Title: My Big Fat Southern Gay Wedding
Series: A Southern Thing, #3
Author: Sara York
Narrator: Jason Frazier
Genre: Contemporary
Length: 6 hours and 2 minutes
Publisher: Sara York (04-17-15)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥4.5 Hearts
Blurb: When he was a kid, Jack Miller thought life would be a certain way, then he figured out he liked boys and not girls, changing the course of his future. Jack has spent the last few years learning that life doesn’t always give you what you expect, in both good and bad ways.
Andrew’s gone missing and Jack’s parents have split. He’s made it through high school, but the future is nothing without Andrew. To be complete, Jack knows he needs to find Andrew and bring him home. But Andrew has disappeared.
Lost doesn’t even begin to describe how Andrew Collins feels. Homeless and destitute, he’s ready to end it all. Thinking that Jack is dead, Andrew returns to Sweet to end his life on Jack’s grave. Instead, he finds lies were told that drove him to a path of destruction.
After not seeing each other for almost a year, Jack and Andrew come together, but their problems don’t end there. They must work hard to make it to their big fat Southern gay wedding or risk losing it all.
Product Link: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/My-Big-Fat-Southern-Gay-Wedding-Audiobook/B00W8FRA5I
Reviewer: Tams
Review: Andrew is finally out from under his abusive parent’s control, but his life is in a tail spin. You see, Andrew has not only hit rock bottom, he believes his soul died along with Jack, so he returns to Sweet one last time to say goodbye to his love. I swear, angels were rejoicing when these two were reunited but time apart and life’s hard knocks have left lasting marks on both young men, both body and soul.
Andrew is honest with Jack about where he has been and what he has done. And while Jack understands the limited choices Andrew had, there is still a sting when he thinks about his beloved being with anyone other than him. Jealously leads to discourse and trust issues and Jack often misunderstands a situation as the two of them try to navigate the mine field they now call life. It’s a long, hard road to recovery and happiness, but by god they both know they deserve and very much want their happy ever after.
It was hard for me to listen to the pain in Andrew’s voice when he was away from Jack. But you could also hear the understanding, pride and love under the pain. Andrew understood that Jack had to go to college and unfortunately it caused them to live apart for a while, but I love how York explained all those thoughts and internal conversations Andrew had with himself while they were apart. It really showed how he was growing as a person, determined to make lemonade out of the lemons life had dealt them.
Then you add in Frazier’s narration and it was the perfect blend of thought and sound, really bringing the characters to life.
Jack though, he did the most growing up in this installment. He’s now in college, has the love of his life back, his hateful father is out of the picture and yet, he’s still suffering. His thoughts betray his heart a lot while he struggles to come to terms with everything that has happened to him and Andrew.
Again, York not only shown the growth with her words, but she wrote it in such a way that it was completely different from following Andrew on his journey. Jack and Andrew are obviously soul-mates; they literally went to hell and back to be together. But they stand on their own as individuals as well.
I had one teensy issue with this installment of the series, Jack’s father, Nathanial. He does this complete 180, like stopping on a dime and reversing course in the blink of an eye. No, sorry, I do not buy it. That man is evil incarnate and makes my skin crawl. Kudos to Frazier for having the ability to capture so much vitriol and disdain with just a tone of voice for this character, and perhaps that is why I absolutely loath the man. I did, however, love the scene where Andrew has to face his parents and does it standing tall and proud with Jack by his side.
A Southern Thing is one of the most emotionally wrought series I’ve read. But for all the darkness in these stories, there is light, there is hope and most important, there is love. I encourage everyone to give this series a chance; I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. York’s writing is intense and emotional while bringing this story and these characters to life. And Frazier only amplifies the intensity and emotion by giving them a voice.
I highly recommend this series, it is a must read but it also must be read in order.