The Only Way

By: Jamie Sullivan

Narrated by: Elizabeth Saydah

Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

In the Gutter there are only two ways for a girl to earn a living - among the trash or on her back. When Hart decides that's not good enough for her, she takes on the high-stakes world of no-holds-barred fighting. There's just one problem: Women aren't allowed in the ring.

Hair cut short and dressed in her father's old clothes, Hart ventures into the Alley and the world of arena fighting. There she meets Ruby, the daughter of the Arena owner and a brilliant fighter in her own right. When she offers Hart the chance for friendship, Hart cannot resist.

But Ruby thinks Hart is a man, and as she and Ruby grow closer, it gets harder and harder to maintain the façade....

©2014 Jamie Sullivan (P)2015 Less Than Three Press, LLC

Brilliant Lesbian Story

This was unexpectedly fun and different. The narration was good, the story was interesting and well worth a listen.

The cover really doesn't do it justice.

This is one of my favorite audio books that I have listened to this year.

Fight!

The story kept me interested. The narrator did a great job. It was a sweet and soft romance. However I wanted one character to get his face bashed in. Because of that, I know it was a good short novel.

great but could have been awesome

great story love the whole thing :) I like any story with lbgt features i enjoyed the plot but felt it end to soon the world building was fun but as with the plot it felt cut off in places 4.5 star

Not Especially Realistic; Still Good Though

I'm not certain what era this story is set in, or what country for that matter. When a 140 pound woman can beat a 180 pound man; a professional fighter no less you know that a lesbian writer is engaging in wishful thinking. Still this a piece of fiction that avoided many of the more common cliches present in more than enough books. The Gutter is a sweet bit of metaphor for a section of the city where hopes go to die. The way the lead character's dreams come true is a nice touch as is her escape from the book's main antagonist. This wasn't a great story, but for a fan of an under represented genre, it's good enough.

Good character, good tale, rushed reading.

What did you love best about The Only Way?

The challenges faced by the main character, the driving story.

Did Elizabeth Saydah do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Not exactly... Saydah used maybe 3 voices, but - like most of her reading in the book - the voices were rushed so it was hard to hold onto the distinctions. She actually seemed to rush MORE over dialogue than anything else, which was sometimes actually irritating.

Any additional comments?

Good story, love the premise and the main character, and very glad to see more diverse fiction getting into Audible. However, the reading felt REALLY rushed and the emotion/drama was lost in the reader's odd, flat tempo. Almost seemed that Saydah was just trying to get thru it rather than voicing the story, and she didn't take time to emphasize the action and dialogue. Coupled with the author's unrefined writing style, I think it made the overall experience feel too immature, even if you think of it as YA. I think reading the book myself would have been the better way to go, and that's what I would recommend to others thinking of getting the Audible.