When I Come Around

Karen Grey takes us back in time for a wonderful second chance, friends-to-lovers, retro romance and the story not only captivates your attention the entire time, but tugs at your heartstrings too. This fourth book of the “Carolina Classic” series, and is Whitney Moore and Ford Fischer’s story, and like all the books in the series, it stands on its own. Characters from earlier books crossover into each other’s books and knowing their backstory adds some depth, however everything you need to know is in the descriptive details, and you will never feel lost or that something is missing. Whitney’s life is a mess, but getting sick and waking up in the hospital was just the wake up call she needed to get out of that mess and start over. It may not be a simple task, since she alienated herself from everyone, thanks to her loser of a husband, soon to be ex-husband. Thankfully, her friends for life were forgiving and still loved and supported her. Then there is Ford, who always had feelings for Whitney and he feels guilty for his actions those years ago, actions that drove Whitney away and straight to the man she married, except that it was not like that. Whitney getting back on her feet lands a job doing what she loved, working on a film set and doing her magic and Ford, who was in between jobs, was asked to work on the same show. The chemistry between them is electric and they could only deny each other for so long before agreeing to a friends-with-benefits relationship. Whitney had a lot to deal with, her family, her ex, all while trying to dig herself out of a hole and wanting to do it on her own, despite Ford and her friends wanting to help. There is never a dull moment in this book, and there is non-stop drama, a touch of angst, lots of heartfelt emotions, and steamy romance. I loved how much the characters grew by the end, also loved the bonus epilogue, which is available to Karen Grey’s subscribers. It was great visiting 1999 again too, nostalgic, all the references to that time, including mentions of Y2K, popular TV shows and even the dial-up internet. Karen Grey, thank you for another fabulous story and emotional rollercoaster ride. 

🎧📚🎧 Ryan Lee Dunlap and Amanda Stribling were the perfect cast to bring these characters to life, and they understood who they were portraying, giving each a voice that was fitting and was believable in every role. Stribling aced it as Whitney, grasping every aspect of her personality, and Dunlap did the same as Ford, and was equally amazing. Both were fantastic performing the roles of all the secondary characters, too. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and have you feeling them all. These entertaining storytellers are a pleasure to listen to and their performance elevates the already fabulous story to another level. Thank you for another amazing listen

Thank you Home Cooked Books for the Advanced Listeners Copy.

This is the fourth and final book in the Carolina Classics series and it’s fantastic! I’ve been waiting for Whitney’s story…she hasn’t been the easiest character to like (based on her behavior in the previous books) but this story helps us understand why.

Karen delivers an amazing story of second changes, forgiveness and finding ones self.

Whitney has not had the most supportive upbringing, is very insecure and needs a fresh start. She knows who her friends and support system are so she heads back to them.

Ford is a sweet, patient and caring man. He is also very career driven but will be at his friends side at the drop of a hat.

As Whitney and Ford reunite after many years there are so many questions between the two, trust issues, but a love that has never been forgotten.

This book has all the emotions…Karen writes a lovely story, with challenging/tough topics, and handles them beautifully.

These characters are some of my favorite and prove that friendships can withstand many challenges, disagreements and misunderstandings.

A perfect ending to the series.

Ryan Lee Dunlap and Amanda Stribling deliver an amazing performance. They bring a whole new experience to enjoying an authors words by giving voice, personality and emotion to the characters.

When I come around is best read as the 4th book in the series because Ford and Whitney appear frequently in previous books, and previous books’ characters play a significant part in this story. The previous books kind of built up to this one.

I enjoyed the story, and I especially liked the early 2000s references to things I had forgotten about (like caboodles).

I received a copy of the book at my request, and the opinions here are my own.