The Yes Factor

By: Erin Spencer, Emma Sable

Narrated by: Ava Erickson, Andi Arndt

Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

Liv just wants her best friend Bex to find love.

Bex just wants to stay in bed with Outlander.
 

With 40 just around the corner, divorced single mom Bex is too busy being a chauffeur for her teenage daughter to bother swiping for dates.

Her best friend Liv, who is married to the supposedly perfect man, swoops in from London on a mission to get Bex out of her own bed and in to someone else’s. Liv pushes Bex into a week-long whirlwind of dates, awkward kisses and missed connections. 

What could possibly go wrong when Bex agrees to Liv’s harebrained scheme of saying Yes to every possible suitor? And why is Liv so intent on fixing Bex’s love life, or lack thereof? 

Just what do you find out when all of your no’s turn into the yes factor?

©2020 Erin Spencer, Emma Sable (P)2020 Erin Spencer, Emma Sable

Friendship is the most important thing!

This was such a fantastic book! It was a great story of friendship and where they are at in their lives. Liv was so unhappy with her life that she just wanted to get away and decides to visit her BFF in the U.S. She decides that it's her mission to help her friend find love again, but during her trip I think she learns more about herself. Fantastic narration and story!

Nice friendship book.

This book was well written and I enjoyed the friendship ups and downs but I cannot categorize this book as a romance. It is a nice work of fiction about relationships both friendly and romantic but don’t expect any sex (or very little with fade to black) and I would have liked it to go on a little longer. The ending left me a little wanting and only an implied HEA. Andi Arndt and Ava Erickson were outstanding as always.

BEST ROMANCE NOVEL EVER!

I narrate romance novels for a living and have to say that after all the inicredible books I've had the pleasure of doing (160 and counting) THIS is the best one I've ever heard. It had everything and the performances were fantastic. HAPPY THANK YOU MORE PLEASE!!

fun and quick read!

 this was such a fun and quick read for me! it's laugh out loud hilarious, really cute and heartwarming. I loved the relationship between Bex and Liv, and also the relationship between Bex and her daughter. having the book focus not only on the romantic side of the story but also on Bex's mother daughter relationship made me love it even more!

A great beach read

This book is more women's fiction romance rather than chick-lit romance, though there are some chick-lit tropes. The dating mishaps provide levity to the more serious "finding yourself" moments. This would make a great beach read.

it all felt unfinished...

Light. Fun. Needed. This was a listen that brightened a long hard week of so much. I was needing something light and fun to finish off my week. Going on this journey or adventure in Bex's case was just what the doctor order. I enjoyed watching as Bex found something more than just being mom-everything.

The narration duo of Ava and Andi nailed it. They gave light and fun with their pitch, tone, and diction. All added to the fun light hearted words Erin and Emma put to paper.

romantic comedy

This is my first audiobook written by Erin Spencer & Emma Sable and hopefully won't be my last. Liv and Bex are long time friends living on two different continents. When Liv's unfaithful lawyer husband skips out on their vacation, she decides to go visit Bex in the US to help her with her non existing dating life What ensues is a laugh out loud account of Liv setting up Bex to the worst dates ever! But in the end, these two friends find exactly what they need.

Narrators: This is only my third audio book and I had a tough time listening to them. What was missing was the two fabulous narrators Ava Erickson & Andi Arndt. They brought that little extra something to their narration and the change in their voices for the men was spot on. If you like audio books I highly recommend this five star romantic comedy!

Sweet Book About Friendship and Living Life to the Fullest

I was thrilled to partner with Audiobookworm Productions for the audiobook tour of The Yes Factor.

Most importantly in an audiobook, the narrators were great. They made the story come alive and were really enjoyable to listen to.

The story was real and relatable. Bex and Liv are both “stuck” in different ways. Liv challenges Bex to stop avoiding life and, in doing so, she examines her own life as well. Their friendship is supportive and encouraging but they are also both honest enough with each other to tell it like it is.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a sweet book about romance, friendship and making the most out of life. Definitely add this to your TBR.

This was a lot of fun!

I don’t venture into the Adult realm often, and when I do it’s for thrillers, but this was a super cute read. There was lots of laughs while these women navigated the ins and outs of saying “yes”. Each character was well fleshed out and their dynamic was realistic. This story really journeys into the way friendship is lost as you get swallowed by adulthood. I enjoyed seeing how these women found their way back to each other through their different trials and how they were able to lean on each other as they healed. This was a feel-good read with fantastic narration. The narrators made the read enjoyable and easy to listen to.

Review - The Yes Factor

Initial Thoughts

I was super excited to be chosen for this tour. I love a rom com and this sounded so fun. My best friend from high school and I are separated by a ton of distance so it’s always fun to read stories of friends who stay in touch despite that.

Some Things I Liked

Humor and wit. I loved the humor in this story. I know it’s tagged as a romantic comedy, but sometimes, comedies aren’t that funny. So not the case here. I found myself laughing out loud at several moments and I just loved that.
Realism. Again, I must applaud the realism in the storyline. I think the dual narrators really helped with this. The conversations between Liv and Bex were so authentic and tackled some heavy issues with heartwarming elegance. Their lives aren’t perfect and the grass often times appears greener. I loved watching both Liv and Bex puzzle that out in their own ways.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

I didn’t love Liv’s ending. I just thought she deserved more. That being said, I’d love a sequel about her.

Series Value

Speaking of sequels, I think this could easily be the start of a series of Bex and Liv’s adventures together. I’d love to read more about them.

Furthermore, I’d love to keep reading Erin Spencer and Emma Sable’s books.

Audiobook Value

I listened to this book at 2.5x speed and I had absolutely no issues understanding the story or the narrators. This might be somewhat blasphemous, but I actually judge an audiobook by its ability to be sped up. I talk really fast and I find that I need to listen to books at a pace similar to that to really enjoy them. If there’s something about the narration that prevents me from speeding it up, I have a hard time listening. So, that being said, I had no issues here. In fact, I think the speed gave the narrators an infection energy that was very reflective of the adventures they went on together.

I also loved that both narrators sounded like how I’d have imagined these characters should sound. The voices really fit the characters. And, more importantly, they fit together. Ava Erickson and Andi Arndt have great chemistry and they sound like they could easily be best friends in real life.

Given that this is first person narration and that the narrators are so excellent, I think this book is best as an audiobook. Listening to it really enhanced the experience for me.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun listen with a lot of humor that also tackled some heavier topics. I thought it was well balanced and I really enjoyed the narrators and writing. I’d definitely look to read more of Erin and Emma’s writing as well of Ava and Andi’s narrating.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendations for Further Reading

Coming Home to Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters – if you liked the idea of rekindling long standing friendships, try this series by Victoria Walters.
The Jake Ryan Complex by Bethany Crandell – if you liked the idea of a main character approaching 40 (and all of the jokes and references that go with that 😂), try this standalone by Bethany Crandell.

This book definitely has the YES factor

It’s not often that I listen to a book in a day, I just don’t have the time these days, but once I started The Yes Factor, I didn’t want to put it down, so I didn’t.

Erin Spencer and Emma Sable have crafted a brilliantly charming and witty story of friendship and the woes of dating in the modern world. As I listened, it was hard to believe that this was a debut novel, it felt like they had been writing together for a long time. Their writing is cohesive, and they tell such a fun, feel good story.

I liked that this book had characters that were my age, I’m not usually bothered by things like that, but it felt refreshing and gave a whole different dynamic to the thoughts and feelings of the characters. The dating mishaps were hilarious, and I’ll admit, made me grateful not to be on the dating scene.

What I loved the most about this story was how the friendship was written. The bond of friendship is strong even from miles away. Friends fight and they make up. They keep things from one another and eventually spill their secrets when the time is right. And that is captured so perfectly throughout this story. Bex and Olivia are fantastic, I cheered with them. I commiserated with them. I laughed with them. And I wanted to go pour a glass of bourbon and hang out with them too.

Ava Erickson and Andi Arndt performed this book to perfection. Now, it’s no secret that I love both of their voices. Talk about girl crush. Up until today, I had never heard them together and it was such a joy. Their voices complemented each other, and I need more. Hearing these two amazing women perform a story of friendship was beautiful, they both nailed the emotion and the humour of the scenes, so much so that it seemed effortless. Credit worthy for sure.

I really hope there is going to be another book because I need more. This book most definitely has The Yes Factor.

Friendships!

What a fun listen this book is! My first book by Erin Spencer and Emma Sable is funny, relatable and just downright charming. It features best friends Bex and Liv. Liv is stuck in a marriage that is just unhappy and flies to Bex deciding to get her out there to find her a man. And their adventure begins. It's got laughs and laugh lines, hope and despair, along with issues that as we get older are easy to understand.It's women's fiction at it's best and I would recommend this one to anyone!

Ava Erickson and Andi Arndt bring this one to life. They really balance the story well together and fit the personality of their characters perfectly. They make the story entertaining and easy on the ears.

A cringeworthy, funny story

The Yes Factor is a cringeworthy, funny story about dating in the modern world in your late thirties. While I am neither (and have never been) in Bex's nor Liv's situation and can hardly relate, I enjoyed listening to a story with more mature characters.

While there is a lot of dating involved in this story, this isn't a romance. It's a story about two best friends who reconnect after spending years apart. There were times, though, when I felt Liv was just a little bit too much, and although her heart was in the right place, she should have respected Bex's boundaries instead of doing things she knew her friend wouldn't like because she was doing it "for her own good." Nevertheless, I loved how realistic their friendship was.

As expected from these two amazing narrators, Ava Erickson and Andi Arndt's performance was flawless.

The Yes Factor is a contemporary women's fiction written in dual first-person POV and performed in dual narration. It's a standalone that ends with an implied HEA.

I received this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

As sunny as the cover

This book had so many things going for it. The friendship between Liv and Bex. shone nearly as bright as stunning cover, even through the bumps and distance, I totally felt their friendship was genuine. If I could use two words to describe this rom-com it would be charming and at times hilarious. This was so much fun. I really hope there is a second book by this duo. Ava Erikson and Andi Arndt really brought Liv and Bex to life on audio and I enjoyed this so much I've already re-read it. It brightens up a dreary day.

Thanks to Valentine PR, Netgalley and the authors for the ARC and I was given the opportunity to leave an unbiased review.