Rick R. Reed

🎧Audiobook Review🎧
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I liked the writing style and the story was original. I was captivated by the narrative fairly quickly. Winslow is stuck in an abusive relationship with Chad. Chad has had a messy childhood and really didn't want to be who he is. And at some point, Winslow decides to leave, because he's had enough of Chad. Only he didn't reckon with Chad. And there's the likable boy Darren, whom Winslow met in a bar and who has his own problems. The domestic violence and drug problems were realistically portrayed and I was able to quickly empathize with the protagonists. And if you're into a little magical realism, you'll like this story just fine. I suspected what it was about fairly quickly, but I don't want to give too much away at this point. 

David Allen Vargo did an excellent job, he deserves 5 stars. He brought the characters to life and gave each character an appropriate voice. I generally like sound effects in an audio book, but this was a bit too much for me. I like it when music is played briefly, that wasn't my problem. But there were passages where the music was played while the narrator read aloud. Unfortunately, I could not concentrate at these points at all, because I either listen to music or an audio book. Too bad, therefore one star less. The idea was good, but I did not like the implementation quite as much. 

🎧Audiobook Review🎧
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

The story was set in the 80's when there were different views about coming out and HIV. I liked the author's writing style. Unraveling was told from the point of view of several characters and it was interesting to witness the view of the different people. The story is heartbreaking and somber, there weren't many happy moments and yet I love that it was told. And very importantly, there is a happy ending.
Randy knows he is gay, yet he does what society expects of him: he gets married and has a child. Randy is a good husband and also a good father. You can feel that he likes his family. But at some point he makes a decision that should change his life, because he knows he is different.
The story progresses slowly, which some will like better and others may like less. Rick R. Reed has written a book that feels very personal and that moved me. And I'm really glad the world is a bit more open today.

The audiobook was narrated by David Allen Vargo. He delivered a solid performance and portrayed the different characters individually. What I didn't like as much were the built-in sound effects, but that's a matter of taste.