Readers’ Recommendation Audiobook Review & Giveaway: WHERE ONE GOES by BN Toler

WINNER UPDATE: It was fun to read the variety of ways you all go about selecting your next read. Thanks for sharing!

As I poured over the comments on our “Best Reads of 2015” post to find my reader’s recommendation selection for this week, I found it very difficult to decide. I wrote down over 30 series or books of interest and found it tough to narrow down. I finally picked Where One Goes by BN Toler, which was recommended by Amy R and Kristi, for two reasons. Kristi had agreed that one of my best reads of 2015, Bright Side, topped her list as well, which demonstrated a similar taste in books. Then, on the day I was making my final selection, I found it was available on audiobook. My decision was made. It was meant to be!

Read on to see if Where One Goes hit the mark after all the hard work of choosing it. First, here are the audiobook’s deets:

Sunny’s Review

I’m not going to leave you hanging…I loved Where One Goes! I’ve mentioned in prior reviews my interest in the paranormal, mostly where mediums are involved, so this story totally hit the mark! Throw in a little romance to go with it, and I am one happy reader, or should I say listener?!

I hadn’t read anything by BN Toler before, and I really enjoyed her writing style. She wrote this story in alternating first-person perspectives, and I loved the voice she gave to each of her characters. Listening to this story on audiobook was wonderful. With the switch from one character’s point of view to another, I always felt in the moment, and the change in narrator mixed it up perfectly as well.

Charlotte is struggling through life, due mostly to a unique gift she’d rather not possess. She can see and talk to dead people and it has made her weary. In an attempt to help the dead crossover, she isn’t taking care of herself and it has come at a cost to her well-being. Enter Ike. He is the first deceased person she helps who is willing to give her a bit of help in return. I loved how this gesture led to an important change in Charlotte’s life and gave direction to the story.

I loved Charlotte’s struggle in this book and how Ike’s intervention put many wonderful people in her path. She is kind, proud, strong-willed, and hardworking. At the same time, she is tired of being different, of being shunned, of feeling like a slave to the dead. All of these characteristics and feelings added so much to her story throughout the book, and I appreciated how she represented herself in various situations as she tried to make a new life in the town where Ike once lived.

I also loved Ike’s character. He had been a soldier. In death, he beautifully demonstrated an appreciation for the life he’d led and love for the family he left behind. It was obvious he had no regrets, yet he couldn’t crossover due to the tailspin his twin brother, George, was experiencing over his death. I was impressed by Ike’s desire to work with Charlotte to help his brother, but my favorite aspect of his character was listening to Ike fall in love with Charlotte and the selflessness he demonstrated throughout the story when he couldn’t really have her.

George was most definitely messed up. Instead of listening to those who were trying to help him cope with Ike’s death, he gravitated to those who would do him the most harm yet helped him forget. He was very unlikeable, and even though I felt bad for his character, I didn’t like the choices he was making. It made him rough, intolerant, and unappreciative of his life. What I did love was how his outward dislike for Charlotte turned to intrigue and, later, into stubborn love.

Yes, somehow this story turns into an amazing love triangle. It is an emotional story where numerous realizations for the characters become game changers. These moments led to Ike and Charlotte experiencing more love than they thought possible and George experiencing more love than he thought he deserved. It was amazingly written and I loved the romantic aspect of Where One Goes.

I also enjoyed Ike and George’s community members and how they lovingly welcomed Charlotte in, even as a complete stranger. The paranormal nature of the story was well-written, and I enjoyed the moments where Charlotte proved her abilities to others. Finally, I loved Charlotte’s journey throughout the story. She came full circle as her gift took her from seeing the worst in life to seeing something worth living for.

I loved it! This reader’s recommendation hit the mark for me! If you like paranormal romance, enjoy a romance that involves a love triangle, or those written in alternating points of view, Where One Goes is worth the read/listen!

Rating: A

Wine/Beverage Pairing: A shot of Frozen Ghost Vodka. Ike was a wonderful “ghost” in Where One Goes. To read more about this beverage and its spooky paranormal ties, click here…but only if you dare!

Where One Goes Giveaway

The kind folks at Tantor Audio have generously offered to give away an MP3-CD audiobook of Where One Goes to TWO lucky Kindles & Wine readers (U.S. residents only).

To enter for your chance to win, you must:

1. Be a follower of our blog (click HERE to subscribe), AND…
2. Since it is Readers’ Recommendation Week and we are basing the books we read and review on your recommendations, I would like to know about your selection process. Hit the comments and explain who/what you rely on most when looking for your next read.

Please note: All entrants must review and adhere to our official giveaway policy. This contest will close on Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 11:59 PM (CDT) and the two winners will be notified via email on Friday, April 1.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR