A tearjerker, “River Wild
Annie is pregnant and running away from an abusive husband. She ended up in Canyon Lake, a small Texas town simply because it was the first bus leaving the station that was going to be as far away as possible from her home city.
Starting a new life as Carrie Ford, her new identity, she became River Wild’s neighbor. Moody, sullen and a total jerk, River turned out to be a good neighbor and surprisingly, he also became Carrie’s friend.
Though both have secrets, they never shared them to each other. This blind trust that they have strengthened their friendship. But, these secrets were the main reasons that stop them from confessing to each other that their friendship had blossomed into love.
Told in two POVs, Carrie is the main storyteller. Through her, we meet most of the characters, i.e. the denizens of Canyon Lake. She is the one that moves the story forward.
River’s story is told slowly, always from the past. Gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, his story is the reason why the book is titled after him. Not taking away from Carrie’s sufferings, River’s woes and sorrows are the ones that take readers to an emotional journey of fighting for the right to be happy.
This is my second listen with Savannah Peachwood, the first one being “Birthday Suit” which is an ensemble cast of 12, meaning I only listened to her for a few minutes. Thus, “River Wild
Savannah’s voice for Carrie was right on the mark – a young woman who was scared but also had a backbone. Carrie might not be as gung-ho as Linda Hamilton’s “Sarah Connor” in the Terminator, but she will protect her own when the need arises.
For Sebastian York, this is the rawest that I have heard him. Usually, York makes me swoon and sigh; but in “River Wild,” he made me cry. From the little boy to the young man, York changed the tone of his voice to accommodate the changes in River’s change as the story progressed.
And in the ending, when I finally met River Wild in the present, it was beautiful and heartwarming and gave me happy tears.
I love the way this audiobook was produced but it would have been better if it was a duet. Nothing against Savannah Peachwood, but River would have been more real if Sebastian York voiced all his parts.
“River Wild
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Story
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Performance
River Wild
A tearjerker, “River Wild” will take you to an emotionally charged journey that will tug at your heartstrings.
Title: River Wild
Author: Samantha Towle
Narrated by: Savannah Peachwood, Sebastian York
Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 05-14-19
Language: English
Publisher: Audible Studios
Description
From New York Times best-selling author Samantha Towle comes an unexpected love story between two unlikeliest of people….
A new town. A new identity. Pregnant and alone. And far away from a past that can never find me.
River Wild. Moody. Sullen. Jerk. And my new neighbor.
I have no interest in befriending River. And he definitely doesn’t want to be befriended by me.
Then, he helps me rescue an abandoned dog. And that day, I see something in his eyes that reflects back in my own. Sadness. Pain. Loneliness.
I know all of those things well.
An unwanted and unexpected friendship that somehow works. Then, without warning, it turns into something more.
River and I both have our secrets, and that’s okay. Because I understand him. And he understands me.
For the first time in my life, I have something I never thought I would have – happiness.
But happiness isn’t forever. Not for people like me.
Especially not when my past is waiting just around the corner, ready to come and take it all away.
Image credits: Blow glass photo by Shannalee on Unsplash; Diner photo by Free-Photos on Unsplash; Small town photo by David Mark from Pixabay.
