Friday, August 26, 2016

The Hopefuls; Jennifer Close

The Hopefuls; Jennifer Close
Knopf / Random House Audio
(Narrator - Jorjeana Marie is fantastic)

The Hopefuls is a delightful story that examines marriage, friendship, ambition, loyalty and jealously. The story is told from the POV of Beth Kelly, a young wife who once was an editor for Vanity Fair in New York City.   

Beth gives up her dreams to follow her husband Matt to Washington, DC so her can pursue his own political aspirations.  Settling in is difficult for Beth but, she and Matt become fast friends with another young couple from Texas. Jimmy and Ashleigh Dillion. Jimmy's a charismatic, Whitehouse staffer and his wife "Ash" is a sweet Southern Belle.  As the friendship blossoms the foursome seems inseparable.  Just as Beth begins to feel a little more comfortable in DC, with a job for a social website, Matt begins to feels his job at a standstill while Jimmy's seems to be on the way up.

Set after the O'Bama's take office in 2008, as a reader I felt I was getting the inside scoop into the political circles and protocol of how people in Washington behave. I loved the descriptions of everything around DC and the way the author skillfully made a dialogue driven novel so much fun.  The author's own husband worked on President O'Bama's presidential campaign which is probably another reason the happenings seemed so realistic.  The audiobook, narrated by Jorjeana Marie was fantastic. The characters were enjoyable, I especially loved the Southern Belle, Ash.

If you love audiobooks and a story that will make you smile. Be sure to try this one.

4.5/5 stars
(audio download from Publisher)


15 comments:

  1. I may have to look into this one when my next Audible credit comes up.

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  2. I saw some buzz before this released so glad to hear it is worth checking out!

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  3. I keep seeing good things about this!

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    1. Sometimes when I see a book about 20 or 30-somethings I pass thinking I'm 3 decades too old to enjoy it but, this one was a pleasant surprise.

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  4. I don't think this book is for me, but I'm glad you enjoyed it.

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    1. That's what I thought initially.Sometimes when I see a book about 20 or 30-somethings I pass thinking I'm 3 decades too old to enjoy it but, this one was a pleasant surprise. Audio fantastic

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  5. Diane, this does sound like a fun book. Great review!

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  6. Since I'm a political addict and went to grad school in D.C., I bet this one will be perfect for me. And I'm in need of a good book right now.

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  7. A fun, pleasant read? I'm game! Adding it to my Audible wishlist for later this fall. Might make for a good listen on a long drive to Dallas (or a flight to Oregon). Thanks!

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