- Title: The Best Man
- Author: A.S. Kelly
- Narrator: Jenn McGuirk
- Publisher: Alex Kelly on February 2, 2021
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
- Length: 9 Hours 19 Minutes
- Formats Available: Paperback, Audiobook, & Digital
- Rating: 3/5
Trigger Warnings: Car Accident with Death (Past), Mild Violence
Thank you to A.S. Kelly for providing me with an Audible copy of The Best Man with a request for an honest review. Thanks also to Rachel’s Random Resources for allowing me to participate in this tour and for providing the materials needed to make the post.
Some of the links on this blog are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Order Now: Amazon US (Affiliate Link) | Audible
The Best Man Blurb
I always turn up at just the wrong moment. I never know how to make the most of a situation; I don’t know the right thing to say, or when I should come or go.
Let’s just say I have really shit timing.
I’m not a smart guy. I don’t have great ideas.
I’m practical, a hard worker; someone who lives for his family, and for the air that she breathes.
It’s just a shame that the “she” in question never knew this. It’s a shame that I waited all these years to make my move. It’s useless to tell you, readers, that it was already too late; that I’d screwed everything up, once again. And, this time, my mistakes forced her to come home.
Except she didn’t want to stay.
And now she hates me – or maybe she doesn’t. I still haven’t worked out what’s going on between us, but like I said, I’m not the sharpest tool in the box. And even though this could be my last chance, I’m not going to be the one to ask her to stay. Not even if she turns out to be the one I’ve always waited for.
Because she doesn’t belong in this place.
And she doesn’t belong in my life.
My name is Alex Brennan, and this is my story: of how I realised I’d lost the most important person in my life, before I even had her.
Provided by Rachel’s Random Resources for Tour Use
My Review
The Best Man is a fine tale of long-burning love. A.S. Kelly wraps the reader in soft affection with some laughs along the way. When you throw in a witty grandpa and an adorable kid in the mix, you have yourself a mighty good story.
Alex has loved Ellie from childhood. They were the best of friends, and Alex knew he would never love anyone like he loved Ellie. Ellie remained unaware of his feelings until one fateful day. After that day, nothing would be more entertaining than Alex trying to love Ellie from afar. The whole town knew his feelings long before the fateful day, but Ellie didn’t know. Will Alex ever tell Ellie how he feels about her?
I want to start by saying that the premise of this book is good. Alex reminds me of a whimpering simp afraid to go after what he wants. I couldn’t connect to him at all. He spent most of the book talking to himself. Ellie is a bit better. Her strength allows her a backbone, but that backbone is to her detriment. She runs from everything instead of facing her life. Ellie’s father is much like Alex, but not quite a simp. If it weren’t for Alex’s grandfather and his son, Justin, I would have signed off well before the end. But I stuck it out, hoping for something to cling to.
The setting is gorgeous. I easily pictured myself on the swinging bench. My feet brushing the tall grass in the Irish countryside. I wanted the house that Alex pictured in his mind. If only I could sit in the kitchen with the lined table eating waffles with Alex’s family. Those pictures of bliss are what allowed me to stick with the story.
I didn’t care for the narration. The soothing Irish lilt put me in a relaxed state of mind, but the narrator didn’t change her voice for any character. After about 5 minutes, all the characters seemed the same, and I never had any idea who was talking. But, the worst part was listening to the characters talk to themselves. Which would be okay except, I didn’t know who they were talking to. It frustrated me to no end. I’m not sure if I read a copy that it would have changed anything, but my listening enjoyment suffered.
I award The Best Man 3 stars out of 5. I’m sure that had I read instead of listened, it would have been a much different experience. Many of my friends would enjoy this book because they are avid romantic comedy fans, but this one wasn’t for me.
About the Author – A.S. Kelly
A. S. Kelly was born in Italy but lives in Ireland with her husband, two children and a cat named Oscar.
She’s passionate about English literature, she’s a music lover and addicted to coffee.
She spends her days in a small village North of Dublin, looking for inspiration for her next stories.
Rainy Days is her debut novel.
Great review Kimmie! I also rated this one 3 stars. Did your audible copy have a “typo” where the same two lines were repeated twice by the narrator in a slightly different way? I got so confused at that part lol
Thank you. ?❤️ Yes, mine did that too.
Too bad about the narrator. I’ve listened to a couple of books lately and they had fantastic narrators, but I have listened to some books that have not had good narrators, and it sure makes a difference.
It definitely does make a difference. I’ve been fairly lucky in my audiobook narrators though. I think I’ve only gotten two that weren’t my type. I recommend the narrator of Wyrd Gods. She is fabulous, and the story was great too. 🙂
Thanks I’ll check her out. 🙂