Dirty

Another Home Run for Andi Arndt & Kylie Scott!

Just finished Dirty by Kylie Scott narrated by Andi Arndt. Let me tell you, I LOVE STAGE DIVE...HARD but Dirty is FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!!! Kylie Scott always makes me laugh, get a little weepy, and worry. I love Lydia so much. She's one of the best heroines ever, imho. Ballsy but still doubts herself, hilarious, confident, kind, and not rail thin!! Holy crap, she's fluffy!

If you haven't listened to Kylie Scott's books, please do. Andi Arndt absolutely kills them. She turns a great amazing book into an out of this world event. I really really love the little world they create where I can escape and spend time with some fantastic characters. Well done ladies! I can't wait for the next Dive Bar audiobook!!

31 of 33 people found this review helpful

OH THE JOYS OF ANOTHER GREAT LISTEN

It's an auto download for me when it comes to Kylie Scott's books because I know I'm going to be thoroughly entertained by her loveable and well developed characters who capture your imagination as well as your heart. She immediately has you locked and drawn into their lives, loves, dreams and dramas as each story deliciously unfolds throwing in humor, witty banter, passion and sex along the way too.

And this first book in her new Dive series had all the usual ingredients that makes her books addictive, unstoppable and pretty damn awesome. Vaughan and Lydia's love story was so well written and described that I could picture each scene.... from a shell-shocked bride hiding out in a strangers bath - to the tear filled reunion and declaration of undying love.... and all the highs and lows in between. But it was Andi Arndt's narration that brought it alive, gave the hero a sexy voice and made it such an enjoyable audiobook. Told from Lydia's POV.

Worth a credit? Oh YEAH.... it was touching and tender - sweet and sexy - romantic and dramatic.... and I loved every word.

37 of 41 people found this review helpful

Can I give this one 10 stars???

How does she do it???

I go through periods of time where a Kylie Scott book isn't being read for months and somehow my brain forgets that I should be judging every other book against hers.

Surely not so many 5 stars would come up if I could just remember that.

Vaughn and Lydia's story was spectacular. Seriously. Lydia is a runaway bride and Vaughn is back into his hometown after going belly up with his band. The story centers around the Dive Bar that is owned by this group of friends including Vaughn. Lydia and Vaughn meet and are instantly connected to each other.

The thing that makes this book stand out is not in the story itself, although it is pretty great, it's in Scott's ability to bring in humor to even the most dyer of situations and she creates these unforgettable characters that you end up loving like family. Wishing more than anything that they were real so you could hang out.

If I could, I'd give more than 5 stars and bringing Mal back in the fray, even for a moment... this is being put as one of my favs.

And Andi Arndt... She makes me feel Dirty as I listen to her man voice and it does stuff to me. She is my most favorite narrator, truly gifted.

22 of 26 people found this review helpful

What a fun, sexy book!

4.5 Stars

This book was so fun! I giggled at lot at this snarky girl who's life just "fell apart" (kinda) and she is so feisty and funny! Lydia rates in my top favorite female characters ever. She is a girly girly on occasion, she is a little self conscience sometimes and she knows how to say it like it is. Vaughan is a seriously hot, kinda broody, say it like it is type of guy! These two crash into each other from the beginning. I loved their banter and honesty, oh and the sex was HOT HOT HOT too!

Ok so here it is...the reason for the 1/2 star, I just can't get on with the insta-love thing! Even though it was done very well in this book and these characters really did have the extreme connection I just think 2 week is not long enough and it feels like major lust/attraction and I know they have an emotional connection but love??? I needed more time with them to feel the love, more events, occasions, or something that happened between them to make it feel like love, it definitely felt like they were falling for sure but it just didn't quite convince me. This is just my opinion because I feel very strongly about insta-love but honestly the book was great!

The narration was incredible as always! I love Andi Arndt and she really does really good at the male voice too!

19 of 23 people found this review helpful

Disappointed

I loved the Stage Dive books, and this one was not to their level for several reasons.

1. The characters are not compelling. I didn't understand or care about Lydia. What drew me to the Stage Dive books was the specificity of the central women. Lydia seemed very generic and uninteresting.

2. Lydia has no friends. The main way the previous books showed us characters' personalities was through snappy dialogue with their friends and side characters. Since Lydia has no friends, we learn little about her personality and don't see her quirks.

3. Dialogue is flat. There's a lot of internal monologue in this book, which leads to telling and not showing. I loved in the Stage Dive books how the story was conveyed through dialogue and how I had to infer what was really going on through what is said. This book is too much in Lydia's head, and since she's not very interesting, it's not a fun place to be.

The Stage Dive books are excellent, especially the second one, Play. I recommend those over this book.

13 of 16 people found this review helpful

Just amazing

Do yourself a favor and buy this! Such a great story! It pulls you in from the start and doesn't let go. The narrator's voice is soothing and just wonderful to listen to. In my opinion sometimes when a woman is reading it and does the male voice it sounds too forced and ridiculous. In this instance it was natural and really well done. Definitely one of my favorites

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

I regret to say that this is Chick-Lit. So un-PC.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed the first few chapters. They are funny, the narrator delivers both the story and the humor in skillful ways. However, soon after these chapters the book devolves into soap-opera-ish drivel: so much gossip, so many who-is-fucking-whom, and who talks about it, etc. I really do not wish to insult my female readers, but there is a lot better writing out there than this book. I suppose that Lydia's frankness about her desires, and her vivid language, stand out from other books in this genre.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Vaughan Hewson is just too much Adonis to be believed. His every touch thrills Lydia, his every kiss shakes her to her knees, his every syllable is hung on, etc. He needs to be toned way down and made more real. Everything about him is perfect, and that just does not ring true. The plot gimmick in the beginning is a bit clever, but the emotional importance of it is stretched out to the point at which one wants to say to Lydia "Get over it!" The cast of characters is much too incestuous. The cafe is pretty believable, both the bar and restaurant being described in realistic terms. I wouldn't presume to tell the author how to improve her book: she has editors for that.

What three words best describe Andi Arndt’s performance?

These "three word" questions annoy me. A novel, and its narration, are way too complex to describe in this simplistic manner. I enjoyed her reading most of the time, although the text requires her to be over-the-top so much that it borders on the hysterical.

Did Dirty inspire you to do anything?

No. To look for more enjoyable books, I suppose.

Any additional comments?

Nope.

17 of 22 people found this review helpful

Kylie Scott does it again!

Sexy, hilarious, and filled awesome characters, Dirty delivers another fantastic story from Kylie Scott. Short cameo from characters in her Stage Dive series are the cherry on the pie (you get the reference if you're a fan) of an already awesome book. Andi Arndt delivers another great performance per usual.

If you like a good times with friends, sexy guitarist, and hilarious shenanigans, you'll love Dirty!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Scott is a master

Kylie Scott , somehow, has the ability to introduce readers to characters they feel they've known all their lives. She takes strangers and makes them into dear friends. Her characters are unforgettable. Her writing is superior. She always leaves me yearning for the next book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great read/listen

I've been thinking about this review because I don't usually write longer reviews. I really enjoyed this book. Vaughan and Lydia were great characters with a lot of personality and Andi Arndt does a wonderful job bringing them to life. But the secondary characters were also great and well-written. This is a standalone novel, but I find myself wanting to know what happens to Nel and Pat and is Eric a manwhore with no redeeming qualities besides excellent cocktails? These are important questions and inquiring minds want to know. You don't have to read the Stage Dive series to enjoy this book, but why would you not? And one of the guys makes a visit.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful