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A review by leahsbooks
Some Maintenance Required by Marie-Renée Lavoie
4.0
Thank you to libro.fm for providing me with an ALC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this relatively short audiobook from an author I've never read anything by, but I definitely was blindsided by the way that this story made me laugh, as well as how the characters stole my heart, especially in such a short period of time.
Laurie is a young woman, working and enjoying her last summer before college, when a lot of things change how she views the world. Her mother works collecting fees at a parking garage, while instilling a love of books in Laurie. Her father works as a mechanic, and Laurie frequents the garage, since her car is often in need of maintenance. In addition to working part-time at a local bakery, Laurie has taken on caring for a neighbor's foul-mouthed and difficult child, Cindy, and teaching her the joys of learning how to use her imagination. Then Laurie gets a job at a restaurant, and things in her life start to change, slowly at first, then quickly.
As Laurie begins a romance with a young man named Roman who is studying to be a veterinarian, she begins to see class differences between Roman and herself, and seeing everything through a new set of eyes. And while it's true that some maintenance is often required for her car, she starts to realize that maintenance isn't only for cars, but is often needed for people and relationships as well, especially when her loved ones and relationships close to her start to break down as well, whether it is due to class differences, health issues, family problems, or something else entirely.
The author uses humor perfectly in this story, but at the same time addresses more serious issues, such as death, child neglect, class issues within society, finances, the pressure that young adults face, and stress. This is the kind of book that will definitely sit with me for far longer than the 5.5 hours it took me to listen to it, and I can easily see myself returning to it again and again. Special shout out to Hillary Huber for doing such a beautiful job with narrating this wonderful story.
I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this relatively short audiobook from an author I've never read anything by, but I definitely was blindsided by the way that this story made me laugh, as well as how the characters stole my heart, especially in such a short period of time.
Laurie is a young woman, working and enjoying her last summer before college, when a lot of things change how she views the world. Her mother works collecting fees at a parking garage, while instilling a love of books in Laurie. Her father works as a mechanic, and Laurie frequents the garage, since her car is often in need of maintenance. In addition to working part-time at a local bakery, Laurie has taken on caring for a neighbor's foul-mouthed and difficult child, Cindy, and teaching her the joys of learning how to use her imagination. Then Laurie gets a job at a restaurant, and things in her life start to change, slowly at first, then quickly.
As Laurie begins a romance with a young man named Roman who is studying to be a veterinarian, she begins to see class differences between Roman and herself, and seeing everything through a new set of eyes. And while it's true that some maintenance is often required for her car, she starts to realize that maintenance isn't only for cars, but is often needed for people and relationships as well, especially when her loved ones and relationships close to her start to break down as well, whether it is due to class differences, health issues, family problems, or something else entirely.
The author uses humor perfectly in this story, but at the same time addresses more serious issues, such as death, child neglect, class issues within society, finances, the pressure that young adults face, and stress. This is the kind of book that will definitely sit with me for far longer than the 5.5 hours it took me to listen to it, and I can easily see myself returning to it again and again. Special shout out to Hillary Huber for doing such a beautiful job with narrating this wonderful story.