Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Help Wanted  By  cover art

Help Wanted

By: Barbara Valentin
Narrated by: Wendy Rich Stetson
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.95

Buy for $19.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

When Claire Nelson decided that her happily-ever-after lay not in marriage but in a spot on the New York Times best seller list, she vowed never to tie the knot. But that was before she met Paul Mendez, handsome and charming enough to have her breaking said vow and marrying him shortly after college.

Almost 15 years and four sons later, Claire is now a burned out breadwinner ready to ditch her quest for happily-ever-after, and Paul has traded his dream of chairing corporate board meetings for volunteering at PTA meetings as a stay-at-home dad. Feeling trapped in a demanding job, Claire's repeated attempts to get Paul to return to work fall flat. Contemplating divorce, she drafts a letter to the Plate Spinner, a popular advice columnist, asking for help.

But when the reply contains an offer that may just put her best-selling author dreams back on track, Claire's only question is: will Paul be on board? Or does her charming husband make a surprise move of his own?

©2015 Barbara Valentin (P)2017 Barbara Valentin

What listeners say about Help Wanted

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    36
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    35
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    32
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Book 2

Any additional comments?


Help Wanted is book 2 in the an Assignment romance novels. There are many of the same characters as False Start book 1 .
Claire has been forced to be the sole breadwinner of the family because her husband Paul just gave up.I really didn't like Paul. He redeems himself by the end but he was such a selfish prick in the beginning of the book I really had a hard time warming up to him.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very relatable

This is a book that anyone in a long-term relationship can find things to relate to. It's about how the day to day effects relationships and the strains and stresses. It was very relatable in many ways. Though, I can't say I understood Paul. There was a role reversal that was really interesting, and that part I could relate to. But, the lack of understanding or ability to see the burdens being placed on your partner, and then expecting them to prove they loved you before you showed them you understood was something I didn't understand. It wasn't a question of love, it was a question of trying to survive the day to day without the support of the one person who should be supporting you. There were also elements of keeping things from each other that just seemed trivial to me. It just seemed like lack of simple communication for some purpose that I didn't understand.

However, there was a lot to love and enjoy about this story. I totally got Claire in so many ways. Like her, I was never a girly girl, dreaming of white dresses, weddings, and princes. I never wanted to get married or have kids. I had to many things to do and see. Then, I met this guy that changed every idea I thought I had about what I wanted. And, I'm so happy he did. When I got to the obit assignment, I was laughing so hard, I had to stop it. I re-wound it and played it back for my guy, and we were both cracking up. (You have to listen or read it to understand.) But, this story is about the juggling of the day to day, and trying to find balance between the needs and wants of your family and your own. And, I think most people with a family can relate to that.

And, of course, Wendy Rich Stetson did her usual amazing job narrating. She captured those little nuances that had me either laughing out loud or really feeling the pain of the characters. It's by far not a heavy read, but one with some substance and relatability.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Story!

Claire has the worst job ever! Being the breadwinner, she can’t afford to quit. After all, she has 4 boys and a house husband to support.

Claire’s resentment at having to forgo her dreams of becoming a writer is starting to tear at the fabric of her marriage to hot hubby Paul Mendez.

Paul has retreated to being the caretaker of his family after he takes a demoralizing hit in his career. It’s an honorable job, taking care of his family, but the toll it’s taken on Claire has him scrambling to save her dreams and their marriage.

What a wonderful audiobook! It’s an adult look at love and relationships. Told with humor and honesty that anyone over the age of 35 can relate to.

This book pulls no punches about the conflicted feelings Claire has towards her husband. Her frustration has her lashing out at Paul in painful ways. You feel for both characters in this book, there is no bad guy. Just two people trying to get back to some sort of happiness.

Wendy Rich Stetson narrates and she manages to capture the humor and heartbreak perfectly in this 7-hour audiobook. Help Wanted is a fast-paced story and Wendy’s delivery was flawless in this fully voiced production.

I look forward to hearing more from author Barbara Valentin and Narrator Wendy Rich Stetson!

This audiobook was gifted to me in exchange for an unbiased review!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very Well Done - Loved this story

This story provided an interesting take on how to fix what's wrong in your marriage. It's imaginative and very well done.

I love both Paul and Claire, who love each other, but have drifted apart and can't seem to get back to what they once had.

This story highlights the importance of following your dreams, allowing those you love to follow their dreams, and not forgetting along the journey the things (and people) who matter the most.

A beautiful and inspirational story.

I listened to the audio version, and narrator, Wendy Rich Stetson, did a really good job.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Rekindling romance

In Help Wanted by Barbara Valentin, Claire Nelson has spent 16 years in the corporate sector, while her husband, Paul, has spent the last few years as a stay-at-home dad, resistant to all of Claire’s urging to go back to work, where he was once a high power investment banker. Feeling imprisoned in her job as well as inadequate in her role as the mother of four boys, Claire writes to the local newspaper advice columnist The Plate Spinner, who focuses on the challenges of balancing family and work. The next day, she gets informed that after all the painful work she has done for her company, she has been fired. With that, her life changes dramatically.

Coming home in defeat, Claire brings up the topic of Paul’s going back to work, which leads to another fight so bad that she can’t even bring herself to tell Paul about her lost job. After a miserable time the next day at the unemployment office, Claire discovers an email from The Plate Spinner. She has been offered a job as the new Plate Spinner columnist! In taking this job, she comes ti realize that what she really wants deeply and doesn’t find in her job is joy. Maybe now life will change. In the meantime, Paul gets challenged to get work for the state of his sons, but he doesn’t want to tell Claire because he wants to earn her respect on his own. And Claire doesn’t tell Paul about her new job either, so both dance around each other.

This book was enjoyable and deals with a key issue found in a great many people’s lives. How many people struggle with their marriage after a dozen years and children? They say that money is the number one cause of divorce, which this book so ably illustrates. The book also deals with the problem of married couples who have gone separate ways and don’t even share a bedroom anymore. Most romance novels that I’m familiar with focus on falling in love, but I appreciate that this book focuses on maintaining love.

I enjoyed the narration of Wendy Rich Stetson as she read the audio version of this book. She comes across very believably in her performance and makes me want to keep listening. Her accents and voices of the boys as well as women and men are done very well too.

Help Wanted was a very compelling read by audio. It kept me eager to listen, and I enjoyed this cute romantic comedy. I really was drawn to the whole story and the characters, who seemed so realistic as genuine people. I give this book five stars!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author, but that in no way affected the quality or content of my review.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book!

Any additional comments?

This is a great book; this is the second book in the Assignment: Romance series written by Barbara Valentin and narrated by Wendy Rich Stetson. When Claire Nelson decided that her happily-ever-after lay not in marriage but in a spot on the New York Times best seller list, she vowed never to tie the knot. But that was before she met Paul Mendez, handsome and charming enough to have her breaking said vow and marrying him shortly after college.
Almost 15 years and four sons later, Claire is now a burned out breadwinner ready to ditch her quest for happily-ever-after, and Paul has traded his dream of chairing corporate board meetings for volunteering at PTA meetings as a stay-at-home dad. Feeling trapped in a demanding job, Claire's repeated attempts to get Paul to return to work fall flat. Contemplating divorce, she drafts a letter to the Plate Spinner, a popular advice columnist, asking for help.This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. The narrator did a wonderful job with this book. She did a great job with the different voices of each character in this book. It was very easy to listen to and I didn’t want to stop listening until the end. If you are looking for a great book with well-developed characters then you need to listen to this book. I am looking forward to listening to the next book by this author and narrator. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous and Real

Great story about a struggling couple and the challenges they face. Each character is working through their issues alone and tensions are high. When they realize they can recover and that they're still a team and that makes all things possible they slowly start finding their own ways and their way back to eAch other. This story is heartfelt and real! Their struggles are relatable to any relationship that's been tested. The narrator did an amazing job of telling this story and making me feel each struggle and triumph along the way. Kudos for a great story and great choice of narrator to boot!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved the messiness of life in this book!

In this book, Claire and Paul have a messy life, just like the rest of us. They have four boys, dirty clothes all over the place, a million places to be and bills that have to be paid. And one of them doesn't have a paying job--Paul. He's a stay-at-home dad while Claire is supporting the family with a job she hates. She dropped her dreams of a real writing job that will give her joy long ago. She is STUCK.And she is really MAD.
All of a sudden life is changing. Changing for both Paul and Claire, but the changes are kept secret from each other. Could the secrets finish off the marriage that is already rocky, or will the marriage turn into the joy Claire has been searching for?
This story by Barbara Valentin was so enjoyable and the narration by Wendy Rich Stetson was superb. I loved all the voices she used for all the women, men and children. An all around excellent experience!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved this book!

This is the first book by Barbara Valentin that I have listened to. I loved it so much that I bought the first book in this series (False Start) in Audible. Wendy Rich Stetson performs both. She added so much to this book with her expressions and emotions. I loved the humor in this book and how it was delivered. This book is part of a series, yet it is a standalone listen. I highly recommend this book. I found this book to be low on steam but that isn't needed in all books. This is a refreshing, realistic, and humorous listen that focuses on a married couple (10+ years and 4 boys) that re-evaluates what they want out of life. I was voluntarily provided with this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, narrator and or publisher.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Help Wanted

This is such a realistic story it's hard to not find someone in your life that you can relate this too. Their are points in the beginning that you wonder why Clair is even sticking to her marriage and want to just scream get out!!!! But then the story moves along and you realize that she really does still loved her husband and wonder how long is to long to coddle a spouse with no interest in helping out. I love that the characters were brought in and out of the story from book one that is always a nice touch in my opinion!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful