Reviewed by Annika
TITLE: On Davis Row 
AUTHOR: N.R. Walker
NARRATOR: Joel Leslie
PUBLISHER: Tantor Audio
RELEASE DATE: July 31, 2018
LENGTH: 11 hours, 29 minutes
BLURB:
Nearing the end of a suspended jail sentence should unlock a brighter future for CJ Davis, only the chip on his shoulder is as hard to shift as his bad reputation. Born into a family of career criminals who live down Davis Road, an address the cops have dubbed Davis Row, his name alone is like a rap sheet that makes optimism impossible.
Brand-new parole officer Noah Huxley is determined to see the good in men like CJ. After all, he knows firsthand that bad things can happen to good people. His colleagues mock his doe-eyed optimism, but Noah soon sees CJ’s bad attitude and bravado are weapons he uses to keep people at a distance.
Both men know one simple mistake can change a life forever. At first glance, they might seem to be polar opposites. Yet underneath, they’re not that different at all.
REVIEW:
Would my heart ever not hurt to hear his stories?
This book drew in deep from the very start. It captivated me, the sense of place and the characters. They all felt real, I connected to them. I love to read books with characters that feel genuine. I don’t want picture perfect models that haven’t had so much as a bad hair day in their life. That doesn’t interest me in the least – I mean is there anything more off putting? In this book we have none of that. Everyone are wonderfully flawed, they have issues and struggles. They are human.
There is a rawness and grittiness to the setting, a small town on the verge of dying out, where everyone leaves it as soon as they can. A town with no future, no hope for something better. An no one feels this more than the people living on Davis Row. A dirt road at the edge of town, leading nowhere. Yet the underlying feeling was that even through all the misery, the hopelessness, there was still that one glimmering light of hope in that darkness, faint but it was there, stubbornly never giving up.
I just adored CJ. There were so many times while listening, that I just wanted to wrap CJ up in a giant hug. He was used to being invisible, to having no one that really cared for him besides his pops. He was used to having people treat him that he was worth less than nothing just because of his last name and address. Never getting so much as a hug. That really broke my heart. But what really got me was his fire, his determination. No matter what he never gave up, he kept going, silently wishing for a better future.
Every time I hugged him, he held on for dear life. I loved it, truly I did, but it tugged at my heartstrings, reminding me of all the things he’d missed. Of all the things he’s been deprived of.
Noah was the perfect match for CJ. A quiet force to be reckoned with, this bright and shining new light, silently pushing to make a difference. And with a huge heart and dreams to match. He might be naïve, but it really works for him. He’s exactly what CJ and the small town needs. Someone that believes and sees the good where others only see misery.
There is an abundance of sweetness and love in this story. Even though it deals with many heavy and horrible subjects, this book is still low on angst, it’s still a light read. Because through it all hope and love shines through, it’s strong and it makes a difference. And the love CJ and Noah share is beautiful. It’s new, but it is strong, you can feel it – almost touch it. And it’s just beautiful to see how these two secretly broken people starts to heal, and grow.
I ain’t ever loved anyone before, so I don’t know if that’s that this is.” /…/ But I think I’m in love with you too.
My main issue with this book was the ending. It felt too rushed. We’ve gotten used to a slow, but steady pace throughout the book, but then the ending comes out of nowhere. Not the content of the ending, but the arrival of it. There was so much that I’d been waiting to read about, to know – that final payoff. To see that the struggles we’ve endured with CJ and Noah were worth it. But we never did, a lot of it happened off page between that last chapter and the epilogue.
Joel Leslie is an amazing narrator, you all probably know that by now, I know I’ve said it often enough. And it’s still true. I love his aussie accent, his wide range of voices, the way he’s able to distinguish between so many characters, the emotions and feelings he brings to the books. I don’t think there’s a single thing I would change, and I think the fact that i listened to this book in a single go speaks for itself.
On Davis Row was not what I expected, yet it was. It was a great slow burn romance with characters that might just break your heart a little bit before mending it and becomes just a little stronger.
I see you, Clinton Davis. I see you.
And sometimes that’s all it takes to make a change.
Someone to see you.
Someone to believe in you.
But more importantly someone to love you.
RATING: 
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