The Girl in the Corner

By: Amanda Prowse

Narrated by: Amanda Prowse

Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

From bestselling author Amanda Prowse comes the poignant tale of a woman who has always been there for her family. But will they be there for her?

Rae-Valentine and Howard were childhood sweethearts. They’ve shared twenty-five peaceful years since they were brought together by Dolly, Howard’s larger-than-life sister. But now, on the night of their wedding anniversary, Howard reveals a shocking betrayal that leaves Rae reeling.

Heartbroken, she takes Dolly on her would-be anniversary trip to Antigua and the two women drink and dance and talk like they haven’t in years. But in the break from real life, Rae realizes her choices have always been made for her, and suddenly she’s questioning not only her fragile marriage but also her one-sided friendships. Is she really the pushover everyone else sees?

When Howard comes looking for reconciliation, Rae has a choice to make: keep the peace, as she always has, or put herself first for once and find out who she really is.

©2018 Amanda Prowse. (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

excellent

loved it. wasn't what i thought it would be. Ray is a relatable character, dealing with relatable issues.

Deep Insight -Great Listen

I was entranced from the first words and hated to put the book down. It is very insightful, told from a woman's point of view. It begins with the early stages of the relationships and shows how they evolve over the years.

Most of the book is centered around her husband's one transgression - his attempts to make amends and her inability to forgive and forget. Towards the end the story inevitably slips into Lifetime movie territory (not that there's anything wrong with that). Loose ends wind themselves up as the story approaches the end. Will Ray Valentine's recently revived hopes and dreams from her youth pull her out of the corner or will she realize the corner is where she really wants to be?

The author did a great job on narration - I would have thought she was a professional reader. She has a lovely voice and a British accent.

I couldn’t finish it

The narration is solid, the writing isn’t bad but the storyline just made me want to rip my ears off. Sniveling, poor me, my life has meant nothing (in the face of having everything) and on and on and on. About a quarter through I DELETED IT, my ears are so grateful! Save your credit.

Lackluster Meditations on Suburban Life

While I didn't think this book was as bad as others, it was not insightful or unique. What I appreciated about the story was that it did seem realistic -- but unless you are a white, upper middle class white lady, you might have a hard time relating. This is a book about a woman somewhere between her middle-class, stay-at-home mom status and going to Eat, Pray, Love. I think it does an excellent job of going over the thoughts of what a person who has just found out something life-changing would be struggling with, and going back and forth in her mind and her actions in what she wants to do. In fact, I think anyone who's made life altering decisions has probably gone through some version of this -- really struggling with what to do next and how their decisions will affect others. It just most likely wasn't on a beach in Antigua and probably had more considerations for one's financial situation.

As a shy person myself, I did enjoy how the interior thoughts of the main character were portrayed and also appreciated that she could struggle to voice herself without going from meek to yelling at everyone. While I could appreciate this realism, it also is not particularly interesting. Let's face it -- the interior struggles of most of us are only interesting to ourselves...even our best friends don't want to hear EVERY thought in your head. There were many parts where I got frustrated with this constant rambling around. I struggled to hang on to the end and after finishing it I can definitely say I would never recommend it to anyone I know. It's not terrible but it just falls flat.

Narration: The author did an excellent job of narration with a few exceptions. There was a lot of interior narration and that made it hard to follow switching back and forth in conversations. I couldn't tell if something was voiced out loud or not. The author tried to distinguish this but she wasn't always successful and I had to pay attention to determine what was going on. The author also does not do accents. I have a hard time thinking that a Portuguese man in Antigua would have a very proper English accent. In fact, everyone had the same English accent. This wasn't a deal breaker since she was otherwise able to distinguish between characters, but after listening to so many excellent audio books, I have higher expectations.

A yearly girl

Author performs book wonderfully
Interesting story with an ending with a twist
Pleasant listen for a stormy day

I tried but hated it.

i made it through 13excruciating chapters. Couldn’t listen any longer. Boring story. Don’t waste your money.

couldn't listen to it

gushy and corny - very sorry I bought it and couldn't wait for it to end

Wasn't impressed.

Long and slow. Story concept was ok. I personally dont care for the name of Jesus used as a swear word.

Cliche

I really wanted to like this book because the narrating is excellent. The author does as good a job as any professional reader. But the story line is so cliche and predictable, I was bored from page 1. While Rae is facing a terrible crisis in her life, she is superficial and not very believable. I could not get past the first few chapters even though some of the reviews promise a intriguing twist at the end of the story.

Much Aso About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing should have been the title of this story. i kept waiting for something to be revealed that would be a deeper meaning, but it's just a story about a woman who takes a back seat to everyone else's needs who then finally breaks out on her own.

Brilliant book!!

Great read! Had me hooked from the beginning. The way Rae felt when her husband made the confession and the way she acted were totally believable. Her friend /sister-in-law Dolly was so funny - even though she was a little selfish. I loved the shock ending with the little twist to the tail, I wasn't expecting that.
I'll read some more of this author's books.
Recommended!!!

Loved the characters, I hope there is a book 2

Really enjoyed this story, it would be a great summer read for all Mum's in their 30's and 40's. I really hope there is another book in the series so we can find out about Rae's adventures.

Not Bad: Like All Her Books

Another Amanda Prowse book with no real surprises, moderately engaging characters, and a bit of plot in one area (the end of the book, basically).

I listened to it whilst doing bits and bobs around the house or trying to go to sleep, and it was fine for those activities, as all of her books are. She's a prolific author and she reads well, which explains her fanbase, and she does actually give me hope that I might be published one day, which is nice. I digress:

This was a 3 star book with a 4 star ending, so I've given it 4 stars. I was fairly indifferent to the characters and their stories, and the author/narrator could work on doing different voices for each character, but this book was perfectly fine, with a handful of genuinely interesting moments.

OMG Wow

this book is amazing a must listen not what I expected I was happy, angry and sad a full range of emotions. I truly loved this book.

Amazing

Did not want this to end. The author narrator truly brilliant. Enjoyed all the characters. Dolly was so funny.

Brilliant!

Love this lady's books! Never disappointing always gripped by her stories can't wait for her next

Nice easy read

Even though most of the story was predictable the twist at the end made it different

Absolutely brilliant.

What a total surprise at the end. I love Ananda's voice. Loved it from start to finish.

Chick lit at its predictable worst.

Chick lit at its predictable worst.
One dimensional characters play out in a tired and drawn out well worn plot.

Great book, had me gripped.

loved it but at times did struggle to stay engaged with the story. narrator was very good.