As someone who loves to crack a book open and read until the next thing I know is that it is currently two in the morning, I never envisioned myself indulging in an audiobook. I took the leap and listened to my first one on Audible. Audible has a never-ending selection of audiobooks, and you get two free ones when you subscribe with a Prime Student Membership. Lately, every time I have some time to myself to relax and sit back, I find that I am too drained to start a new book. Having meaning to read The Hating Game by Sally Thorne for a while, I decided to give it a listen instead.
The story follows Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman; when their two publishing companies merge, the two are forced to share an office. Their innate competitiveness consists of little games, one-upping each other, constant banter and palpable tension. When a promotion is announced, they both jump at the chance and soon realize they have now started a new game. As their dynamic shifts alongside a flourishing friendship with stolen glances, lines start to blur and priorities begin to shift in this enemies-to-lovers story.
Listening to The Hating Game, I was pleasantly shocked over how fast my previous presumptions about audiobooks were proven wrong. I always felt as if an audiobook would be too hard to follow, and I would be easily distracted and unable to immerse myself into the story. Katie Schorr’s performance was very enjoyable. My main concern was how the dialogue would translate through the audio. Schorr simply adjusted her narration effortlessly to differentiate the characters when conversations would take part. She embodied our heroine, Lucy Hutton, successfully by using the first point of view nature of the story to her advantage, allowing listeners to feel as if she is telling them her own story.
I have concluded that an audiobook is a happy middle between listening to music and watching a TV show or movie. It’s something you can listen to while doing simple yet at times boring and time-consuming tasks like cooking and cleaning. While doing these sorts of tasks, music sometimes gets lost in the background to the point one forgets it’s there and shows or movies tend to be too captivating that the task can easily be disregarded.
I listened to The Hating Game while I cooked myself dinner, organized my room, during a boring two-hour drive and even while writing some of this. Overall, I can tell you that I enjoyed the audiobook experience more than I thought I would. It also pulled me out of a mild reading slump where I kept procrastinating picking up books that have taken up space on my to-be-read list for far too long. I am now excited to indulge in my next read… or listen.
If you are hesitant about listening to your first audiobook, I suggest you press play on that book that has been collecting dust on your shelf for a little too long during your next long drive. I can’t wait to keep cashing in my Audible credits when in need of that happy middle.
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