Audiobook Review: Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Rebellion 1776
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Narrator: Phoebe Strole
Published: April 1, 2025
Audiobook: 10 hours 00 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: April 5-12, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 3.5 stars
Book Description:
A historical fiction middle grade adventure about a girl struggling to survive amid a smallpox epidemic, the public’s fear of inoculation, and the seething Revolutionary War.
In the spring of 1776, thirteen-year-old Elsbeth Culpepper wakes to the sound of cannons. It’s the Siege of Boston, the Patriots’ massive drive to push the Loyalists out that turns the city into a chaotic war zone. Elsbeth’s father—her only living relative—has gone missing, leaving her alone and adrift in a broken town while desperately seeking employment to avoid the orphanage.
Just when things couldn’t feel worse, the smallpox epidemic sweeps across Boston. Now, Bostonians must fight for their lives against an invisible enemy in addition to the visible one. While a treatment is being frantically fine-tuned, thousands of people rush in from the countryside begging for inoculation. At the same time, others refuse protection, for the treatment is crude at best and at times more dangerous than the disease itself.
Elsbeth, who had smallpox as a small child and is now immune, finds work taking care of a large, wealthy family with discord of their own as they await a turn at inoculation, but as the epidemic and the revolution rage on, will she find her father?
Jessica’s Review:
We have a middle grades historical fiction novel taking place in 1776 Boston. In addition to the war for Independence, the city of Boston is dealing with a smallpox epidemic. Our MC is 13-year-old Elsbeth whose father disappears and she ends up working as a ‘serving girl’ for the Pike family and their ward 16-year-old Hannah.
The listener or reader goes along with Hannah over a short time period and experiences many activities with her. At times Hannah addresses the reader/listener directly. We experience 1776 in Boston and the effects of smallpox, including the inoculation process. As the listener we realize how serious smallpox is and all of its effects. We also see how the town feels for or against the vaccine.
The novel takes place over a short time period, March 4- November 29, 1776. At the beginning of each chapter we are given the date(s) for the time period, but with the audiobook I had issues remembering how long of a piece of time each chapter was. I did not realize how important this was until I met with my book club. Reading a physical book/ kindle you could go back and look at that again. That isn’t really possible with an audiobook. Other than this issue, the narrator is a good job portraying Elsbeth.
This is a good YA novel that shows the time period and the everyday person’s struggle to survive war and disease.
ALC Review: The Shippers by Katherine Center
The Shippers
Author: Katherine Center
Narrator: Patti Murin
To Be Published: May 19, 2026
Audiobook: 11 hours 8 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: April 22-29, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
She wants him to help her woo someone else. Genius. Foolproof. Can’t go wrong.
After a lifetime of being bad at love, JoJo Burton vows to solve her intimacy issues once and for all at her sister’s destination wedding on a cruise ship. Armed with pop psychology, she diagnoses herself with a fixation on the neighborhood guy who was her first crush and first kiss (and who just happens to be a newly-divorced wedding guest). Determined to woo him for closure, she ropes in her childhood bestie, Cooper Watts, as her wingman. Cooper: who RSVPed no, but showed up anyway. Cooper: who moved to London without a word four years ago. Cooper: who broke her heart.
Shipboard antics abound in this witty, heart-tugging, childhood-friends-to-lovers romance, as JoJo and Cooper team up, fake flirt, slow dance, share a cabin, sing duets, get jealous, answer long-held questions, and finally, at last, discover truths about each other that will change everything.
Jessica’s Review:
Katherine Center has a new novel coming out and Patti Murin narrates it!?!? The Shippers equals a fun ‘beach read’ to start the summer off! Katherine Center books are almost always a ‘must listen to’ and they are just entertaining fun reads.
We have JoJo, our FMC who starts out the novel about to get married, but doesn’t. It’s a whole story on its own. Six weeks later JoJo’s sister Ashley is getting married on a cruise ship and the whole family is meeting up again. Joining this wedding after crashing JoJo’s is Cooper, JoJo’s longtime childhood friend and also Finn. Finn was JoJo’s first kiss as a child and is also newly divorced. The plan is to get JoJo and Finn together by the end of the wedding week/cruise.
There is a lot that goes on in the novel in addition to the romance. We have family coming together, and miscommunication galore! If the miscommunication trope is a negative foryou, then you might want to skip this one, but I loved it! We have a lot of fun side characters: JoJo’s parents (mainly dad), grandma, cousin Harmony, and ‘Bridesmaid 2’(Does she even have a name?). These characters were so much fun! I was fully involved in the novel from the beginning. We have JoJo who is ‘book smart’ (she’s really good at Math) but not ‘street smart’ in the slightest. She was just so entertaining for me. And she gets into so many over the top situations you can’t help but laugh at times.
Patti Murin is back narrating another Center novel. When I saw that I got excited! Murin always does a superb job and I have yet to feel like we need a separate male narrator for the male voices when she narrates. Murin is one of the narrators I always look out for.
This romcom is no spice, but there is chemistry and a little bit of steam. I knew the direction the novel was going to ultimately go (thanks to my love of thrillers!) but enjoyed the ride JoJo took me on.
Some people say romcoms are predictable but Center address that in her Author’s Note to the reader/listener. Center achieves what she meant to for me with this novel: A fun romcom. Romcoms are supposed to leave a reader with a HEA (Happy Ever After/ Happy Ending), even if you figure out the most of what is going to happen. The Shippers was a long time in coming (Thanks Covid) but it is finally being released for everyone to read and enjoy.
Many thanks to the publisher for approving me for this one, I really enjoyed it!
Pre-Order Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK I like this cover with the blue dress much better than the US cover!
ALC Review: A Brewed Awakening by Pepper Basham
A Brewed Awakening
Author: Pepper Basham
Narrators:
Ann Marie Gideon
Christopher Ashman
To Be Published: May 5, 2026
Audiobook: 13 hours 33 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: April 13-21, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
Daphne dreams of Mr. Darcy. Finn serves up pints and rock music. Can opposites attract when a tea shop princess meets her pub-owning rival? Perfect for fans of Courtney Walsh and Emma St. Clair.
In the charming mountain town of Wisteria, North Carolina, Daphne Austen clings to tradition like cream to a scone. She’s built her life–and her late grandmother’s tearoom, Tea Thyme–around all things English: delicate china, Jane Austen novels, and the comforting predictability of routine. The only thing threatening her perfectly ordered world? The loud, aggravatingly handsome Brit opening a pub next door.
After his ex-wife broke his heart and his business partner nearly destroyed his career, Finn Dashwood packed up his six-year-old daughter and left England behind. He’s looking for a fresh start, and the last thing he needs is a fussy, tea-obsessed neighbor criticizing his every pint and playlist. It doesn’t matter that she’s ridiculously kind (to everyone else) and that his daughter is utterly fascinated by her. Finn’s heart is not open to being broken again.
But disagreements turn into prank wars and then a competition when a high-profile wedding needs a last-minute caterer. The townsfolk are thrilled–Wisteria hasn’t seen this much excitement since the county fair lost a goat.
When the wedding demands both sweet and savory fare, Daphne and Finn are forced to put down their swords and pick up their serving trays. Between burnt pastries, brewing tempers, trending hashtags (#SipsAndSpats, anyone?), and one very adorable little girl, rivalry soon gives way to reluctant friendship–and maybe something that feels suspiciously like chemistry.
Can a tea shop princess and a pub owner with a past mix their lives as seamlessly as clotted cream and jam . . . or will their differences keep them steeped in rivalry forever?
Jessica’s Review:
A Brewed Awakening was such a fun read! Taking place in the fictional Appalachian town of Wisteria, NC, we have Daphne Austen who owns the tearoom Tea Thyme and then comes new to town British Finnley Dashwood who will be opening a pub named The Green Dragon right next door. In fact, the two businesses will share a wall! (Do you see the Jane Austen references already???)
This is a sweet slow burn romance that includes enemies to lovers, a single dad to an adorable daughter with a cleft palette, lots of humor, and some chemistry that the whole town joins in on with a rivalry on social media that consists of call outs, and hashtags galore! There was so much humor at the beginning of each chapter with the hashtags. The competition between the two intensifies when an influencer couple can’t decide on which business will host their wedding reception. Hello rivalry, it’s time to heat things up even more! The banter is abundant, and as a listener I was like “Just go ahead and get together!” The journey of the inevitable is always fun to go on, especially when it is this entertaining. But then… the direction the novel goes in is unexpected and it affects everyone in the entire town. This is a romcom that goes in a serious direction. This direction also shows how close the small town is in bringing everyone together. There is such community which we don’t really see anymore.
We have both Daphne and Finn as our povs and the narrators did a great job! An extra bravo to Christopher Ashman who was superb as Finn Dashwood. Both he and Ann Marie Gideon brought the story to life and definitely portrayed the chemistry just as it was needed to be!
I really enjoyed this story and the fact that it was clean with no spice made it even better! Sometimes no spice can be what a reader/listener needs!
Many thanks to the publisher for granting me an advanced listening copy to listen to and review! This one releases tomorrow, May 5, 2026!
Pre-Order Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
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