180 Days

Prairie Town, Book 1

By: T.E. Ridener

Narrated by: Molly King

Lydia McIntosh left her old life behind when she said good-bye to Prairie Town, North Carolina, and started over halfway across the country with her beloved Gran, away from her family, away from everyone who knew the person she once was and from the identity she never quite wanted in the first place. When her grandmother passes away, she returns home, and while she intends to stay only for the funeral, her grandmother has other plans - from the grave. Her will states that Lydia must remain in Prairie Town for six months in order to give her family and her old town a chance to get to know the new her, the real her.

Lydia has had years to adjust to long hair, summer dresses, and nail polish, but she understands her family will need time to get reacquainted with a daughter they've never known and a sister they've missed terribly. Anticipating the worst, as she always has, Lydia's feelings about her old town begin to change when she meets her brother's best friend, Callum. Callum is kind and more accepting than she could have ever imagined, and she's falling for him.

When her 180 days are over, will she be able to say good-bye to the family she's missed so much? Will she survive her mother's endless intolerance? Can she really leave the man who acknowledges her past and still wants her?

A note from the author: This is a story about a transgender girl and her journey to acceptance and love when she returns to her hometown. Within this book you will be introduced to characters who color outside the lines, and that's just how they like it. I implore you to give them a chance because we are all beautiful and unique in our own ways, and we all deserve love and happiness.

©2015 T.E. Ridener (P)2016 T.E. Ridener

Not what I expected

From the blurb this wasn’t the story I expected much to my surprise. It was so much better I really appreciated the love and acceptance throughout from the most unexpected sources. I wasn’t quite sure about the narrator at first but in the end it was done really well. Definitely worth the listen,

Review: 180 Days, by T.E. Ridener

I'm happy that this book wound up being my first romance with a transgender lead character in it. Through reading it, I was able to diversify my reading even more. And it's not just a box for me to check off. It was a way to expand my understanding and knowledge of the real world where such a variety of people live. Along with that, I was able to discover a series that might make it on my favorites list as I read more of the Prairie Town books.

There was so much in this book that I loved. I could go on and on about the characters and the depth the author gave to them. Ridener was even able to make me enjoy a book with more than two POVs. And I think that was a major plus for helping the book work. As a reader I was able to see into the minds of a variety of characters, and not just the two romantic leads.

And this book was more than just a romance, though it was in there and worth the read for it alone. It's a coming of age story. It's a novel about family and acceptance within a family, a community, and within oneself. There are many different levels in 180 Days and I'd rather not pick the book apart. I think it's better to just know that this book was a great read and worth giving a chance! It also has me eyeing the rest of the books in the series already, and I've only just finished it this morning. I can't wait to visit Prairie Town again soon.

Totally excellent

This is one amazing story of acceptance and love and just a plain exciting story that will thrill you and leave you happy

Finally a happy ending!!!

So many of these types of books have heart breaking endings, but this one sincerely made me very very happy by the end. So many moments throughout the story made me sad, happy, angry and hopeful, by the end I was wishing that it would never end, please give this book a chance, the narrator isn’t my cup of tea but the story is more than good enough to make up for it.

Fantastic Read

I have so many thoughts about this book but one in particular that comes to mind is life changing. No matter how you identify in your life this book is very relatable .This story needs to be seen ,from anyone in the Trans community and parents of Trans people to avrage people that have no clue what goes on in a Trans persons life . I quickly fell in love with the wonderful characters and the amazing mixture of hilarious , charming and sweet stories that this book provides. A+++ to both the author and the narrator.

Sweet romance; 5 stars regardless of LGBT element

First I want to say this story holds up to any "mainstream" romance. Love develops naturally, Characters are relatable. Dramatic moments make perfect sense. The TG element is handled very tastefully. I encourage anyone to give this story a listen because it is a great romance story. The TG element is just a tender part of an overall mainstream love story.

I agree with some comments that the narrator's voice initially felt off, but within a few chapters it grew on me and by the end I cannot imagine it being read by anyone else. Molly's alto voice permitted her to voice men and women naturally. 5 stars for her!

180 Days

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It’s the first book I ever listened to with a transgender person in it. This story is about a woman who was born in a man’s body and decided to fix it. The obstacles of trying to gain acceptance from others, especially family, and one of the most important people, her mom.

Sometimes things get mixed up.

Would you listen to 180 Days again? Why?

Yes I would listen again. Why? This is a good read. It is about changes and I would listen again to catch some of the changes that I might have missed.

What did you like best about this story?

This book is informative about Transgender people and how much they are like anyone else. After the changes are made they go thru so much psycologically. People need to pay more attention to how they are really just people.

Which scene was your favorite?

All the scenes with Cal are wonderful. What a wonderful person he is. The should be more Cal's in this world.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Change can be Wonderful.

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.