This book is advertised as a standalone, and while that can be true. It's actually the prequel to Flynn's Hartigans series. Take that how you will. I felt like I might have been missing a little context by reading this one first, but overall it was a fun little read.

⅘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Airhead
Author: Avery Flynn

Thank you Netgalley and Brilliance Publishing for my copy of this audiobook! I love Avery Flynn. Also I will devour anything Aiden Snow narrates! This was a short, 80’s themed spicy novella. Katie is determined to avenge her broken hearted sister by vandalizing her exes car. Everything seems perfect until she realizes she attacked the wrong vehicle. Frank, the firefighter, who she has previously shared a moment with is whose car she mistakenly vandalized.. and now she has to make matters right. Loved the 80s theme, and both of the characters. It was the perfect novella that really strikes deep in a short amount of time. Savannah Peachwood, and Aiden Snow really brought this to life!

Even though I’ve never read any of the author’s other books, I found this spicy ‘80s novella easy to follow without needing any backstory on the characters. It was suuuper cheesy but chill and the ideal audiobook to put on in the background while cleaning your room.

(Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an audio ARC for my honest review.)

Eighties nostalgia hit me hard in this one. I fondly remember the days of great big hair, aqua net, answering machines and going out to the movies seeing Halloween on the big screen. I had such a good time with going back in time in this book. Since Airhead is the prequel book to The Hartigan’s series you can read it with no commitment to the rest of the series and just see if this author is someone who going to work for you.

Katie and Frank have a big family now, but back in the day Katie was determined to stay away from the the handsome firefighter with a bevy of broken hearts in his wake. She knows his reputation and wants no part of being another hook up in a long line. Frank, on the other hand, has changed his ways and the only heart or pants he is looking to get into are Katie’s. With a sly move from Katie’s dad, he finds his in to team up and plan a retirement party with Katie. This is his chance to make her see he is more than the bathroom walls claim.

This story was so much fun. I understood Katie’s reluctance to get involved with Frank, she wanted out of the little town she came from and he is already laying down roots. I could see the undeniable draw between them as Frank is quick to out call Katie on her delays and trying to get out of seeing him in person. She has her reasons and most of them have to do with trying to keep all of her clothing on and not forget they are in public. Frank is smooth and determined to get the girl in the end.

This had so many cute moments and I loved how it brought back so many of my own memories from the 80’s which is OMG 40 years ago now. While I think this is going to be more fun for those of us who remember the 80’s it will still have some great moments for some of the younger crowd and they can just tag it as historical fiction.

Narration:
Performance: ★★★★★
Character Separation: ★★★★
Diction: ★★★★★
Pacing/Flow: ★★★★★
Sound Effects: None

Savannah Peachy has narrated some of the other books by Avery Flynn and I found her narration to be just as fantastic as in the other books. She presents Avery’s book humor well and did a great job with Katie. Aiden Snow…well he is one of my favorite male narrators for romance. His voice is hot and just melts my ears, in a good way, with that deep timber. Together they made the characters pop.

This was a fun and nostalgic romance, and I enjoyed experiencing it through audio. Lots of fun, antics, humor, and romance that I think most would enjoy. This is a short listen, so it would be perfect for listening to on a short road trip or at the beach! It has a good amount of spice and all the 80's vibes and is just an overall good time!

This was a fun novella. What I liked most was that even though it was under 200 pages, it felt like a complete book. I'm also glad it didn't get fluffed with more because it felt well done as is.

My biggest (only?) gripe is that the language used was not in line with the era. Too much of the dialogue read like recent spicy novels and felt very far off of what the language would've been like in 1982. So that kept taking me out of the story.

Otherwise, it was a cute story and it did make me curious about the novels that are attached to this family.

A cute little novella packed with 80s references and nostagia.

Katie is a likable independent FMC who isn’t going to be just another notch in our MMC’s belt.
Frank is a misunderstood mischievous “bad boy” who is down bad for our girl Katie.

Overall I loved this book. The plot was a bit lacking at times but tbh, there’s only so much that you can put into a short novella so no points taken off for that.
A quick short beach read type book that has me wondering what the Hartigan kids and grandkids are up to next.

I liked the female narrator but although the male narrator has a nice voice, I felt like he didn’t fit the vibe for Frank. I think there was some kind of disconnect between the written “frank”, the narrator’s voice and then the cover art of Frank.

There was a lot of fun and humor in this book. There was also a lot of language and sex talk. This The audio narration is 5/5. Great pacing and inflections.

Story: 3.5 ⭐️
Steam: 4 🔥
Audio: 5 🎧

This book is super cute if you love the Hartigan family from the rest of Avery’s work! It was cute and knowing their kids lends to a feeling of nostalgia.

As an independent story it was alright. The romance was cute and although I liked the 80s vibe it felt a bit shoved down my throat. I felt like there were constant unnecessary references to the 80s. Again great if you want that nostalgic feel!

The performers did amazing! Definitely a great audiobook!

Absolutely loved this audio book! Katie longs for a grand adventure of life, but feels stuck in her hometown. Frank is a firefighter that has been in Katie for as long as he can remember. Katie doesn't is not the least bit interested in Frank and his reputation around town, although she does appreciate him from a distance. When they are paired up to plan a retirement party, their attraction to each other is undeniable. However, Katie gets into her head and think Frank was just using her and keeps her distance. A few months later Frank finds Katie vandalizing a Delorean. After a whirlwind of an unforgettable night they finally admit their feelings and a beautiful love story begins.

I loved the narrators of both characters, they fit the description perfectly. The story is the perfect balance of humor and romance.

Not bad, not great. One of those books where the characters have sex over and over and whoops, now they're in live. Never had an actual relationship, just hookups.

4.25

novella
spicy
Firefighter
80s romcom
that sucked me in! Ate this one up so fast. A fun read for the summer! Thank you @brilliancepublishing for this ALC.

As a child of the 90’s I was worried this would be a little too rad and not grungy enough for me. But goodness am I glad I took a chance on this story!

This novella is such a fun opposites attract story where he falls first! Absolutely packed with banter and a fun family dynamic, this book has me giggling and rooting for the mmc’s the whole way through!

If you’re looking for a totally rad read with lots of eighties lore, this is the perfect one for you! As for me, you’ll catch me going to read the rest of the Hartigan stories starting now!

A cute and funny book based in 1980s. Firefighter Frank has had a crush Katie since highschool. One night changes everything for them, and it’s such a great ride! I loved this book, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a nostalgic read that had me smiling and swooning. Highly recommend!

Absolutely loved this audiobook and its narration. Aiden Snow and Savannah Peachwood are amazing!! This was such a fun and spicy story. Thoroughly enjoyed this one and will recommend this one

I was not aware this was a novella when I picked up the audiobook, but I'm glad I did. I shy away from novellas because the stories nearly always feel incomplete, however, this was a delight.

It was quick and spicy. I loved that the MMC was a bit of a himbo but not so much he was annoying and the plot flowed without being choppy or forced. I'll def be back to read more from this author.

Thank you to Avery, Netgalley and Brilliance Audio for the opportunity to review this title. I attest that I am leaving my review voluntarily and honestly.

This was a cute novella and I enjoyed the audiobook narrators. I do think some of the enjoyment may have been lost on me as this is the origin story of the parents in a series of books, however I had never heard of this author before this book so I haven't read any of the other books to know who these characters were. I still really enjoyed this though and would be interested to continue reading the series

This romance is a stunner! Airhead has a female mc scared of love and a male mc determined to make her fall for him. I loved the story, the romance and the banter! 5 stars!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Brilliance Publishing for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There was so much fun packed into this little novella!

This is the origin story for the Hartigan’s - a family featured in another series by this author. I didn’t know that going in and you definitely don’t need to read this author’s other books to enjoy <i>Airhead</i>. This novella stand on its own, and definitely makes me want to check out more by this author!

This cute little romance is set in the 80s and filled with so many fun pop culture references, I felt like I was transported in time.

What’s to love…
- Opposites attract
- MMC is a firefighter with red-hair 😍
- FMC is a school teacher
- TALL & curvy FMC
- fun, sexy, & spicy
- Grade A banter
- he falls first & harder

Audio Narration: 5/5 I loved the narration! No notes. Great pacing, inflection, voice variation, and pausing!

🌶️ - 2ish explicit scenes, plenty of pining!

Frank is a firefighter in the small town where Katie is a teacher. She refuses to go out with him at first, but he didn’t give up until she gave in.

I was barely alive in the 80s but I absolutely loved all the vibes! All of the slang like grody, bodacious, and totally bitchin’ were so much fun. This was a short, sweet, sexy novella that I listened to in one sitting!

Two narrators I absolutely love, and always do a fantastic job made this a quick and delightful listen!

🚒Firefighter
📓Teacher
🚒He falls first
📓Set in the 1980s
🚒Novella

🎧Dual audio
🎙️Narrators: Savannah Peachwood and Aiden Snow