The wandering season by Aimie K Runyan

Veronica is a food broker, she loves her job and her family… Her sister unwittingly outs her parents at christmas as being her adoptive parents… she already knew this but her parents didn’t know she knew. In an attempt to help her connect with her heritage they send her on an extended holiday to all the places her DNA test said she came from…

With a beautiful journey and a handsome man, Veronica finds so much more than just who she is.

This book was wild! I loved that the author mashed up magical realism and contemporary fiction. It worked really well for me. The narrator was phenomenal. I could listen to them all day for the rest of my life. I loved the characters and all the charming places she visited. The writing was spectacular and it truly felt like I was traipsing around some of the most beautiful parts of Europe.

4.5 stars! Excellent!!!!

This book held so much promise - a young woman finding her roots, travel to far away places, food and a touch of magic. It started off strong but quickly fell off for me. The writing style, dialogue and descriptions did not work well. This ended up being a “did not finish” for me. I must say, though, that the audio narration was very good and if the storyline had been a bit stronger, I would have continued listening.

I just finished an enjoyable audiobook. The Wandering Season by Aimie K. Runyan was very entertaining. It's available now.

First of all, many kudos to the narrator. Her voice was perfect for the story, and I enjoyed her narration so much that I would have finished this audiobook no matter what.

The story, itself, wasn't as big of a hit. It was a genre mash up that just didn't quite work for me. Veronica's current day journey of traveling to places of her ancestors and discovering what she really wanted, career wise, was fun. I loved the sense of place from her different destinations, and I especially loved the food descriptions. I loved the camaraderie of her sister and best friend, but the "rich girl" attitudes were off putting. The romance of Veronica and Niall actually felt like a plot line I could totally do without. I also never believed the "visions" and would have liked for Veronica to learn about her ancestors in a more organic way. Overall, it was a GREAT listen but some definite problems with plot for this reader.

Caroline Hewitt does a fantastic job of making the characters come alive with distinguishing voices and lovely accents! Her voice is soothing, matching the tone of the slowly unfolding story. I thoroughly enjoyed the listening experience and would highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to listen to this one in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Flying to Europe is expensive, enjoying this book was the much more economical way to see parts of Ireland, France, Italy, and Denmark!

I enjoyed getting to know Veronica in the midst of her quarter life crisis. During this moment of turmoil in her life, she was a character I was easily able to root for. Her selflessness and journey to opening her heart to love and happiness, in more than one way, was lovely to read.

I was surprised by the vague paranormal ghost-y elements, but not in a bad way! Learning the stories of Veronica’s ancestors added depth to the story.

All in all this was a fast-paced, enjoyable read with a wonderful audiobook reader whose voices for many different characters (with numerous accents no less!) had me completely entranced in the story.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝑨𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒆 𝑲. 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒚𝒂𝒏 &
𝑵𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑯𝒆𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒕 was out April 1st from @harpermusebooks and continues with a little bit of magic in a much lighter story of Veronica who goes in search of her roots upon confirmation of her adoption. Her trip reveals more than she imagines and brings an opportunity to make real changes in her life. I really wanted to like this more. The story felt like a sweet one, but somehow felt a bit abrupt in the magical aspects. The story is a bit predictable, but if you are looking for a lovely, heartwarming tale, do pick this up.
The Narration was smooth and easy to listen to with several different accents.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I’ve read several of Aimie Runyan’s novels, which never fail to delight. In 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧, she captivated me with this genre mash-up.

Veronica, a specialty food broker, discovers that she is adopted after taking a DNA test. She sets off to Europe to discover more about her ancestry. She also uses the trip to help establish connections with European food markets, hoping to help her struggling business.

I loved traveling with Veronica. The descriptions of the countries, castles, bookshops, and, of course, all the food were remarkable. The magical realism element was a surprise, but it was enjoyable in that it also offered little stories within the story.

Grab a snack, 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑡, and escape into the pages of this cozy and heartwarming book.


𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝:
🌿Family and Adoption
🌿Heritage and Ancestry
🌿Travel and Wanderlust
🌿Female Friendships
🌿Sweet Romance
🌿Magical Realism
🌿Food, Food, Food

🎧 Caroline Hewitt does a lovely job narrating the audiobook, making it a perfect pairing with the physical book or listening when I didn’t want to put it down.

Thank you to @suzyapprovedbooktours @harpermusebooks and @bookishaimie for the gifted book.
Thank you @harpercollins #harpermuseaudio for the gifted audiobook.

Gah! This story!

Did you love Eat Pray Love, but wished there was MORE FOOD TALK and just a touch of MAGIC?

This felt a little like a coming-of-age story (which I LOVE) but with someone with a fully formed pre-frontal cortex.

I loved the adoption/DNA impetus of the story, and the FMC’s personal growth as she journeys from country to country to find out who she is, and who she’s always been.

Do I wish I’d got an open-door scene with V & N? Maaaaybe.

Will I be first in line for this author’s next book? DEFINITELY.

Queue "Dreams" by The Cranberries~

🎵"...Oh, my life is changing everyday
In every possible way
And oh, my dreams
It's never quite as it seems
'Cause you're a dream to me
Dream to me..."🎵


My favorite kind of fairy tale has been released to the world - in audiobook, too! If you know me, then you know I love all things food, travel, family, and books, and Aimie K. Runyan has combined all of these perfect ingredients into a delicious story, leaving me wanting more.

I loved every minute of following her FMC, Veronica, who is not just a food broker, but a food matchmaker, as she navigates her journey of self-exploration after a long-term breakup AND the results of an ancestry report.

Runyan whisks her readers from the slopes of Estes Colorado to little culinary treasure trove towns in Ireland, France, and Italy (as well as brief stops in Copenhagen and NYC), all the while Veronica searches for her origination story. In true 🧚‍♀️ fairytale fashion, there is magic, a castle 🏰, and yes, even a chivalrous suitor 😉. There are even fabulous recipes included! I really loved this novel, as well as the narrator, and having read several of her backlist, I can easily say this is my favorite to date!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper for a copy of this audiobook.

The narrator.did a fantastic job. It was very easy and soothing to listen to.

The main character has known she was adopted for years. However her family didn't know she knew until her sister gifted the family DNA kits. Then off she goes to visit the lands her and ancestors are from. This book had potential. I felt like it could have been researched more and more editing to put the story together better. It was a good story but it was captivating. It didn't grasp my attention very well.

I really enjoyed the narrator—she was excellent at capturing the various regional accents. I liked this book; it offered a lovely adventure of self-discovery and self-love. It's a light and entertaining mix of travel, magic, and romance. That said, while I did enjoy it and would give it 4 stars, I don’t think it’s for everyone. At times, it felt a bit tone-deaf to the current financial struggles and economic realities. Personally, I found it required a suspension of disbelief when it came to the overall cost of the lifestyle and privileges enjoyed by the family and the FMC.

I have to admit I enjoyed this more than I thought I would! After reading the description it peaked my interest along with the beautiful cover. But I truly fell in love with Aimie’s writing. The way she described the scenery and painted a scene was amazing. After Veronica learns she was adopted, her amazing sister sets up a month long trip to Europe to all of the destinations that the DNA kit said her ancestors were from. There was self-discovery, friendship, family, food and even a little romance. Her love and description of food and impeccable ingredients had me wanting to discover new foods! She even sees echos of old souls and visions of the past on her journey, which I felt was a really cool part of the story. But the real gem of this book was Niall’s character. I just loved how sweet he was 🥹 the narration really brought the story to life and I felt that Caroline Hewitt performed the accents so well! I definitely need to look into more books that she has narrated.

The Wandering Season was a lighthearted novel about a female restaurant consultant who, after taking a DNA test and learning about her ancestry, embarks on a month-long vacation through Ireland, Italy, and Denmark to visit the countries of her predecessors.

Veronica is a mid-twenties female who is reeling from the end of her long-term relationship with her boyfriend and her ambivalence about her career path. Her family gifts her the vacation of a lifetime, in which she visits three countries, and the novel includes detailed descriptions of these places and their unique cuisines. There is also a magical realism element as Veronica begins to have "visions" of her ancestors throughout her trip. Overall, I enjoyed this charming story of self-discovery and romance.

Recommended for those who enjoy the following:
*Magical realism
*Wanderlust
*Food porn
*Books that include recipes
*Adoption theme

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse Audiobooks, Harper Muse for advanced audiobook and e-book copies in exchange for my honest review.

Veronica does a DNA kit and has suspicions confirmed that she is adopted. The Kit indicates that She is of European descent so she decides to travel to four different locations to learn more about her heritage.
There are a lot of things going on in this book. It has paranormal aspects that were not expected and seemed random. I think the book would've benefited from them being left out completely. The locations that were chosen also did not feel connected. It all felt like it needed more research and more editing to make it click better together.. So it had all of this going on and then we through in a romance on top of it which felt like an after thought. they did not have much chemistry. The best part about their relationship and this book in general was the food. the conversations about food and the different discoveries.
I think this book needed more development. It felt like it was trying to be too many things.

In The Wandering Season, readers accompany Veronica Stratton on a literal journey of self-discovery after her infant adoption is publicly acknowledged. While dealing with a recent breakup and pondering her relationships with her beloved parents and sister, she goes on a month-long European trip to visit the countries of her ethnic origins. Will she find far more than she ever anticipated?

I enjoyed wandering the globe with Aimie K. Runyan as my tour guide while listening to the audiobook narrated by Caroline Hewitt. Several times I thought the plot was headed in a predictable direction, but Ms. Runyan always surprised me, enhancing my connection to the story. I like touches of magical realism in novels, but those in The Wandering Season felt abrupt until I understood that they were components of Veronica’s heritage.

Read this if you enjoy:
- a unique twist on the ‘surprise DNA results’ trope
- descriptions of delicious food and the sources of the ingredients
- traveling from the comfort of your favorite reading chair
- touches of magical realism that provide glimpses of earlier eras

Thank you to Harper Muse and Uplit Reads for the review copies of this novel. All opinions are my own.

The Wandering Season audiobook was an enjoyable escape with a fabulous narrator who was successfully able to cover multiple accents - Irish, Italian and a few more in-between. The storyline had likeable characters and they all added to the charm of Veronica's story of family, ancestory, love and a touch of the unknown.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for my ALC.

Thank you so much to Harper Muse Audio and NetGalley for this ARC of The Wandering Season!!

This book was so wonderful. It had magic, romance, and delicious food. I really enjoyed this take on time travel. It was interesting getting to know about the different women she was connected with. The love story felt a bit random, but I’m always here for some romantic elements. This definitely made me want to travel through some small towns in Europe and find out about my ancestral history.

The audiobook was so good for this as well. The narrator’s accents were spot on and it made for an enjoyable listen.

#TheWanderingSeason #NetGalley

Aimie's books always bring on a lot of emotion with a thought-provoking theme and intriguing settings. I liked the exploration of unexpected DNA results and the idea of visiting ancestral homelands. The magical realism is a nice touch as is the romance found along the way. The culinary descriptions are incredible and as a truffle lover I was salivating as she created an amazing meal with them. I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook and it's very well done and a delightful way to enjoy this well-written nod to family.

Unfortunately this story did not grab me. It had odd pacing, some dialog too forced, and the family's reaction to Veronica knowing she was adopted was extremely tidy and just seemed too unrealistic. I did not finish the book.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced audiobook. All opinions are my own.