One More Round

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the premise at first: *another* wealthy-couple-with-problems story? But *One More Round* disarmed me within minutes, thanks to Clayton’s razor-edged dialogue and the narrators’ electric chemistry. CJ Bloom’s Caroline is a revelation—she nails the character’s brittle confidence, the way her voice tightens when she’s pretending everything’s fine, then cracks into raw vulnerability during a devastating scene in a fertility clinic waiting room. Salinas, meanwhile, makes Simon’s defensive charm *infuriatingly* compelling; you’ll want to slap him one minute and kiss him the next. Their back-and-forth feels improvised, like you’re eavesdropping on a real couple’s most brutal (and funniest) fights. The audiobook’s brevity is both its strength and its weakness. The pacing is relentless, with scenes unfolding like a stage play—tense, dialogue-heavy, and propelled by emotional whiplash. But that same tight structure occasionally sacrifices depth. Secondary characters (like Caroline’s best friend) feel underdeveloped, and the resolution, while satisfying, wraps up a tad *too* neatly for a story that otherwise embraces messiness. The production is clean, though I wished for more atmospheric sound design during key moments (a silent car ride after a fight, say) to heighten the tension. Still, it’s a standout in the romance audiobook crowd—smart, sexy, and unafraid to ask: *What if the happy ending isn’t the one you planned?* **Perfect for:** Fans of *The Hating Game*’s banter but with higher emotional stakes, or anyone who’s ever Googled ‘how to not murder your spouse’ at 2 a.m." "tags": [ "witty marriage drama audiobook