After Math

I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes when I saw the ‘tutoring the jock’ premise—until Scarlett Goodwin opened her mouth. Denise Grover Swank’s protagonist isn’t your typical shy-girl-waiting-to-bloom; she’s a junior in college who still counts ceiling tiles to survive parties, and her social anxiety isn’t a quirky trait but a daily, debilitating battle. The audiobook’s strength lies in how *real* it feels: Scarlett’s panic attacks aren’t dramatized for effect; they’re messy, embarrassing, and sometimes boringly repetitive, just like real mental health struggles. Appelusa McGlynn’s narration is a masterclass in restraint—she doesn’t overplay Scarlett’s anxiety but lets it seep into the pauses, the swallowed words, the way her voice flattens when she’s dissociating. That said, the pacing stumbles in the middle. The will-they-won’t-they with Tucker drags when the story’s real tension—Scarlett’s internal conflict—gets sidelined for hockey-game subplots. And while McGlynn excels at Scarlett’s voice, some male characters (particularly the secondary ones) blur together, lacking distinct tonal shifts. Still, the payoff is worth it. The final act refuses easy resolutions: Scarlett’s progress isn’t about ‘fixing’ herself for love but learning to tolerate the discomfort of being seen. For anyone who’s ever faked a stomachache to avoid a party or rehearsed conversations in the mirror, this audiobook will feel like a gut punch—and a rare, honest mirror.