THE SIZZLE PARADOX

Abhay Ahluwalia and Brittany Pressley narrate a contemporary romance. Columbia grad students Lyric and Kian have been best friends for seven years. When Lyric's love life hits a roadblock that threatens to bring her doctoral thesis on love and sexual chemistry to a halt, Kian offers to tutor her in dating. The situation brings to the surface what everyone else has known all along: The pair belong together. The dual narrators tell the story from both Lyric's and Kian's points of view. As she clearly differentiates the characters with believable voices and emotions, Pressley's experience as a narrator is apparent. Though his voice is pleasant, audiobook newcomer Ahluwalia's awkward pacing, flat tone, and unusual character voices make for an uneven narration that may distract discerning listeners. A.L.S.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2022]