Changing the Player

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the premise at first—another ‘bad boy athlete redeemed by love’ story? But *Changing the Player* subverts the trope by making Flynn’s downfall *funny* rather than tragic. His internal monologue, delivered by Stephen Borne with the swagger of a guy who’s two beers deep and zero regrets, is the audiobook’s secret weapon. Borne nails the balance between charm and exasperation, especially in scenes where Flynn’s mouth writes checks his game can’t cash. Meanwhile, Rylan Niéva’s narration as the love interest (whose name I’m deliberately omitting to avoid spoilers) is the perfect foil—dry, unimpressed, and just warm enough to make you believe she’d *actually* put up with this guy. The pacing stumbles slightly in the middle, where a subplot about Flynn’s family drama feels rushed compared to the razor-sharp banter in the first half. And while the hockey setting is vivid, a few too many ‘trade deadline tension’ scenes start to blur together. But the production quality is flawless—no awkward edits or volume jumps—and the chemistry between the narrators sells even the sillier moments (like a disastrous radio interview that had me laughing out loud on my commute). If you love enemies-to-lovers with a side of ‘why are these people like this?,’ this is your audiobook. Just don’t expect a tidy redemption arc—Flynn’s growth is as messy as his playstyle.