What It Takes: A Dirt Road Love Story

By: Sonya Loveday

Narrated by: Angie Morency

Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Gracen Lowell is on the hunt for a man - but not just any man. He has to be "the one". Her only problem is that no one she’s dated has ever measured up to the charming qualities of her best friend.

Slade Owens knows no matter how much he loves Gracen, he’ll never be what she’s looking for. And he dang sure isn’t going to stick around to watch her fall in love with someone else. Slade leaving the Owens’ family farm for an out-of-state job should put enough distance between the two to allow him to move on with his life and Gracen to search for her happily-ever-after.

Gracen knows asking him to stay isn’t fair. Slade thinks leaving her behind is the only thing to do. Inexplicably drawn together, the best friends must decide if they have what it takes to own up to their feelings...before it’s too late.

©2017 Sonya Loveday (P)2019 Sonya Loveday

So much more than expected.

When I got this one, I was expecting the typical friends to lovers story. You know the one. Boy meets girl, they become friends, they fall in love but neither of them realizes it is mutual until someone finally makes a move and they live happily ever after. While this story does have several of those pieces, it also has so much more. These characters have a hard road and several obstacles to overcome to make it to their HEA. They were very well developed on their own, and it made their relationship with one another that much better, because I wanted them to find their happiness so badly!

There was a bit of everything in this book. Love, suspense, heartbreak, friendship, and a happily ever after. I was hooked from the very beginning and didn't want to stop listening until I got to the end. The narration was really well done! This was my first time, I will definitely listen to Angie Morency again!

A story that grabs you...

I have never really done a audiobook review so please forgive me while I cut my teeth on this one. As with most audiobooks the big thing is the narrator. Angie Morency's voice is so nice and smooth. It lulled me into the story and kept me wanting to listen. Hearing Angie as Gracen's voice painted a very vivid picture.
The story is one of such great love, friendship, loss and a new chance.Two best friends, Gracen Lowell and Slade Owens, try navigating from friendship to lovers. Yet it's too late by the time they realize their true feelings. Thinking he would never have his chance with Gracen, Slade has agreed to a job far away from her in hopes that he will soon forget her and all the feelings he knows will never be able to get over. But life, as it often does, throws him a curveball. Gracen loves him back. Slade, though, is a man of his word. He slinks out of Gracen's life.
Gracen slowly starts rebuilding her life without Slade. She sadly finds out that not every man is honorable. Will the turmoil in Gracen's life bring Slade back? Will they find out how strong their love is when it is truly put to the test?
Loveday has built a story of finding ones strength, abuse, love and second chances that flows so smoothly with Morency's voice that you, as the listener, can close your eyes and see it all happen.

You have had my heart all along ....

A sweet romance that has it all !
Best friends to lovers story line .
You might need a tissue . .
The bitter becomes sweet .
Great job by the author
An amazing job by the narrator .
Five stars .....

Friends to lovers with a twist

Enjoyed listening to this book. There were some intense scenes involving abuse. Gracean and Slade do find their happiness in the end.

🎧 audio obsession

Best Friends + Cheese & Crackers!

What It Takes: A Dirty Road Love Story is a ya romance with a paradoxical exposition. I loved the narative in this southern romance with its sweetness. Character's are compelling with complex personalities. A novel encompassing just the right blend of ingredients. Crossing the line of demarcation, bombshells dropped, and suspense exploding through the pages. I loved the sweet epilogue ending with Cheese and Crackers.

First listen by narator Angie Morency and I'm not sure if she is the right person to narate this book. I did not love her performance, but I didn't hate it. I think the narrative needs a narator who is capable of showing all the sentiments & angst in the right places. I did not feel this narrator gave justice to the emotional bits. Her voice didn't flow though smoothly and tone and pace were middling.

🎧 Audiobook Obsession 🎧

Friends to lovers

I didn’t care for the book in the beginning. But I stuck with it and I grew to like it. One thing that made me not like it was the two main characters love each other and they both make it pretty obvious but they’re oblivious to each others feelings. It’s infuriating. Even though it takes a tragedy to bring them together they eventually clear everything up.

The narrator isn’t horrible but I do think she paused while reading more than necessary. Also, I LOVE when I listen to a book and I can feel the emotion from the narrator but I didn’t feel it here and this story has emotional scenes in it that need justice. I’m not going to write the narrator off, I do want to hear more of her!

I also love the fact that the author added helpful numbers at the end! Prompts to you Miss Loveday!


🎧AudiobookObsessionReviewer

Cheese and Crackers

Good book! I am a horse girl myself, and usually stay away from books with horses because the author gets it all wrong. Not with this book! Only caught one flaw about the horses, but was no big deal. Narrator was wonderful, except for Lex's voice. He is roughly 25/26ish years old(?) and sounds like an 80 year old smoker, on death row, missing half a lung, after drinking lemon juice and baking soda. Other than Lex, the narration was wonderful!

Warning! There may be triggers for some!

Overall, this was a wonderful book and will definitely be reading/listening again!

Excellent reader!

This is normally not the genre of literature I listen to, but Angie Morency's reading is so engaging! She tells the story clearly and with a distinct point of view for each character and a sense of humor in the narration. I'd love to hear her read in other genres!

What it Takes!

What it Takes was a wonderfully emotional book! Gracen and Slade are best friends. Gracen is celebrating her 21 birthday, and Slade has taken her to a club she’s finally old enough to go to. Gracen is also looking for her forever love. What these two have not admitted is that they are really in love with each other. Slade has accepted a job in Montana because he can’t stay and watch her fall for another man. Gracen wants to ask him to stay, but doesn’t because she thinks she’s not being fair to him. They end up going camping, and making love, for the first time, afterwards being very awkward with each other. Slade tries to explain his feelings for her, and asks her to go to Montana with him. Gracen misinterprets what he’s trying to say, interrupts him, saying they aren’t meant for each other. Slade leaves without saying goodbye to her. Both are broken hearted. They don’t speak for months. In the meantime Gracen reluctantly starts seeing the ranch hand, Clint, who replaced Slade when he left for Montana. This book had me in tears. Both of them are disillusioned with the choices they made. It takes a major event to get these two in each other’s orbit again. I highly recommend this book!

This book!!!

What was a light and cute southern romance, turned emotional and gripping. This was such a good story! This was my first time reading this author and prior to starting this audiobook, I had never heard of her work. But I look forward to reading more of her work because I loved this story!