Why did I feel like sobbing the whole time I listened to this audiobook? I can’t decide whether it was because it was so relatable and well written or because it’s that time of the month. Probably both.

Anyway, this is my first audiobook and I finished it in one day because it was breezy, then it was heavy, and then I just kept wanting more. It made me miss being in love with all of its ups and downs and twists and turns.

I wasn’t too thrilled with the narrator’s vocal choice for Max. I wish I would’ve read it rather than listened. I think I would have found it even more beautifully haunting.
Now I think I’ll go sit on the steps of my back deck, in the darkness of the woods, spliff in hand, and continue absorbing the echos of the prose that made me feel all the feels.

Thank you to Emily Dalton, Kate Rudd, Andrews McMeel Audio, and #NetGallery for an audioARC of #BeStraightwithMe in exchange for an honest review. Review will be posted on NetGallery, Goodreads, and Facebook.

I enjoyed listening to Dalton's story of her friendship and relationship with her best friend who is gay. It was interesting to see how their relationship started and progressed through college and after.

The narrator of this book was a little monotone at times and I found myself rewinding because I wasn't paying attention.

The sections of reflections didn't always flow well with the story, but I did like hearing more about the authors life.

This was an enjoyable memoir, but not my favorite of all time.

While listening to the audiobook I continuously asked myself what is the point of this book? Now, I finished the book and I’m still wondering what the purpose was.

This memoir was not very good and it felt like there was no lesson or purpose. I understand what the purpose was meant to be but it was not obvious enough nor was it really expanded on. I do not think the story told is deserving of its own book. It is not interesting and it felt like a waste of time.

I love a memoir so that is how this book first caught my attention. This, coupled with the fact that I have been wanting to integrate more poetry into my reading and with this story being told in verse… I was in! Max and Emily become friends while in college. But, in no time at all, they become more than friends but Max is gay, and Emily is straight. Emily says of Max, “I let you into my life, but I didn’t realize how much space you would take up.” They end up falling in love with each other and the story is about how they navigate a relationship that is not so black and white. The narration of this book is well done, and the feeling of despair, hope and love come across so clearly.

this was an interesting one, Emily is straight and Max is gay but they end up falling for each other. Their relationship is not at all straight forward for obvious reasons. It made me a little sad for Emily but by the ending I can tell she is growing and perhaps in a better place

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

"some of the most beautiful things in life come from mistakes."

when i read in the synopsis that this book was about a girl being in a relationship with her gay best friend, i told myself i couldn't pass on this one. in be straight with me, emily dalton leads us into her life with this memoir packed with strong emotions, full of love and heartbreak. the author was pretty straightforward regarding her life experiences and everything that happened in the relationship, which added a level of entertainment to the story. the fact that her feelings were poured out to the public and her sadness was shared with the reader made me appreciate this story in a great way. i recommend this to those who enjoy reading stories that deal with loneliness and breakups.

book review • Be Straight With Me by Emily E. Dalton (1/5 ⭐️)

thank you to @andrewsmcmeel & @netgalley for this alc!

Be Straight With Me is a memoir in verse about a young straight white woman’s relationship with her gay best friend, which is somewhere between friendship and love. the book is written solely from the pov of the straight woman.

boy, did I hate this book. I was very sceptical from the start because I expected that, the author being the straight person in this relationship, she wouldn’t have much to say about why this relationship was the way it was. I was right. I really didn’t like the author, neither did I like the gay man she was in a weird relationship with. I think they’re both toxic, trying to have something with each other but at the same time not wanting to commit to one another, and both of them just in general wanting different things but still holding on to each other. when she said she wanted to keep the guy straight, I threw up a little in my mouth. when she said she would “let him do the gay thing”, I wanted to throw my phone across the room. I think the author is an incredibly jealous person who thought that the reason she couldn’t keep this guy is because he was gay, and not the fact that maybe he just didn’t want to be with her in the end. when they’re having a threesome she loves it when both people focus only on her, but as soon as they turn away to make out with each other she storms out of the room. toxic much? I think so.

this story should have been told from the guy’s pov; it was not her place to tell his coming out story and to speculate on his sexuality, when he could have told his own story and actually made some meaningful contributions instead of the author’s empty guesses that only had to do with her insecurities as a young woman. I didn’t gain a single thing by listening to this and honestly I don’t think anyone will, so I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I don’t have a lot of experience reading stories told in verse, so i was curious how it would flow and how I would like it. I found it much more compelling than I had expected. I enjoyed the book but there are two things that nag at me. 1. Are we still labeling people’s sexuality? 2. Is the story compelling enough to create a whole book? It was beautifully written, just not a piece I’ll keep thinking aBout after finishing it.

This memoir-collection of poems was just beautiful. I didn't know exactly what to expect but it was better than anything I could imagine. It's a beautiful story that follows her gay best friend and herself on a journey to discover one another. All the emotions were so real and relatable that anyone could feel this story with their own. It's a complex love story between Max and Emily that breaks your heart while you fall in love.

The audiobook was amazing at perfect speed to keep you entertained and also hook to the story. I love the narrator.

This novel in verse recounts Dalton's complicated college love, with memories of her youth interspersed throughout. Dalton's poetic storytelling invokes deep empathy--inviting the reader into her story in a visceral way. I was deeply invested in her (as the "protagonist") and also in her relationship with Max, to whom she writes. This memoir is best read in one sitting. It will leave you reflecting on friendship, love, sexuality, and that tender gap between youth and adulthood.

Thank you to Netgalley for the audiobook.

A different kind of love story, told with honesty and openness. Emily & Max share a friendship and a love affair despite their differences. I had to listen to this entire audiobook at once. What a lovely story. I feel like Emily and I are good friends having coffee whilst she tells me her story and she touches my heart.

3.5

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this early.

This was a super interesting story and you like slice of life memoirs I really feel like this will be your cup of tea!

What I liked:
- I loved how unique to story was. I have never experienced a relationship exactly like this or heard of anyone else who has so it was great to read about something so interesting.

- I loved the way it was was written as if it was a diary entry to a specific person. It was as if she was recapping the love story to the person that was in it with her. I loved that.

What I didn’t like:

-I like my memoirs (especially ones about relationships) to feel like fiction. And something about the writing made me always feel like I was reading a memoir. I’m not sure of that makes sense. Essentially, this felt like a friend telling me a story about their past boyfriend. And awesome and very interesting story. But still, it lacked that vibe that sucked me into it.

Overall, this is a very interesting story and even if you can’t relate to the events going on it I guarantee you can relate to the emotions going on in it.

It´s often hard for me to rate or review a memoir because it´s the author's personal story.
Overall this book kept me interested and I wanted to find out if this unconventional love story has a happy ending.
Without spoiling it, I will say that I kept thinking about the book after I was done listening.
It was an honest and heartfelt book that I would recommend to anyone interested in LGBTQ love stories and/or memoirs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for providing me a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book has a great theme and the narration helped sell the story.. i felt like I was witnessing it all. Would’ve loved more to the story

Falling in love can be easy for some, but downright complicated for others. Emily does not know what to make of Max when she first meets him. Max is gay and while they are friends, she finds herself falling for him. What entails is years long love, heartbreak and wanting something you can never have. This is a candid memoir of a journey of loving and letting go. It is a short audiobook and one I would recommend to those looking for raw emotion in an unconventional love story.

I feel like this is something that would of happen to me, I love hard and fall even harder. I say this except for the fact that I couldn’t tell it has beautifully has the author did. I felt myself falling for him.....and and enjoying the relationship. I loved how she laid it all out in scattered beautiful words. Life isn’t always black and white is it? I loved this audiobook. The story was heartbreaking, scary, intense and REAL. This relationship was all of these things and very special, painful but special. They fell into it because at the time they totally got each other.
While I was waiting for this to end I had a knot in my chest. And to be honest I don’t know how I wanted it to end. But I couldn’t stop listening. It was very good. I highly recommend it. The narrator was awesome, clear and concise. I followed the whole thing with enjoyment.
Love and mistakes take on many forms, never forget that. And sometimes they are beautiful.

Thank you NETGALLEY and the publisher for this audiobook ARC, in exchange for my honest review. ♥️

Be Straight With Me by Emily Dalton is a memoir about love. Emily falls in love with her college best friend Max. The memoir is little notes or diary entries to Max referred to as “you.” Max usually isn’t attracted to women. Their relationship is difficult for Emily and Max. Neither knowing what their relationship means and if they can actually be attracted to each other. Emily goes through dating other boys and feeling like she didn’t fit in from childhood.

Be Straight With Me is a very interesting memoir. I really enjoyed how Emily took specific life events and told them in a way that could relate to anyone. Emily always felt like she didn’t fit in. Some of the earliest memories in this memoir are from elementary school.

I listened to the audiobook with narration by Kate Rudd and thought she did a great job.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Audio for Be Straight With Me.

This is such a beautiful memoir about a relationship that begins in university and spans young adulthood, spliced with fragments of previous and concurrent relationships. Presented it poetic verse it makes for a quick read. A rare portrait demonstrating how you can be in love with a person, even if on paper and in society it makes no sense.
The audio version of this book does not lose any of the magic of the layout of the verses and the cadence of the narrator emphasises the beauty of Dalton's words even more so.

"I'm having trouble determining whether
you fascinate me because I'm scared of you
or I'm scared of you because you fascinate me.

But also
I think I'm coming to realize
this is all just your way
of commanding order over the chaos,
keeping people at arm's length, and
holding your wildest cards
close to your chest.

Because how can anyone ever judge you
if they have no idea what you're saying?"

- An excerpt from a poem 'I Don't Like To Admit It, But'.

Thank you Andrews McMeel and NetGalley Audio for providing me with an audiobook in return for honest feedback.

Note: This review is only limited to the audio quality, it's experience and the Narrator. You can find the link to the review on Goodreads and Instagram.

What makes poems different from prose when you are reading it out loud? Generally, the enunciation of each word or a sentence demands an emotive tone in the context of a poem more than it does in prose. Story-telling found in the prose is not the case when it comes to poems, even when the poem/poems in the context are reminiscing and passing down one's story. The point is, reading prose and reading poetry are poles apart in so many aspects - one has to pass down the emotions of one such experience than retell the moment that has occurred. Sadly, many moments blurred the lines that separate poetry from prose, in this audio narrated by Kate Rudd.

For someone who has read the book and wrote an honest review earlier, I want to quote myself to remind why I found this audiobook unjustifiable to this poetry collection:
I said, and I quote: "It is really hard for me to connect personally with memoir poetry unless the imagery is equally focussed on the emotions and the thought processes along with the experience. Or else, it would be nothing but prose. That is not the case with Emily as she weaves her story with poetry in a hypnotising way: transporting you to her world and making you experience it vividly. The intimate look into her experience, with her poetry style, leaves an everlasting impression."
When I hit play, I expected a similar experience, but I didn't experience anywhere near to that. I cannot deny that Kate Rudd narrated it in a way in a gripping tone, but it felt amiss on the basis of earlier mentioned views.

I said, and I quote: "Even though usually poetry reads are quick and gets finished in one sitting, this one just had to be set down at some points because it became quite emotionally overwhelming for me."
I cannot stress enough on how much I was disappointed at those poems or moments that I found emotionally overwhelming and soul-stirring earlier when they came off bland narrated by the narrator. What I think of the book is restricted to my individual opinion but what the book consists emotionally is universal, in a broad sense, but universal, no matter what. That failed to reach the narrator's tone and impressions many times.

I didn't quite hate the audiobook, it was alright but it could've been better. But, that will not stop me from recommending this audiobook. Kate Rudd does help you navigate through the collection with her gripping tone and I'm sure she has nailed the narration of her previous audiobooks including John Green's works. She was quite not for this collection, though.