I had mixed feelings while going through this book. For the first half, I found the book occasionally failing to hold my interest as it focused on the relationship between Ethan and Barb and on following Ethan's personal journey with "The Boys". Then the big reveal hit and all my thoughts and opinions were turned upside down, and the story had no trouble holding my attention!

This book is one of those stories that has lingered with me. I'm not sure how much I actually liked it while I read it, but finishing it presented the whole story in a completely different light that made me like it a lot more, even though it was, in all honesty, a very very weird book! I did really like the audiobook narration, though!

I found this book to be well written. I truly believed that Barb was being unreasonable. Wouldn't we all love to have a husband who is so involved with his children.? As the story unfold s we realize that Barb is not being unreasonable about the situation, and that Ethan is being a bit too eccentric. The concept that Hafner tells is intriging and makes for a good story. I really enjoyed reading this ARC. Thanks Netgalley.

Thank you NetGalley, Spiegel & Grau, and Katie Hafner for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I kept putting it down and taking it up again because I found the story quite slow. And, unfortunately, it was t worth it for me in the end. I just didn’t like the ending. It didn’t seem the right ending for where the story was trying to go. Or maybe, I figured out what was happening beforehand. Don’t take my word for it. It had a good theme and real life events. It just wasn’t for me.

Quite an original, unique story. Ethan is shy, socially awkward, and endearing. His broken heart leads to an unexpected end.

This one is slow going at the beginning but based on other reviews, I really wanted to push myself and finish the book. It paid off. It was an emotional and compelling storyline. It was written beautifully and casted with wonderful character. I adored Ethan and Izzy. I connected with Barb and appreciated her personality. We can all agree that the pandemic period had devastating effects on our mental health and I understood her reactions. I recommend going into this book blind b/c the twist in the end will have you.

3 1/2 stars

I listened to the audio for The Boys without having the book to go back to periodically. It made the process of finishing it go a bit slower for me because my audio time has been limited lately. That said, the storyline was definitely original.

I was definitely opinionated about this book -- there are things I completely liked and others I absolutely did not care for at all. For instance, I did like that the main character, Ethan, is described as a handsome but highly intelligent man. It shows you can be both. Often attractive people are portrayed with no brains in their heads. This was refreshing. Also, he was allowed to be introverted as an attractive male - - another win. The thing I didn't like was that I felt like I was being "told" the story which made it difficult to engage with the characters. I did like Ethan and was sympathetic. with him. Yet, I could not manage to like his wife at all. She just seemed much too flippant and shallow to me.

I think the overall plot twist was a little far-fetched, but can respect what the author was trying to do with it. Ethan definitely had baggage to work through with the losses he'd experienced. For that reason, I do believe that he was susceptible to emotional turmoil and the different ways it could present itself.

Since this was an audiobook that I'm reviewing, I do want to comment on the narration. I thought the narrator's voice was spot on for this book. It fit the book style and topic.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to listen to and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Ethan is extremely introverted. When he marries Barb, she starts to draw him out of his shell. One day, Barb brings home two young boys for them to foster. Rather than bringing them closer, the boys drive a wedge in their relationship. Ethan decides to take the boys on a biking trip through Italy, where we learn just how unusual Ethan and his boys are. Maybe Ethan can learn something on the trip to repair his relationship with Barb.

This book was different than what I was expecting, yet it had to be that way to keep from giving away the big plot twist, which I did not see coming. I really don’t know what to say about how I feel about this book. It was different; in some ways that was good; in other ways, maybe not so much. All I can really do is suggest that you read it and find out for yourself.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

This book was very very odd. I listened to the audio book which I received as an advanced listener’s copy. At the onset it seemed to be book about a marriage gone wrong and a family falling apart. As the story moves along, it takes on an are you kidding me turn. Quite bizarre actually. I was not very engaged but when I realized where things were going- I had to complete the book. Was very odd.

I had the audiobook and thought narrator BJ Harrison did a really good job. I'm not repeating the synopsis or spoiling the book. I will say, I did not find anything humorous -- which was advertised. The book genre is listed as general fiction. That became an issue once I completed the book, and I guess I understand the labeling.

There is nothing that I can add to the synopsis without spoiling. I found the story, written in parts. everywhere from eye-rolling, thought-provoking, mundane, to are you kidding me. This felt like a mystery/thriller gone wrong. However, as general fiction it doesn't compute.

This is a creepy story that took real family issues from head shaking to bizarre. I actually could see this as a short film or television episode.

Thank you NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau by OrangeSky Audio for allowing me to read and review The Boys. Should I find as inexpensive copy of this, I will pick it up. I would like to read this again.

'The Boys' is told in two parts and if I'm honest, halfway through the first part I wasn't expecting to like the book as much as I ended up. This is mostly due to the fact that it takes at least one quarter of the book for the boys, Sam and Tom, to make an appearance.
Ethan Fawcette is our narrator for the part one of this novel and the closer you get to part two the more unreliable our narrator seem too be. In part the the narration changes and the missing piece of the puzzle finally falls into place when Ethan decides to take the boys on a bike riding trip through Italy.
The book is funny at times and heartwarming in others.

The Boys AUDIO by Katie Hafner is a frightening but ultimately positive view of a man damaged by the death of his parents when he was a child, and never properly grieving. He was given over to his grandparents when his parents died, both of whom were highly intelligent scientists, but not really emotionally available to a small boy who had suffered a devastating loss. He grew into a computer programmer who was brilliant, but odd. Until the day he met a young woman who thought his oddities were cute. They connected on an emotional level, dated, fell in love, got married, and started talking about having children. That was when things started falling apart. Barb brought home of boys for she and Ethan to foster until a new home could be arranged for them. Ethan did all he could to give them a perfect life, to the detriment of his marriage. After the separation, he decided to take them on a bike trip in Italy. The same one he and Barb had taken for their honeymoon. He made a friend on the trip: Izzy, who was one of the guides, and he started to see his life as it was.

Hafner did a remarkable job with plotting this book. It went from one thing, smoothly to another with the reader questioning what he though he was reading (listening to) until the transition became clear and Ethan started healing. His character was so carefully written that it left the reader (listener) questioning what was going on. People can be so strange. Was it Ethan or was it other people who were unforgiving when someone was different. There was an element of that even when the transition was complete. Different is not OK to many people even if it doesn’t affect them. This was a lovely book about a caring man, a friend who accepted him as he was, and a wife who wanted the best for him.

BJ Harrison was the narrator and did a credible job presenting Ethan to the world as a perfectly normal young man. His voice read with no trace of disbelief or misplaced humor. It was terrific.

I was invited to listen to a free e-ARC of the audio version of The Boys by Orange Sky Audio, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #orangeskyaudio #katiehafner #bjharrison #theboys

"Have you been carrying this pain all these years?"

The bittersweet melancholic The Boys by brilliant debut author Katie Hafner broke me, shocked me and left me an emotional, yet hopeful, wreck.

There is a HUGE REVEAL half way through this book that takes it from a story about Ethan becoming a father to a story about lost love, isolation and loneliness. This change in the projectory of the story is startling, heartbreaking and genius.

Ethan is an introvert uncomfortable in social settings but content with his quiet life. He meets extrovert Barb who is attracted to his good looks but also sees a sensitive kind man.

After they marry they find out they can't have children and become foster parents to young brothers Sam and Tommy. Then the pandemic hits and Ethan becomes dangerously obsessed with caring for the boys and has no desire to leave the house. Barb can't live with this isolation and obsessiveness and leaves him.

Taking the boys on a biking holiday in Italy where he was happiest on his honeymoon, Ethan's story is drastically upended. Through kind humbling tour guide Izzy we see Ethan as a man drowning in sorrow.

Narrator BJ Harrison performance is perfection. The first half is told in a calm reflective tone as Ethan gives us his story. The second half is partly Izzy's point of view and we see the Ethan he doesn't see in himself. It's a disturbing contrast yet heartbreaking poignant for many reasons.

I was blown away listening to this simple yet complex story and I promise you this book is not going where you think it is and you will be led down a surprising path to the truth about The Boys.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

This one just wasn't for me. I didn't love the narrator and couldn't get into the story. It felt so slow-moving and I had to DNF at around 20%. Probably nothing against this story it just wasn't the one for me. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to listen to an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Boys by Katie Hafner was a clever and heartwarming debut novel. The characters in The Boys were beautifully rendered and endearing. It was a story that hinged on the lingering affects of a childhood trauma and how that trauma lingered into adulthood and played havoc with emotions, decisions, personality and with life in general. The boys explored the themes of love, grief, mental health and the effects of isolation during the pandemic. It was very well written and kept me engaged throughout.

Ethan Fawcett was a nerdy tech guy. He was brilliant in his own way but so socially awkward. Ethan worked for a startup company as their chief technology officer in Philadelphia. It was the perfect job for him since he was so introverted and socially challenged. After Ethan had been with the company for a while, Barb, a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania started working there. Ethan and Barb, unbeknownst to both of them, had been keeping tabs on each other. Ethan finally got up the courage and asked Barb out. After a whirlwind romance, the two got married. They were happy in their marriage. Barb helped Ethan prepare questions prior to social engagements so he would not feel awkward when they got together with friends or family. They both decided that it was time to try and start a family. Ethan was reluctant at first. He did not feel that he would make a good father. The responsibility was too overwhelming for him. He finally came around after much coaxing from Barb but they discovered that that they had fertility issues.

One day, Ethan arrived home to find twin Russian orphan boys sitting on the couch. Barb had brought them home with the intention of fostering them. Ethan was introduced to Tommy and Sam. At first Ethan was not sure about it but soon enough he bought into it and became a doting father to Tommy and Sam. Ethan’s life revolved around Tommy and Sam. He found ways to teach them English and Ethan even learned some Russian to be able to converse with the boys. Ethan decided to homeschool the boys. He paid attention to all the food choices available for the boys since they were allergic to tree nuts. Then the pandemic hit. Barb was working from home and so was Ethan but taking care of Tommy and Sam took up almost all of Ethan’s time. The more Ethan became involved with the day to day caring for the boys, the more Barb began to pull back, question Ethan’s choices and stopped interacting with Ethan and the boys all together. They finally separated and Ethan kept the boys.

Ethan decided to take the boys to Italy on a bike riding vacation. He and Barb had done that on their honeymoon. Ethan wanted to share the experience with Tommy and Sam. He contacted the same company and made all the arrangements. Over the course of the trip, Ethan had a special guide, Izzy, that was assigned to him. One day, Ethan and Izzy and the boys were caught in a rainstorm so they sought shelter in a church. While they sat in the church, the church’s choir was practicing. Ethan was mesmerized by the music and one young boy’s voice in particular. He started talking to Izzy and confessing his most deeply rooted secrets. Ethan had never admitted these feelings or spoken them out loud to anyone before, not even to Barb. He admitted the guilt he felt about his parent’s deaths to Izzy. Ethan had been carrying these feelings around for so many years. Both of Ethan’s parents died when they were thirty-eight years old. They had been on vacation in Hawaii. His mother was swimming in the ocean when she was pulled under by a strong rip tide. Ethan’s father went in to save her and they both tragically died. Something happened to Ethan that day after finally unburdening himself of that long ago trauma he had experienced. Would it be enough for Ethan and Barb to get back together?

I really enjoyed The Boys by Katie Hafner. It was hard to believe that this was her first work of fiction. I will definitely look forward to reading her future books and I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Spiegel & Grau by OrangeSky Audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Publication is set for July 26, 2022.

Wow. This novel started off as what I expected then took a turn in the other direction and became something unique and heartwarming. I found the characters to be somewhat intriguing in the beginning and their responses to the pandemic fairly typical, but as the story progressed and truths were revealed I felt an understanding toward their situations that endeared me to them. The depth of what each of us endures and goes through individually has a profound effect on ourselves and those around us and I think this book showcases that perfectly.

This book was a do not finish for me unfortunately. I’m not sure if it was a narrator that was chosen or how slow the story was, but something wasn’t exciting me about this read. I truly tried to finish and I think the publishing company for giving me a chance to read their work. I do think that the synopsis and the goal of the book is excellent, as is anything written from a foster care perspective, but it just missed the mark of pulling me in.

This review can also be found on Instagram: dat_girl_B_Readin

THE BOYS by Katie Hafner and audio narrated by B. J. Harrison is a charming, quirky, endearing tale of love while exploring the traumas of childhood and human connections.

Ethan is an introvert and now a grown man. He is married to Barb. He is anxious and worries about everything. He does not do well in social settings or engage in regular chit-chat.

While working as the chief technology officer at a startup in Philadelphia, Ethan meets Barb, a University of Pennsylvania grad student, and the two start dating. They soon marry, though Ethan knows he is not in her league.

He experienced some childhood trauma that he has carried into adulthood and has not been open about. His parent's died in an accident on vacation when in their late thirties, and the anniversary is approaching, which always is difficult for Ethan.

Ethan is a nerdy genius engineering geek, and Barb is an extrovert and research psychologist who studies loneliness among the elderly. He never thought much about being a father, but after trying with no luck and finding out he is sterile, there was always adoption.

Things change when his wife brings home two young twin brothers, Tommy and Sam (Russian orphans) , for them to foster temporarily.

The boys were supposed to give the couple a chance to practice parenthood before they launched into what they had just learned was not going to be the old-fashioned, easy way of making babies.

This new experience was quite scary for Ethan with the responsibility, but soon he became a loving father engaging with the boys in ways he never thought possible.

The pandemic hits, and Ethan becomes overly obsessed and protective of the boys, their schedules, and their lives. This draws a line between Barb and Ethan. Ethan spends so much time with the boys and engaging with them, but his wife seems distant and cold toward them and does not take time with them or make the necessary precautions like Ethan. Ultimately they separate, and Ethan keeps the boys.

In their early relationship, Barb and Ethan went to Italy on a memorable biking tour, and since he enjoyed it so much, he decided to take the boys after the pandemic travel restrictions are lifted.

However, there is a huge plot twist when all is revealed, and nothing is as it appears. Can Ethan and Barb find their way back to one another?

Beautifully rendered characters and evocative. From love, grief, isolation, and mental health.

A delightful and clever debut! I recommend going into the book blindly to enhance your reading experience. For fans of flawed characters and quirky literary fiction with humor. Fans of Elizabeth Berg and Fredrick Backman will enjoy. Perfect for beach summer reading/listening.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #OrangeSkyAudio for an ALC to listen to, enjoy, and review. The audio narrator, B. J. Harrison, was superb.

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@JudithDCollins |#JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: July 26, 2022
July 2022 Must-Read Books

This is one of those books where a reader is better off not knowing much before going in. Big picture, we begin with Ethan, an intensely shy man, having just returned from a bike trip to Italy with his two boys, and the tour company has told him he won't be allowed back. We also know that he misses Barb. Then we return to the beginning of Ethan and Barb's relationship, and the story is told forward from there.

The book raises interesting questions about loneliness, trauma, and how we view difference. It is bound to generate discussion at book clubs, always a good thing. For my part, I didn't find it believable that Barb wouldn't have said something to Ethan earlier; this point felt like the author intentionally withholding information in a way that didn't align with characters' personalities.

Thanks to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau by OrangeSky Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Spiegel & Grau, and Katie Hafner for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

It took some time for me to get into this book as it was very slow for a good portion of the book. I pushed through though, and was disappointed with the ending. Not the direction I hoped or thought it would go. I will give props for putting real-life events and struggles into the story. Everything from the Pandemic, struggles conceiving, adoption, marriage lulls, etc. It was a nice story that I wish just had a little more... excitement or thrills.... to it to keep me engaged throughout. It took me almost a week on and off to push through. :(

I found this story to be a bit confusing. I’m not sure what was actually happening. Maybe that’s as the intent. I also was not a fan of the twist and the direction the story ended up going with