The Anti-Boyfriend

By: Penelope Ward

Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Sebastian York

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

From New York Times best-selling author Penelope Ward comes a new stand-alone novel.  

At first, my neighbor Deacon frustrated me. Sure, he was great-looking and friendly. But our walls were thin, and on occasion, he’d bring women to his place and keep me awake while he “entertained” them. As a single mother to an infant, I didn’t appreciate it. So, finally, it was my turn.   

When my daughter wouldn’t stop wailing one night, Mr. Manwhore came knocking on my door. Miraculously, at the sound of his voice, Sunny stopped crying. And when he held her...she eventually fell asleep in his arms.  

Deacon was rough on the exterior, but apparently on the inside? Mr. Single-and-Ready-to-Mingle was a baby whisperer.  

After that night, we became friends. He’d go for coffee runs. Come over to chat. Normal friend stuff.  

But over time, our conversations ran deeper. We got closer. Until one night we crossed the line.  

Our friendship turned into a complicated mess.  

I’d gone and fallen for a guy who’d sworn off commitment and kids. I knew Deacon was starting to care for me too, even though Sunny and I didn’t fit into any plan he’d ever imagined for himself.  

He was wrong for me - so wrong that I’d dubbed him the “anti-boyfriend”.  

Then why did I wish more than anything that I could be the one woman to change him?

©2020 Penelope Ward (P)2020 Penelope Ward

Meh...

I guess I will start with the easy part. I know Andi + Seb narration. I love it. I will always download this duo without hesitation.

Sorry Ward fans (myself included), but i was not impressed by this one. It was such a formula story that by the end in my head I went "finally, it's over". I have always auto downloaded Ward books without hesitation because I was always drawn in by her stories from the get go. There wasn't that spark with this book. It's almost like Ward went down a checklist of 'romance-book-must-have' and ticked them off chapter by chapter. Honestly this wasn't for me and would not recommend this listen unless you are going through a dry spell.

So well done!!

Wow..what a really amazing read this was!! As a former educator I think that the part that I loved the most was how Sunny, a down’s syndrome baby, was described by her mom Carys and the clear message that each and every one should envision…something that every classroom teachers has a chance to instill in all of their students. A child, every child, needs to be accepted for their individuality—no different than any other. Beyond that we have two people who have had to reframe the dream they had for themselves…one is Deacon, a famous football player and the other is Carys, a prima ballerina….each with their own personal demons to boot. I am not one for summarizing a story as I want you to read it on your own and this one is well worth your time…and just let me say that I both read it and listened to the audiobook…each bringing a new dimension to the story. So many favorite parts…daily coffee runs and conversations…texting at the grocery store when Deacon is trying to buy diapers, along with all of the other things that are so out of her purview. Carys dancing naked in front of the mirror just for herself was an amazing visual that I would have like to see…she was so talented to have her not be able to dance professionally. And…mostly the way that Sunny played Deacon to carry her around everyplace. This is the perfect book for you Book Club…personal tragedies that change your life’s plan, the pain of feeling like a failure to others, dealing with disjointed family issues…or the role of adults in the lives of children when you are not biologically connected. Maybe and most importantly how to accept all children and adults(thinking of both Sunny and Autumn here) so they do not feel differently by the people around them. This is so much more than a 5-star read and absolutely one of Penelope’s best…although I say that a lot.

Anti climactic and disappointing

As always the narrator’s were great but the story was really lacking. The characters had potential that they never reached. I’m a huge Penelope Ward fan but this one felt phoned in. There were so many tropes being all thrown together it didn’t feel natural and I was mostly just waiting for it to be over.

My cup runneth over🥰

From beginning to end, ABSOLUTE PERFECTION!!!! The narration was AMAZING of course with Andi & Sebastian!!!

This book left me so full.... worth the money!

Great premise but a big disappointment

This story has a wonder plot about a single mother of a Down’s syndrome baby who lives next door to a very sweet, kind hearted player. But unfortunately the actual story is not as great as the plot. Disappointing because Penelope Ward is usually a much better writer, but while the concept was enticing and fresh, the dialogue was boring and overly sweet. Even the excellent narration by Sebastian York and Andi Arndt could not save it. If you want a sweet story to put you to sleep look no further, but even the mild dirty talk and love making scenes are snoozers.

Amazing story made even better by the narrators

Andi Arndt and Sebastian York are two of my favorite narrator duos. They both make what is already an amazing story so much better and truly bring these characters to life.

I don't think any words I type can do justice for this book. Penelope never ceases to amaze me with the amazing stories and characters she writes but she truly outdoes herself each and every time. Deacon and Carys were wonderful characters on their own but when you add in Sunny, Carys's adorable daughter, she truly brought a whole new light into this book.

Carys was a single mother who was doing the absolute best she could with zero help from anyone, her family or Sunny's father. This woman was so strong all the time and trust was very hard to come by for her. Sunny will always hold a special place in my heart as one of Penelope's characters. This little girl truly brightened up any and every situation.

Deacon was hard to get a read on at first. It took some time before we could understand his reasonings for his choices. I was glad we didn't have to endure too many of his exploits as Carys and Sunny worked their way into his heart and mind fairly quickly. I truly enjoyed his time spent with Sunny, he was so amazing with her and he had no clue how to care for a young baby.

I enjoyed that their relationship was a very slow build. Obviously they had intense attraction for each other but with their pasts hanging over their heads, neither wanted to ruin the wonderful friendship they had started. But I knew that if given the chance, they could really make a beautiful life together. But sometimes fate has other ideas in place and the past must be dealt with before the future can begin.

I just want to tell everyone to buy this book, you will not be disappointed.

Enjoyable listen

Not my favorite but still an enjoyable listen. I was skeptical because of all of the mixed reviews but I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. Pretty predictable but entertaining nonetheless.

Love it!

Spoiler. The baby had Down’s syndrome. I was really enjoying this story and then it was mentioned that “Sunny” has Down’s syndrome. This story has now become one of my favorite Penelope Ward stories!! My oldest sister is mentally retarded ( we do not know her actual diagnosis so she’s kept her original diagnosis)and has the mentality of a 5/6 year old. So this story pulled at my heart strings and hit home on a round about way. I throughly enjoyed listening to Cari and Deacon’s characters.

The light that emerges from darkness

Geez! The storyline, the characters, the narrators were all fan-freaking-tastic!!! The twists in the storyline and for Deacon and single mom, Carys (like Paris) were great. I loved their text message conversations from the store! I really enjoyed this audible! 4.5 stars across

Deacon's love for baby Sunny had me swooning HARD!

Oh my heart! Romance novels with babies in them get me every time! The friendship between Carys and Deacon was so sweet, and I loved his grocery store text messages. I felt their relationship developed quite authentically, and their dialog and conversations were so real. The way their past experiences connected them added such a great layer to their relationship. Deacon's love for baby Sunny had me swooning HARD! I purchased the audiobook and finished it in just a day- the story consumed me. Fan favorites Andi Arndt and Sebastian York were fantastic as usual.

It was ok

This book was ok, but there was far too much of the hero being with other women for far too long. The drama towards the end seemed added on and made the story drag a bit, too. It just didn’t grab me emotionally as a story.

A couple of inconsistencies with reality that didn’t impact my rating, but I noticed: size two nappies for a 6 month old? Are American sizes different to the UK? In the UK babies are in that size not long after newborn. Secondly, the hero admires the heroine’s feet at one point. She was a professional ballerina! Ballerina’s feet are utterly battered from years of being brutalised. But as I said, these things didn’t affect my rating.

Wow Just Wow!!

I absolutley loved listening to this book it only took me a day I couldn't put it down at all. Lovely heartfelt storyline which made me smile, gasp and nearly break down in tears. The narrators were perfect too Sebastian has a panty dropping voice which is obviously perfect for this part and Andi comes across as very relatable to the listener. Amazing work Penelope 😍

Loved this book

Brilliant story the narration was excellent loved the characters would highly recommend this book sorry when it finished

Great love story

I loved Carys and Deacon and their story was a bit different because it really was more off than on. I was expecting Deacon to be younger than Cary's but again that wasn't the case. Another little switch up. This really was an easy listen but it kept you intrigued as to where it was going. Loved it. But I love everything Penelope Ward writes.

Of course Andi Arndt and Sebastian Yorke did an amazing job as usual.

👍

Absoulty love it the way it was written, the passion aswell you get some really hot flushes if you no what I mean 😉

A beautiful heartfelt story ❤

Wow! This journey between Carys and Deacon was really moving. Both had issues to overcome which made their relationship all the more remarkable.
The narrators did an amazing job of bringing all the characters to life and I highly recommend this book. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

So wholesome! 🥰 💕

I listen to a lot of angsty and kind of violent? Audio books, I tend to have a preference for them and from the title alone, I expected some angst from this one too but this one turned out to be super wholesome and unexpectedly, I enjoyed it!

In general, I tend to find "Wholesome" stories a little on the boring side so if I had known beforehand, I probably won't have chosen it but it would have been a mistake.

The story isn't crazy or really deep but it still remained interesting in a different way so I couldn't put it down at all and when it ended, it left my heart with a lighter feeling. Definitely a good listen for when you're feeling a little too heavy emotionally.

The narrators were great as usual also, I'm not a stranger to either of their works. They did an awesome job.

It was definitely worth listening to so I'm glad I misjudged it from the name. 😁

A beautiful story

A beautiful love story with lessons in forgiveness and trust and the meaning of family

Really lovely story

I really enjoyed this book. The narrators were amazing too. Loved the characters too. Really good

a bit slow

not my favourite by this author I felt like I was forcing myself to finish it. The storyline was a bit slow as always though narration was excellent.