Wanted: hot nerd seeks dating coach.Picture this – I’m ready to win back the love of my life, and I’m going big this time. We’re talking boom box, sing her name in the rain, let the whole damn neighborhood know I’m good and ready this time around. After all, if you’re going to grand gesture the ever-loving hell out of a second chance, you need to pull out all the stops. There’s only one little … only one little problem.
My college girlfriend isn’t the one who shows up when I play my “I’ll do anything to win you back” tune. The woman who flings open the second-floor window tells me my ex doesn’t live here anymore. But she’ll help me win her back. Anything for romance, anything for a guy so willing to go big for love. And that’s what I want at first. Until I get to know my new “romance coach” and discover she’s funny, clever, and keeps me on my toes. Now I don’t want to win anyone else’s heart. I want the woman who’s been helping me all along. Trouble is – she thinks I’m in love with someone else, and when we take off on a road trip, everything I think I know about women is about to be unzipped and turned inside out.
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He’s the last person I ever expected to pop into my life, but he might be exactly what I need to save the thing that matters most to me. All I have to do is not fall for him.
Unzipped is a standalone romance!
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UNZIPPED by Lauren Blakely is a contemporary, adult, stand alone, romance story line focusing on roller coaster developer Kyler ‘Tom’ Sutcliffe, and television comedy writer Finley Barker.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Tom and Finley) UNZIPPED follows the accidental meeting and slow building relationship between twenty-eight year old, roller coaster developer Kyler ‘Tom’ Sutcliffe, and twenty-nine year old, television comedy writer Finley Barker. Kyler Sutcliffe aka Tom, wants to rekindle a romance with his college sweetheart Cassie, the woman who broke his heart but also the woman he hasn’t seen for close to eight years. Arriving at Cassie’s last known residence, and in an effort to win her over ala Lloyd Dobler style from the movie ‘Say Anything’, Tom will come face to face with television writer Finley Barker, who sees Tom’s challenge in the seduction department. Finley agrees to ‘teach’ a bewildered and baffled Tom the subtle art of wooing and romance, as she struggles to keep from falling in love. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Finley and Tom, and the potential fall-out as Finley’s life begins to spiral out of control, and Tom continues to move towards the woman he thought he once loved.
UNZIPPED is a story of friendship and fun with great back and forth banter between our leading couple. Finley battles between head and heart knowing Tom has only one goal in mind, and that goal will ultimately not include our story line heroine. Tom has always wondered what happened and why to make Cassie walk away without looking back. Little does our hero realize that there is more to the story than he could have ever imagined.
The relationship between Finley and Tom begins accidentally when Tom arrives to woo his former love. Finley is a film buff who is the perfect foil to Tom’s witticisms and movie quotes; their cross country journey finds there is more in common than they had previously expected. The $ex scenes are passionate and seductive without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
We are introduced to Tom’s brothers Ransom, Nash and Gannon who are a constant source of teasing and taunts; their cousin Gabe; Finley’s friend and book store owner Arden, as well as Bruce Fargo, the man ultimately in charge of Finley’s future. There is something developing between Gabe and Arden.
UNZIPPED is a fast paced, energetic and humorous story line. The premise is fun and spirited; the characters are quirky, clueless and charismatic; the romance is passionate and entertaining. UNZIPPED is an enjoyable and entertaining story of one man’s attempts to woo, failing miserably, but in the end falling for his perfect match.
Lauren Blakely does it again with another fun RomCom that is do darn adorable and sweet! And bonus, this one is chock full of 80’s movie quotes!! Kyler (Tom) meets Finley when he attempts to get his old highschool gf’s attention via the Lloyd Dobbler boombox routine, which was absolutely unforgettable and epic!! She is not home, however her neighbor Finley is. And thus starts this fun, flirty, adorably funny journey for these two wonderful people. They have amazing chemistry and I love how their relationship grows with each moment they spend together. Fantastic read!
Yet again Lauren gives you a story that will worm it’s way into your heart!
Follow the story of hot nerd Kyler(aka from here on out becomes Tom, his middle name) as he finally feels he’s ready to go back and claim his college girlfriend that broke his heart! His grand gesture to win her back brings him to Finley’s home. Finley is a comedy show writer for the show Mars & Venus, and she’s trying to come up with new better stuff for the show….enter Tom, and bam he becomes her muse! She offers to help him win the college girl back and the fun begins!
Read along as they become fast friends, but can they keep this a friends only relationship?
Your going to love the 80’s movie references in this story, Lauren outdid herself on this one!
I fell in love with these two characters! I wonder how much more my heart can fill with her characters! Don’t forget to sign up for the bonus material at the end of the book also! Your going to love it!
As usual I give Lauren’s book 5+++++ amazing stars! Make sure you grab this when it comes out! I seriously could not put this book down!!
I was pretty much sold from the whole “Say Anything” opening/meet cute. I’ll admit that I did have a bit of an issue with Kyler’s sort of out of touch obliviousness (did he really think he could win the girl after no contact at all over all those years), but as we get to know him, we see that the obliviousness is so much deeper and really just a part of his personality. I loved Finley and her quirkiness – she was so funny and vulnerable and I love how we got to see her insecurities AND how she conquered them. The road trip aspect was so fun and the chemistry between Kyler and Finley was phenomenal. As usual, Joe Arden and Andi Arndt brought the story to life in all its aural glory. Unzipped is definitely a book that I will listen to/reread over and over again! 4 out of 5 wine glasses.
I cannot begin to express how much I loved listening to Unzipped by Lauren Blakely. I loved everything about this book. It was charming, sweet and had me literally laughing out repeatedly. The hero was one of my all time-favorite ever. He was so charmingly awkward and unaware in all the most delightful ways. I do not usually listen to audiobooks a second time, but this one will be on repeat often!
Our hero is ready to win back the woman that got away. The woman who he believes set him on the path to success. But no small gestures for this guy. Nope! It’s go big or go home time. So that is how he finds himself in front of a window holding a boom box playing their song. Except it’s the wrong window and a different woman. And so begins our fun adventure.
Finley is a writer looking for inspiration for her TV show that is not performing as she expected. But where to get that inspiration she needs? Queue in the strange man at her window looking for a different woman, with a boom box over his arms. Intrigued by his story, she sets out to help him win the woman of his dreams. It’s like inspiration fell right in her lap.
Now Finley and our hero are spending time together as they get to know each other. I have to say I loved their banter. Their references to eighties movies was spot on and had me going down memory lane. Their friendship quickly morphs into more before they even realized it. But can our hero see what is in front of him before it is too late? And those last few chapters, well they are some of my favorite ever to read!
To be 100% upfront, I am a child of the eighties and I think that had a huge impact on why I loved Unzipped by Lauren Blakely. It was such a sweet and charming book that was full of laughs and chemistry that was slow burning. Joe Arden and Andi Arndt are two of my all-time favorite narrators, but as Finley and our hero, they were perfect. They truly brought the characters and this story to life for me! I cannot recommend this story any more. I loved every minute of listening to it!
Listened to and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
Completely spellbound by the seductive vocals of Joe Arden and Andi Arndt, I was hooked and pulled in right from the beginning of this story….. A story, which at first listen, I thought would be a typical rom-com; it truly and unexpectedly surprised me in the best ways possible.
Warm fuzzy sensations zipped through me as “Tom” and Finley worked together in the hopes of saving her comedy TV show and him to win back the affections of his former college love.
But, just like in real life, as the story progressed, the characters began to grow and change, each of them learning far more than they intended from the other, leading this listener on an adventure that my heart did not want to end.
Full of pop-culture references and tons of 80’s throwbacks this was one book I found myself charmed by. These are two of my favorite Lauren Blakely characters of all time. The comedic timing between Arden, “Tom” with his nerdy ways and the lovely comedy writer, Arndt who played Finley beautifully, just had a dynamic that was unmatched.
Heartfelt, warm and tender, with laugh out loud moments, I couldn’t get enough of the story I was listening to as it played out around me. I fell so hard for these two uniquely original characters that I didn’t want the ride to end… If you want a fun rom-com with some unexpected depth, this is the book for you!
As Always, Happy Reading!
“5/5 Beaming Brains!” – Lit-Up My Mind
A quirky, sweet & easy read. If you’re looking for light & fun this is the book for you!
Audible Audiobook Review: Unzipped by Lauren Blakely (Author), Joe Arden (Narrator), Andi Arndt (Narrator)
When a comedy of errors leads one man to his destiny, will he smartly accept the challenge or be clueless enough to walk away? Unzipped is a wildly hilarious, often times corny, yet hard to resist bundle of fun. Blakely has teamed up with two of the most memorable voices in audio to create a romantic comedy of the heart.
4 star review of Unzipped by Lauren Blakely
Audio review
The audio book is narrated by Andie Arndt and Joe Arden, who did a great job. I particularly liked Joe’s performance of the hapless and clueless Kyler (Tom). The camaraderie and banter between Tom and his brothers gave me quite a few laughs. Both Andi and Joe gave light hearted performances that complemented the story.
After an excessive “grand” gesture to get the woman Kyler believes he is in love with goes embarrassingly wrong, he meets and becomes friends with Finley. They bond over having unusual names and in fact she decides to use his middle name Tom, instead of Kyler.
Tom is clueless as to what happened with his college girlfriend and took her comments to heart and changed his life. Now he believes it is time to seek her out and let her know he has changed and is ready for love. Finley can see he has no clue what he is doing and so she offers to help him achieve his objectives.
Finley is a comedy writer, who enlists Tom as a sounding board/muse and writes some TV episodes based on Tom’s journey. It soon becomes apparent that Tom and Finley share more in common than just roller coasters and film quotes.
The connection between Tom and Finley was at times cringe worthy but some of their conversations had me in tears of laughter. These two are meant to be.
I was intrigued by the premise of this story and it was as I expected, sweet, charming and a little predictable. Certainly worth a read or a listen too as it will be a smile to your face.
4.5 Fun & Flirty Stars!
I had so much fun listening to this latest rom-com by Lauren Blakely. I loved the meet cute between Finley & Kylar (Tom). Their accidental meeting lead to Finley helping Tom win back the woman who broke his heart in college, and in return, Tom would help Finley with her new show that she needed to write. This took them on practice dates, and a road trip filled with fun and unique experiences. Finley and Tom bonded over their shared love of 80’s movies, and going on new exciting adventures. Finley was second choice with her last relationship, so she doesn’t want to believe Tom when he tells her that he has developed feelings for her. As their adventures bring them closer together, and their attraction more electric, Finley realizes that Tom had her at ‘Hello’! One of the things I love about Blakely’s stories, besides the witty banter she does so well, is the uncommon jobs her characters have, the unique foods they enjoy, and unconventional spots they visit. She opens up a new, fresh, and exciting world of possibilities to us.
Her story is brought to life beautifully by narrators, Joe Arden, and Andi Arndt. Their ability to deliver Ms. Blakely’s witty dialogue along with imparting the genuine emotion of all characters was exquisite. I loved how Arden portrayed the charming, clueless, adorkable Tom, and Arndt easily played the perfect balance of Finley’s love of adventure, but fear of putting herself out there. I was totally lost in their storytelling.
This is a heartwarming, fun and sexy romance that you will want to listen to again and again!