The Edge of the World

By: Garrett Leigh

Narrated by: Dan Calley

Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Shay Maloney is living his dream - on tour with his pirate/folk-rock band. But you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’re from, and that’s where moody filmmaker and researcher Ollie Pietruska comes in.

The band’s management persuades Shay to let a television company film a documentary about his roots beyond his adoptive Irish family, and Ollie comes into his life knowing more about Shay than Shay’s ever known about himself.

But while Ollie holds the key to Shay’s past, he’s also hiding deep scars. Even as the hardships of the tour bring them closer, Ollie’s demons threaten the blossoming romance. They might both reach the breaking point before Ollie realizes he’s been standing on the edge of the world for too long, and it’s Shay who holds the key to his future.

A friends-to-lovers, rock star, road-tripping romance, with a guaranteed happily ever after.

©2018 Garrett Leigh (P)2020 Garrett Leigh

Great story. Great narration.

As usual Garrett Leigh's characters are beautifully constructed and the chemistry is impossible to ignore. I appreciate how the challenges each character faces in life accentuate their strength.

Dan Calley's narration was wonderful, and I find myself looking forward to any book he has narrated even if it isn't a story that usually catches my attention.

Here I go again to...'The Edge of the World'...

I knew when I read this book back in January of this year that if there was an audio release, I'd be revisiting Shay and Ollie as they tour around the United Kingdom. That I would be doing it at a time such as this...well, who knew certainly not I.

'The Edge of the World' is a story that truly highlights the connection between past, present and future as we follow Shay and Ollie. As Shay's band tours the country showcasing their talents. Ollie joins them to take Shay on a journey through time to show him a past he never knew he had, all the while Ollie tries to ignore a past that rules his present and won't let go of him.

For as much as I loved reading the book and believe me...I loved this book. The audio book grabbed on to me even more than I'd thought possible. Partially because this was a story that simply resonated with me and partially because Dan Calley took a wonderful story and made it even better. He created the vocal imagery that the characters were lacking when I first read this one. Sometimes I can give them voices in my mind when I'm reading a story but sometimes even my imagination needs some help.

Other than the fact that I enjoyed the audiobook immensely, nothings really changed from how I felt when I wrote my original review so I'm going to borrow some words from the past (code talk for 'from my original review) to explain how I feel about Shay and Ollie...
<blockquote>Amidst the chaos and pandemonium that is the life of a band whose star is on the rise as they begin a tour that’s intended to push them over the top, Shay and Ollie struggle to get to know each other as their feelings deepen and if they could both just be in the same place a the same time things might be a little easier…but, we don’t always get what we want sometimes we just have to work with what we’re given.

I was smitten with both of these men from the very beginning. In spite of his quickly rising star Shay’s character held such a laid back, down to earth almost humble feeling that not liking him really just wasn’t an option. While Ollie seemed to be a little more reserved and shall we say crusty around the edges it wasn’t enough to cover the genuine concern and kindness that he had for others.

I loved the interaction between them as they got to know each other the balance of kindness and caring was equally challenged with moments of conflict and angst that held my interest solidly from beginning to end and while the secondary characters and background filled out the story nicely it was always Shay and Ollie who held my interest.</blockquote>So here I am like millions of others in a self-imposed isolation and travelling not only all over this world but to other worlds, to the past, the present and sometimes even the future without ever leaving my home. Whether it's audio books, ebooks or paper books they tell wonderful stories and take us to amazing places and I plan on going to "The Edge of the World" again one day...it's a trip worth taking.

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An audio book of 'The Edge of the World' was graciously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Who are you really?

When you’re adopted, you have a different perspective on life. Some of us are lucky enough to not have any doubts. Being loved by our adoptive parents is enough, and there’s no burning need to know. To know where we came from. To know who are family were. To know why we were given up for adoption. To know our origin story.

Some of us, on the other hand, want answers to all of those questions. We have little niggling doubts in our minds. What if my parents hadn’t given me up? Why did they give me up? Why did they not want me? We may understand in our rational adult lives that there’s a good chance our parents did it out of necessity. That they couldn’t give us the life they believed we deserved and so placed us in the care of someone better suited to raising a child.

That was also a crapshoot. Some of us wound up with amazing and loving parents while others of us were saddled with people ill-equipped to be a mother or father. Just because you want a child, doesn’t mean you’ll make a great parent.

Okay, so where does Shay Maloney fit in this spectrum? He had loving adoptive parents. His father is still alive and keeps tabs on him. Still loves him. Accepts him for who he is. Shay’s never felt a pressing need to know his origin story. In fact, until Ollie Pietruska shows up to shoot a documentary about Shay, he’d never spent a lot of time ruminating over who he might have come from. Shay is the lead singer in an indie pirate folk/rock band who are currently on a successful tour. He’s gone from playing gigs in front of a dozen people to serenading several thousand. He and his bandmates have kept their down-to-earth attitudes, for the most part. When management insists he partake in this video, he pretty much feels railroaded but isn’t willing to piss off the higher ups.

Ollie has his own history that he’d rather keep hidden. He had been on the rise when tragedy struck and he’s still finding his moorings. Going on a tour bus with a bunch of rock stars isn’t really his idea of fun, but he wants to do this profile of Shay. Wants to do the research and then unveil each discovery for the other man. Hell, in the end he just wants Shay. The project takes a backseat at times to the budding relationship.

I like slow burn friends-to-lovers books. There’s something magical about two men falling in love gradually over time. Of course each is slow to see the possibility of what could be. Both men have medical issues they’re dealing with. Those can cause self-esteem issues, especially if you believe you have to be healthy and hearty in order to be a true partner in a relationship. But, in the end, Ollie and Shay face their reality head-on and take a chance on love.

This book was narrated by Dan Calley and he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators. He has a deep voice and this works with Garrett Leigh books. His accents work for me as well, although I admit being Canadian, I can’t tell a Derbyshire accent from an Irish or Londoner. I always knew who was speaking and that’s the real key for good narration. I look forward to more collaborations between these two.

Almost a DNF

This was a big disappointment. Normally Garrett Leigh is an automatic listen/read for me. I liked the two characters individually and that’s what drove me to finish the audio. Nonetheless, they were rather flat. Together as a couple, I just didn’t feel it at all. This did not have the same level of emotional tug of previous books. The story of Shay’s background was just not that intriguing. I don’t mind a Slow burn but you got to give me something to keep it moving.Dan Calley’s narration, though wonderful, could not save the weak story for me.

Great story

4.5 Stars

I really enjoyed reading this book, and the audiobook is fantastic! I'm quickly becoming a big Dan Calley fan and really enjoy what he brings to the characters and their story. I think he does a great job giving characters their unique voices and captures their personalities. I definitely think he nails that with Shay and Ollie, as well as adding to the overall story with his ability to deliver an emotional story!

One of the things I love most about Garrett Leigh's books is that man does she make her characters earn their HEA and it's gonna make me FEEL! And yes, The Edge of the World certainly fits that, oh what a ride. Ollie and Shay are great characters, I totally fell for them and all their quirks along with their very unique journey. These are two men not looking for love but that sure is what they find together.

I loved the premise of this story and was fascinated by how it was all delivered. Shay is this pirate/folk rock star and Ollie is a filmmaker wanting to tell Shay's story, one that Shay doesn't even know. I loved the dynamic between these two right from the start, there's definitely something there but it's also a semi-slow burn. As Ollie unfolds Shay's history they learn about each other and grow. There are certainly issues they face though, especially Ollie, but I loved seeing him grow and their relationship grow as well.

Definitely a wonderful read, truly a journey that I enjoyed from start to finish. I feel like I really got to know these characters and that I was a part of their story. There were some great little surprises as well! I would highly recommend this book!

Not a total disappointment

3.5 to 4 Blue Roses
3.5 Blue Flames

Narrator Dan Calley delivered the first few chapters with a hop in his step. I was just as excited, but we both slowly went down low and almost lost interest. The scenes in the book flashed by faster than the stink of a drive by roadkill. You know, you thought you smell something really bad, but luckily the car goes fast enough to blow fresh in before your nostrils had chance for a second whiff.

The book had all the ingredients of “fantastic”, but I can not for the life of me decide or pinpoint why I did not like it. Garrett Leigh is one of those authors you either hate or love her books. This time I am switzerland. I am as neutral as the potato battery I made in science class. I could not get any Joules out of it, it would have given me more energy if I cooked and ate it.

The plot was geniusly woven and the universe is exceptionally well built. The characters were very broken. It had buckets full of mystery, and the elements of magic in the music was epic. I expected angst and heart wrenching drama and tension. The Edge of the World was not a total write off, it was intricately built but I think it was the Diabetes that irritated me. Hence, me being switzerland. I am sure listeners who like less sex in their audiobooks will enjoy Shay and Ollies’ chemistry, but I would have loved a little more graphic, smoldering hot sex scenes.

The dynamic between the two main characters, is frustratingly slow. Confusing at times. The choppy scenes were contributing to my lack of emotional attachment. I did not experience the audiobook as a bus tour. It did not feel like a road trip to me.

This was not a favorite for me. I was disappointed. If you are a Garrett Leigh fan then you have to experience this one, because I can not 100% say it is not a recommendation.

Happy Listening

Another wonderful book by Garrett Leigh.

When I read this book back in January 2020, I absolutely loved it. Getting to experience all over again as an audiobook was a pleasure. It took me a couple of books to get used to Dan Calley's voice but now that I've listened to several, I can appreciate his style and voice. He does several different accents for this book and each was distinct from the other. I will definitely listen to more books that he performs.

Below is my original review from January.
The Edge of the World is the kind of story that kind of tears me up and puts me back together again. It's not really so much a rock star story like I thought it was going to be. It's more of a slow-burn romance between two guys with each of them having baggage to deal with.

We get hints along the way about what has made Ollie the way he is: afraid to let anyone close to him, doesn't want to be touched, but it's pretty far into the story before we learn for sure what happened.

Shay is dealing with Type I Diabetes and he's pretty good at coping on his own. The rigors of life on the road can make it difficult to manage his sugar levels, though. Fortunately, he has people around him that care about him and can recognize the signs when something isn't right.

The other running plot line has Ollie helping Shay, who is adopted, to discover his heritage. It's slow in developing but when we finally learn everything it was a nice surprise for this reader as well as for Shay.

One of my favorite things about the books I've read by Garrett Leigh is how "British" they are. I never fail to learn new-to-me words when I read one of her stories and The Edge of the World was no exception. I'm looking forward to enjoying more of her books.

A copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author/narrator.

Loads of feels

If you enjoy slow-burn romance, The Edge of the World certainly falls into that category. I personally prefer something a bit faster paced, not instalove, but not quite this slow either. Nevertheless, these characters pulled me in. Shay and Ollie are both adorable characters and I couldn't help but love them. I'll admit that I know next to nothing about Shay's type of music, and it was an important part of the story, but not so much that I felt overwhelmed by it. I really enjoyed the genealogy aspect as Ollie introduces Shay to his family history. So, even though the romance felt a little drawn out, there was still enough going on with these guys to keep my interest and their chemistry is good. Garrett Leigh tells the story in a way that made me want to see these two become a couple.
The only real drawback for me is that I kind of felt like the secondary characters were just disposable characters, there for nothing more than to propel the story forward. I would've liked a little bit of development, a few details to give me a sense of who these people are. Nevertheless, Ollie and Shay are great characters, and I enjoyed their journey.
This is my second listen with narrator Dan Calley, and he did a terrific job with Shay and Ollie. The way he read these guys is exactly how I'd hear them in my head. He brings the feelings in this one to life for me, and had me hooked from the beginning.
All in all, The Edge of World is a great mix of sweet and sexy with all the feels and then some, and Calley's performance just adds to the experience.

Narration wasn't for me

Would you like to go on tour with a pirate/folk-rock band? Look no further The Edge of the World is waiting for you. This book is a great mix of touring with Smuggler’s Beat, and exploring and discovering your roots, with an added flavour of a friends to lovers story. So join the tour with Shay and Ollie, it will change their lives in more ways they could ever imagine.

There’s one thing I know with certainty when I pick up a book by Garrett Leigh, I know that I will get flawed characters. They are never perfect; they don’t have perfect lives free of conflict or challenges. As was the case with this book too. There were the past traumas and various issues, but the one I appreciated the most was Shay’s diabetes. Ona whole, it was a minor thing, but I really like how it wasn’t just shown once as a plot device, but Leigh really showed how it impacted everyday life, the constant blood tests and monitoring. It’s something that if I have come across it before, it for sure hasn’t happened often.

This was the first time I met narrator Dan Calley, well figuratively speaking at least. Sadly our meet wasn’t as pleasant as I had hoped. I loved his accents; they really were the best part of the narration. As far as the rest of it goes, Calley’s style of narration wasn’t my personal preference. I don’t know if it was just me, but I had a hard time not only distinguishing between the characters, but also keeping focus on the story. His kid of flat deliverance made me space out and I never connected to Shay or Ollie. I had a bit of a look around and it seems that he is a bit of a hit or miss with many listeners, so do not discount him because of me and this review, give it a try and see if he might just be your next favourite narrator.

It’s no secret that the narration will affect just about everything with an audiobook. I do believe there is a solid story here, with wonderful and lovable characters. I also believe that my personal preference would have been to read the book, I think it would have made more of an impact for me.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes.