Review: Seatmate by Cara Bastone
Book Information
Title: Seatmate
Author: Cara Bastone
Publisher: Audible Originals
Publishing date: March 24, 2022
Language: English
Genre: Contemporary adult romance.
Series: Love lines #3
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Reviewer name: Preye
Format: Audiobook
Narrators: Amanda Ronconi | Zachary Webber | Josh Hurley | Carol Monda | Corey Allen | Allyson Johnson | Eric Yves Garcia | Tanya Eby | Dina Pearlman
Audiobook Length: 5 hours and 10 minutes.
Synopsis
I have exactly 5 hours and 10 minutes to get from Boston to New York City or the professional opportunity of a lifetime disappears. My only travel option? The second to last seat on a discount bus. Across from the bathroom. Wearing last night’s clothes (don’t ask). All worth it if I can make it in time.
My nerves almost get the best of me, but then there he is, sitting down in the seat next to me. Tall. Friendly smile. Bright indigo streak in his brown hair. The perfect distraction. Turns out he’s on his way to reconnect with an old flame. The one who got away. We can both make it on time – just barely – if the traffic keeps flowing.
Playing road-trip games, avoiding calls from his mother, and effortless conversation keeps us from clockwatching…until the bus breaks down. And my seatmate turns into my copilot as we wrangle a ride in a car three decades old. And hit all the traffic. And oh, Lord, the detours. And somehow I end up careening cross-town on the handlebars of a Citi Bike carrying a box of kittens. (Yeah, don’t ask.)
He’s my hero every step of the way…and I might be falling for him. But what happens when we reach our final destination? Could my seatmate really be my soul mate?
This is my very first audiobook with multiple narrators and to say that I enjoyed this might just be an understatement. The prose is dialogue-heavy and moves between short blocks written in first-person POV and longer bursts of conversations.
Added to that were sound effects and the array of talented narrators and I feel this is a book every audiobook-lover will appreciate.
Seatmate by Cara Bastone is the third installment in her Love Lines series and, while I haven’t read the rest and this is a new-to-me author, I’m certain that I will be working through her backlist in time. The writing is clear and concise and, trust me, you might be a reader, but you’re going to feel every pothole on this bumpy ride.
The events in the book take place over the course of a day and Gwen and Sam, the female and male protagonists respectively, from beleaguered seat mates—they occupied the seats directly facing the restrooms—become friends, and develop an unlikely attraction to each other. I enjoyed the witty banter and how their relationship bloomed over the course of the trip.
It’s quite fast paced and, as mentioned, the sound effects lends this almost realistic breath to the book, so you might feel like you’re occupying the bus as well.
Definitely recommend if you like road-trip romance, clean adult romance, have experience with full-cast audiobooks—or, if you have no experience, are willing to listen to one—and you’re looking to crush your reading goals with a short but sweet read. Happy reading!!
