Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: The Glow Up
SERIES: Franklin U, Book 5
AUTHOR: A.M. Johnson
NARRATOR: Teddy Hamilton and Michael Crouch
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 7 hours and 21 minutes
RELEASE DATE: October 3, 2022
BLURB:
Chris Delaney
I’ve promised myself that this was going to be the year to finally buckle down. I’m a junior, and I’ve settled on a major. I’ve got focus and determination. The one thing I haven’t figured out yet? How to deal with the massive crush I’ve been harboring on the guy in study carrel six. I don’t know his name, and some of my friends think it’s time for me to move on, but he has this whole sexy, broody, dark eyes and messy hair thing going for him. And yeah, he seems like he could be my polar opposite. The kind of unapproachable, serious type who doesn’t smile much, but I’d like to think he’s all rays of sunshine underneath his stormy expressions and disheveled demeanor. All that intense energy…I dig it. I want to know him.
The rub? I’ll have to find the courage to actually introduce myself.
Aiden Russo
The college experience is supposed to be parties, drinking, and fun with a few classes mixed in. It sounds pretty amazing, right? For me, it turned out to be endless lectures, avalanches of homework, and copious amounts of caffeine. The study carrel might as well be my dorm room. And that guitar under my bed? It’s got two years of dust growing on it. But this is the life I have to lead if I’m ever going to help my dad. Pre-med isn’t for the weak.
The problem? Loneliness holds me hostage. If only I could find someone willing to break through my ever-present cloud bank, and remind me what it’s like to have fun again.
REVIEW:
A.M. Johnson’s contribution to the overarchingly terrific Franklin U multiauthor series is The Glow Up, and I have nothing but glowing things to say about it. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist … 😉). This is a seemingly straightforward storyline belied by its depth and complexity as is par for the course for Johnson, who consistently delivers sweet, sexy romances that pack in the feels and probe serious issues without being too angsty. There’s a purity to Johnson’s writing that calls to me. Chris and Aiden’s swoony romance is a perfect example of this.
Chris is a free-spirited, self-confident, surfer dude-looking guy who’s studying to be a massage therapist. He’s got a rock-solid grasp on who he is as a person and despite his two years of pining over Aiden, doesn’t hesitate to go for what he wants once a serendipitous encounter brings them face to face. Chris reaches out to Aiden, expressing his attraction and feelings with an honesty that’s quite refreshing. It fits with Chris’ loving, generous spirit, instilled in him through the love and acceptance of his Moms. Unlike Aiden, whose mother left and father has been dealing with depression and alcoholism ever since, Chris has a rich home life to fall back on. Aiden, in contrast, has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’s taken up the mantle of responsibility for his father and has set himself on a course of becoming a doctor to help his father and people similarly suffering, even though it runs against everything that he wants to embrace – especially music which is part and parcel of who he is.
Underneath Aiden’s burden is a guy who wants to be free, to live his life as he wants, to have fun, and be happy. Chris effortlessly helps Aiden bring the glow back to his life. Chris shares Aiden’s passion for music and playing guitar, and they discover they are kindred spirits in their approach towards life (the latter for Aiden is buried beneath his self-imposed obligations). The natural progression of their romance is lovely, and all of the little romantic moments are *happy sigh* inducing. Johnson doesn’t rely on forced angst or dramatics, capitalizing on the rich, complex characters she’s created to propel the story. Johnson includes plenty of hot, meaningful, emotionally connected sex scenes, and they are as beautiful as they are incendiary.
Compared to the other book in the FU series, The Glow Up is more serious, but it’s not somber. Instead, it feels real and honest. The story is also tightly focused on Chris and Aiden, with a supporting cast that circles in the periphery. These side characters are well sketched but don’t add substance to the story so much as serving as important context, grounding the story in the larger experience of college life and the pressure of choices that will set a path for the future balanced against the opportunity to embrace life, have fun and find yourself.
Johnson brings two skilled narrators to the mic for the audiobook of The Glow Up, with Teddy Hamilton voicing Aiden and Michael Crouch voicing Chris in dual narration. Hamilton is one of my narrator one-click buys, and his performance here showcases why. He is an excellent actor, diving into the characters he portrays and bringing them to life, and his vocal skills are top-notch. He knows exactly what cadence to use to deliver the lines, and his intonations and dynamics are always spot on. His performances always feel natural, effortless, and connected with the complex aspects and personalities of the characters he plays.
The timbre he chooses for Aiden feels right. It’s a youthful tone, but we hear the weight in it. Hamilton knows how to adjust his energy to capture the circumstances of his characters, so here, unlike his spicy, sexy, energetic performances in, for example, a Lauren Blakely romance, he tones the enthusiasm down. This isn’t a story that relies on sexy flirtiness or sexual tension. Hamilton gets that and strips that sizzle out of his voice, giving us an invested performance that is full of emotion and feels authentic and pure, just like Aiden’s journey as he finds himself and falls in love with Chris.
Michael Crouch is a narrator I’ve only heard once or twice, and his performance here is quite good. He is emotionally connected and gets Chris’ pitch and the intonations right, acting the role rather than reading lines. He’s easy to listen to, and it feels natural, accurately capturing the cadence of the dialogue. One nit that bothered me, though, is the timbre he chooses for Chris’ voice. Crouch’s voice lacks the energy I expected to match Chris’ go-with-the-flow attitude – one that’s equanimous, settled, and generally light and happy. Instead, Crouch’s voice possesses a heaviness that doesn’t feel right in the context of Chris. That being said, this is a minor complaint because Crouch gets everything else right. He embraces the natural rise and fall of the dialogue, and he speeds up and upwardly inflects in the right places. It creates an overarchingly terrific performance that, but for timbre, faithfully embraces Chris’ personality. Paired, Hamilton and Crouch deliver an excellent performance that immerses the listener in the story.
The Glow Up is a romance I could easily read and listen to on repeat. It just makes you feel good. Hamilton and Crouch take that to the next level. I highly recommend this sweet, swoony, honest story.
RATING: 
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