Can't Take It Back

A Novel

By: Kelly Duran

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman, Ellen Archer, Elizabeth Evans, Suzy Jackson, Eric Michael Summerer

A perfect next listen for fans of Abbi Waxman and Katherine Center, Can't Take It Back is a fast-paced and relatable debut telling the interconnected stories of four women over the course of a kindergarten school year.

Huddled on their favorite park bench in a quiet Seattle suburb, Holly, Avery, Zoe, and Sasha might look like they've got it all figured out - but there’s more to their stories than meets the eye. When Avery’s husband Carter suggests they open up their marriage, she’s shocked and appalled - but could this new arrangement be the breath of fresh air she never knew she needed? Zoe and Aaron, whose connection has long been the standard by which their friends measure their own relationships, feel that their lives are taking them in different directions, but worry over how a divorce might affect their two young boys. Zoe turns to her best friend Holly for guidance, but as it turns out, this year has tested her own marriage to Jake in ways neither of them ever anticipated. And meanwhile, Holly’s sister Sasha - the no-nonsense PR executive and eternally single girl of the group - must decide if joining the ranks of motherhood is the right step for her.

Captivating and immersive, Can't Take It Back is a deeply emotional novel that celebrates the complex bond of female friendships.

©2020 Kelly Duran (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

Critic reviews

“Can’t Take It Back is the perfect escapist listen. From the first chapter, I was completely drawn into the story world. This plot is full of secrets, lies, and delicious twists...I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen. Duran does a great job of capturing the nuanced complexities of both romantic and platonic relationships.” (Ashley Sands, author of A Terribly Private Club)

“Nicely balanced with real heart and substance, Can’t Take It Back deftly explores the beauty of female friendships and the nuance of marriage.” (Alex Kiester, author of In Her Skin)

“A wonderfully written, complex story about love and friendship with relatable characters that support and uplift each other.” (Anita Kushwaha, author of Secret Lives of Mothers and Daughters)

“Duran’s debut is full of humor and heart. It’s a thoughtful, honest exploration of the female friendships that ground us through the ups and downs of life. How else could you get through an open marriage, a pending divorce and a budding relationship? A great listen for book clubs!” (Alison Hammer, author of You and Me and Us)

mad

this was a very good book . I really enjoyed this book , but man did i get angry even at my husband ! I had to lay the book down a time or two . Had to talk my self down lol lol . ENJOYED THE BOOK

5 star story!!! Recording quality was distracting.

After recently reading some nonfiction books and classic children's fiction, it was nice to listen to my favourite genre! Chick flick, easy reading.

This book made me suddenly feel a whole lot better about my own life! An uplifting story, filled with drama, drama, drama! All endings are not so pretty, but NO SPOILERS HERE.

As many hovered around Starbucks, it reminded me of the TV show, "Two and a Half Men". However, the story reminded me of Tony Soprano and his many mistresses, in the TV show, "Sopranos".

It's a story about a few different couples, told by a few different voice actors. My favourite voice actors were Avery and Jake. Most of them are friends, who are likeable characters, and they all live in the same town.

The book follows Holly, Avery, Sasha, Zoe, and Jake. We discover their marital issues and secrets that they have been keeping from one another. Even with all the drama, there were beautiful friendships between the girls. Some were single working women, whilst others were stay-at-home mums with kids.

The grand houses of suburbia felt inviting. I could imagine a state of the art kitchen, filled with plates of food from a catering company and flutes of champagne being sipped upon over dinners in a restaurant downtown. They hosted Pinterest worthy displays in their homes for Halloween and Christmas, which makes you crave that perfect picturesque family life. The author makes you want what they have, yet simultaneously you do not wish to be in their shoes at all.

The only thing that put me off this book was the recording quality felt like it was in the red level on a sound meter. When I tried to make it not sound so loud, it was then suddenly too quiet. Once you get past the first narrator on speaker, then you can switch back to headphones, like I did. And then you get used to it, as you get into the story.

Really Good!

Great story! So real, I was hooked up until the last minute! The book, had just the right amount of twists and turns! I’m sad it’s over.

Story was entertaining but

1. a bit predictable once you get all the different stories together
2. A bit annoying, if not racist, all the extra details on Carmen which don't add anything to the story. Latinos are not the only immigrants that look for a way to stay in the country. Certainly not the only reason to justify the storyline.

Simple light listen

The story is one-dimensional and predictable, but it’s not terrible enough to stop listening and return the book. If you’re looking for validation of your struggle as a mother and wife in middle class suburbia, this is the book for you. The story and characters have no depth, but there was something oddly soothing about it. This is a good book to pass the time when you don’t want to focus on listening to details. I also used it to fall asleep at night. Light entertainment. I hope I didn’t spend a credit on it. Happy to listen as part of my audible membership.

Engaged Seattle Native a bit disappointed

So, I did finish this story. There were a lot of things I did like. Many characters were great and I think the concept was creative (I think Sasha was my favorite character)... but the layers upon layers of sadness and loss and cheating and such were just a little too "real" to help me feel like I was escaping life by reading this. there should be a warning on this book... "do not read if you are newly engaged." Just gave me nerves about my future marriage I didn't ask for. The story was just so sad. I know the "coming into their own" thing with Avery and Sasha was supposed to be uplifting, and the making the marriage work part of Zoey's story was great too... but the all-too-real, yet kind of "soapy" story of Jake and Holly just kept making my heart sink and sink and sink again. I thought this was going to have a light ending for a kind of fluffy book... but then, no, it did not. I liked the concept, but the end seemed a little unsettled, with very little redemption for the characters who made the poor decisions in their marriage... I guess I understand that's how real life goes under those circumstances, but it was not the distraction I thought I was getting when I started it, and so the ending was so dissatisfying....

*also really silly, nitpicky Seattle-suburb-native criticism... no one in the Seattle area puts "the" in front of highway and freeway names its just "I-90", "405", etc... AND plows don't come through the suburbs on a snow day.... they just dont.... at least not till, like 3 days in ... so school would have never been open... they would've been staying home... end rant*

Enjoyed

I had fun listening to the story. I did get confused with all the different names and narrator's but everything tied in together well

Good read

This book got me through two days of work. Easy listen and a very entertaining story. I enjoyed the different perspectives as it allowed me to step into every character's shoes. I recommend.

Entertaining story of troubled and joyous lives of four women.

This was an interesting take on four female friends who battled the odds in their relationships. Was not the best book I’ve read lately. But, it wasn’t the worst.

Surprisingly Excellent Read

I saw this as an included title, and I thought that I had nothing to lose by checking it out. I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed this book. It looks like Kelly Duran is fairly new on the scene, and I look forward to more from her. This read like a Liane Moriarty novel, with all of the characters and their stories intertwining. The performances were well-done with the right amount of inflection and variance between the characters.