Sometimes you read a synopsis and know that you need to read a book. Say It Out Loud was one of those books for me. I even saw some early reviews that readers were getting Twilight vibes while reading this book and that had me even more intrigued. So today I want to tell you about this book and what I thought.
A big thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for providing me with an eARC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way.
In this heartfelt, magical romcom, a down-and-out podcaster gets a second chance—at her career and love—when she’s cast in the audio drama adaptation of her favorite paranormal romance series . . . alongside the one who got away.
Juniper Green doesn’t believe in magic anymore. Not since her mom died, her dreams of a publishing career fizzled, and her podcast—the one bright spot in her life—was stolen out from under her. Now, at thirty-two, she’s living in her dad’s spare room and wondering if life peaked when she was a teenager with a stack of vampire books and an unhealthy obsession with enigmatic immortals.
Then comes the email: an invitation to audition for the lead role in the audio drama adaptation of The Meadow, the wildly popular vampire romance series that once defined her teenage years. It’s a dream opportunity—until she learns her co-star is James Neely, the brooding, talented actor who played Romeo to her Juliet in a one-night-only college show before breaking her heart and disappearing from the stage and her life . . . right along with the magic.
To save the project (and her career), Juniper and James must revive their on-stage chemistry, playing The Meadow’s star-crossed lovers for the microphones and social media alike. But as the lines between performance and reality blur, Juniper is left wondering: can you rewrite the ending of a story you thought was over? Because love, like magic, is a fragile thing to lose . . . and to find again.
Review
Say It Out Loud is a book I knew I wanted to read right after I read the synopsis. I’m a big fan of books where our main characters have a favorite book series or any type of fandom. The fact that our main character has a beloved fantasy series had made me very happy. This was a book I picked up and didn’t stop reading until the last page.
Juniper hasn’t had the best of luck and lost her faith in magic after her mother passes away and her podcast was taken away from her without her realizing what would happen. So when she gets the invitation to audition for a drama adaption for her favorite vampire series, she doesn’t believe her luck. Except things get complicated when she comes face to face with a man that broke her heart in the past. When James and Juniper start working on this book together I love their banter and the tension between these two. We get little passages from the books she loves and it ends up being so much more.
Say It Out Loud is about healing, finding your magic again, love, second chances, and the fact that everything isn’t always as it seems. We also get a great set of side characters and had me feeling the same way I did when I first read Twilight. The only thing that I missed in Say It Out Loud is James’ POV. I really think that would’ve added that little extra thing/spark I was missing from this book. He also goes through an emotional journey and I think I would’ve connected with him just a tad more.
All in all, this was a book I’m really glad I read. This is actually my first Ashley Schumacher read and it won’t be my last!
I’ll definitely go back to Say It Out Loud and do a reread in the future! I know for sure this won’t be my last book by this author either. Were you a Twilight fan? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
