just jodie by robin alexanderJust Jorie by Robin Alexander is a pure joy to experience, whether you’re reading the words or listening to the audio book. It’s hilarious, has great characters, and a relationship that’s so sweet and fun, you’ll want to come back to again and again.

Lena Vaughan is stranded in New York after a business trip, her flight cancelled due to a snowstorm. She meets Jorie Andolini, a probably safe, hopefully normal other passenger who is also stranded and needs to get back to New Orleans. After sharing a ride to a hotel and hanging out for a couple of days, Lena and Jorie decide to risk the roads and rent a car to get home.

Disappointed by her failed trip to New York to visit a woman she’d met online, Jorie just can’t believe it. Lena is literally the woman of her dreams, the visual incarnation of the perfect woman she always imagined would be her soul mate. She hadn’t counted on her fantasy woman being straight, but she enjoys Lena’s company so much that maybe they can be friends.

After they’re home, Lena can’t stop thinking about Jorie. She’s always dated men with little success and finds herself wondering at 40 if maybe there’s something to how she feels about Jorie. Is she gay? Or is there just something about this one, wonderful woman who is hilarious, kind, and believes in “the one”?

The Characters

The characters are wonderful. I love Lena and Jorie both separately and together. They’re smart, funny, thoughtful, and sweet, and I particularly appreciate that they’re not afraid to be vulnerable with each other. It’s also refreshing to read about women falling in love when they’re in their late 30s/early 40s, neither has kids, and neither has lost a major love of their life.

The side characters in Just Jorie are also great. Jorie’s grandmother and aunt Coleen are truly hilarious, and I almost woke my toddler because I was laughing so hard at their bickering and antics. I like that Robin Alexander made each side character a fully formed person, because in a story this funny, it would have been easy to fill it with caricatures.

The Writing Style

Just Jorie by Robin Alexander is so well written that it will forever live on my re-read list. I know I’ve been emphasizing the humour in this review, but the book works so well because it has enormous heart. There is no angst and it’s quite a gentle read, but that’s part of what makes it perfect.

This is a bit spoilery, so skip on to the next section if you like. Just Jorie is a toaster oven story, but I like that it shows that sexuality can be complicated or not, depending on how you look at it. Lena’s never been attracted to women before, but her relationships with men have never been great either. Is she a lesbian? Maybe, but it’s not really relevant to her, because the most important thing is that she loves Jorie.

The Narration

I read Just Jorie on my Kindle last year, but listening to the audio book is definitely the way to go. Lisa Cordileone does a fantastic job of bringing Robin Alexander’s words to life, and I just want to listen to her read books all day long. This is the second book I’ve listened to from Dog Ear Audio and I’m thoroughly impressed.

I cannot even begin to describe the audio crush I have on Cordileone – her voice is awesome – Sheena

[tweetthis]I am so a lesbian, well maybe just her lesbian, Lena thought as Jorie gasped… [/tweetthis]

The Pros

Everything. Great characters, great story, great writing style, great narration. This audio book is a home run.

The Cons

To steal a complaint from Darla, it ended.

Oh, a real con? The cover is bad and doesn’t do the book a bit of justice. Seriously, please listen to this book.

The Conclusion

If you’re looking for a fun, sweet read, I highly recommend the audio book for Just Jorie. I will be listening to it again and again.

taras favourite lesbian bookssheena's favouriteExcerpt from Just Jorie by Robin Alexander

“Do you know that you talk and laugh in your sleep?”

Lena turned away and looked out her window. “You probably dreamed that.”

“No, I didn’t because I would’ve been asleep, and that didn’t happen for a while because I was listening to you laugh your ass off and babble about deer and paper towels.”

“I’m sorry. I do that when I’m really tired.” She looked back at Jorie. “I hope I didn’t keep you awake all night.”

“At first, it freaked me out because I thought someone else was in the room with us. I did finally go to sleep, but once when I got up to go to the bathroom, you told me to put the Jell-O back into the fridge.”

“Did you?”

“You know, I actually looked for Jell-O for a second. I was half asleep,” Jorie said with a laugh.

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[tweetthis]I just read this review of Just Jorie by Robin Alexander[/tweetthis]

 

Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number: 9781935216520
  • Publisher: Intaglio Publications
  • Audio book publisher: Dog Ear Audio
  • Narrator: Lisa Cordileone
  • Robin Alexander Online

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Note: I received a free review copy of Just Jorie by Robin Alexander for review. No money was exchanged for this review. I will always review books as honestly as possible and on occasion I refuse to review books.