no. But maybe that’s because my town seems comparatively large in comparison with Chancey. Or maybe I just don’t go out enough, or I don’t go the correct places. I know from a friend that there is a lot of gossip going on here, but the only gossip I ever hear is from my friend, and that isn’t a lot.

So far, I haven’t been cajoled into anything. I do believe that’s because nobody is interested in me, although my mum does her best to tell all and sundry that I’m back in town.

But to the novel: I absolutely LOVED it. The characters are so life-like, it felt as if I was there, listening in to the conversations. There’s even a ghost, but he is not of the scary kind, and somehow quite believable.

There are certainly characters that weren’t my favourites, but I can’t say that I completely disliked even one of them — well,maybe for one exception.

As I’ve come to expect from audio books promoted by The Audiobookworm, the sound quality was impeccable. Narrator Suzanne Barbetta did an absolutely marvellous job at bringing all the characters to life! She gives them depth and variety; I never had any difficulties to know who was talking, and her male and female voices are great. If I had a written list of favourite narrators, this list would now be longer by one. I’ve seen that there are four more books in this series, alas, no further sequel is available in audio. I hope there will be, because my reading time is so sparse, but I’d love to know more about this particular family and community! So, Kay, if you read this, please consider making the sequels available in audio (and do hire Suzanne)!

For all who love to read/listen to a good tale that contains everything you can ask of a good yarn, I recommend you listen to Next Stop, Chancey. I’m sure you won’t regret it.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Suzanne Barbetta. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

A Wonderful Delight!

I really enjoyed this book! I love the small town atmosphere and can relate to noisy neighbors! Overall it was just fun being a part of Carolina's journey into a new home in a small town and the struggle of finding where she fits in! Narrator is absolutely perfect giving the words of the book that much more character!

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

Small town charm, Ghosts, Railroads, teenagers

I really enjoyed the story. It captures the small town life perfectly. Being a railfan I noticed the railroad references. Small town drama with a B&B and ghosts thrown in.

Te narration was great. It was easy to listen to this book.

I would definitley listen to another book by this author and narrator.

I was given a free copy of this book at my request and left this honest review voluntarily.

Loved this Southern listen

So, first let me start by saying I live in North Carolina - about an hour and a half from Raleigh - I loved the main characters name Carolina - that's the name my husband and I picked out for a girl (if we ever hand one - which we didn't - 2 teen boys livin in my house right now ya'll). Bless my heart and pray for my crazy life which I love and wouldn't trade for a second - but I just feel in love with this poor lil ol thing - Carolina just didn't know, even tho she should have that small towns are well - just one big delusional, crazy, happy family where most everyone has your best interest at heart but like every family ya got a few fish ya wouldn't mind thowin back in the pond! A precious read where our main character is the one in her family who has the hardest time fittin' to the small town life and finding she has more strength than she initially thought. Amazing southern characters that I feel like I could just walk down the road and bump into. Narration was wonderful and I can't wait to see what's next for this family and this town. Oh - I know the gossip mill is already warmin' up!

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Fun book

I really liked this book....I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review and with most books I read I did not look at the description much because I like to be surprised (I don't watch movie trailers much either bc I feel it gives too much away). Anyway, I like the characters in the book and the story line. If you are in the mood for a light, heartfelt read then this is a book for you.

Escape to a small town

Easy listen for a escape to a small town. Delightful story. Fun listen to relax

loved this book

loved the story &the narration. can't wait to start the next book. i'm from GA, so it's fun to hear Georgia cities named.

Hilarious

One of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a long time. It makes you take a look at yourself while you laugh at others. A good book to read to escape from the craziness of today’s society.

I am so glad I found the Chancey series!

Carolina Jessup and her family or new to Chancey. She never wanted to live in a small town, but finding condoms in your teenage daughters purse call for drastic measures and in this case it was to give it to her husband and moved to Chancey right under the train bridge. He loves trains , she doesn’t and that is just the first thing she wouldn’t normally do she starts hanging around two sisters who are always in the know and when she casually mentioned a bed-and-breakfast they take charge and before she knows it she’s running the train stop bed-and-breakfast. I know this seems like a simple summary, but trust me when I say there is so much more to love about this book. They are mini sub plots and things you just don’t see coming in even the things you do see coming or still hilarious. I love this book and can’t wait to read the next one. The narrator was freaking awesome I love her so much!

Small towns

Entertainibg story of Carolina who moves her family to a small towns and must now learn to live with new friendships and small town gossips

Small Town

I enjoyed listening to Suzanne Barbettta, she a joy to listen to. This book is full of small town ways. We have a woman going through a mid life crisis, a ghost and humour. You can feel as if you are living in a small town and dealing with the relationships that play out.

Warm

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

I enjoyed this book. It read like a warm Southern American fiction story and it was really nice. The characters were well written and they felt real and it was a nice plot.