The Accidentals

De: Sarina Bowen

Narrado por: Kate Rudd

Never ask a question unless you’re sure you want the truth.

I’ve been listening to my father sing for my whole life. I carry him in my pocket on my MP3 player. It’s just that we’ve never met face to face.

My mother would never tell me how I came to be, or why my rock star father and I have never met. I thought it was her only secret. I was wrong.

When she dies, he finally appears. Suddenly I have a first-class ticket into my father’s exclusive world. A world I don’t want any part of - not at this cost.

Only three things keep me going: my a cappella singing group, a swoony blue-eyed boy named Jake, and the burning questions in my soul. There’s a secret shame that comes from being an unwanted child. It drags me down, and puts distance between me and the boy I love.

My father is the only one alive who knows my history. I need the truth, even if it scares me.

©2018 Sarina Bowen (P)2018 Sarina Bowen

Mixed Feelings

I have such mixed feelings about The Accidentals by Sarina Bowen. On one hand, I thought the storyline was really strong, and I especially loved the redemption arc for Frederick. Watching Rachel’s father try to step up after so many years of absence was powerful, but I also felt like he never truly grew up. He avoided the hardest conversations, and I wish he had shown more effort later in the book to face them head-on.

Rachel’s journey broke my heart—what she went through was scary and isolating, and I completely understood her fear. At the same time, I often wanted more from her. She held back so much, and it left me wanting her to voice her feelings more openly, especially with Hayes.

Speaking of Hayes—my heart ached for him. His actions weren’t always right, but it’s important to remember he was grieving too, and still so young. That said, he also needed to communicate better instead of assuming Rachel felt the same way he did. Their lack of resolution frustrated me; she was such a big part of his past, and it felt like she let that slip away without really fighting for it. Yes, he hurt her, but once she was in a stronger place, I wish she’d made more of an effort to bridge that rift.

And then there’s Jake—the golden retriever energy, the steady warmth, the safe place Rachel desperately needed after so much trauma. He was such a bright spot in the story and fit perfectly into the role she needed at the time.

Five Stars....and more if I could give them!

I love all of Sarina Bowen's books and this was right up there among my favorites. Her characters are wonderful and so real. I loved Rachel and her Dad and how they find their way together. I also loved and appreciated the relationship Rachel had with Jake and how well Sarina handled their more intimate moments. Sarina set a good example for young female readers for how things should go at that age. It was mature, but also realistic, and provided just the right amount of information. I'd feel comfortable letting my 14 year old read it. The characters face problems and situations that seem very organic and not manufactured to up the angst. One of my pet peeves is characters making poor decisions simply to drive the plot, and that never happens in Sarina's books. The story had a very satisfying ending, and yet I still wanted more, more, more! I wasn't ready to let these characters go, which is the highest compliment I can give. Kate Rudd was an excellent narrator.

One of my favorite Sarina Bowen books.

I’ve listened multiple times and love it each and every time. The characters are real, and flawed, and Bowen’s dialogue is perfection.

A great mix of NA romance and family

Sarina Bowen is an automatic buy for me so I have had this audio in my library for a long time without listening to it. The Accidentals was unlike the sports romance books that I have grown accustomed to from Sarina Bowen, but man did it tug on the heart strings just like all her other books! This is an amazing coming of age book that follows Rachel as she navigates life after losing her mother, meeting her famous dad for the first time and moves away from the only people she’s ever known. I felt so much emotion when it came to Fredrick and Rachel, there were times when I hated Fredrick for his previous lack of interest, times when I wanted to cry for everything Rachel went through while idolizing her missing dad, but also times when I wanted to shake Rachel and tell her to put Fredrick in his place! The journey was rough for them, but I was so happy with their moment of honesty (finally!) and where they ended up at the end. The side characters were great, I loved the new friends Rachel made at school… I wish I would have had Aurora as a college roommate! Her friends and college life were typical of New Adult romance books with a little angsty love triangle thrown in.

Kate Rudd did a great job narrating this story. She did take a little while for me to get used to, I kept thinking she was yawning when speaking as Rachel’s mom… which would in turn cause me to yawn (maybe that was caused by listening while working the third shift). By the end I loved her portrayal and voice as Rachel, she had a deeper voice than some and it worked well with her character.

A Pleasant Surprise

I picked up this book because it was one of the recommended books of the summer by a book blogger I follow. What a great find. This is my first book by Sarina Bowen. It’s a story about a teen trying to find her way in life after the death of a parent. This is a YA book that is appropriate for adults as well. I will be adding more of Sarina Bowen’s book to my to read list.