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Next to You Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Julia Gabriel (Author), Alice Parker (Narrator), Serif Books (Publisher)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,317 ratings
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Jared Connor lost his innocence at the age of 10 when his father poured gasoline around the family home and left his two young sons to die in the flames. Now an adult, he's carefully crafted a pretend life where he can hide his scars and his death row father behind the disguise of a caretaker's pickup truck and a pair of gardening shears. But when a beautiful woman with scars of her own barges into his quiet, solitary life, Jared finds it increasingly difficult to hide from what he really wants.

Phlox Miller was never the pretty girl and no magic mascara or secret serum was ever going to change that - not even one manufactured by her own company. When an accident at her country home burns her face and body, she spares no expense on her recovery and plastic surgery. Now she turns heads on the street, but can't recognize herself in the mirror - and can't convince the man she loves that he's beautiful, too.

Can two people see beyond their physical and emotional scars to find true love and lasting acceptance?

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  1. Listening Length
    9 hours and 4 minutes
  2. Author
    Julia Gabriel
  3. Narrator
    Alice Parker
  4. Audible release date
    December 16, 2016
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Serif Books
  7. ASIN
    B01MSZ542Y
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 9 hours and 4 minutes
Author Julia Gabriel
Narrator Alice Parker
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date December 16, 2016
Publisher Serif Books
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B01MSZ542Y
Best Sellers Rank #322,315 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#25,020 in Contemporary Romance (Audible Books & Originals)
#182,719 in Contemporary Romance (Books)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
2,317 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

WindRider
5.0 out of 5 stars Like nothing I've read before
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2015
Verified Purchase
A scarred and lonely billionaire hiding from his past ... Jared Connor lost his innocence at the age of ten when his father poured gasoline around the family home and left his two young sons to die in the flames. Now an adult, he's carefully crafted a pretend life where he can hide his scars and his death row father behind the guise of a caretaker's pickup truck and a pair of gardening shears. But when a beautiful woman with scars of her own barges into his quiet, solitary life, Jared finds it increasingly difficult to hide from what he really wants.
A successful young businesswoman ill at ease in her newfound beauty ... Phlox Miller was never the pretty girl and no magic mascara or secret serum was ever going to change that--not even one manufactured by her own company. When an accident at her country home burns her face and body, she spares no expense on her recovery and plastic surgery. Now she turns heads on the street, but can't recognize herself in the mirror--and can't convince the man she loves that he's beautiful, too.
Can two people see beyond appearances to find true love?

Loved this story, its unusual even in some of the things that both MC's had to face. That said, let me also say that I am sooo NOT a fan of the *F swear word. It appeared more than several times in this story. Now that I have gotten that off my chest, I can continue.
Once I got past my dislike of the former mentioned word, I'm glad I kept going. The story was well worth it. In fact the blurb about the story made me want to read it and I wasn't disappointed in the story itself. Its one of those stories that drew me in so much that I was thinking about it as I fell asleep and could hardly wait to get back to in the morning. Always a good sign. I really liked this author's writing style as well. I just feel like I have to give an example of one of her interesting phrases: "The truth hit Jarred like a brick to the head". There were more of these descriptive phrases that I enjoyed, so easy to relate to and understand.
I also like the accuracy of her story, knowing that peonies that Phlox was looking at should have ants when the plant bloomed and including that bit of information in the story. Detailed without boring you to death. Something else that I liked because it made me smile and added a fun element to the story was how Jared nicknamed people who he interacted with. Like, Miss Brisk Efficient, even though he hadn't met her in person, this was her style with him. There were just so many really good secondary people in the story who only added to the story without them taking away from the main characters. To me that is an art, to get that balance.
This was such emotional read at times, but also enjoyable because of a successful, strong heroine. Phlox was a joy to read about and she had such a great (well, mainly) good support system around her. Her equally successful partner and friend Zee was one of those as well. There is plenty of romance, some sex of course, challenges that they faced and drama on several levels; not just about their relationship.

I just have to say as a side note that when I read about Jared taking off his "black monk strap shoes", I went, "Huh?" I had to look that one up. I guess I never heard that description before.
3 people found this helpful
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Mary Forster
4.0 out of 5 stars A perfect love for two people
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2016
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This is the fist book I have read by the author and I wasn't disappointed. This was a really touching story and I enjoyed it very much. The author knows how to write to get you hooked into the book. I loved how the characters connected in the story and loved getting the background on how the characters got their scars. Some emotions will run high in this book and some parts will touch your heart. Overall, the author did an amazing job.

Phlox had an accident that burned her bad and went through a numerous amount of surgeries to "fix" herself and not have the scars or burns to show what happened to her. Although some surgeries could not fix or change all parts. She goes to Connecticut to face her demons and overcome them but when she arrives she doesn't expect to fall into a sexy and handsome man's arms. She realizes that her caretaker is the one that rescued her. She needs to know more about Jared and how he ended up with the burns on his face. The more time she spends with Jared, the more she wants to be with him and in her life. One day some secrets come out and things change for Phlox.

Jared has always been treated differently with the burns on his face but that didn't stop him from becoming a billionaire and then selling his business. He decides that he will become a caretaker and be away from everyone as he thinks it's best especially with the way he looks. He had a trouble past and one that he doesn't want anyone to know about. When he meets Phlox, he can't imagine that she has been through what he has until he sees a photo album. He has to make things right with Phlox and the more time he spends with her, the more he is changing. When his secrets come out, he doesn't know what Phlox will do.

I highly recommend reading this story as it's a touching romance with some hot & steamy scenes. You can feel the connection between the characters and watch a love form between them both. The battles that they both must overcome and the struggles that they go through is not easy for either of them. Can love overcome the issues and stay strong between the two?

Reviewed on behalf of Once Upon An Alpha
18 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Blown away by this book.
Reviewed in Canada on June 10, 2022
Verified Purchase
A well written and beautiful story. It shows the good and horrible side of humans and their society. It forces each and everyone who reads this book to stop and think about their own way of judging others in this present society. An intense read, you may shed tears, you may be cheering for a great outcome or it may open up your heart about your own struggles. I highly recommend this book, you will not be disappointed, treat yourself.
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Hoener, Birgit
4.0 out of 5 stars Good plot and well written
Reviewed in Germany on June 26, 2020
Verified Purchase
When Phlox (really?) returns to her retreat in Connecticut where a year ago she was badly burnt whilst doing some experiments, she doesn't know that her elusive and newly hire Caretaker is in reality Jared, billionaire, and recluse. Jared, whose face and body are marked by burn scars caused by a fire laid by his own father, thinks the caretaker job is just the right thing to pass the time and stay hidden - until Phlox turns his life upside down.
I think the story was written with a lot of compassion, giving us very likeable protagonists who have their own demons to fight and hopefully conquer, as well as - to an extent - each other. It's also a lesson of looking beyond the surface and look at who someone really is inside. While Jared comes over, at least to me, as a bit weak initially, once you learn what happened in the past and how he had to deal, I was a bit more understanding.
Well written, good protagonists, a bit of humour thrown in and a good plot - mix and get a book which you are reluctant to put down for any reason.
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HappyHill
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
This is a really great story about love, acceptance and looking beyond the surface.

Phlox is the owner of a beauty company, scarred physically and mentally. The physical can be repaired with surgery, the mental scars she has to work on herself.

Jared is hiding himself away as a caretaker for an empty property. His physical and mental scars are brutal and he spends his days tucked away from the world - until the owner arrives looking to soothe her soul and rebuild her life.

The underlying story, about beauty being more than what’s on the surface, is a breathtaking one. The way that Phlox and Jared help each other to heal is beautiful. And the way they deal with prejudice from the outside world is inspiring. The author has really done the story justice. A great tale well told.
2 people found this helpful
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Nicole Normand
3.0 out of 5 stars Too long for nothing.
Reviewed in Canada on January 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
-This book is around 285 pages and could easily have been 200-225. Some information about the h/H are repeated twice, sometime thrice. At that time, it's no longer interesting. One star off.
-Phlox was burned by her own stupidity - her words not mine - and she chose to have cosmetic surgery to help her out.
-Jared, on the other hand, was burned by someone else's bad intentions. He hates his face when he looks in the mirror, not because of the scars but because he looks like his father, the murderer. He became a loner because people are afraid of his scars. He's a billionaire and doesn't do anything about his face. I didn't get that. It would have made him start over, clean and unknown. One star off.
-Profoundly emotional, lots of lust, many good moments, a bit too much drama to my taste.
-At the end you kind of wonder who's the beast? who's the beauty?
-A good read all in all but only if you start skipping pages.
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Debbiec145
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book but just a little predictable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 26, 2020
Verified Purchase
It was a typical love story but it was still an enjoyable read. I would recommend the book to those who enjoy an easy, light hearted story. I found Jared a bit frustrating with him running away a lot, this seemed a bit unrealistic but I still enjoyed it.
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