Aaron

By: J.P. Barnaby

Narrated by: Tyler Stevens

I can’t describe what it’s like to want to scream every minute of every day.

Two years after a terrifying night of pain destroyed his normal teenage existence, Aaron Downing still clings to the hope that one day, he will be a fully functional human being. But his life remains a constant string of nightmares, flashbacks, and fear. When, in his very first semester of college, he’s assigned Spencer Thomas as a partner for his programming project, Aaron decides that maybe “normal” is overrated. If he could just learn to control his fear, that could be enough for him to find his footing again.

With his parents’ talk of institutionalizing him - of sacrificing him for the sake of his brothers’ stability - Aaron becomes desperate to find a way to cope with his psychological damage or even fake normalcy. Can his new shrink control his own demons long enough to treat Aaron, or will he only deepen the damage?

Desperate to understand his attraction for Spencer, Aaron holds on to his sanity with both hands as it threatens to spin out of control.

©2012 J. P. Barnaby (P)2014 Dreamspinner Press

Great read....

Would you listen to Aaron again? Why?

I would read this book again, because. There is a sense of clarity in this book that really can touch home for some people and I adore that type of sentiment when reading a good book.

What did you like best about this story?

The meaning of the story in General is what I loved about this book.

What does Tyler Stevens bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He really brought the characters alive with his story telling. Well done Tyler Stevens.

If you could take any character from Aaron out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I think I would take Aaron's mother to dinner. It seems as though she would be the one that would need to talk openly to someone who is willing to listen without judgement.

Any additional comments?

If you want a good book to read, please get this book. It is a page turner and will keep your interest from start to finish. ENJOY!!!!!

More Healing Needed

I have mixed feelings about this story. It is a good story and it is well written. It had me at the edge of my seat more than once but it wasn't the romance I was expecting. It is a story of healing not just for Aaron but for Spencer's dad as well who begins his own journey to recovery while helping Aaron. Aaron's parents while understandably upset also seem to be a contradiction they want Aaron to move forward and be less dependent but then when he does take steps on his own they seem to through up a huge stumbling block in his way almost tanking all the good that has been happening. At the end of the book it is clear that Aaron still has a long way to go in his recovery. It is also clear that Spenser really cares about Aaron he is young not completely ready to deal with all the ramifications of a relationship will bring. Since this book is the first in a series I feel that this will be an ongoing part of the story.

My first and rare reviews

Would you listen to Aaron again? Why?

i like interesting books and my own life has been not the easiest. This book is so amazing and so heart braking. If you listen to it once you will miss alot the book will make you miss some things just do to the facts of how harsh the subject matter is.

Who was your favorite character and why?

picking between aaron and spencer is imposable 2 guys one born from tragic moment the other destroyed in an instant manage to pull them selfs up together i have been on audible for about a year i got this book a month ago and have no idea how many times i lessened to this book.This book should be read by anyone with family with PTSD you will get an understanding that your love one can tell you and it can teach you how to be how to help.

Which character – as performed by Tyler Stevens – was your favorite?

they audio talent is so good Spencer is deaf from birth and Tyler Stevens did an amazing job of doing the cadence changes and tones of alot of people i have meet over the years.

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

This book was hard on me i have PTSD myself and i have recommended it so much i hope the other books come to audio soon

Any additional comments?

This book is not for young ears it has some horrible flash backs.

Great heartbreaking story about recovery & love

Beautiful, heartbreaking story about recovery, patience and love. Not just between Aaron and Spencer, but Aaron and his family too and for Aaron to himself. This could be a difficult listen for PTSD patients, but it sounds like JP Barnaby did some research on therapy tips and for the deaf. Can't wait to hear the rest of Aaron and Spencer's story in "Spencer".

Wow

I was drawn into this story from the beginning. So full of emotion. Great job.

A Multifaceted Masterpiece

I can’t say enough amazing things about this book!!! I must admit I feel a bit guilty as I’m writing this because I immediately bought the follow up “Spencer” without reading the other books in the survivor series.... but I just needed more of the Aaron’s story!!! I needed closure before moving on to someone else’s life!! It felt like we were taking the journey together like I was THERE picking up the shattered pieces of his life WITH him!!! Opposed to just being an omnipresent figure reading ABOUT him!! I definitely think I found my new favorite author!

-Mateo

Sweet

I think they did a real good job with tackling how difficult it is to recover from a traumatic event however I just feel like there was something missing when I came to the development of the romance between the two main characters. I think more intimacy or and depth was needed.

Amazing book read by an amazing narrator

What made the experience of listening to Aaron the most enjoyable?

Tyler's take on Spencer and Aaron.

What did you like best about this story?

The width and breadth of the triumph of love over heartache.

Which character – as performed by Tyler Stevens – was your favorite?

Spencer.

Any additional comments?

WOW.
Just. WOW.

This is an absolutely amazing book. Amazing.
JP Barnaby manages to take an absolutely horrific event and funnel it through the mind of a teenager. Can you imagine? Being a teenager is hard enough as it is. Then add being a gay teenager, just coming into your own sexuality. Then add in a brutal, horrible attack that leaves you physically and emotionally scarred and your best friend, dead. It is incredible that Aaron had the will to live, and JP even explains HOW he manages to avoid suicide.

It is completely believable, and touching, and so, so painful, but sweet and hopeful at the same time. I couldn’t read/listen to it all at once. I had to take breaks, read lighter books in between. But when I got to the end, I said “I MUST read Spencer!” and started it immediately.

One of the things I absolutely found so powerful, was JPs ability to show us (without telling us) the areas where Aaron’s family – despite ALL their best intentions – were NOT helping him. She also showed us where the fact that he was a teenager (and thus prone to illogical thinking and hormone driven decision making) impacted his event even more so than it would have on an adult. Aaron lived through this event at such a pivotal time in his life and JP does an amazing job of showing us just how pivotal it was.

Then you have Spencer. (Sigh) I LOVE Spencer. I wish I KNEW Spencer, I would hug and love him up. Such a fantastic soul and such a huge heart. He takes on Aaron and sees through to the boy he is/could be and simply loves him. He has his own demons, and this makes him empathetic and vulnerable and wonderful It is a testament to the power of love in the act of healing. So very touching. I can’t say enough about how wonderful Spencer is.

JP also paints a detailed, if flawed, picture of Dr Thomas, Aaron’s parents/siblings, and all the other people in Aaron’s life. She is accurate down to her coding and tech-speak, but not didactic or pedantic.

It was a hard book to read/listen to, but so worth it.


I had not read any JP Barnaby books before this, but you can bet I am a fan for life now.


The audio
Tyler Stevens can read any book to me any day. He did such an amazing job with the language, the tonal qualities of Spencer’s speech. (Spencer was born deaf, but can and does speak throughout the story.) Tyler subtly changes the voice for all the characters in a way that is helpful to the story and not distracting in its “over acting”.

His reading pace is good, his voice quality clear, his emphasis on the dialog perfection.

I would specifically look for him as a narrator, he is that good. I really hope he reads Spencer when the audible version comes out.


I liked the audible version even better than the book (shocked gasp!). It was that good. Tyler just made me feel the characters in a way that when I went back to read the book, his intonations were what I heard.

I highly recommend this audio version, the book, the series, the author, the narrator.

Ok, I sound a little fan-girl, but really. Go now and buy them.

A Great Read

Aaron is the story of a courageous young man who experienced a traumatic attack that forever changed his world and his journey towards finding the ability to take back his life and find some sort of normalcy. A great read!

Brace yourself, it's heartbreaking

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend it to anyone who loves an angsty gay romance.

What did you like best about this story?

Extremely well written and researched. Strong family support. Both heartwarming and heart wrenching.

What about Tyler Stevens’s performance did you like?

Excellent narrator. I would like to see him narrate more books in this genre as it has some really amateur "readers" with no range and no voice modulation. Stevens is a professional and very talented.

Any additional comments?

A tragic, yet loving and hopeful coming-of-age story brilliantly written by JP Barnaby. Details of the horrific assault that left his best friend dead and him a broken young man are sprinkled throughout so the listener is not traumatized with a single info dump. We experience the full brunt of the event upon Aaron over about a two month period. It's hard to listen to at times. He meets Spencer, who is deaf, in a college class and who is dealing with his own debilitating issues. They become an unlikely pair, bonding closely as time drifts by, shoring each other up and offering hope where none appeared possible just weeks prior. A wonderful story.