The Mason List

By: S.D. Hendrickson

Narrated by: Honey St. Dennis

"An epic love. An epic hate. An epic story that would last a lifetime."

Today, 8:15 p.m.

I hurt. I hurt so deeply, I felt the pain searing in my bones and jabbing like a hot poker into my heart. I knew nothing would make it better as the memories pulled from the crevices of my mind, detailing the bad and the ugly, filling my thoughts with regret as I slipped into the darkness...

When I was eight, my mother was dying of cancer, my father lost his job, and the bank kicked us out of our house. I was forced to move to the strange town of Arlis, Texas where my father and I slept in our car in the hospital parking lot. Desperate and hopeless, we lived on fumes of our former life.

Then one night, everything changed forever. A knock on the car window brought a family into my life that I only wanted to shut out. I hated charity and I hated the Masons. Well, except one. He made it impossible to hate him.

Jess Mason had the biggest blue eyes and ornery smile of any boy I had ever seen. He was a ray of sunshine in my dark world. A boy full of adventure, dragging me across the meadow of Sprayberry Ranch; a beautiful Texas paradise full of horses and tree houses that got us into more trouble than anyone ever imagined.

Jess was my everything as a kid, until we grew up and the rules changed. Instead of living happily ever after with a boy full of love...I destroyed it.

©2015 S.D. Hendrickson, LLC (P)2017 S.D. Hendrickson, LLC

great book

I was gifted this audio ARC for a honest and unbiased review from the author/narrator.
S.D. Hendrickson wrote a book where there were no hearts and flowers. It's a tale of hateful, self destructive bitter heroine who has a major chip on her shoulder. S.D. did a great job making me believe and to love hate the
Honey St Dennis did another outstanding performance with this book. She has a very smooth voices and is able to let us differentiate between the characters.

Hmmmm where to start....

Hmmmm where to start ok At first I was REALLY CONFUSED, I actually thought she was having a breakdown!! IT FINALLY MADE SINCE at the last few chapters but since it didn't make since at the time I forgot some of it!! The end felt kind of rushed BUT IT WAS A PRETTY DARN GOOD READ!!!

Well I Hate the Heroine

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The heroine begin the book moaning about her life and that is what she did throughout the entire story. All of us experience tragedy it is what you do afterwards that make or break you.

Would you be willing to try another book from S.D. Hendrickson? Why or why not?

If it is anything like this one I would be hard put to try it. I loved the story for Jess and am glad he got his HEA but

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

She portrayed the characters too well. the whining was annoying and I had to stop and start listening to the story. I know that sounds negative but when a narrator actually makes you feel the emotions they are doing a good job.

Do you think The Mason List needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. Another book by the author without so much "why me?" in it would be good unless she is going to write one that tells more of Jess's story.

Any additional comments?

I got this ARC book via audiobook boom.

A thought provoking, heartwrenching story of love.

What did you love best about The Mason List?

This book was just okay for me... until the last 30 minutes. Then it went from "eh" to "OMG!" I loved seeing The Mason List come to life. I loved the emotion and seeing the characters "wake up".

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Mason List?

My absolute favorite part of the book was seeing Alex put the Mason List into action. I had tears in my eyes as I was driving and listening!

What three words best describe Honey St. Dennis’s performance?

Just okay. Eh.

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

I didn't have much of a reaction until the very end. Then I felt all the feels! I got teary-eyed. I felt sick to my stomach. And I smiled. It was beautiful.

Any additional comments?

I didn't love the narrator's performance, which may be part of the reason that the beginning of the book didn't really grab and hold my attention. But as I listened, I was able to get past the narration that annoyed me and really listened to the story.

The Mason List

Who was the most memorable character of The Mason List and why?

A great debut novel from S.D. Hendrickson. It shows how for better or worse the scars of her childhood impact Alex's decisions as she grows into a young woman. Once you start on this journey with Alex and Jess you won't be able to stop.

What a ride!

Any additional comments?

Be ready to dive right into a chaotic, emotional beginning... similar to what I can imagine Alex's beginning must have felt like. I was so perplexed by the first few pages that I had to stop and return to this one when I was ready to invest time and emotion into this one. I had no idea what was going on but the characters turmoil and distress was so obvious that I was admittedly effected by her distress.

But, when I came back ready to dive in I was glad I did. The flashbacks throughout did not give any obvious hints as to why Alex was in her current situation so I was near obsessed with both storylines (now and then) as I tried to figure out why/what/where and how. Very well done!

Jess and Alex were childhood friends tied together by unwanted (although much needed) charity and an unexplained 8 yr old connection. Through unfounded shame and resentment along with typical coming of age situations their friendship was tried and tested yet their connection was undeniable. The ongoing backstory was compelling and well laid out. When the current situation was finally revealed I was on the edge of my seat begging for a happy ending. It was revealed so late in the story that I thought I had figured out how this would all end... I was wrong. Sorry - no spoilers. You have to wait to hear for yourself! It's worth the emotional ride!

Narration was great although there were some sound quality issues and a couple of repeated lines about an hour before the finale. This did not effect my listening experience and did not appear to be any fault of the narrator. Technology, right?

Anyhow... definitely worth a credit!

I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator and I'm so glad I had an opportunity to review this one. This did not influence my review in any way.

Break out the tissues

This book was a doozy. I listened to it on a road trip and found myself pulling over a few times due to blurry vision. Between the storyline and the narration I just couldn't keep it together. My heart broke so many times, I found myself completely invested in all the characters...even the ones I didn't like! Worth the credit, the performance from Honey alone makes it worth it!

I was provided a complimentary copy for an honest review...honestly I'll be listening to this one more than once ;)

Not What I'd Expected

As a whole, I enjoyed this story. But it took me 2/3 into the book to get a grasp of what was going on.

The story is laid out in such a fashion that the reader/listener is mostly stuck in flashbacks. The occasions where the reader is in present day the reader doesn't really know what is going on.

I found myself slightly annoyed with Alex and her continual refusal to accept the generosity of the Masons. I could understand her stubbornness but I had a tough time relating to Alex's position.

As for the narrative, I found the pace to feel slightly rushed. Initially I thought that the narrator was rushing because she was portraying young, energetic kids. But as Jess and Alex grew up, the pace of the narration did not slow down as much as I thought it should have.

Poignant and Touching Romance

Oh what this story did to me! It made me laugh, it made me cry, and so many emotions in between. It was angsty, funny, emotional and heartfelt and it captured me from the start. I didn't think I could finish it at times, yet I couldn't stop listening! Alex and her father lost everything when her mother got sick. They received a miracle when the Mason family began helping them get back on their feet. Jess Mason became her best friend and bright star in her painful world. This story starts with a tragic event altho we aren't sure what it is. It then goes back in time telling Alex's story, how she met Jess, their growing friendship, and dependence on each other. This story effortlessly alternated from past to present sequence keeping me guessing what was happening. Alex was so frustrating at times and I didn't always agree with her decisions or actions but that is what made her authentic to me. Jess understood her like no other and they had a connection that couldn't be broken no matter what. Honey St. Dennis did a good job pulling me into this world. I felt she went a little fast at times but loved the speed when it was an especially heartbreaking or angsty scene. I also enjoyed her voice changes for each character, she really brought out each of their personality. If you love a sweet and funny, but emotional, epic love story that will take you through life's lessons and all of it's angst, then this is definitely for you.

Friends to lovers, with some tragic thrown in.

What did you love best about The Mason List?

Jess. He was by far the redeeming aspect of this story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Mason List?

The accident. It was like the best character is the one who got the worst of everything.

Have you listened to any of Honey St. Dennis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first listen from Honey St. Denise and she did a fantastic job. My only issue is she spoke quickly at times and it felt rushed sometimes because of this, rather than performed. I did try slowing down to .75 speed and that helped make it sound more flowing.

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

Yes. I have never been so annoyed and frustrated by a heroine before. I spent 85 % of the book volleying between hating her, and pitying her for being a self absorbed twit.

Any additional comments?

This book is a hard one to review. The story was good and yet it wasn't. There really are no hearts and flowers, it is a story of self destruction, bitterness, and a heroine that has a huge chip on her shoulder, despite being treated wonderfully and cared for on multiple fronts. I questioned if she had any redeeming qualities, and I am still not sure if she does. Despite that the story is beautifully tragic, and a good insight to people who are self destructive and misunderstood. In the end I was glad that Jess the hero got his HEA, because he deserved it after everything he put up with. I say 3.5 stars overall because this story would have been more bearable had it not been overly detailed on minutiae, and drawn out without any dangling carrots that gave you hope for character improvement. It was a great story, and I would recommend because it is honest in its delivery of people, just don't go in expecting batting eyelashes, tender kisses and sweet nothings, it's not that story. I was given this audiobook for free from audiobook boom for my unbiased review.