Holly Freakin' Hughes

By: Kelsey Kingsley

Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Marie Hawkins

A fun romantic comedy about a woman down on her luck and a handsome, mysterious stranger.

"People like you don't fall in love with people like me."

Meet Holly Hughes, a moderately successful teen advice columnist living in a studio apartment on the Upper East Side with her boyfriend Stephen. She has it all, but at the ripe age of thirty-one, she wants more. She wants to be married, she wants a family, and she's going to have it all with Stephen.

At least, that's what she thought, until Stephen announces he's gay, and the domino effect of unfortunate events begins. She soon finds herself unemployed, single, and living in her sister's house on Long Island, working as her niece's babysitter for less than minimum wage. She's pretty certain she's destined to live in the Land of Mediocrity forever.

And then, her niece runs face-first into a tall, handsome man at the bookstore.

Holly Freakin' Hughes is an HFN title about acceptance, feeling good enough, and the reality that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

NOTE: This book contains some strong language and sexual situations. Age discretion is advised.

©2017 Kelsey Kinglsey (P)2024 PinUp Audio LLC

I LOVED THIS!

Story - ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Spice - 🌶 🌶
Narration - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Holly Freakin' Hughes is my first book by the author and I absolutely loved this! Holly has had a bad breakup with her long time boyfriend. She has also had a string of really bad luck and is regrouping at her sister's house along with her niece. Brandon was dumped by his fiance the night of his first big book celebration and has sworn off relationships ever since. An accidental meet cute at the coffee shop/bookstore has these two starting a situation-ship that is filled with funny banter, lots of angst, and untold truths. Holly never feels worthy due to her string of horrible circumstances. Brandon doesn't think he will ever love again and thinks Holly deserves better. You'll love the FMC, you'll love the MMC. You'll love most of the side characters that operate in their universe. This story is heartwarming, sometimes heartbreaking, with an HEA that will bring you to tears!

The narration was *chef's kiss!! Teddy Hamilton and Marie Hawkins really brought this story to life. I'm a fan of these two individually, but as a duo...fantastic! 5/5 stars!!

Slow but cute

***ALC Review ***
I received a copy of this audio in exchange for an honest review.

Duet Narration is my favorite, so that’s what kept me listening to this story. The narrators put on a great performance for an okay story. It was slow moving and I didn’t feel like I got a lot of the MC’s relationship. They seemed more like side story until the last third of the book. It was cute, but the performance of the narrators kept me listening to the end.

Couldn't stop listening!!!

My title your review says everything. Holly Freakin Hughes was an amazing book. It made me laugh and want to smack the characters to get them to realize what was in front of them. Kelsey Kingsley did a fantastic job keeping me intrigued with her words! Teddy and Marie brought the characters to life! Pulling me further into the book. Such a fantastic pair and the right choice! Run don't walk to get this book and sit back, grab a drink and enjoy!

Super Cute and funny

Brandon & Holly have not had the easiest of times when it comes to finding their happily ever afters. Holly not only is healing from a broken heart, she’s lost her job and her home. This was such a funny, flirty and cute read. I really enjoyed their journey from strangers- to friends- to more. I really was left with a smile on my face when I was finished. Being from Long Island, I do wish there were a little more landmarks and such in the story but their story is perfection and so is the audio. Great narrators. It’s a must read and an even more must listen if you can do the audio version.

Freakin' LOVED Brandon & Holly

More like "Brandon Freakin Davis!!!" Gosh, I LOVED this audio so much. I thoroughly enjoyed this story & Kelsey has written a perfect MC. I was seriously dying over Brandon, a man who says, "Resisting you was like telling myself to quit breathing!" Gah!!! Tell me more Brandon!

Holly Hughes is in her 30's. Recently fired from her job & left single unexpectedly by her boyfriend of 5 years who she thought she'd be marrying. He decides he's not into her but into guys! Her life has fallen apart & she finds herself living with her sister on Long Island & babysitting her niece. She thought she'd be living her dream of being married & having a family but she now believes she's destined to live a life of mundaneness.

Brandon Davis, also known as B. Davis, is a wildly well-known author with fame, fortune & a beautiful girlfriend he's had for 10 years. After landing a very lucrative publishing deal, his career takes off but his fiancées doesn't. His life falls apart because of the jealousy his fiancé has over his success & she leaves him.

These two meet by accident after Holly's niece runs face-first into a tall, dark, tatted & very good looking guy at the bookstore. This story grabbed me from the very beginning. From Holly's quick-witted banter, to the messy situations she gets herself into, there's never a dull moment with her around. I wanted to seriously shake her a few times but fortunately she's got Brandon around watching over her.

There's some real heartfelt moments in this one, some hilarious dialogue & one of the sweetest declarations of love by an MC I've heard in a long time. It was so dang sincere & tender. I was clutching onto my heart for dear life, rooting for these two to get their happy endings.

🎧Let's talk narration...Marie & Teddy are ABSOLUTELY PERFECT in this sweet story & there is no question in my mind that their performances elevated an already wonderful story into something that I'll most definitely listen to again. This was my first experience listening to Marie & I'm slightly obsessed with her now. I ADORED her performance of Holly. She was wonderful at portraying the wit, vulnerability & insecurities that Holly was experiencing. Teddy's portrayal of Brandon just about melted me into a puddle. You could hear all the emotions & anguish he put into Brandon's character. The struggle he was having over trying to keep himself in the friend zone but realizing she was THE ONE he'd been hoping for. These two were such a DYNAMIC pair & I have already listened to multiple parts over because of their amazing work! WOWZA!

This is a romcom with a side of angst, slow burn & a load of emotional feels. The steam on this one comes from the slow build up between these two & its HOT, ya'll. There's some language but without explicit on page activities. Don't let this deter you. I was such a goner when these two got together & it was so worth it! I LOVED every flippin second of this audio. Maire & Teddy's performance make this a must-listen!!!!

Love second chances!

𝗔𝗟𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪
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HOLLY FREAKIN' HUGHES by KELSEY KINGSLEY

𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦: Stand-alone

𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗧: Audiobook (Duet Narration)
Marie Hawkins
Teddy Hamilton

𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 4/5 ⭐️

𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 1.5/5 🔥

𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: 5/5 🎙️

𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘: Romantic Comedy

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Strangers to Lovers, Hidden Identity, Second Chances, Slow Burn

This was my first book from Kelsey Kinglsey and my first "happy for now" versus a "happily ever after". Holly Hughes has just moved in with her sister after she and her long-term boyfriend/best friend break up after he comes out. In exchange for a place to live while her life "falls apart", Holly spends her days taking care of her niece. While frequenting a favorite local café for story time Holly meets Brandon in a not-so-meet-cute fashion. They have great chemistry, but after being hurt in their previous relationships neither are willing to risk their hearts - or are they?

As far as narration, Marie Hawkins was new to me and I enjoyed her performance. Her tone and slight rasp are qualities I enjoy and she had a very lyrical cadence to her narration of Holly. Teddy Hamilton is obviously a favorite and his performance as Brandon was spot on! He's one of those narrators that can make me give a new-to-me author a chance because I know I'll enjoy his performance.

You'll like Holly Freakin' Hughes if you're looking for:
Strangers to Lovers with some trial and error inbetween
Characters who've been hurt/betrayed in previous relationships and are trying to find love again
Slow Burn

Amazing Voices

I got the incredible chance to listen to the audiobook narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Marie Hawkins.

I absolutely loved this book because it’s so much more relatable than other contemporary romances I have read and doesn’t have too much drama in it (not that there is anything wrong with that but it’s great for this story).
Holly is such a strong character trying to find her way through all the hurdles in her life and she runs into someone who becomes her best friend and changes how she thinks about her life currently at almost age 32.

Teddy and Marie brought the characters to life so amazingly well in this duet style audiobook. I was able to distinguish the different voices and not be confused by who was who.
Whenever I see Teddy is in an audiobook it is usually an automatic listen for me and this was my first Marie Hawkins audio but I will definitely listen to her again.

Friends to lovers

Holly and Brandon were strangers to friends to…just friends. They did have some “more than friends” moments, but pretty much stayed friends for a majority of the story.

Okay, I felt for Holly. Her ex cheated (it was revealed in the very beginning and not explicit), but it kind of messed with her head. So she definitely went through a lot, just trying to figure out who she is and what she wants, and how to go after what she wants.

And Brandon, well. He didn’t have the best situation with his ex either. And I didn’t really like him. I guess I just wanted him to be more…confident? He just let Holly go, despite knowing how she really felt.

Also, Holly was with another guy for a while. They weren’t anything serious, and it was never told in detail, but she was sleeping with him. And Brandon was just like, “okay, you do you.” And I wasn’t expecting to listen to a story where the MCs are with others for a while before getting together.

Eh, this was an okay story. And the ending just seemed a bit rushed, the way they came together.

Audiobook notes:
Narrated By: Teddy Hamilton and Marie Hawkins
Narration Style: Duet

The narrators were amazing! I don’t think I’d have been able to finish this story had I not been listening to it.

Doing the Rom-Com Audio Genre Proud!

If you’re looking for a slow-burn, sweet and witty friends-to-lovers story with low spice and high angst, this is the story for you. Holly and Brandon are two people who’ve both been burned by love and have the scars to prove it. Both have had their self-esteem shattered, albeit in different ways. Despite an epic meet-cute, they wind up backing off and agreeing to be just friends. It’s eventually beyond obvious to literally everyone else in their lives that they are in love with each other, but those past scars run deep, and it takes most of the book for them to realize this for themselves. But even as they are seemingly just friends, little bits of actual romance sneak into their relationship, and it was really fun to watch the process. They truly were very sweet together. This was my first read from Kelsey Kingsley, and I have to say, this author does the whole rom-com thing very well. These characters were three-dimensional, real, and relatable. I kind of fell in love with them, even though I really wanted to wring their necks at various points or just shake them until they came to their senses. But that is all part of what makes these characters so relatable. And their happy ending is definitely worth all the angst.

The duet-style narration for this duel-POV story is provided by Marie Hawkins and Teddy Hamilton, and they were both incredible! Marie Hawkins was a new voice for me, but I was very impressed with her performance. The raw emotion, passion, and honesty she brought to her portrayal of Holly made listening to her a true joy. And of course, Teddy Hamilton can do no wrong in my eyes. He completely inhabits a character, and Brandon was certainly no exception. His impassioned and vulnerable performance was absolute perfection. Together, these two talented voice actors brought this wonderful story to life in the very best way. Kelsey Kingsley’s words and the superb narration by Marie Hawkins and Teddy Hamilton combined perfectly to do the rom-com audio genre proud!

Cute but slow…

✨ALC REVIEW✨
I was fortunate enough to receive an ALC copy of this audiobook. This is a new author to me, and while I thought the story was okay, I can’t say that I would have picked this book to listen to, the cover is sort of off putting to me. The story was really slow honestly a little boring and I found myself not really caring to listen at parts. Finally about 2/3 of the way through I started caring what happened to the 2 MC’s.