Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  To the Moon and Back

AUTHOR:  N.R. Walker

NARRATOR:  Glen Lloyd

PUBLISHER:  BlueHeart Press

LENGTH:  5 hours and 39 minutes

RELEASE DATE: March 27, 2023

BLURB:

Gideon Ellery had the perfect life. Nice house, great job, and a long-time boyfriend. Weeks after adopting his nephew, his boyfriend splits, leaving Gideon a single father to a newborn. Overwhelmed, sleep deprived, and unsure how to navigate fatherhood, he’s asked to return to the office. He’s overwhelmed and at his breaking point.

Toby Barlow is back in Sydney after three years of studying, travelling, and nannying in the UK. He needs work and a place to live, and the perfect solution drops in his lap. After all, caring for a sweet baby in a beautiful home owned by a gorgeous single man isn’t exactly terrible.

Gideon isn’t too keen to share his life with a stranger, but his need for help is too great. Sunshiny Toby isn’t prepared for a grumpy Gideon or his utterly adorable son, Benson. Or how easily he slots into their lives. And Gideon’s not prepared for how much he needs Toby.

Or how much he wants him.

Neither is prepared for the complications of falling in love.

REVIEW:

N.R. Walker’s To the Moon and Back is an absolutely adorable, no-angst, fluffy, feel-good, grumpy/sunshine romance featuring a falling-in-love-with-the-nanny storyline.  Gideon and Toby’s romance progresses in a straightforward way with no notable twists on the trope.  However, Walker takes what could easily have been a predictable plot and deftly turns it into a fresh story.  Add to that her vivid and endearing characters – and a gorgeous, happy baby! – and you can’t help but be hooked into the storyline, eager for Gideon, Toby and baby Benson’s HEA.  

Gideon is heartbroken when his long-term ex-boyfriend unceremoniously leaves him with six-week-old Benson.  Toby is just what the doctor ordered.  He’s sunshine personified and a baby whisperer to boot. He seamlessly slots himself into Gideon and Benson’s life, first as a stalwart caretaker, and then gradually, he becomes part of the family unit, and an integral part of both of Gideon and Benson’s lives.  Gideon and Toby have evident chemistry, and Walker makes their love story believable, never feeling like it’s too soon despite the short length of time from Gideon’s break-up.  

The story isn’t complicated but rather heartwarming, amusing, and sometimes even swoonily romantic.  Glen Lloyd’s narration on the audiobook is intuitive and expertly executed.  He embodies all of the characters well, but in particular, Toby.  He adeptly conveys Toby’s bright, effervescent, glass-is-half-full demeanor and Gideon’s guilt-ridden, beleaguered constitution while always remaining emotionally connected to the experience of both characters throughout the storyline.  I always enjoy Lloyd’s narration.  He’s impactful and easy on the ears – a perfect pairing for a sweet and meaningful love story.

Walker includes a Henry and Reed easter egg that is a wonderful surprise – making the smile on my face from this feel-good story even wider.  I hadn’t made the connection as Walker’s The Weight of it All happens well before To the Moon and Back. If you haven’t read The Weight of it All, one of my favorite of Walker’s romances, you should get on that posthaste.  To the Moon and Back is an audiobook I happily recommend.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Audible

Amazon