3.5 Stars

This is a short and cute, young adult, coming of age story. I have to say the audio performed by James Van Der Beek was a big attraction for me- I loooooved Dawson’s Creek. His voice was calming, but almost too much calm. I had to really speed up the tempo!

This is the story of Colt’s big senior year. He’s the football star, big man on campus, but something seems missing.

He navigates the meaning of life with a group of friends, comparable to The Dead Poet’s Society. The “Sacred Circle” is led by wanderer Lucas Oliver. The topics of life, love, grief and how to leave your mark are very prevalent throughout this book.

Although I am not the target audience for this book, I found it inspiring and enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an audio copy of this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an audio copy of “One Night in a Thousand Years” in exchange for a review.

For fans of “Dead Poets Society”, this is your classic coming of age story following a band of misfit boys in their senior year before college. They’re on the precipice of life and unsure where to go next, but with a little guidance and camaraderie, they just might figure it out.

I’m not sure I would have enjoyed reading this one in print, but the audiobook moved at a steady pace and kept me engaged. I’m not sure I’d reach for this one when recommending a book to a friend, but it made the reader feel.

James Van der Beek should be a narrator more often. Loved his voice telling this story!

Short, sweet, deep and immensely impactful. Lots can happen in a lifetime no matter how long or short your time is. The choices you make are vastly important. Pause. Reflect. Find your “circle” of people to be there alongside the trip, to ensure you’re travelling this adventure on a path you want to be on - for YOU.

I received an audio copy of this book from NetGalley. Even though this is a contemporary book, it had a nostalgic feel to it that I really enjoyed. The I really enjoyed the prospective of this book and the way the story was told, it really spoke to me. I also like the questions that the characters ask each other and how it inspires the reader to ask themselves the same things, I think younger people, especially teens, would really benefit from this. I don't think this book is for everyone, but I think it definitely has an audience, and that includes me.

One Night In A Thousand Years follows a young man named Colt who is a senior in high school and captain of the football team.
He has an accident that changes what he thought was his planned life forever. He then meets Lucas at church and they become friends, Lucas introduces him to the boys that he has been helping I feel like some points throughout the book I was starting to lose interest but I think it's more because this book is generally not what I would normally pick up. However the story gripped me and I needed to know more.

Very dead poet society'esque
Coming of age story

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to listen to this early :)

The cover on this book was gorgeous and I was excited by James Van Der Beek narrating however his voice sometimes seemed mumbled and not very clear. The story started off ok then just felt a bit boring and flat. Unfortunately this book was not for me.

I don’t usually like to write negative reviews, however, I do write truthful ones, even if it means the review is going to be negative. This just wasn’t a book that was right for me sadly. This was a character based read and I honestly found myself drifting while listening to it and found nothing keeping my attention. Even James’ narration was soft and just didn’t hold my attention long enough and kind of blended into the background.

I tried restarting the audiobook because I wanted to give it a good chance, but for now I am quite happy to DNF this read. I may try again at a different time, as I am a mood reader and maybe it was the wrong time for this particular read, but I don’t see much more success in the future and I don’t want to push myself to finish this at the moment, knowing I’m not enjoying it.

The premise of this book really grabbed me. James VanDerBeek has such a soothing voice and he told it like the story was his own, with a tender kind of emotion given the topic. When I first started listening to it, I wasn't sure I was going to like it as much as I anticipated. And then something clicked and I was drawn into the story of Colt overcoming an injury and dealing with life changes. When he met Lucas he wasn't sure about him and there was speculation as to why he disappeared for years. Lucas starts a group on Sunday nights around a bonfire in the church parking lot. During these groups the young men touch upon several big topics. They share their fears, hopes, and eventually write in their journals to be published for them to have as they grow in life. This story was extremely heartfelt and it's one that will stay with me for quite awhile

Thank your netgallery for the audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review. Colt is a high school senior, football player venturing down the “wrong” path till he has the option of joining a church youth group. First things first this is heartwarming and moving and the characters are working towards being better versions of themselves. This story was short and poignant. Young love, mistakes, loss and all the emotions that come with being a teenager. Now for the thing that bothered me and I want to apologize to my teenage crush James Van Der Beek. The narration… all I could hear is Mox from Varisty Blues. I couldn’t lose myself in the story or hear any difference in the characters voices… all I could hear was Mox 🤤. If you were born after 1999 or have never watched the cult classic Varisty Blues your loss and maybe this won’t be an issue for you. Overall a well done solid 3 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

I give this title 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Part of why I picked, "One Night in a Thousand Years" (ONiaTY), is because it was available immediately and I'm happy I did. I wasn't sure how I would react to the narrator since I'm familiar with James Van Der Beek. Since this book is supposed to be narrated by a teenage boy I was skeptical of having an adult man well known to be in his mid 40's as the voice of a teen. It actually worked very well. It took me back to his time early in his career portraying Dawson Leery. He did a good job with the material and was believable as the voice of this young man.

Cunningham really brought the turmoil and struggles of adolescence back to me. I was able to identify with a lot of the same struggles I went through in my high school years. Determining *who* I wanted to be as well as what I believed in beyond what I was told. I was lucky enough to be given a similar opportunity in my late teens to vocally question what I had been taught and discuss with my peers. ONiaTY is such a quick read but it lingered. As a librarian, I appreciate that it is geared toward young men figuring out who they are and bonding strongly with other young men outside of the the stereotypical places for young men's bonding, sports. I will definitely recommend this title and possibly add it to a booklist or two.

This book is a coming of age story of a male high school senior. After sustaining a season-ending injury and getting caught up on trouble at school, he is alone and with no friends. He finds a group of mis-fits at a church group and they learn many of life lessons in a year. I think this would be a great book for high school teachers to use in their classrooms.

James Van Der Beek does an amazing job narrating this book. He kept my attention and I finished the book in less than two days.

I received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my review of this audiobook. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this opportunity.

One Night in a Thousand Years (ALC)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes: Coming-of-Age


I enjoyed this audiobook as narrated by James Van Der Beek. At first it's a little slow to start and I questioned whether I should rather pick up the ebook and read it there quicker. However, as the story went along, it picked up and all was good.

I highly recommend this audiobook if you’re looking for something easy and soothing to listen to and that will also bring on the feels.

James Van Der Beek was a wonderful narrator for this book. It wasn't overly religious which was nice as it didn't detract from the storyline for me. I wish it had been a bit longer.

“EVERYTHING YOU NEED IS ALREADY WITHIN YOU”
“Time is always moving and it’s also
Dancing. No use trying to slow the years down all you can do is live each and every moment to its fullest.”
This is an excellent story for any young man or woman that is treading water through the stages of adulthood. Having problems, deciding their future, need direction, or have trouble opening up.
At first glance, I thought the story was a little bizarre. I kept waiting for tragedy to strike curious if that was going to be the moral of the story.
Stick with the story and trust me it will all come together. It will leave a person of any age deep in thought. Possibly quite a few lightbulbs going off it has a wonderful lesson. Even though it has some hints of religion talk, the story is not about religion. It is about opening up, living your life to the fullest, appreciating your life and the people in it.

Colt is a young teenager who like many of his peers si getting ready to graduate. He connects with a man, Lucas Oliver who gives him and his friends a place to open up and really talk. Kids deal with so much so this was a great example of a safe place for teen boys.

I think this would be a great book for boys that are getting ready to embark on adulthood. I personally did not connect with this story.

One Night in a Thousand Years was a great read by Craig Cunningham. Colt’s life takes an unexpected turn when he meets college-aged vagabond, Lucas Oliver, who has a mysterious past. Lucas ends up mentoring Colt and a group of eleven other senior guys and guides them through a series of rites of passage over their senior year. The all meet every Sunday night around a barrel fire at a local church. They talk about life and read their journal entries beneath the stars. I enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait to read more by the author.

I listened to the audiobook version of this. To be honest, from the jump I had my doubts about James vanderbeek doing the narration. At first I felt like I was watching a weird abc show. Once the story got going all of those doubts disappeared. This book gave me perks of being a wallflower vibe in the sense that all teenagers should have to read it. Tackling tough topics faced by youth and young adults, the storyline was intriguing, nostalgic and heartwarming. From a book I’ve never heard of to one of the books I’ll definitely recommend for this year. Read it, you won’t regret it.

This was a calming and insightful read. The main characters were relatable and the pacing was great. It’s a pretty short read in general, and wanting to learn more about Lucas’ character and see how all of the other young men would evolve kept me intrigued. James Van Der Beek’s narration was perfect: soothing and familiar. It perfectly fit the overarching feelings of the novel.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for having this audiobook available to listen and review!

This was a short book, narrated beautifully by Dawson - I mean James Van Der Beek.

Vaguely reminiscent of Dead Poets Society, which is in fact referenced in the book, this was a powerful and thought provoking piece. Sad and shocking, yet deep and inspiring. I was a little shocked but pleasantly surprised to not only hear the author explain it was drawn from personal experience but to also invite anyone interested to reach out to him.

A small story with a big message, live, truly live, and if you can pay it forward along the way, you should.

Thank you to Nergalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

Wow!
What a very powerful, thought provoking book!
And in such a short amount of time too…

I was a bit hesitant to request this one as it’s listed as a YA.
But, it’s message crosses all age barriers…

Colt is a Senior in HS. He has his whole life ahead of him…
But then things always change, don’t they?

One night out with his friends…one night that he didn’t want to even be a part of… and everything can change…

But, because of this…his life will REALLY ultimately change…

As Noah becomes intertwined in his life.
And it is suggested that he join up with a church group.
He’s not really sure he wants anything to do with this, but once he tries it, he realizes it is just what he needs.

You see, they are split into groups…and his group is led by a young man.
Or should I say, a young nomad? He is unlike anyone Colt knows…and he challenges these kids to open up. To see into themselves. To strive to be better. To strive to go out of their comfort zones…

And what happens? They learn. They grow. They make themselves better people…and the group continues to grow…

I had several moments of heartbreak, and tears shed with this one, but ultimately, this book was WONDERFUL!

And the author’s note at the end, where he opens up about his own experiences… just priceless.

If you have a HS aged person in your life, you may want to pass this one along to them. So much truth. So much turmoil. So much reality expressed, and beautifully too!

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #BooksGoSocialAudio for an ARC of the audiobook which was released in October, so should already be on shelves near you. And thanks too for having me go out of my comfort zone in reading this one. It was so worth it!

#OneNightInAThousandYears by #CraigCunningham and beautifully narrated by #JamesVanDerBeek.

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Thanks so much for reading!📚⭐️📖