Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to listen to the audiobook via NetGalley!

The author definitely has a “news voice” which made it a pleasant listening experience. I think the book started off with the right story. While I think the book was interesting, some of the stories seemed like they could’ve been shorter and were perhaps stretched out for the sake of the book. And I was hoping for a little more emotional connection or some bigger message. Plus there was one chapter when she described how she gets grieving family members to talk to her that rubbed me the wrong way. Overall it was a good read, not necessarily one that’ll stick with me, but I’m not mad I read it!

This was a powerful heartfelt listen. A real eyesight to what life looks like for a news reporter. The stories she told were raw and will really stick with you. Really could feel the stories and you listen. And felt like I really got a glimpse into news

If you've ever seen a news segment and thought- I wonder whatever happened to that person/with that story- than this book is for you.

In every chapter Maxfield goes back to a news story that she covered in the past, and talks to the people involved to find out what happened after the initial news coverage.

This is a broad-ranging collection of stories-only connected by the fact that Maxfield first reported on them and was curious enough to double back and tell the fuller story.

The writing is empathetic and engaging. In this 24 hour news cycle where in, this is an antidote of sorts.

It's a great read for non-fiction fans that enjoy discreet chapters rather than a book on one topic or subject.

I want Jen Maxfield to be MY local newscaster!

A seasoned broadcast journalist, Maxfield reconnects with various interviewees from throughout her career as a journalist in NY/NJ and shares the stories of the intervening years. I loved the thoughtful way in which she included people of all walks of life, with incredibly diverse backgrounds and stories, and the profound impact each of these stories had on me even just through her words and interviews.

She even had me Googling a few of her stories! You can see the tremendous growth she has made throughout her career, and I am a firm believer that with more of this type of introspection in media, the world could be majorly changed.

Huge thanks to Jen, Greenleaf, and Netgalley for sharing this ARC with me.

This was an interesting book. I am not someone that watches the news I find it to be an anxiety trigger but Jen Maxfield's book seemed interesting when I was looking through the available titles. I am glad that I decided to click on this one. The stories were at times heartbreaking and at other times inspiring. Maxfield is reflective and acknowledges how the media can lead to additional trauma and how it can help. There were times I wanted to shut it off because I was so frustrated with the approach (complaining about needing 2 rooms when people had lost everything), or because the story was so hard to hear. Overall, this was a really well thought out and pieced together book. The stories were thoroughly reported with the details from when it occurred and from revisiting with updates now.

While not my normal genre, it is one I am glad to have listened to. Jen Maxfield does the narration herself and it is easy to see what makes her a good reporter with a voice and tone that are engaging and evoke emotion.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author, and I can only imagine a video documentary trumping this medium. I'm curious if those who read the text get the same news reporter tone. I appreciate the backstage peek into a news reporter and photographer's life and schedule. The stories are compelling. Even though I hadn't heard the stories before, once she told them, I was anxious to hear the follow-up. I thought the order was. There were a few stories thrown in that didn't seem to fit, but I was willing to let the author have them for her own piece of mind. It's her project, after all.

More after the break - Jen Maxfield

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel.

A reporter who has covered some of the most important stories of our time, and some of the most personal stories of our time, returns to revisit everyday heroes to see how they are coping over a decade later.

Compassionate, breathtaking stories that celebrate the true heart of our country.

This series of story follow-ups is beautiful and especially meaningful in this age of division, as it reminds us that even in the lowest times, one can serve as a shining beacon of hope that empowers others to make it through.

Until next time, stay strong and proud.

Note: I especially enjoyed the audiobook format of this novel as it added to the stories documented within, as the reporter herself narrates the stories.

I don’t read much historical fiction or nonfiction, and I am not great at keeping up to date on the news, but that didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying this book! I loved getting the perspective of a real-life reporter and hearing how they feel when covering emotional and terrifying cases. Even though I don’t watch the news much, many of the cases talked about in this book I had at least heard of. I loved getting a glimpse at how the people affected by tragic events are doing now. I enjoyed this book much more than I had anticipated!

I listened to this audiobook read by the author and loved it. Jen Maxfield follows up on some of her most memorable stories as a TV news reporter in "More After the Break." Her compassion and care for the people with whom she connected on the hardest times of their lives is obvious and she tells their stories after the public consciousness has moved on. Learning how people fared after their lives were impacted by events like Hurricane Katrina, a fatal school bus crash, or a terrorist attack is fascinating and hearing the stories of cancer survivors years later is inspiring. I loved listening to every minute of this book as it answered questions that everyone has about the people who become part of the news cycle.

"An instant Amazon bestseller the day it was announced for preorders, More After the Break takes readers on a dramatic ride-along in the TV news live truck. Based on her two-decade career as a New York City news reporter, Jen Maxfield writes about everything from the moment she gets the call to head to breaking news, to arriving at chaotic scenes, to knocking on doors of families who are grieving the loss of a loved one."

Jen Maxfield not only has written about her experiences, but she also narrates the audiobook. The combination grabs you from the first event until the very last one. It's as if she was talking to directly to you, sharing why certain events and circumstances have impacted her life.

I highly recommend the audiobook. It's a pleasant change from the chaotic world we live in.

This was interesting. I liked that the reporter went back and checked on people from stories that she had reported on previously that had stayed with her.

In the life of a reporter, your career is measured in stories: those of the people you interviewed, their families and friends, and their communities. Brief moments shared together bring interviewer and subject close together, but what happens once the camera shuts off and the microphone and pen are out done. Reporter Jen Maxfield looks back through her career and ten stories that stayed with her. She tries to catch up with her former interviewees - some more successfully than others - and recounts her memories of that time, and what those stories meant to her.

I enjoyed Maxfield’s writing and narration in this book. She approaches her subjects with skill and empathy, and it was nice to hear her return to people and places that had an impact on her. While many of these stories I hadn’t heard before, Maxfield proves the importance of local journalism and treating your subjects with care and consideration.

Thanks to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group for the advanced listen via the audiobook of this memoir!

I want to thank Greenleaf audiobooks and Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very different audio book from any I have read before but I did enjoy it.
The author describes her perspective of reporting on major events. She would then give a report in depth of some major event and then a follow up which is nice to hear about.
There were several stories such as these with follow ups.
This was a very nice book concept and I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in news
or anyone interested in the field.

The author has had a long journalism career in which she has covered some amazing stories. She now goes back to some of the most crucial stories to speak to the individuals at the centre of these 'stories', to try and understand how their lives changed and where they are now, now when journalists are not chasing them for audio bytes and interviews.
This book is an honest account of what goes on in the minds of journalists when they are out on the field trying to cover something, it shows their dilemma in choosing between the best 'coverage' possible, while not encroaching upon the privacy, and many times, tragedy, of their interviewees.

I liked most of the accounts in the book. The two I found weakest were the first two about a ferry crash and a storm. Both were stories about how people helped others in times of catastrophe, sometimes even at the cost of their own safety. This is a nice, warm action which really does not evoke too much emotion in me! There was this book by Rebecca Solnit, Paradise built in hell, which went on and on about it... OMG! Had to DNF it. Anyway, thankfully the book changes tone after that and covers a wide variety of cases, giving us a peek into what impact these interviews have (or not) on the people who are being covered.

Received this book on #NetGalley

I thought that the concept of this book sounded interesting, but it ended up being way better than I expected. I listened to the audiobook version and it was exceptionally well done. After the first story I was ugly-crying and the book just kept getting better. I seriously couldn’t put it down. Each story is less than an hour long. I listened to a lot of the book while driving and running errands and I found myself still listening after I parked. I couldn’t turn it off. The way the stories are told are completely captivating. The book itself is such an interesting concept. Reporter Jen Maxfield goes and revisits the people involved in stories that she reported on in the past. I felt transported. Each story was extremely well researched, the format was laid out nicely and the writing style itself was exceptional. If you love beautifully tragic and heart wrenching, yet somewhat positive, true accounts of the world around you, definitely pick this one up!

I listened to the audio version of this book--it was a compulsive choice with the "instant downloads" on NetGalley. I'm interested in news, though I tend towards national publications rather than local programs.

Jen Maxfield is a capable news reporter and gives us glimpses of how the process works--the methods reporters use to get interviews, to find ways to interview gently, to distill information to twelve-second clips.

I was less interested in Maxfield's meta narrative--perhaps because I would sometimes bristle at the privilege, or perhaps what appeared to be privilege in the guise of professional distance. I can imagine the burnout rate would be immense if one weren't able to turn on and off observational skills within the context of tragedy, though the vulture description felt apt in context.

The ten stories are strong and interesting and I'm glad for the time Maxfield spent unfolding each of these stories. Because it is in book form, she doesn't need to tease us in the same way one might on television news--instead, we get to know the *people* involved in the story first and then learn the story, which is what I think Maxfield's purpose was, after all--to bring humanity to the news.

I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley for this as an audiobook. The opinions are my own.
I like to listen to non fiction books on audio when I can. And I was looking for one that was non-fiction but not so deep I couldn’t focus on other projects at the same time. This was perfect on all accounts.
The premise is a reporter going back to some of the stories she’d reported on over the last 20 years. Not always the big stories that everyone remembers, although some were. She went back and reconnected with them and gave closure to what came after.
There was the young man who was injured in the ferry crash, and nearly 20 years later he’s doing well, living in a different state and driving . The little girl injured in the bus crash, is now a highschooler and already spoke before the senate on making school buses safer for all kids. The mom who’s daughter hit by a drunk driver now has a foundation and works toward connecting other grieving families.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, It was just a sweet story of reconnecting and looking back in on those to give and update and closure to their stories. I think I would even read this again, and would highly recommend to others

Wow. Thanks to NetGalley, Greenleaf Book Group Press and Jen Maxfield for allowing me to snag a copy of this in audio form.

Jen Maxfield takes a concept that many have tried and excels at creating a thoughtful and provoking story with little splashes of a memoir-type work. As someone who went to college for journalism, I found myself drawn into every single story. I also enjoyed how Maxfied didn't choose stories that are so widely known. I felt like these stories happened just today and she was covering them right on the spot.

You can truly tell that Maxfield is not just a fabulous reporter but one with heart and morals. She described so many situations that were heart-breaking and she handled every story like a true professional.

If you have an interest in seeing how reporters actually see the stories they report on, this is the book for you.

Jen narrates this and recounts notable news story and, in most cases, a current follow-up on the people involved in each story. Since most stories took place in the NY/NJ area I remember them well. I am not a huge fan of the news and so much of this was sad and hard to relive but it’s done very well. I do wish there was more personal accounts of Jen Maxfield herself so I could have felt a bigger connection to her and her job.
Recommended For: Those interested in more from a news story from the reporter who told it.

More After the Break is 'a grand book'. The premise is really interesting - a journalist revisits ten of the stories she covered over her twenty years in the business - but the book doesn't live up to the promises of the premises. The writer's own ego gets too much in the way of the stories she is revisiting, and (re)introducing her audience to.

I was more than slightly amused when, in the conclusion, Maxfield tells her listener/reader that, when she was writing the book, her editor gently suggested she 'occasionally include' herself. I fear the writer took this too much to heart: One of the elements of the book that grated most on my nerves was how Maxfield - in every essay - reminds us that she has a Master's Degree from Columbia, and manages to centre herself in every story. I know the difference between introspection and self-examination, and virtue-signaling - and 'More After the Break' is more of the former that the latter.

The first chapter - the tale of Paul Esposito, whose legs were sheared off in the Staten Island Ferry Disaster of 2003 - held my attention, as I learned of this survivor, and how his life had been saved by an English nurse who was on the same ferry. Sadly, none of the other eight chapters had the same effect.

All told, this is the kind of book worth reading only if there is no other reading material close to hand.