Up in the Treehouse

A New Adult Romance Novel

By: K.K. Allen

Narrated by: Anne James

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Chloe Rivers never thought she would keep secrets from her best friend. Then again, she never imagined she would fall in love with him either. When she finally reveals her feelings, rejection shatters her, rendering her vulnerable and sending her straight into the destructive arms of the wrong guy.

Gavin Rhodes never saw the betrayal coming. It crushes him. Chloe has always been his forbidden fantasy; sweet, tempting, and beautiful. But when the opportunity finally presents itself, he makes the biggest mistake of all and denies her.

Four years after a devastating tragedy, Chloe and Gavin's worlds collide and they find their lives entangling once again. Haunted by the past, they are forced to come to terms with all that has transpired to find the peace they deserve. Except they can't seem to get near each other without combatting an intense emotional connection that brings them right back to where it all started, their childhood treehouse.

Chloe still holds her secrets close, but this time she isn't the only one with something to hide. Can their deep-rooted connection survive the destruction of innocence?

©2016 K.K. Allen (P)2016 K.K. Allen

A Wonderfully Emotional Story

This was my first KK Allen story and it has me hooked. The narration brought all of the angst and emotion to life and had me invested in Gavin and Chloe's story as if it was my own.

Just okay

I loved this book just not the narrative. At times I felt the narrator’s voice was a bit too adolescent. I did enjoy the audible book and am happy I listened. Good book.

Slow Start... struggling to get Through...

When I started this book, I thought the plot summary was intriguing, and settled in for what I thought would be a terrific emotional book (according to all the 5-star reviews. I loved how the treehouse was used as a metaphor, how Chloe was bookish and insecure and figuring out who she was...
But I'm 3.5 hours in and there's no end in sight to the obsession between Chloe and Gavin. I want to shake both of them - their "past selves" and their "current selves" and tell them to stop obsessing about each other's bodies and get with the program already. I never DID understand why Chloe and Devin dated, particularly after Devin was involved with the girl who bullied Chloe...

Anne James was in many ways a good narrator, but she shouldn't have been expected to carry this book through. There are portions read in Gavin's point of view that would've greatly been improved with a male narrator. But since that did not happen, Ms. James did the best she could with what she had...

I'll probably pick this book up and try and complete it when I'm in the mood for something light. Unfortunately, my "light reading" quota was met recently by a novel with more meat to it, and I'm back in the headspace for heavier books.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Just Okay

The story was okay. I would have love to slapped some sense into Chloe. Her whining and stupidity was labeled as her just being “stubborn”. Why do authors make their female characters like this?

Still have a lump in my throat

I absolutely adore this book. Between the characters, the emotion, and the whole concept of telling the story like branches on a tree, I just can't get enough.

This can easily transition from new adult to contemporary romance so it reaches a broad audience. The author definitely struck a chord with me and the narrator performed wonderfully. Incidentally I just moved to the West Coast and happened to move to a town adjacent to Bonney Lake. The accuracy of the references nearby made it that much more enjoyable. I've tagged this author as someone to keep my eye on.

This audiobook was gifted to me by the publisher, narrator, or author.

Becoming an adult is not easy

This story of a friendship between a young girl and twin boys is full of so many things. Bulling, teen sex, anger, hurt, neglect and death. The main 3 characters are both so spot on in how children are to how growth changes us and often define us. Chloe and Gaven are on a collision course to finding out just what it is to face our demons and our mistakes. I found a lot to take in. I received this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars!

This was a sweet, slightly angsty friends to lovers story. This has much more angst then a typical K.K. Allen book. The story is engaging and I enjoyed it for the most part BUT Chloe and Gavin gave me so much anxiety in this book!! They frustrated me to no end with their push and pull, misunderstandings and miscommunications. It went on FAR too long. They both had feelings for each other but never acted on them or spoke to each other of them. There were plenty of steamy and heartfelt moments but overall I struggled with this one.

Anne James is a new narrator to me. I enjoyed her storytelling but this would have been much better with a male narrator to narrate the chapters told in Gavin’s POV.

Enjoyable romance

I’ve seen this book being recommended a few times, so I was curious on how it would be. The cover and the interesting blurb also grabbed me from the start. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this audiobook. The narration was good, even if I would have normally preferred a male narrator for Gavin’s POV. In overall, it was an enjoyable second chance romance with relatable characters and great storytelling.

I was voluntarily provided this free audiobook review copy by the author, narrator, or publisher.

So flippin good!

This audiobook makes me want to physically swoon! It was perfection… I loved every single angsty word that KK Allen wrote in this book and that Anne James wrote to me! I was shocked with the intensity of this book, that it grabbed me with! I love this story on friendship, on growing up and with love and loss. Following along with Chloe, Devon, and Gavin throughout their lives felt real! I love books where I feel like the characters are my friends, my people. I enjoyed the set up of the back and forth between present and past. It was easy to follow, not sure if that was due to the author or narrator, or both. But it worked and I really feel like the story was developed so well. I don’t like going into the storyline too much on reviews because than I ruin the book for others and that’s not cool!

This was the first book I’ve listened to by Anne James. She slayed this story! The voices, the emotions were spot on. She really brought these characters to life! This book has a deeper meaning than what’s on eye level and it really made me think. Ms. James was so fantastic! I actually went and looked at her other books that she’s narrated. I’m loving her voice!

Little long but lots of twists and turns

Would you listen to Up in the Treehouse again? Why?

I probably would not listen to it again because it was long but the story was great, it will definitely stick with me.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gavin, he is a stand up guy who sticks by Chloe even when she is pushing him away.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book made me cry more than one time, it is for sure a tear jerker.

Any additional comments?

Good book with lots of twists and turns but a little long.

Chloe and Gavin have been best friends since they were kids and never more. So much happens to the two of them in this book that you wonder if they will make it. Tragedy, years apart, and secrets stand between them, are they strong enough to overcome everything?

You get to join Gavin and Chloe from high school to adulthood and watch them grow and become the people you would hope for them to be. Gavin is an amazing guy and the things he does for everyone will just melt your heart. Chloe is stupid at times and while you don't discount that some of what happens is shocking to her it doesn't mean she should run away every time.

I received this book via Audiobook Boom for an honest unbiased review.