YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE audiobook

Nate and Violet meet and explore their instant attraction with what they think is a one-night stand with someone passing through town. They are both caught off guard when they realize that not only are their offices right next door to each other, but they are caught up in a business rivalry that complicates everything even further. You just have to love this trope (well, at least I do). Both characters are well developed and I found it easy to be invested in their journey from one-night stand to allies to friends to more… All of the characters in the town really pull you into that small-town experience and I love it when they pop up in other stories in the series without requiring that you read in order. Well done!

Jack Calihan and Maxine Mitchell did a wonderful job with excellent performances of all characters. They are both high on my list of favorite narrators and both really pulled me into the story and the experiences. Overall, this is a great start to the Carolina Classics series. I’m listening out of order, but will definitely keep going.

Book 1 in the Carolina Classics series, is incredible! I have loved absolutely every book Karen has written, and this is definitely one of her best (I still adore the Boston Classics, but this is so good)!

It picks up about 7-8 years after the prequel novella (I’ll Stand By You, about the friendship of the five), and is about Violet living her dream of being a casting director in the Carolina town of Wallington. The current big project she’s casting for is Lawson’s Reach (a take on Dawson’s Creek), but suddenly, that cute guy she met at the bar last night moves into the office next door and happens to be a rival casting director for a competing company…

Now, cute guy Nate goes from being a one night stand with potential for more, to being the new work enemy, for a company looking to drive Vi completely out of business. His father and uncle’s rivalry is actually at fault, and hopefully something can be done to fix things before it’s too late for everything…

As always, Karen’s writing is at the top of her game, and this is an absolute must-read.

I definitely recommend picking up the prequel novella first (I’ll Stand By You), so you get a bit of the group of friend’s background and what the boys are fighting about and why the five each went their own way so many years ago, but this is a complete stand-alone if you opt not to read it. You’ll be hooked and like me, chomping at the bit for the next book in the series! There’s also a novella in the Smartasses anthology that features 2 of the show writers, and runs concurrently with the timeline (What Happens in Carolina), as both stories are more fun if you have the background of each, together!

A top fave narrator brings another brilliant performance to Vi (Maxine Mitchell, a very long-time fave!), and a new-to-me male narrator who brought Nate to life in a fantastic fashion (Jack Calihan) - I’m definitely looking forward to hearing a lot more from him!

A brilliant story and even better when re-listened to with the audio!! This is a definite must-listen book for everyone, and I highly recommend you hop on over to Audible to pick it up today!

I received an advance copy from Karen Grey and Home Cooked Books, and this is my honest feedback - thank you so much Karen! It was even better the second time around!

You Get What You Give is a marvelous kick-off for Karen Grey’s new Carolina Classics series. I adore the world she has created in Wallington, North Carolina. This enemies-to-lovers, small-town retro romance is bursting with nineties pop-culture fun, deep-seated friendship, and lots of spice! Violet could be Nate’s port of solace in the tumultuous storm of his life. Violet has met the adventurous match to balance her workaholic personality. Karen writes unique, well-rounded, relatable characters with passion in their hearts. You Get What You Give is a low-angst, thought-provoking, refreshing rom-com that will warm your heart. I loved this book when I read it, and the audiobook is a must-listen! You Get What You Give will take you on a nostalgic nineties adventure full of Dawson’s Creek, Point Break, and ‘90’s Brat Pack vibes.

Maxine Freaking Mitchell is one of my favorite narrators! It was a delight to hear her narrate You Get What You Give! Karen Grey’s words plus Maxine’s voice make audiobook magic! Jack CaIihan is a new-to-me narrator. Although his voice wasn’t what I had imagined for Nate at first, I really enjoyed his performance! He has a deliciously low timbre, fab pacing, and fantastic character voices. I look forward to checking out more of his narrations. I always love Karen’s unique chapter breaks. The music and quotes that divided You Get What You Give chapters will send you down memory lane to classic nineties tv shows. The nineties drama-style music fits the book perfectly. If you’re a nineties kid, You Get What You Give is nostalgic perfection and the audiobook will take you back in a visceral way.

This is a new series from this author that now are around the 90's. It does give off the Dawson Creek and Friends vibe which I love because both shows were my favorite. This is Vi's story. Vi has a one night stand with Nate who then turns out to open the same type of business as her right next door. So now she is in the middle of a feud of between Nate's dad and uncle. Love their story and the characters.

I listened to the audio book of this book too! The narrators did an excellent job bringing the character's to life. They each took a chapter. I really loved the southern tang the female narrator gave Vi and the male narrator when he voiced Nate.

While the Carolina Classics series is a loose “spin-off” from Grey’s Boston Classics series (both sets of MCs meet in the prequel, I’ll Stand By You) – you could start here and be fine. New location, new folks, new connections.

Grey mixes it up a bit and this series isn’t interconnected standalones. Each book focuses on a different couple, but you’ll meet all the MCs and there’s definitely some story lines (drama!) that will weave throughout the whole series. I love these kinds of series where you can settle in and really get to know all the characters. 🥰

That doesn’t mean that Violet & Nate are cheated out of their chance to shine. Such a fun couple to get to know as individuals and together in a relationship. After an amazing one-night-stand, a family feud immediately pits these two against each other. Working for competing casting companies suddenly turns lovers to enemies. I really enjoyed the way Grey brought them back together, helped Nate find his real passion, and Vi become a standout in her own right.

Most of the drama comes from Nate’s family, Vi’s friends, and a hurricane. Coastal folks know the chaos created when a tropical storm upgrades at the last moment. Violet’s lifelong friends: Dani, Whitney, Ford, & Sully are also weathering their own storms. While Nate & Vi get a wonderful HFN, a big announcement ends the story on a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to see who gets the next book.

Narration:
Grey always has great picks for narrators. I love Maxine Mitchell, but this was my first time listening to Jack Calihan. They both did a terrific job. I really liked both their subtle southern accents for the appropriate characters and then switching to a more neutral one for Nate & his family. Plus all the unique voices for a fairly large cast of regularly speaking characters. Calihan has a deep & somewhat gravely voice, yet I still enjoyed his voice for the female characters. A great listen all around.