Not the Boss of the Year

I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes at the premise—another ‘grumpy boss’ trope? But *Not the Boss of the Year* won me over by **refusing to sand down its edges**. Skye isn’t just a plucky underling; she’s *pissed*, and her resentment feels earned, not performative. When she calls Kingston out in that opening letter (which the audiobook smartly delivers as a standalone, almost confessional performance by Vargas), you’re *in*—hook, line, and snark. Dixon’s narration is the secret weapon here: his Kingston isn’t a cartoon villain but a man whose clipped tones and occasional, *very* deliberate pauses hint at a storm beneath the surface. The chemistry between the narrators is electric, especially in the later chapters where their voices overlap in heated arguments—you can *hear* the unspoken tension. That said, the middle act drags slightly with **one too many miscommunication beats**. Skye’s stubbornness occasionally tips into frustration (girl, just *talk* to him), and a subplot involving a rival coworker feels undercooked. But the production saves it: the audio mixing is crisp, with distinct tonal shifts for emails vs. dialogue, and the pacing picks up once the story leans into its **rom-com strengths**—think *The Proposal* meets *Set It Up*, but with sharper teeth. The steamier scenes benefit from the dual narration, though I’d warn sensitive listeners that Dixon’s growl might require a cold shower. My biggest critique? The ending wraps up *almost* too neatly, given how thorny the power dynamics were. Still, for fans of **high-stakes banter and enemies who *really* earn their HEA**, this is a standout. Just maybe don’t listen at work—unless you want to glare at your own boss.