Upon Further Review: Carter Finally Gets It

Upon Further Review is an original feature here at Somewhere Only We Know. I have always loved re-reading my favorite books, and I wanted a way to incorporate re-reading into my blog. Thus From the Ashes and Upon Further Review were born. From the Ashes is where I re-read a book that I have never reviewed before and finally review it. Upon Further Review is where I re-read a book that I've already reviewed and see if my original rating stands or not. This is also the time for me to discuss any new revelations that my latest re-read has brought to my attention.

Carter Finally Gets It (Carter Finally Gets It, # 1)

By: Brent Crawford

Published: April 2009 by Disney-Hyperion

300 pages

Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction, Comedy

Source: Free Audio Download from Sync Audiobooks

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Goodreads description--Meet Will Carter, but feel free to call him Carter. (Yes, he knows it's a lazy nickname, but he didn't have much say in the matter.)

Here are five things you should know about him:

1. He has a stuttering problem, particularly around boobs and belly buttons.

2. He battles Attention Deficit Disorder every minute of every day unless he gets distracted.

3. He's a virgin, mostly because he's no good at talking to girls (see number 1).

4. He's about to start high school.

5. He's totally not ready.

Join Carter for his freshman year, where he'll search for sex, love, and acceptance anywhere he can find it. In the process, he'll almost kill a trombone player, face off with his greatest nemesis, suffer a lot of blood loss, narrowly escape death, run from the cops (not once, but twice), get caught up in a messy love triangle, meet his match in the form of a curvy drill teamer, and surprise the hell out of everyone, including himself.

HERE’s my original review of Carter Finally Gets It. Periodically, I just get in a mood where I want to read (or listen) to a book that I know what to expect from. When Top Secret Twenty-One (Stephanie Plum, # 21) by Janet Evanovich didn’t have me rolling on the floor or laughing out loud, I decided that I need something that was going to make me laugh and something that I knew what to expect and therefore, if I spaced out for a bit because of work then I wouldn’t miss anything too much. And so Carter Finally Gets It fit that bill. I remembered this book having me literally belly laughing when I first listened to it, and so I wanted that again.

Obviously, I knew where all of the funny parts where listening to this audiobook a second time, but man that did not hinder this book’s ability to have me rolling. I was trying so hard to hold my laughter in since I was listening at work, but it just wasn’t possible. One time a coworker came to my desk to discuss a work project, and I just had to sit there for like 5 minutes or so trying to get myself together. It was embarrassing. But oh so funny. Upon my second listen, I can see where this book might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Carter Finally Gets It appeals to a specific type of humor, but it just happens to fit mine perfectly.

Carter Finally Gets It has more of a story than I ever expected. It was hilarious to see how clueless Carter was in general but especially when trying to deal with the opposite sex. He has no clue and his hormones get him into more than one mess. As a female, I couldn’t help thinking “Is this how it really is for guys?” I want my husband to listen to this book, but he’s not been in the audiobook kind of mood lately—and if he finds that mood then we have to finish listening to Harry Potter first. But in an industry that is mostly dominated by female narrators—or at least dual narratives—this is probably my favorite young adult book solely narrated by a male character. The language was more noticeable to me this time. Even though Carter doesn’t drop any f-bombs, other language is used pretty frequently.

I sang and sang the praises of Nick Podehl in my original review of Carter Finally Gets It, but I just have to sing them again. This book would have still been funny without him, but it would not have been AS funny without him. I said it before, but I’ve never found a narrator that commits to a part or a book as Nick Podehl committed to Carter in this book. It was awesome. And I’m tempted to go hunt down other audiobooks that he’s narrated, even if the book itself wasn’t originally on my TBR list.

I originally gave Carter Finally Gets It 4 stars. I gave it a 5 for the narration and a 3.5 for the story. I don’t know guys, I’ve yet to overturn an original rating, but I think the storyline for Carter Finally Gets It might be better than I originally thought. Since this was my second time through this book, I picked up on a lot of the little details that escaped me last time. I feel good about bumping the storyline up to 4 Stars, which would give my overall rating of Carter Finally Gets It 4.5 Stars. Have you read (or listened) Carter Finally Gets It? What did you think? Let me know!

I also forced this audiobook on a friend who was in a major need of a laugh about the same time that I listened to it, and she loved it too. I always worry that I’ve built it up too much, but that’s just another validation for me that this book is as good as I originally thought—and shoot…better.