Funny, emotional...wonderful.

The Long and Winding Road is broken up into three parts: Past, Present, and Future. The Past is a lovingly done recap of the series, including explaining the events that lead up to The Art of Breathing.

I LOVED THIS. I cried, I laughed, and my heart was so full of love for these characters and these stories. TJ does not let fans of this series down: he doesn't rip your heart out (too) much, and what he does bruise he absolutely makes all better by the end. Make no mistake, this is a love letter to the characters and to those of us who love them so much.

Honestly, I was just a teeny bit disappointed in the narration. One of the reasons to have the same narrator perform all the books in a series is for continuity, and I felt like Sean Crisden was off in the character voices. Maybe it's because I recently re-listened to the other audios in the series, but the voices seemed different upon this listen; some subtly and some drastically, but it was noticeable to me.

That being said, the narration is still really good. The character voices that are used are distinguishable and consistent throughout, and Sean brings out the humor and emotion of the story beautifully, and his pacing and timing are wonderful, as always.

I 100% recommend this, but I strongly encourage you to read the other books in the series first. In my opinion, this should not be read as a standalone.

7 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

I have been waiting for the audible version...did not disappoint

I have listened/read to all episodes of BOTK and I love Sean Crisden as a narrator. I could not wait to hear his rendition and I was sooo excited to find out that the final episode was soon to be released. Excellent narration and excellent storytelling. So worth the credit

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Bittersweet

I have laughed out loud and cried uncontrollably throughout the series. The final story was all that I hoped it would be. TJ is amazing. I don’t know how he manages to write characters that make you feel like you know them personally, it truly is gift. I read more than I probably should so I definitely know what I’m talking about. Thank you. The narration was overall done well with the a few exceptions. Otter and Creed were spot on. When you feel you know Bear, the depth of his voice was not right and the Kid never seemed to become the man that he was in the end. Overall though I enjoyed it, I never had a problem knowing when the characters changed. I would recommend this journey.

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“Hey, Yourself “.

I am absolutely stunned with this masterpiece of words and voice.. This series Bear , Otter , and the Kid chronicles are the most wondrous series I have read I was taken on a journey in this book to places that were extremely sad and extremely beautiful. I have laughed and laughed hysterically then cried happy and sad tears ... Thank you TJ for your words and to you Sean Crisden your 100% awesome absolutely brilliant...

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The perfect(ly Bear) conclusion

This concluding book in the BOATK series has been given the perfect narration by Sean Crisden. Farewelling Bear, Otter, the Kid, Dom, Creed, Anna and co was always going to be an emotional ride however in his narration, Sean has paced the flow perfectly to allow us to laugh, cry, breathe and celebrate with this wonderful family. Wonderful.

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Beautiful conclusion

🎧 Do you remember how it all began? I do. It was a heart-breaking and devastating first meet all those years ago. We've followed these guys for a long time now. When we got to know them they were really only two. A solid team, alone among people who tried their best to love them. Yet they were so very afraid to let them in 🎧 I'm his big brother. For the longest time, I was all he had. It's not like that anymore We were there through the ups and the downs. We've cried with them, laughed with them. We've done so much with these people. They've become part of our family. And it's always hard to say goodbye to family. But sometimes you have to let go. And that doesn't mean there won't be visits in the future, but for now, it's time to move on. The Long and Winding Road is written in three parts, the past, present and the future. And while the past doesn't bring any surprises it does bring clarity. We get to experience the missing years when the Kid was at college, breaking our hearts all over again - but then, what else is new with this series? We experience the happy moments and the scary moments when Bear and Otter finally are ready for more children. We meet Corey and Kori for the first time (kind of). Then we go back to where it all began, back to Seafare. Then there is the now. When everything changes in the span of an afternoon. With the ring of a doorbell and the ring of a phone. Life changes in an instant - just as life in Seafare has a tendency to. We know this, that's nothing new. It's life. So we follow them when they are trying to figure everything out. We watch them live. Because when we first met them, they weren't living, they were only existing. They have come so fare since then. They are not alone anymore - it was inevitable. 🎧 family is not defined by blood. It's not always who you're born to that you're stuck with. It's what you want it to be, what you make of it. It's the people around you who see you at your worst and are not afraid to pick up the pieces when you fall apart. It's the people who can call you on your bullshit. It's the people who look at you each time they see you like they haven't seen you in years. It's the people who you fight for. It's the people you'd lay down your life for. It's the scariest thing in the world, but, if you let it, it's also the greatest. There are a lot of times while listening (or reading) this book you think: so that happened.... or more likely just what did Bear just say??? I know I really should be used to it by now, but still.... It's nice to know that some things stay just the same. Lastly, we see snippets from the future. We realise that life have moved on in Seafare. There have been ups and downs while we've been gone. But it's a life well lived. It's a bit bittersweet to say goodbye. But it is time. It won't be forever, and we know that life will go on, with all that it entails. Sean Crisden was great. There were so many moments during this book that I wondered at Crisden's ability to keep from laughing like a maniac. Especially when Bear is... being Bear. Asking, ahem interrogating Anna about pregnancy and what to expect. Every tangent he goes on.... I don't know how he did it, because I sure burst out laughing more than once. He captured the characters and situations just right and every second I spent listening I was there, in Seafare experiencing it all alongside these wonderful people. 🎧 Roads can diverge. It’s tough but true. It’ll be okay. In the end. So you’ll go one way. And we’ll go another. Maybe one day we’ll meet again. But even if we don’t, remember this: We have lived. We have loved. We have lost. But we’re standing. For all that we are, we’re still standing. A copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Great Conclusion to Series

I loved this series and this was a great ending for a family I got to know and grew to love.

This is Us

This was a perfect end to the most heartwarming and beautiful love story and family that I have ever read! my heart is full and happy after having read this series! Thank you TJ for Bear, Otter, the kid, Dom, Creed, Anna, JJ, AJ, Izzy, Noah, Lily and Everyone!

loads of tears

lots of love and tears. a perfect farewell to these characters. I'll miss them all

Finale

The whole series is awesome. It was filled with so many laughs and tears that I felt like I went through an emotional roller coaster. But what made this book special in this series is how Bear talks about the past especially from The Art of Breathing from his POV thus, filling up the missing blanks of Tyson's life in college. Seeing how Bear, Otter and The Kid grow and how their family expands ("by those who make us whole—those who make us who we are") is really touching and the ending was very well written.