[Audiobook Review] Extra Witchy by Ann Aguirre

Publisher's synopsis: After two failed marriages, Leanne Vanderpol is here for a good time, not for a long time. She only loves the witches in her coven, and she cares more about her career than happily ever after. A difficult past makes her skittish, and she doesn't trust relationships to stick. But when she decides to run for city council instead of wasting her talents cleaning up messes for the mayor's office, she fears her past could be used against her—unless she can find the right husband to shore up her political career...

Trevor Montgomery might have peaked in high school. He was popular then, and in college as well, but he partied away his future, met the wrong person, and everything fell apart. Now he's jobless, dateless, and hopeless—at least, according to his toxic family. Then a chance meeting with the redhead of his dreams offers an unexpected ray of light just when he needs it most. Can a woman who doesn't believe in forever find true love with a man who's stopped believing in anything at all?

My thoughts: I absolutely adored Titus in Witch Please, so I couldn't wait to read Extra Witchy when I heard it featured Titus' friend, Trevor. Can I just say that Trev is a breath of fresh air, an uncomplicated and supportive partner in a world full of third act break ups? In the grand scheme of things, this book was overly not complicated and rated very low on the drama scale for me. After reading so many romances with explosive plot points, Extra Witchy ended up seeming simple in its conflict. However, it was so nice to read a romance that was purely about the feel-good relationship and not a rollercoaster of emotion. 

I loved Leanne - she was strong and take charge on the surface, but softened when Trev was around. I just sunk into Leanne and Trev's relationship. They supported each other in a way I don't see in a lot of contemporary romances and they were just so easy around each other, which in turn made their story an easy one to read. Some readers may not like the lack of emotional conflict in this story, but I loved the way Aguirre wrote Trev and Leanne's relationship.

Ava Lucas did a fantastic job at bringing Leanne and Trev to life. She gave both main characters such personality, and it was just so easy to listen and get lost in Lucas's narration. However, by far my favorite part of this audiobook is how Lucas treated the internal thoughts of the characters. It immediately stood out to me how Lucas read the thoughts and internal dialogue in the same voice she gave the characters when they spoke out loud. I absolutely loved that part of the narration. Lucas not only made it clear that the line was a thought, but she also made it clear who was thinking that thought. Audiobooks don't always make it clear when someone is speaking versus thinking, but that was not an issue at all with this narrator. 

I think Lucas did an excellent job at giving voice to the main characters as well as all of Leanne and Trev's friends, family, and acquaintances. Her voice was clear, and it was obvious when a speaker changed as well as when we switched from dialogue to exposition. Ava Lucas made an already enjoyable book an entertaining audiobook to listen to.

A huge thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing a review copy of this audiobook! 

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Release date: 11/10/22 (audiobook) / 10/4/22 (paperback)
Format: ALC
ALC provided via: NetGalley