What an odd little (audio)book. I ended it slightly confused, but that’s not a negative comment on the story, which I loved.

The narrator was perfect for the sentiment of the book and the story told was of a lifetime of love lived in so few words.

I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone that wants to enjoy an uplifting tale and be left feeling all warm and fuzzy in spite of the ending which should probably have left the reader feeling saddened which would have been completely the wrong emotion to leave the book with.

When Lynettes daddy died no one wants to take her in and just when she is feeling totally alone her Great-great-aunt Magnolia Rose McClellan or Mags for short & older than dirt arrives, she asks Lynette if she can survive on her own once she becomes 16, when she’s says she can her Aunt Mags takes her home. And what follows is a lovely heartwarming novella which I was quite sad when it finished as I would love to know what follows with Lynettes life, who knows there might be a sequel.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was a sweet and beautiful novella. Even as short as it was I found it intriguing and wouldn't have minded it being longer! The narrator was good as well.

If you want a short story to distract you from your day's stress, listen to "My Alien Life." J. Martain offers up a heartwarming story about Lynette, a child who finds refuge with her great-great-aunt Rose. Through their brief time together, the 9-year-old finds faith in love, life and accepting others into your life. I hope we'll hear more about Lynette and what life holds for this precious young lady.

A sweet novella about a young girl and her great aunt that took her in after her father transitioned.

She gives the girl hope and love and lessons.

They make a pact - very bittersweet.


Enjoyed this short #netgalley audio

My Alien Life was a cute coming of age story. I felt like the narrator did a great job with keeping me interested, but that couldn't have been done without a great plot and excellent writing. I really enjoyed listening to this novella, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a short form story to listen to.

I might have been able to give this a higher rating if I knew what I was getting into from the start, but I feel like I was sold a bill of goods, so I was expecting something different.

I was looking for a short audiobook to check off one of the August 2023 NetGalley Bingo boxes, and this was short. The title, combined with an additional alien reference as I skimmed the provided description, had me thinking this was going to be leaning toward sci-fi. Nothing could be further from the truth. The title and one-off mention towards the beginning of the book don't contribute anything to the story, and are never explained.

The setting for this book is very broad-- could be anywhere in the South, could be any time in nearly a 100-year period.

I guess I'm left stumped as to what this story is *for.* It's not really a coming-of-age story: we meet the main character when she's young and the majority of the story takes place over a handful of days throughout the year she's 9. The story then jumps up to her 16th birthday, and then stops. Maybe it could be a read-alike for [book:The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate|6202556], but shorter, less detailed, less funny...

I listened to the eAudio. The narrator did a fine job, although the voice for Aunt Mag was sometimes so croaky I had trouble hearing everything, even over relatively low ambient noise.

eAudio ARC from NetGalley.

Book Title: My Alien Life
Author: J. Martain
Genre: Coming of Age
Release Day: January 17, 2023
Format: Audio Book
Rating: Storyline 4⭐️ Narration 5⭐️

Synopsis: A sassy and sweet coming-of-age story full of laughter, tears, and everyday strangeness.

"My mother was a no-nonsense woman. If it wasn’t in the Bible or on Jerry Springer, then it couldn’t happen. Of course, there’s a lot of freaky stuff in the Good Book, with ladders to heaven and angels with animal faces and such. And crazy, muckraking talk shows probably aren’t the best yardstick for anything short of how depraved humans can be. But the point is that when she was abducted by aliens and impregnated with me, she had some trouble processing.” — Lynette, aged 9

So begins this heartwarming, speculative tale of an unusual child who finds a home—and love—with her feisty Great-great-aunt Magnolia Rose McClellan. Set in rural North Carolina, this Southern fiction "novelette" is short enough for a lunch break—though you may want to have some tissues handy!

My Thoughts: This was such a heartwarming little short story that left me longing for more. The connection between Aunt Mags and Lynette was absolutely beautiful. Being from SC, I loved the southern NC feel and tones from the narrator, April Doty. Her performance was magical. I only give this 4 stars because I just needed more at the end. It felt rushed to me, and I just longed for a little more.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this sweet and pleasant to listen to, ut was left feeling a little empty on it. Maybe it was just too short for me to sink my teeth into properly?

The author manages to pack a great deal of heart into this novella which is impressive in such a short literary piece.
Lynette, at the age of 9 goes to live with her elderly Aunt Magnolia following her Father's death. Her old fashioned ways, strong presence and natures gifts give Lynette everything she needs until she reaches the age of 16 when there is an understanding between the two characters that she would be then able to look after herself freeing her elderly Aunt to 'rest'.
The narrator does a great job in bringing the story to life and whilst the book is very short it managed to leave its impression on me quite strongly.

My Alien Life is a charming short story/novella describing the plight of a dirt poor girl, Lynette, whose mother abandoned her and her father. Her loving father struggled to raise Lynette, but when he died she was left orphaned at the age of nine with an extended family loathe to take her in - that is everyone except her 94 year old Great Great Aunt, Magnolia. Aunt Mags lives in a trailer and keeps the wolves at bay (just barely) with her sewing needle and the vegetable greens she plants in her garden.. To make a short story shorter, against all odds (poverty, prejudice, and social worker), Aunt Mags fulfills her end of the bargain by staying alive long enough for Lynette to reach the age of 16. By that age, Lynette has learned life skills that will lead her on her journey into a future of adulthood and survival.

J. Martain delivers a warm feel-good story dealing with, among other things, love, kinship, determination, hope, and resolution.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocialAudio for an ARC of the story in audio. The opinions expressed are my own, I enjoyed the listen (twice).

My Alien Life is a touching yet bittersweet coming-of-age story set in the American South. There were certainly fewer aliens than I'd expected, but I still enjoyed this audiobook quite a bit.

For such a short “novelette” (the audiobook is around an hour), the characters were well-developed and the plot surprisingly robust. Aunt Mags was a particularly delightful character and I loved her sass and attitude.

I also enjoyed the narration more than I thought I would since southern accents are often a little challenging for me when it comes to audiobooks – I like to listen to my books at pretty high speeds and southern drawls can sound super funky at 1.75x. The narrator for this novelette had a lovely, soothing accent, however, so I only sped it up to 1.25x and it worked out just fine. She also did the character voices really, really well.

The alien bits were amusing, but seemed so out of place in what was otherwise a perfectly normal, non-extraterrestrial tale. I guess that's why it's tagged as speculative fiction?

Overall, this was an enjoyable and heart-warming read. I wish it had been longer, because I would have loved to listen to more anecdotes about Aunt Mags and Lynette.

Many thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial Audio for providing me with a copy of this audiobook to review.

After Lynette’s father dies, she is sent to live with her elderly aunt, Magnolia. Magnolia is a tell it like it is kind of a woman and creates an agreement with Lynette- that she will stick around until Lynette turns 16 and can take care of herself. Magnolia raises Lynette and teaches her how to garden, sew, cook and be kind and compassionate,

This was a nice book. It was short, sweet and to the point, but don’t let the length fool you! It is full of emotion, familial love and characters that will melt your heart. Despite all this, it wasn’t necessarily one of my favorite reads. I didn’t dislike it, but I just didn’t think it was anything outstanding.

I did like the gardening parts of the story and the comparisons the author made between gardening and life.

If you are in need of some short books to achieve your reading goals, give this book a try!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary advanced review copy of this book which I received from Netgalley and BooksGoSocial Audio. All opinions are my own.

This was a strange sweet little tale that I quite enjoyed. The characterizations were strong for something so short and I really loved the sassy style and use of language.

This audiobook was.. okay. It didn't really grip my attention. I debated about not finishing it, but honestly hadn't gathered enough information for me to be comfortable reviewing it. Therefore, I continued listening. The characters are solid. The narrator's voice is soothing and well done. I'm not so sure about how the title works with the book. A snapshot of time within a child's life.

I received a complimentary audiobook copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

A short and sweet story about a nine year old girl, Lynette, raised by her much-loved father, who dies, leaving her in the care of her Great-Great-Aunt Magnolia.

I would have loved more character development, however the book is a quick lunch-break kind of read, so no time for that! I loved how Great-Great-Aunt Magnolia kept her promise to care for Lynette until she was 16, teaching her, over the years, so many basic life skills, right through from how to sew, to how to love.

3 star. Thanks to Netgalley, J. Martain and BooksGoSocial for an ARC in return for my honest review.

What a great coming-of-age short story and an easy listen while I tended to my own small garden on this beautiful summer day!
It left me wanting more. The narrator was easy to listen to and matched the overall feel of the book. Don’t let the title scare you away if you aren’t into extraterrestrials. Ha!
This is my first exposure to J.Martain, but I will be searching for more. This book reminded me of the simple southern, but thoughtful, writing of Joshilyn Jackson. I really enjoyed it.
Thank you #netgalley and #BooksGoSocialAudio for #MyAlienLife advance copy. This is also my fulfillment of a square on my August bingo card #netgalleybingo. Thank you!

I adored this heartwarming book about 9-year-old Lynette who is orphaned and grows up with her 90-something great aunt Magnolia. The characters are quirky and endearing, and the story is so touching. I know this one will stay with me.

The audiobook narrator was excellent. I recommend listening to this one.

LOVE the narrator of this book. Her voice is pleasing and easy to listen to and her southern accent is charming.

This audiobook is a super sweet coming of age story of love and bonding between two unlikely family members.

Full of emotion and endearing. I didn’t want this story to end.

Family Drama and Promise Keeping
Young Lynette did not remember her mother. She was raised in rural North Carolina by her hard-working father. When Lynette's father died, the only relative willing to take Lynette was her great, great Aunt Magnolia.
Lynette was nine years old and Aunt Mag promised to stay alive until Lynette was sixteen years old.

This is the poignant story of Lynette's seven years with her Great-great-aunt Magnolia Rose McClellan, the oldest sister of her mother's great-grandmother. Aunt Mag didn't have very much money, but she taught Lynette the meaning of love, commitment, and family.

The narration of the audiobook is very good. The southern dialect makes the characters come to life.

My Thoughts
I listened to the audiobook and I also read a digital copy of the book. The narration of the audiobook is awesome and I enjoyed listening to the story. The characters were very authentic and I felt great empathy for Lynette, especially after her father died. I was not sure about her future with Aunt Mag, but the more I listened the more I realized that Lynette was in the right place.

Aunt Mag was totally committed to raising Lynette and keeping her promise. This short story will make your heart smile.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out of 5