Spun

De: Catherine McKenzie

Narrado por: Lea Gulino

In this funny and touching novella, best-selling author Catherine McKenzie returns to the story of Amber Sheppard, It Girl and celebrity train wreck from McKenzie's fan-favorite novel, Spin.

Life has been rough for starlet Amber since leaving rehab. She's been two years sober, but no one seems to believe her - not the gossip media, not casting agents, and most certainly not her spotlight-loving parents. With her friendships ruined by betrayal and her career at a standstill, Amber's just trying to get her life back on track. It doesn't help that her former love, movie star Connor Parks, keeps trying to draw Amber back in, not just to their relationship but to his hard-partying ways. One fateful night, Amber breaks down and agrees to join him on board his private jet as it readies for take-off - a decision that will change her life forever and expose her to a whole new level of scrutiny and heartbreak.

©2014 Catherine McKenzie (P)2014 Catherine McKenzie

I Want More! Audible Please Get SPIN! I Loved It!

What did you love best about Spun?

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Spun by Catherine McKenzie Narrated by Lea Gulino

This is a really intense book. It is a novella - smack dab in the middle of a story. Unfortunately Audible does not have the prequel available this time. If they did I would snatch it up in a in a second.

This is well-written, well performed, intense and pretty realistic considering the subject matter.

Amber, a starlet who is trying to get herself on the right track after rehab. An intense love affair, paparazzi, constant temptation to revert to bad behavior and the people who should be closest to her using her and her fame for their own purposes.

The narrator is spot on and a great storyteller. I was drawn in from the beginning and the story was a well performed, professional performance. I wanted to keep listening without interruption.

I will be looking for more books both by the author & the narrator.

Note: Nothing much to warn about here. It is well-written and the author does not need to use profanity to get her story across.

Credit worthy/ $: *I was offered this book in exchange for leaving a review with my thoughts and opinions.* While I would not use a credit on this book because it's less than three hours long. I would purchase it if the prequel SPIN available.

Thank you for reading my review. If you found it helpful please select yes underneath this text. Thank you.

Wow! Terrific read on a gloomy day

Would you listen to Spun again? Why?

I would, and I did, as it was a quick listen/read and gripping. I listened to it on a gloomy, rainy day, and it put life into a little perspective. Amber has a priviledged, yet tough life, and her strength in resisting her demons and standing up to non-believers was inspiring.

What did you like best about this story?

I thought the book was a great "IT" package. The story was simple, yet gripping, and narrator Lea Gulino does a FABULOUS job weaving Amber's vulnerability with her resolve to stand up for what she believes in.

Which character – as performed by Lea Gulino – was your favorite?

Definitely Amber--every girl can identify with her. The author does a great job of portraying Amber realistically and yet not too sympathetic to lose interest in her as a person.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Redemption?

A novella that stands alone & is worth a listen

Spun is a novella, 2 hrs 47 mins (or 140 pgs), and is a spin-off of a previous book called “Spin”. I haven’t read Spin yet (but plan to now) and had no problem following this story. I wish all attached stories could manage to do this.

Amber is a former child star struggling to get her life together. She is the classic tale of child star turned wastrel. She fell in love with a bad boy, has been in and out of rehab for drug and alcohol addiction, has a strained relationship with her parents, ruined all but the lamest of career opportunities with her on-set bad behavior and instability and is now hounded by the paparazzi who want nothing more than to see her continued downfall.

Amber has made a complete mess of her life and she knows it. She doesn’t deny it, she doesn’t get all “poor me” and she doesn’t lay the blame on any one but herself. She’s trying to do what’s right even though it’s probably the most difficult thing she’s ever faced. This is why I liked Amber right away. She has managed to stay sober for two years and has avoided the former love of her life for over six months because he is her kryptonite. But then she’s dealt a devastating blow to the heart, forced to face betrayal after betrayal and has a family who doesn’t have any faith that she is actually “sober”. This story is about the roughest patch of Amber’s young life.

Amber is never unlikable, she’s just a mess. At this point in her life, she’s vulnerable and facing so many betrayals that you hope she’s able to come out of it with her sobriety and her sanity intact. I really felt for her, even teared up once or twice, if you can believe that. Told from Amber’s POV you see the entire devastating mess from Amber’s POV and you really feel her pain. She even managed to maintain a self-deprecating sense of humor about herself and her life that always kept the book from being completely dreary as Amber struggles to deal with becoming a stable adult.

I enjoyed this story and the breezy (but not immature) writing style. If you’re into audiobooks and this sort of dramatic story, this is a great choice. The narrator drew me in and kept me. Her voice sounds world weary but still young enough and I never felt jolted or lost when other characters spoke.

A great character arc in a small book.

I didn't read Spin before starting this book. In fact, I didn't even know this was a sequel. But I don't think you have to read Spin beforehand to understand the emotional arc of Amber. The flashbacks and first person perspective give you all the information you need to know about the It Girl. She's witty, clever, over emotional, and desperately trying to get her life under control. McKenzie gives so much character depth and story that I forgot this wasn't a book with 500 pages.

Lea Gulino did a great job capturing the humor of the book and portraying Amber as a real person, instead of the stereotypical Hollywood bimbo. The struggle was real, and Gulino didn't falter.

A great character arc in a small book.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Inspiring

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It is very inspiring but I would like to see more about how Amber goes with Danny.

What does Lea Gulino bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Lea Gulino narrates the story well and makes the story clear in my mind but the voice changes are a bit confusing sometime.

Was Spun worth the listening time?

Yes. As it is kind off short aswell, it is a nice little listen.