Wake Up, Nat & Darcy

By: Kate Cochrane

Narrated by: Jeremy Carlisle Parker

Ex-lovers. Ex-rivals. New cohosts. Oh, puck.

Cut from the U.S. women’s hockey team right before her third chance at gold, Natalie Carpenter is scrambling for a plan that’ll help her avoid moving back home. The answer: a guest hosting gig on Wake Up, USA’s winter games coverage. Her co-host: Darcy LaCroix, Nat’s ex-girlfriend, one-time college teammate turned adversary.
Since leaving Team Canada, Darcy has worked hard to make a name in broadcasting. If her big break requires sharing screen time with the former cocky freshman who turned her world upside down, so be it. At this point, there’s nothing between them except history.
But audiences disagree. #PuckingHotties is trending hard, and Nat and Darcy agree to lean into it...for ratings, obviously. It’s not like Nat can forget the way Darcy broke her heart or their bitter team rivalry.
Between working, traveling together, and that irresistible spark, it’s getting hard to separate what’s real and what’s for the camera. Because somewhere underneath everything that went wrong is the sneaking suspicion that nothing will ever feel quite this right again.

Amazing

Great story and cute concept! Loved the characters and what they went through! Can’t wait for next book!

A Slow Burn Rivalry, Not Deep, But Exactly What I Needed

I was skeptical going into this book. It wasn’t my usual choice, and after seeing some mixed reviews, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Still, I needed something light—something fun that wouldn’t ask too much of me emotionally.

Wake Up, Nat & Darcy turned out to be exactly that kind of story. It’s the type of audiobook you can sit with absent-mindedly when your head is full, letting it play without overwhelming you with heavy emotions or complicated themes.

It’s entertaining to watch two grown women—former teammates, lovers, and now rivals—circle back into each other’s lives, competing while navigating unresolved tension and shared history. At times, they behave like teenagers again: stubborn, defensive, and slow to forgive or admit what’s obvious.

This isn’t a deep or intense love story, and it doesn’t try to be. The pacing is slow, and the real growth comes only toward the end, when the characters finally mature enough to accept what the listener has likely seen coming from the start.

I do think the audiobook format made a difference for me. Hearing these characters through the narrator’s voice softened their stubbornness in a way that might not have worked as well on the page. While it wasn’t a five-star listen for me, it was still an enjoyable experience—light, easy, and worth the time.

The banter is very cute

Really enjoyed the story flow. Interactions between all parties really had some depth. Seems like it took me a second to start picturing everything though and the descriptions of people and places seemed to lock in after a few chapters. I do like a little toxicity but it did seem that in your 30’s still in that high school mentality was stretched a bit. The build up for those spicy scenes, definitely worth it. Over all easy listen with a bit of flare.

Loved it

Got to know the characters & cared! This story moved my emotions around -making me laugh, feel heartbreak and more. Narration by Jeremy Carlisle Parker was EXCELLENT!!

Really Good

This was one of the best stories I’ve heard in awhile. Natalie was very childish most of the time but the story was pleasant. I could be partial cause it’s hockey player. Pretty sure it’s Quinn Riley narrating not what the prompt says