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lurker_stalker's review against another edition
4.0
Very enjoyable story and I loved the Aussie accent with the audiobook. So glad there are more by the author available through the library!
mischievous_monkey's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this return to the land down under and found the narration by Claire Alain quite enjoyable. The farm setting was a nice change of pace to most books I've been reading/listening to and I liked how it got under Leigh's skin and began to work its magic on her from nearly the story’s beginning. I also appreciated teenaged Phoebe's growth arc; how the author took the time to show her working through her reactions to what was going on at the farm and that her growth came in small increments instead of as an unrealistic personality change.
I'll be looking forward to reading more by Cheyenne Blue and will check to see what else Claire Alain has narrated that I might be interested in listening to.
I'll be looking forward to reading more by Cheyenne Blue and will check to see what else Claire Alain has narrated that I might be interested in listening to.
agentkp's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
A nice read. Nothing amazing but it wasn't bad! Pretty predictable but I liked. Especially having a character that actually cares about rules and morals for once.
lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
Nina kissed her again. She poured everything she had into the kiss, a slow, soft, deep kiss. She set aside the urgency of the moment, and kissed as if it would be her last kiss on earth, as if there would be no more perfection than this.
3.5 stars. Opposites attract on a farm! I love to see it. It has that classic country girl/city girl charm, with a single parent who desperately seeks the help of a successful city lawyer to defend her after an accident with a child brings her close to losing her farm. Nina is a single parent, used to a very simple life, loves working with kids and her animals. Leigh is a high-powered lawyer, very much unused to country life, but she reluctantly (at first) ends up helping Nina and her daughter.
I find myself with not a lot to say about this one, except that I quite liked it for the most part? I did have a lot of issues at first, which sorta just came down to tone, and how the characters would speak about certain things. It made them come across as really unlikeable. Unlikeable characters are fine, but I don't think the author intended the reader to think of them that way. Like, when either Nina or Leigh would refer to the lawsuit as "Billy's claim", as if the sweet 7-year-old with the broken arm was the one actually doing the suit. Haha very minor thing, but it just sorta bugged me, I don't know. That eventually passed, and I ended up really loving Nina as a character, for certain decisions that she made. She's such a big hearted person. I really loved the kids in this, and the interactions with the animals were so so sweet. I thought the romance was cute, and I always love opposites attract, especially ones that take their time like this did. But for a book of decent length (10+ hours on audio) I feel like we didn't get enough time with them just interacting and growing their relationship. A good amount of time passed, but I didn't get a sense of that organic growth. The obstacles to them being together were very realistic, rooted in real-world considerations, but it still felt a bit frustrating. The fact the the attorney/client relationship was all that stood between them dating kinda made this feel like it had no tension. But it was nevertheless really sweet, and I did enjoy all the scenes on the farm, as Leigh learned to do mundane chores, and got to know Nina and Phoebe better. It was pretty obvious what was happening in the larger plot, but I didn't mind that it was obvious. It's not like this was supposed to be a mystery.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Claire Alain, and I think that's why I'm coming out of this with really positive feelings, even though I wasn't blown away. I just really really loved her voice. This was my first time listening to her, and I was really captivated by her narration. Aussie accents are lovely in general, and her voice in particular was just made for audiobooks, imo. So that was great. This felt like a bit of escapism, since it didn't have the usual setting and plot as a lot of typical contemporary romances. It was my first full-length book from Blue, and definitely not my last.
hsinjulit's review against another edition
2.0
Note: 2-star means it was an okay read, not a dislike.
Maybe I had too high hopes. Sadly, this story did not work for me.
A Heart This Big is an overall decent book with good writing, where farm owner Nina Pellegrini and lawyer Leigh Willoughby fall in love. When a child gets injured under the supervision of Nina's twelve-year-old daughter Phoebe, the child's mother files a lawsuit against Nina. Dreading that she might have to sell the farm and risk losing the wonderful haven for underprivileged kids, Nina does everything to convince Leigh to her case pro bono. As they start working together, their mutual attraction builds. But the pair are as different as can be, and Leigh cannot date a client. Should she walk away from their growing intimacy for good, or hope that Nina's big heart will still have her after the case closes?
The premise seems good, and it was my first try on anything Blue. It was slightly disappointing that I did not enjoy A Heart This Big as I thought I would. The main issue was that I sensed Blue trying to convince me why Nina and Leigh make a good pair and what they have for each other is not merely infatuation. This opposites-attract romance ends up feeling very far-fetched because I cannot bring myself to see them together. For me, they only share physical attraction and fascination of the other being oh-so-very-different-and-out-of-comfort-zone.
Throughout the story, the characters sometimes acted inconsistently for little reason. I tend to wonder if they were still the same people. Plus, the whole lawsuit and its aftermath did not make much sense either. I cannot connect with the characters. And since I enjoy character-driven more than plot-driven books, it is highly unlikely for me to enjoy a story if the characters failed to capture my interest. I regret to say A Heart This Big is one of those books.
Another thing that kind of irks me was how the characters treat the idea of helping others. From the title, we learn that Nina has a "big heart" because her farm is dedicated to helping the local community. I love that most characters acknowledge their own privilege to a degree and spend their resources on making the lives of people around them better. Still, everything feels a lot like "charity" from the delivery and response, and though I am sure it was not meant to read like so, I cringe inwardly whenever I see an inkling of superiority oozing.
I don't know if I'm making sense, but I struggle with conveying this idea every time. Like when my family claims buying produce at a local market is "helping" the more "unfortunate" people instead of seeing it as supporting the locals while acquiring fresher food. I am touchy about subjects like this when people see the surface and do not understand the full cause behind things.
That being said, I would still love to read other books by Blue. I have no regrets for trying this one. And if you enjoyed this farm story, Veterinary Partner by Nancy Wheelton has a similar plotline that you might like, too.
I received an e-ARC from Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Maybe I had too high hopes. Sadly, this story did not work for me.
A Heart This Big is an overall decent book with good writing, where farm owner Nina Pellegrini and lawyer Leigh Willoughby fall in love. When a child gets injured under the supervision of Nina's twelve-year-old daughter Phoebe, the child's mother files a lawsuit against Nina. Dreading that she might have to sell the farm and risk losing the wonderful haven for underprivileged kids, Nina does everything to convince Leigh to her case pro bono. As they start working together, their mutual attraction builds. But the pair are as different as can be, and Leigh cannot date a client. Should she walk away from their growing intimacy for good, or hope that Nina's big heart will still have her after the case closes?
The premise seems good, and it was my first try on anything Blue. It was slightly disappointing that I did not enjoy A Heart This Big as I thought I would. The main issue was that I sensed Blue trying to convince me why Nina and Leigh make a good pair and what they have for each other is not merely infatuation. This opposites-attract romance ends up feeling very far-fetched because I cannot bring myself to see them together. For me, they only share physical attraction and fascination of the other being oh-so-very-different-and-out-of-comfort-zone.
Throughout the story, the characters sometimes acted inconsistently for little reason. I tend to wonder if they were still the same people. Plus, the whole lawsuit and its aftermath did not make much sense either. I cannot connect with the characters. And since I enjoy character-driven more than plot-driven books, it is highly unlikely for me to enjoy a story if the characters failed to capture my interest. I regret to say A Heart This Big is one of those books.
Another thing that kind of irks me was how the characters treat the idea of helping others. From the title, we learn that Nina has a "big heart" because her farm is dedicated to helping the local community. I love that most characters acknowledge their own privilege to a degree and spend their resources on making the lives of people around them better. Still, everything feels a lot like "charity" from the delivery and response, and though I am sure it was not meant to read like so, I cringe inwardly whenever I see an inkling of superiority oozing.
I don't know if I'm making sense, but I struggle with conveying this idea every time. Like when my family claims buying produce at a local market is "helping" the more "unfortunate" people instead of seeing it as supporting the locals while acquiring fresher food. I am touchy about subjects like this when people see the surface and do not understand the full cause behind things.
That being said, I would still love to read other books by Blue. I have no regrets for trying this one. And if you enjoyed this farm story, Veterinary Partner by Nancy Wheelton has a similar plotline that you might like, too.
I received an e-ARC from Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
annaavian's review against another edition
3.0
A low angst romance with great setting. At times the main characters were pretty naive, especially Nina and her inability to see the obvious bigger picture. I was also disappointed with the decisions the author made about a certain resolution that was essential to the plot, it felt like the issue was brushed off way too easily.
excellent_taste's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
tricia_r's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
qraveline's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content