Fever Pitch

Love Lessons, Book 2

By: Heidi Cullinan

Narrated by: Iggy Toma

Sometimes you have to play love by ear.

Aaron Seavers is a pathetic mess, and he knows it. He lives in terror of incurring his father's wrath and disappointing his mother, and he can't stop dithering about where to go to college - with fall term only weeks away. Ditched by a friend at a miserable summer farewell party, all he can do is get drunk in the laundry room and regret he was ever born. Until a geeky-cute classmate lifts his spirits, leaving him confident of two things: his sexual orientation and where he's headed to school.

Giles Mulder can't wait to get the hell out of Oak Grove, Minnesota, and off to college, where he plans to play his violin and figure out what he wants to be when he grows up. But when Aaron appears on campus, memories of hometown hazing threaten what he'd hoped would be his haven. As the semester wears on, their attraction crescendos from double cautious to a rich, swelling chord. But if more than one set of controlling parents have their way, the music of their love could come to a shattering end.

Warning: Contains showmances, bad parenting, Walter Lucas, and a cappella.

©2014 Heidi Cullinan (P)2015 Insatiable Press

Fantastic

OMG, what a great listen. Frequently in my audiobook reviews I praise the narrator for bring the story to a new level. Although the narrator did a wonderful job, in this case the book eclipsed the narrator. I do not believe this is not a stand alone book, you have to read/listen to the first book in order to really enjoy this one. What a great ride with Aaron and Giles. Their story was a roller coaster ride of emotion, angst, horror, joy and down right whooping fun. Put it this way, while reading I rented Pitch Perfect and downloaded Titanium; a movie and a song I had never heard before, but now love. It is hard to put into words what the story (really two stories) is about. The first half of this book made me want to tear my hair out with all the misunderstandings and angst. Then it morphed into a coming of age/coming out story that tore at my heart. Then it morphed into the beginning of a second story with another couple. And all through it, Walter and Kelly, from the 1st book played prominent roles. Especially Walter, who I now want to clone as the gay big brother for all young gay men. It is always great to see a beloved couple throughout a series; I love the way Ms. Cullinan did this. There is more drama in this one than the first book and I cannot wait for the third book to continue Baz and Elijah's story. Also, as a parent, I love that there are evil parents and good parents; just like real life. All and all, this is a re-listen and now one of my favorite series. Definitely worth a credit.

I like it!

I am really enjoying the series. Many original stories. The narration is great and you feel like you know the characters personally.

Yes, a bit cheesy in the gooey hot yummy best way

This book is not at all subtle in it's nods to Glee and Pitch Perfect. I too had to revisit the film and seek out the song Titanium to see what the heck the characters were talking about. I love that about these books. It was Tangled and Frozen in the first book, Titanium in this one and Black Butler in the third - things I had to seek out just to add that extra little shiver of wink and nod to real life. It's a bit cheesy, all the singing, all of the life as a musical stuff ... but it is fun and fantastic and somehow it really does just make everything a bit gooey and hot and delicious.

I love the unexpected way that Walter and then Kelly are brought into this story. Walter breaks my heart, makes me want my own, then makes me want to be somebody else's "Walter" all at once. The real world needs people like Walter in it - lot's of them.

I think that *this* is my favorite of the series. It ramps everything up, brings home the jeopardy that many gay youths live in, while still building a world full of hope, hearts and flowers, friendship and love. Again, great cast of characters, building on the foundation of book 1 and leaving us wanting book 3 without feeling dissatisfied with the ending of this book at all. It is perfect in a lovely homemade mac and cheese sort of way.

Read Riva's review - she's spot on!

Brilliant narrator, brilliant story. Riva's review is spot on in this instance - buy it!

Fever Pitch - Pitch Perfect

If you could sum up Fever Pitch in three words, what would they be?

Inspiring, Frustrating, Emotional

What did you like best about this story?

I loved when Giles stayed in his car to make sure Aaron was okay when he had to go and 'face the music' from his parents.

Have you listened to any of Iggy Toma’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I listened to the first book in this series and if possible, he's even better narrating this one.

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

The scenes with his parents infuriated me. I wanted to kick his father hard with a very pointed toed shoe and shake some backbone into his mother. The music portions of the story made me giddy.

Any additional comments?

I've said it before, I love Heidi's writing style and look forward to listening to many more of her books thru Audible.

All the Feels

I love this series. Love the totally fairy-tale feel goods of how every broken person gets help. Love how Walter and Kelly take Aaron under their wings. Love how everyone rallies around everyone. And the MCs were too cute.

What an amazing Story !!

I had to wait a day to leave my review because I was just so overwhelmed with it. I really liked the first book in this series and thought it was great . But the author really shows her talent by weaving this story so well with the then of the first book that now it seems like it was simply a prologue to this masterpiece.
Ya there's angst , and ya it's hard but the author also provides a more realistic presentation of what young men go through (I think lol) .. what terrible parts of our society still exist but also presents us with the parallel reality of love and family being the antidote .

The narrator as always is a rock star!

Glee+Pitch Perfect+Boy Melodrama

I think Iggy Toma did a better job narrating this than Love Lessons.... Or maybe I've just gotten used to him.

This has heaps of angst, the kind you'd expect from a CW teen drama. Almost everyone has some drama going on with them. And there are parent issues up the wazoo with Aaron and Elijah winning the crappiest parents award.

If you like your MM romance with a lot of teen angst, a big cast of side characters, musical jargon, and if you wanted more of Walter and Kelly from the first book, then you'll love this. Narration was really good. It was easy to distinguish which character was speaking because they're given distinct voices and the paint was good. Not too fast or slow.

Great Story

Would you listen to Fever Pitch again? Why?

I enjoyed the story well enough, but I think the performance of the story hindered it. Giles' voice sounded creepy. It didn't fit the character, but sounded more like a voice you'd hear from an old lady in a horror movie. However, the story was interesting. Could have used a little less in the sex scenes, as it wasn't balanced enough and often went too far.

What did you like best about this story?

The development of the characters and the chaotic nature of their romance.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

He read it well enough, it kept speed, but the voices for the different characters didn't seem to fit the characters.

If you could rename Fever Pitch, what would you call it?

Chaos.

Modern Love Story, with a rainbow flare

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

Yes, I would suggest it for a younger gay/questioning male. I think that the author does a great job of making the relationship be natural with enough of the tough realities of coming out added. Not quite for your mom, but it might also be a good listen for women with gay men in their lives.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fever Pitch?

I really felt for Aaron when he was kicked out and the following section when he arrived at his boyfriend's home. I was blessed with wonderful parents but not everyone is. The author clearly understands the feeling of absolute shock when your world is turned upside down when all you did was say who you really were.

What about Iggy Toma’s performance did you like?

Wonderful reading. I enjoyed the changes in the characters voices so you could keep up in a conversation. Not over done, not bland, just great. I would certainly look for Iggy again.

If you could rename Fever Pitch, what would you call it?

Finding Your Own Key

Any additional comments?

I had a long drive across the US and this book made my drive so much easier. I did find I was engrossed in the book and miles would fly. The love story was full of anxiety, and took time for the misunderstandings to work out, but the book spent more time on the relationships, how they progressed and positive results.