Audible Book Review: The Nothing Girl by Jodi Taylor

I totally enjoyed this story of a young woman finding her inner strength.

The Nothing Girl
The Frogmorton Farm Series, Book 1
By: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Lucy Price-Lewis

Series: The Frogmorton Farm Series, Book 1
Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
Release date: 03-03-15
Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
Genre: Coming of Age, Fantasy
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
Getting a life isn't always easy. And hanging on to it is even harder....
Jodi Taylor brings all her comic writing skills to this heartwarming tale of self-discovery.
Known as The Nothing Girl because of her severe stutter and chronically low self-confidence, Jenny Dove is only just prevented from ending it all by the sudden appearance of Thomas, a mystical golden horse only she can see. Under his guidance Jenny unexpectedly acquires a husband - the charming and chaotic Russell Checkland - and for her nothing will ever be the same again.With overprotective relatives on one hand and the world's most erratic spouse on the other, Jenny needs to become someone. And fast!
Fans of Jodi Taylor's best-selling Chronicles of St. Mary's series will adore the quirky humour in this new, contemporary novel. Jodi Taylor, International Woman of Mystery, spent some time working undercover for North Yorkshire County Library Service. Heavily disguised as the world's most incompetent facilities manager, she shifted dead dogs, fell out of mobile libraries, and spent far too much time in the gents' toilets. The idea to rewrite history first came to her while studying history A level at an evening class.
Just One Damned Thing After Another is her first novel and was originally self-published as an ebook; it was downloaded by more than 60,000 readers on Amazon.
©2014 Jodi Taylor (P)2015 Audible, Ltd

Review:
Jenny Dove lost her parents and has been raised by the ‘benevolence” of her aunt and uncle. As a young teen with a bad stutter and low self-confidence, Jenny felt like a ‘nothing’. She was ready to end her existence until Thomas, a golden horse appeared to her to intervene. Jenny struggled forward with the help of Thomas and, to everyone’s surprise, including her own, Jenny gets a proposal of marriage from the charming, if chaotic Russell.

Russell is a kind heart, often rescuing strays. After being spurned by Jenny’s beautiful, outgoing and vivacious cousin, Russell lost his art muse and tried to bury himself in a bottle … or four. Russell realizing that he can’t get back the woman he thought he loved, also knows that he needs to gain financial support for his deteriorating estate. Russell sees Jenny and the oppression that she live in under the over-protective control of her aunt. He decides that he can rescue Jenny and perhaps help his own situation.

The pair gets off to a very rocky start when Russell is late and drunk to the wedding. Slowly, with the continued guidance of Thomas, and the quiet encouragement of Russell, Jenny finds her own voice and the Nothing Girl steps out to become someone.

I do like Jodi Taylor’s distinct combination of real-life personalities shared in clear characters with quirky humor. I already liked Jenny and Thomas as I had listened to the novella, Little Donkey. Russell is a harder character to like, but his rescue of Jenny, even if careless and self-motivated, sets him on a path of better growth. I listened to this at a time when I needed a lighter, engaging listen. I recommend this to fans of an imaginative, character-driven story with humor.

Audio Notes: Lucy Price-Lewis does a wonderful job with the narration. Her British accent fits the characters for who she provided distinct voices. She also captures the emotional tone and humor of the story. Her presentation enhanced my enjoyment of the work.

Source: 7/30/2021 Sale $5.00 each at Audible. This qualifies for 2022TBR, 2022Audiobook, and 2022Alphabet goals.

Audible Book Review: Little Donkey by Jodi Taylor

I liked this brief look at the characters in this series. I have to go back to read book 1.

Little Donkey
A Short Story
By: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Lucy Price-Lewis

Length: 1 hr and 5 mins
Release date: 03-24-15
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Humorous Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
It’s Christmas, and Jenny Checkland is beset with problems. The vicar, who really should know better, has asked to borrow Marilyn the donkey for the nativity play, thereby unleashing chaos on the already chaos-laden Frogmorton Farm.
Will Marilyn survive her bath? Will anyone survive Marilyn’s bath?
Robbed of her role as the Virgin Mary, what revenge is the angel Gabriel plotting? Why is that sheep so fat?
Will Charlie ever get to say his one line? Can Marilyn be prevented from eating the baby Jesus? Where is Thomas, who promised he would be there? And worst of all - will Russell, lost on the moor in a blizzard, make it back in time for the birth of his first child? Or even at all?
Another chance to meet the characters from the best-selling novel The Nothing Girl as they navigate the complexities of the local nativity play in their own unique fashion.
©2014 Jodi Taylor (P)2015 Audible, Ltd

Review:
Jenny Checkland of Frogmorton Farm has a host of interesting creature/character friends, not the least of which is Marilyn. Marilyn is a small donkey who has a mind of her own. Trying to make Marilyn do anything she doesn’t want to results in chaos. Bribery with food might work but there is no guarantee.

The local community vicar has asked to have Marilyn serve as the donkey in the seasonal nativity play. This should be interesting. In addition to Marilyn there is a live sheep which is rather large in the belly. The young lady playing angel Gabriel is a bit upset that she didn’t get the role of Virgin Mary and interruptions threaten to keep sweet Charlie from saying his line in the play. Sounds like more chaos and that’s not all. Russell is out on the moors in a blizzard while Jenny prepares to give birth to their first child. And where is Thomas, the mystical golden horse who helped Jenny snag the charming and chaotic Russell as her husband?

I feel like I have to take a breath after that brief summary and that is consistent with the feel of the story. I find Ms. Taylor’s writing to be full of humor and an underlying sense of joy. I am glad to have listened to this novella even though out of order. I am sure it will not harm my enjoyment of book 1 which is near the top of my list for TBR reading in 2021. I recommend this author and the series to readers who enjoy fun, light romantic fantasy.

Audio Notes: Lucy Price-Lewis does a lovely job with the narration. Her British accent clearly fits and enhances the story. Price-Lewis captures the light, yet chaotic tone of the story. She provides distinct voices and strong emotional connection. I enjoyed the audio experience and am looking forward to listening to The Nothing Girl.

Source: 2/16/2019 Free at Audible. This qualifies for 2020TBR and 2020Audiobook goals.