Review: The Tribulations of August Barton by Jennifer LeBlanc (August Barton #1)


Note: This ARC was provided by the author via Promo Stars Services in exchange for an honest review.

The Tribulations of August Barton is Jennifer LeBlanc's debut release and it was both a quirky and a poignant story about a young man facing a new chapter in his life--that of college freshman. Change is something that August Barton has never fully embraced. If he can keep things the way they are, he'd be more than okay with it. But life is about change and with him now in college, he needs to learn how to live with a roommate and how to deal with the different kinds of personalities and personas he comes across while on campus. Since his college is in the same town he grew up in, his doting mother, Diane, lives close enough, and his far more daring grandmother, Gertie, isn't afraid to leave the confines of her room in Silver Oaks to give her favorite--and only--grandson the occasional push he needs out of his comfort zone. But it's when Augie meets Rose Varley, a fellow freshman, that he feels out of his element. He really likes her, but could a girl like Rose ever want a guy filled with anxieties like Augie Barton?

This was such a pleasant surprise of a read. It was short, but it had heart and I found myself quite entertained and engrossed in Augie's triumphs and tribulations during his first year in college. Gertie, who is Augie's grandmother and happens to be rather proud of her status as a former prostitute, is a hoot! She was this unexpected breath of fresh air and I love how Isaac--Augie's roommate--took to her so easily as did quite a few of Augie's other peers. Jennifer LeBlanc didn't dwell on unnecessary details, choosing instead to skip weeks or months to focus on the more pressing moments in Augie's life, and I, for one, am not complaining. The fact that I didn't sit around wondering if I had missed anything highlights how LeBlanc never left me guessing, giving brief explanations as to what happened--if necessary--in between chapters. The Tribulations of August Barton ends on a very happy note, but with this being the first in a series, I'm curious to see what lies ahead for one Augie Barton. This gets 4.5 stars. ♥

Date Read: 31 March 2017

Learn more about Jennifer LeBlanc.

Purchase The Tribulations of August Barton on Amazon.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Release Blitz: Saved by Hazel James

Image
Saved (Battles #2) by Hazel James Release Date: June 21, 2018 About Saved Leilani Moretti Life is out to get me.  Humvee accident that took my right hand? Strike one.  Cancer three years later that stole my breasts and hair? Strike two.  An overbearing mother who seems to think I’m twelve, not twenty-seven?  Yeah, I’m out of there.  I thought moving to Oklahoma would give me a fresh start. I hoped life would finally cut me some damn slack. But between the inept people at the VA hospital and a boss who’s hell-bent on fixing me, I just want to be left alone. Haven’t I been through enough already? Clay Prescott Joining the Army and deploying to Afghanistan? Hard. Kicking an alcohol addiction and starting a business combining fitness and mental health? Harder. Worth it? Hell yes.  Battles, my gym, has been so successful that I hired a new employee—a veteran herself—to help me open a second location. And that’s when it all goes to hell. Everything
Read on...

Release Blitz: Blue Skies by Marie Sinclair

Image
Blue Skies (Blue Skies #1) by Marie Sinclair Release Date: October 11, 2023 About Blue Skies Greg loves his job as a flight attendant. If only his love life could make him as happy, he’d be all set. Asexual and HIV-positive, Greg has had a series of untrustworthy boyfriends who saw him as a challenge or told him they could accept his sexuality and status. Until they couldn’t. Still reeling from his latest breakup, Greg’s romantic heart beats a little faster when he meets Holden at a club, even though his brain whispers caution. For Holden, relationships are something he can’t afford. He’s been in the closet his entire adult life because it could cost him his job if anyone finds out he’s gay. At forty-eight, hook-ups, one night stands, and quickies in a bathroom are as good as it gets for him. It’s all he’s looking for when he goes to Neon. Instead, he finds Greg. Drawn to each other from the start, the two experience a bit of a bumpy take-off. But then Holden ends up on Greg
Read on...

Review: The Room Mate by Kendall Ryan (Roommates #1)

Image
Note: This ARC was provided by the author via InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. I do believe I've found myself a new book boyfriend to drool, erm, swoon over in Cannon Roth, male main character in bestselling author Kendall Ryan's Roommates series starter, The Room Mate . This had a familiar romance trope--falling-for-your-best-friend's-sibling--and yet I didn't find it boring or tiresome in any way. This has both heart and heat as well as lighthearted humor along with a bit of heart-tugging angst and it's headlined by a couple of main characters that I was totally smitten with from the moment Paige got a pretty good idea of just how much her best friend's younger brother Cannon had grown up from the nerdy boy who followed them around like a puppy when they were kids. Bonus points for Paige being older and for the four-legged, furball named Enchilada.  When twenty-eight-year-old Paige took the call from her best friend asking if her yo
Read on...