Authentically, Izzy

By: Pepper Basham

Narrated by: Ferah Ahmet, Christopher Ashman

“Dear Izzy—I feel certain there’s a book-loving man living relatively nearby waiting to speak bookish to you ’til death do you part. You just haven’t met yet.”

Izzy Edgewood is a wannabe bookstore owner, quote queen, and Lord of the Rings nerd who has been waiting for Prince Charming to sweep her off her sneakered feet. But it’s hard to meet people when you spend more time with fictional humans than real ones. Which is why her pragmatist cousin Josephine decides to take Izzy’s future into her own meddling hands and create an online dating profile for the hopeful romantic.

To Izzy’s shock (and suspicion), Josie’s plan works. Soon, she’s dialoguing with a Hobbit-loving man named Brodie who lives in a small town an ocean away from her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. But is their shared love of books, family, and correspondence enough to overcome Izzy’s fear of flying and the literal distance between them? And is a long-distance relationship even worth considering when a local author has been frequenting the library where she works and is proving to be a perfectly fine gentleman?

In this epistolary novel from award-winning author Pepper Basham, bookish dreams and happily-ever-afters collide to create a beautiful sort of magic that’s even better than fiction.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Pepper Basham (P)2022 Thomas Nelson

Adored the narrators

What a great job they did with all of the various characters! It really made the story come to life!

Bookish delight

This epistolary rom-com is such a delight. I love all the bookish quotes and the storyline is the perfect fit for this bookworm. The narrators’ accents really bring this story to life.

My first epistolary novel - not my last

I honestly didn't realize the genre of this novel when I selected it. I chose "Authentically, Izzy" based on the author, Pepper Basham - she's a fantastic writer. A few chapters in, I realized most of the book was going to be a series of emails, letters and texts and truly, an audio version is the best way to enjoy this genre, IMO. It was thoroughly engaging!

The personal, inner conflict of the main character, Izzy was very relatable in many ways and the epistolary style was a unique way of seeing that struggle. I loved the plot - even if I did see the main conflict/climax coming - the resolution was not cookie-cutter or predictable. I really didn't want the story to be over (partly because I loved Brodie so much) and am glad to know we will have more interaction with them in the subsequent books. Each and every character experienced some personal growth and development beyond meet/cute/conflict/kiss. I loved this book.

I also appreciated how Pepper Basham wove her obvious love of all literature into the story. It's definitely not a casual interest and it makes the reader want to read a wider range of books as well. That's never a bad thing.

Narration: The female reader (Ferah Ahmet) did a good (not terrific, but good) job with the female characters (with the exception of Ellen Sutherland, who is supposed to be British. Ms. Ahmet portrayed her character as a Skymarian-Scottish.) but you could tell she was hiding an accent and struggled with pronunciations of basic American-English words. OH, and you don't actually say "Lawl" when reading "LOL..."

Now, Christopher Ashman is another story altogether. He's fantastic as the male narrator! He made me fall in love with Brodie Sutherland and laugh out loud at Luke Edgewood. He just made every character come to life. (I can't wait to hear him read "Loyally, Luke!")

Up next, "Positively, Penelope!"

Perfection

From Mrs Keith P: I do not read romances, but this one defies the typical formula. Excellent descriptions and detail. Narrators are superb. I laughed and laughed from the first page through the last. I love this story! Authentic accents, says this Southern woman.

A Book Lover’s Dream Come True

The underlying messages of this book are so meaningful. There is a lot of humor for those who need cheering up in this crazy world. Funny thing is that I met my now husband while I was working at a library and I also worked at a bookstore for 6 1/2 years. The owners of the book store said that I was an addict who became a “pusher” to support her habit. We knew that we loved each other after dating for just over a week. He used to write wonderful letters to me when we had to be apart as we lived close to an hour apart when college wasn’t in session. I really enjoy the stories Pepper Basham writes. When you read the book or I suggest listening to it as I did you will understand the significance of my story. I enjoyed the book references as well.

something warm and gooey

this book is one reason why I simply love epistolary fiction. this is going to be a favorite for all time. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone. I like the fact that it is clean and wholesome, even though when they're kissing it's not sexual. definitely a good, clean wholesome fun sweet gooey romance.

The accents and story are so good!

This was such a fun book! Pepper Basham is brilliant! This was my first of her novels and now I can’t wait to find more of them. The FMC’s family members are so realistic to Appalachia and had me laughing a lot—and angry here and there (where appropriate). The only thing I don’t like is that I can’t visit the incredible other world that Pepper created… 10/10 recommend this book.

Laugh out loud catch you by surprise laughter!

I loved it. I would like to end my review there because book 2 is already in my library waiting on me. But I will resist for just a moment. I was not expecting the laugh out loud moments and I am pretty sure my husband is annoyed with this book. My bursting laughter through out the day scared him. If it had only happened once or twice I am sure he could have excused it. But fortunately that’s not how Pepper Basham writes.

The character development is spot on and draws readers into the story quickly. And the ending?? I was not expecting that and loved the witty exchange.

A Bookish Delight!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book when I read it. But hearing everyone raving about the audiobook sent me on a listening quest. The narrators were phenomenal and the fact that there were a couple of them really enhanced the listening experience. If you enjoy epistolary novels, I highly recommend this one!

I didn’t think it could get any better…

I bought a physical copy of this book a bit ago, and devoured it over Thanksgiving weekend…absolutely fell in love with the story, the characters, the ode to books and stories of all sorts. I didn’t want to leave! So I bought the audiobook, figured I’d try it out.

WELL. DONE. The narrators are perfect with the voices and the accents, and it is clear when a different person is speaking - not an easy thing for a narrator to do, or at least to do WELL!!

I am so delighted by this story, and production, and I’ve been telling all my bookish friends about it!

If you enjoy a sweet story told in epistolary form, with heartwarming characters and lots of bookish talk, check this one out! It’s lighthearted, quirky, tender, and so funny. And BOOKS. lol