Audiobook Review for The Lost Book of First Loves by RaeAnne Thayne

The Lost Book of First Loves by RaeAnne Thayne

Narrator:   Vanessa Johansson 

Published:  June 3, 2025 by Canary Street Press

Genre:  Romance, Family, Contemporary Romance, Found Family

Taken from Goodreads:  From New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne comes a brand-new story about two women, a family secret and a lost manuscript that changes everything…

Raised by her literary icon father Carson Wells, Allison Wells always felt loved, even though her mother died when she was a teen. But when she takes a DNA test on a whim and discovers she has a sister that she’s never heard about before, it’s clear there are things her father never told her before he died. Determined to meet Juniper—her half sister—and unravel the truth of what happened all those years ago, Ali finds herself taking a job as Juniper’s intern. She’ll eventually figure out a way to tell Juniper the truth of their relationship. But she never could have imagined what would happen next…

Juniper Connolly has always been incredibly healthy…until she wakes up in the hospital after experiencing cardiac arrest, with her new—and recently fired—intern to thank for saving her life. It’s clear June needs to de-stress her life a little, so when Ali offers her the use of her family’s cabin in a small Wyoming town, June has no reason not to go. But when she arrives in the small town, her life will never be the same.

Under the wide-open spaces of the Wyoming summer sun, Ali and June will untangle the secrets and lies their lives were built on to discover who they really are and what family really means. But even more than that, they'll build a real relationship with one another and finally become sisters.

 

My Thoughts:  I listened to this book instead of reading it.   Vanessa Johansson did an amazing job narrating this book.   This is the first book that I listened to that she narrated, and she is now on my approved list of narrators.   A narrator can make or break a book, and she made the book.

RaeAnne Thayne wrote a book all about family.   There is a lot of drama, a lot of feelings, and a lot of being lost within your own life.  I enjoyed seeing the characters figure out their lives.  Ali finds out she has a sister and does what she needs to just to be near her. 

I enjoyed the book and the relationships within the book.  I would have loved more about Ali and Juniper’s dad.  Maybe some flashbacks to his relationships with their mothers would have been fun.   Overall this was an easy book to listen to, there were not many surprises.   The book revolved entirely around when and if Ali should tell Juniper they are sisters.

Thank you Canary Street Press for a copy of the audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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Meet theAuthor (taken from her website):  I’m not one of those people who knew from birth she was destined to become a writer. I always loved to read and throughout my childhood I could usually be found with a book in my hands. To the disgust of my friends, I even enjoyed creative writing assignments that made them all groan. But I had other dreams besides writing. I wanted to be an actress or a teacher or a lawyer.

Life took a different turn for me, though, when my mother made me take a journalism elective in high school (thanks, Mom!). I knew the first day that this was where I belonged.

After I graduated from college in journalism, I took a job at the local daily newspaper and I reveled in the challenge and the diversity of it. One day I could be interviewing the latest country music star, the next day I was writing about local motorcycle gangs or interviewing an award-winning scientist.

Through it all — through the natural progression of my career from reporter to editor — I wrote stories in my head. Not just any stories, either, but romances, the kind of books I have devoured since junior high school, with tales about real people going through the trials and tribulations of life until they find deep and lasting love.

I had no idea how to put these people on paper, but knew I had to try — their stories were too compelling for me to ignore. I sold my first book in 1995 and now, more than 60 books later, I’ve come to love everything about writing, from the click of the computer keys under my fingers to the “that’s—it!” feeling I get when a story is flowing.

I write full-time now (well, as full-time as I can manage juggling my kids!) amid the raw beauty of the northern Utah mountains.

Even though I might not have dreamed of being a writer when I was younger, now I simply can’t imagine my life any other way.

I love to hear from readers. You can reach me using the form on the Contact Page.