The Mason List

By: S.D. Hendrickson

Narrated by: Honey St. Dennis

Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

"An epic love. An epic hate. An epic story that would last a lifetime."

Today, 8:15 p.m.

I hurt. I hurt so deeply, I felt the pain searing in my bones and jabbing like a hot poker into my heart. I knew nothing would make it better as the memories pulled from the crevices of my mind, detailing the bad and the ugly, filling my thoughts with regret as I slipped into the darkness...

When I was eight, my mother was dying of cancer, my father lost his job, and the bank kicked us out of our house. I was forced to move to the strange town of Arlis, Texas where my father and I slept in our car in the hospital parking lot. Desperate and hopeless, we lived on fumes of our former life.

Then one night, everything changed forever. A knock on the car window brought a family into my life that I only wanted to shut out. I hated charity and I hated the Masons. Well, except one. He made it impossible to hate him.

Jess Mason had the biggest blue eyes and ornery smile of any boy I had ever seen. He was a ray of sunshine in my dark world. A boy full of adventure, dragging me across the meadow of Sprayberry Ranch; a beautiful Texas paradise full of horses and tree houses that got us into more trouble than anyone ever imagined.

Jess was my everything as a kid, until we grew up and the rules changed. Instead of living happily ever after with a boy full of love...I destroyed it.

©2015 S.D. Hendrickson, LLC (P)2017 S.D. Hendrickson, LLC

The Mason List

Who was the most memorable character of The Mason List and why?

A great debut novel from S.D. Hendrickson. It shows how for better or worse the scars of her childhood impact Alex's decisions as she grows into a young woman. Once you start on this journey with Alex and Jess you won't be able to stop.

Well I Hate the Heroine

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The heroine begin the book moaning about her life and that is what she did throughout the entire story. All of us experience tragedy it is what you do afterwards that make or break you.

Would you be willing to try another book from S.D. Hendrickson? Why or why not?

If it is anything like this one I would be hard put to try it. I loved the story for Jess and am glad he got his HEA but

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

She portrayed the characters too well. the whining was annoying and I had to stop and start listening to the story. I know that sounds negative but when a narrator actually makes you feel the emotions they are doing a good job.

Do you think The Mason List needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. Another book by the author without so much "why me?" in it would be good unless she is going to write one that tells more of Jess's story.

Any additional comments?

I got this ARC book via audiobook boom.

WOW

Would you consider the audio edition of The Mason List to be better than the print version?

I did not read the print version but will be doing so because it was so fantastic.

What did you like best about this story?

What an epic tale. It was a total roller coaster ride from beginning to end.

Which character – as performed by Honey St. Dennis – was your favorite?

I couldn't pick one. Her ability to switch voices and give the depth to each character was amazing. I really enjoyed everything about her voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wish. It was 10 hours long and I found myself driving WAYYYY out of my way to listen to a little more.

Hmmmm where to start....

Hmmmm where to start ok At first I was REALLY CONFUSED, I actually thought she was having a breakdown!! IT FINALLY MADE SINCE at the last few chapters but since it didn't make since at the time I forgot some of it!! The end felt kind of rushed BUT IT WAS A PRETTY DARN GOOD READ!!!

great book

I was gifted this audio ARC for a honest and unbiased review from the author/narrator.
S.D. Hendrickson wrote a book where there were no hearts and flowers. It's a tale of hateful, self destructive bitter heroine who has a major chip on her shoulder. S.D. did a great job making me believe and to love hate the
Honey St Dennis did another outstanding performance with this book. She has a very smooth voices and is able to let us differentiate between the characters.

A Great Love Story

Any additional comments?

Can I give it more stars? Because let's be honest, this book deserves so many more than I'm allowed to give.

There aren't words to describe this story. I know I can string together a bunch of words, those 26 letters can be transformed into something magical and beautiful, but there is no way I can do this book justice. SD Hendrickson took those 26 little letters and created a masterpiece of words.

I cried, I laughed, I cried. I smiled, I sobbed, I loved. Oh, how I loved Jess Mason.

This is the type of story that takes you from friends to so much more. Jess and Alex met when they were eight years old. They met under less than desirable circumstances, but they met and they became best friends.

This is the journey of two children, two teenagers, two college students, and two adults trying to find their way in this world.

Jess and Alex are inseparable, but what we see from the beginning is that these two are inevitable. They just have to happen. What Jess sees is his love for Alex never waning. He will wait for her. He will wait forever if he has to.

Alex loves Jess Mason. We know it, but we also understand all of her concerns. We feel for her. We hurt for her. Or was that just me? It can't have just been me. She loves him, but she hates everything he represents. She loves him, but fights it. She loves him.

The Mason List is told from Alex's POV and it spans 18 years. We begin in the present, but it alternates with the past. The past is where we fall in love with Jess. It's where we hurt for Alex. It's where we watch these two fall in friendship and in love.

I'll admit I was nervous while listening to this. I was afraid I wouldn't get the ending I wanted. I was afraid something horrible happened and they never got their chance (the present POVs indicate something is VERY wrong).

But SD Hendrickson doesn't completely gut me. I mean, she does, but she also makes me happy cry. I can't think of a single time I've ever cried happy tears. I didn't know it was a thing.

Until now.

This book goes down as a favorite for me. I want it in all available formats. I want a signed copy. I want this book to live on my physical shelf and never leave. I also want to start this over and listen again even though I just finished it.

It's that good.



This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

The Baggage We Carry.......

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes. It was a well written story. The narration, except for a few spots, was great. Honey has a very smooth voice and is able to differentiate between the characters.

Who was your favorite character and why?
Jess. He was unwavering in his love for her. He was always thoughtful and always tried to take care of her.

Which character – as performed by Honey St. Dennis – was your favorite?
Jess. I Ioved his accent. Honey St. Dennis is able to do a male voice, so there was no guessing as to who was speaking.

Any additional comments?
I enjoyed Honey St. Dennis performance but there were times, like the beginning of the book where the narration was too fast. I don't know if it was a production error because even though that happened several times throughout the book, the majority was smooth and at a perfect speed.

Regarding the story, I would have loved more of the present time and more story after the accident. It seemed that it ended with a big gap of nothingness. Other than that, I really enjoyed the book.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.

The Mason List

Any additional comments?

Overall a very entertaining, engaging and emotional story. You really need to be prepared before you dive into this story. It will put you through the ringer of emotions. It's one of those stories that you love but hate at the same time.

The story itself was really good. However, the narration took away from some of my overall enjoyment of the story. I really struggled with this book at times. Especially in the beginning. The speed of the narration was hard to get past for me. I double checked to see if I had accidentally speed up the playback. After about an hour the narration changes a bit. It's still fast at times but as they grow older the narration is much smoother and more even paced.

For most of the story you are not really sure exactly what is going on in the present. The story starts out in the present then switch's between the past and present with a majority of the story being set in the past and told through flashback's. So there are two storylines going on at the same time that eventually merge. It took most of the story to reveal exactly what was going on in the present. I keeps you on the edge of your seat because you know whatever it is, it's traumatic and devastating.

It is a very emotional story of friendship, loyalty, forgiveness, life, learning to believe in yourself and embracing an all encompassing love that has always been your foundation.

The events that happen throughout your life shape you into the person you are. All of them. Even though you can't control them, it's your choice how you choose to let them affect your life.

Jess was a fantastic character. Who wouldn't want a boyfriend like Jess. He was open, honest, caring, giving and constantly unwavering in his feelings for Alex. Even when he was at the end of his rope with her. He constantly showed her through his actions and the way he treated her how he felt and how good life could actually be. How many times can one person have their love rejected and still hang on to hope? You can't blame him for losing his temper with her at times.

Alex was not the most likable of heroines. Although I can understand her feelings of being not good enough to an extent she also comes across as extremely ungrateful and bitter with a huge chip on her shoulder for most of the story. Pride has ruined many relationships. Refusing to just let yourself be happy and have what your heart desires because of some twisted reasoning was just prolonging her bitterness and pain. She seemed to be a on permanent self destruct mode.

The way in which she "repaid" the items on the list she kept was creative, redeeming, and soul healing.

I would have liked to have had more of them in the present.

Overall the narration turned out to be really good but it was really rough in areas. It had the potential to be fantastic.

The good-There were times her narration was perfect. Pleasant voice. Some really good character voices. She was able to bring the characters and ALL their emotions to life. She was able to convey their emotions in a way that you felt them. Which is fantastic. Not many narrators can do that. She absolutely brought the characters to life through her narration.

The bad- the speed at times. It was to fast. It was usually when she was narrating the part of Alex that the narration was too fast. She sounds like she's speed reading. Which distracts you from the story and effects the flow. The rest of her narration was great.

Chapter 12, clapping then repeated line. Chapter 50, repeated line.
Background noise occasionally.

I was voluntarily provided this free review audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.

What a ride!

Any additional comments?

Be ready to dive right into a chaotic, emotional beginning... similar to what I can imagine Alex's beginning must have felt like. I was so perplexed by the first few pages that I had to stop and return to this one when I was ready to invest time and emotion into this one. I had no idea what was going on but the characters turmoil and distress was so obvious that I was admittedly effected by her distress.

But, when I came back ready to dive in I was glad I did. The flashbacks throughout did not give any obvious hints as to why Alex was in her current situation so I was near obsessed with both storylines (now and then) as I tried to figure out why/what/where and how. Very well done!

Jess and Alex were childhood friends tied together by unwanted (although much needed) charity and an unexplained 8 yr old connection. Through unfounded shame and resentment along with typical coming of age situations their friendship was tried and tested yet their connection was undeniable. The ongoing backstory was compelling and well laid out. When the current situation was finally revealed I was on the edge of my seat begging for a happy ending. It was revealed so late in the story that I thought I had figured out how this would all end... I was wrong. Sorry - no spoilers. You have to wait to hear for yourself! It's worth the emotional ride!

Narration was great although there were some sound quality issues and a couple of repeated lines about an hour before the finale. This did not effect my listening experience and did not appear to be any fault of the narrator. Technology, right?

Anyhow... definitely worth a credit!

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator and I'm so glad I had an opportunity to review this one. This did not influence my review in any way.

Friends to lovers, with some tragic thrown in.

What did you love best about The Mason List?

Jess. He was by far the redeeming aspect of this story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Mason List?

The accident. It was like the best character is the one who got the worst of everything.

Have you listened to any of Honey St. Dennis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first listen from Honey St. Denise and she did a fantastic job. My only issue is she spoke quickly at times and it felt rushed sometimes because of this, rather than performed. I did try slowing down to .75 speed and that helped make it sound more flowing.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes. I have never been so annoyed and frustrated by a heroine before. I spent 85 % of the book volleying between hating her, and pitying her for being a self absorbed twit.

Any additional comments?

This book is a hard one to review. The story was good and yet it wasn't. There really are no hearts and flowers, it is a story of self destruction, bitterness, and a heroine that has a huge chip on her shoulder, despite being treated wonderfully and cared for on multiple fronts. I questioned if she had any redeeming qualities, and I am still not sure if she does. Despite that the story is beautifully tragic, and a good insight to people who are self destructive and misunderstood. In the end I was glad that Jess the hero got his HEA, because he deserved it after everything he put up with. I say 3.5 stars overall because this story would have been more bearable had it not been overly detailed on minutiae, and drawn out without any dangling carrots that gave you hope for character improvement. It was a great story, and I would recommend because it is honest in its delivery of people, just don't go in expecting batting eyelashes, tender kisses and sweet nothings, it's not that story. I was given this audiobook for free from audiobook boom for my unbiased review.