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Narrated by:
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Simon Mattacks
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By:
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Nick Spalding
About this listen
What do you do when the doctor says you could die at any moment? Well...after you’ve made a cup of tea, of course.
Nathan James is young, successful and has the world at his feet. Unfortunately, he’s also about to die - which ruins things somewhat. And now he’s staring imminent death in the face, Nathan is having to rethink some of his life choices very hard.
This means embarking on a hectic journey of self-discovery that includes, amongst other things, losing his dignity to an inescapable bean bag, suffering screaming nightmares about a monstrous potato, and getting up close and very personal with a bipolar donkey.
All of which is fine, but then Nathan falls in love with a charming girl called Alison, which is a really stupid thing to do. Because how can you give your heart to someone when it might be about to stop?
From Nick Spalding, the bestselling author of Fat Chance, Bricking It and Mad Love, comes a comedy about dying - which is easy - and living, which is most certainly not.
©2018 Nick Spalding (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reservedListeners also enjoyed...
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Hidden gem, incredible narration!
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Narrator choice for Tom is bizarre!
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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By Far the Best Narrator of a Book I've Had
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The Road Trip
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Four years ago, Dylan and Addie fell in love under the Provence sun. Wealthy Oxford student Dylan was staying at his friend Cherry’s enormous French villa; wild child Addie was spending her summer as the on-site caretaker. Two years ago, their relationship officially ended. They haven’t spoken since. Today, Dylan’s and Addie’s lives collide again. It’s the day before Cherry’s wedding, and Addie and Dylan crash cars at the start of the journey there.
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Excellent writing, engaging story, and much laughter
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What listeners say about Checking Out
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Dee
- 10-26-18
I love Nick Spalding!
I've listened to a few Nick Spalding books and I am absolutely crushing on him. He is such a great writer!!! Spalding creates wonderful characters and puts them in situations where the absolute human comes out and he does so with comedic genius.
Nathan James is dying. That's not really a subject to take lightly but in the hands of Spalding, that is exactly what happened. And it was perfection!!! I even liked the ending.
As well-written as the book is, the narrator put it over the top! He was just too good.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Susanne Savage
- 08-06-18
Entertaining
Another funny Nick Spalding book. Characters are funny and endearing. Happy ending where we see the protagonist have the lessons that are important to change him into a happier person.
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- Janice
- 06-12-18
Very FUNNY
I enjoyed the humor of the story. If you find yourself worrying about death, listen to this story and feel better.
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-18-18
loved it
typical hilarity from Nick Spalding. No one can take a mortifying experience and humanize like Nick!!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Sharlotte
- 06-01-18
Wonderful Fun as Always from Spalding!
I was so happy to discover a new book from Spalding, who is hilarious and entertaining beyond belief. This one did not disappoint. I loved it! Spalding is my favorite Audible author because who doesn't love cheeky, laugh-out-loud humor! This is British humor that's definitely universal so don't be hesitant.
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- Amazon Customer Mel
- 03-02-20
great great great story and EXCELLENT NARRATION!
great great great story and EXCELLENT NARRATION! what a great find this book and nick Spalding's storytelling .. like a super funny sitcom... BRILLIANT!
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- Kristyn Rose
- 04-17-20
Unexpected
Honestly, I really thought I know how this one would end. It surprised me, though! And I’m glad of it! Nathan James takes quite a kidney. Some of it tears at your heart and some makes you laugh out loud. It all went by too quickly for me. I would have liked to connect with Ally a little more, but it was still a great story.
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- Victoria
- 04-17-18
Funny, entertaing easy read
What made the experience of listening to Checking Out the most enjoyable?
It was a serious subject about a young man who is diagnosed with a brain tumor but the book managed to make me laugh and not feel sad all the way through the book
What was one of the most memorable moments of Checking Out?
The chapter when his new girlfriend comes over and he drank an herbal concoction that did not agree with him.
Have you listened to any of Simon Mattacks’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No I have not but I loved the accents and felt he did a great job
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Yes it made me laugh and cry.
Any additional comments?
I love books that make me laugh and forget my stressful job. A writer who can turn a story about a brain tumor into a book that made me laugh so hard is magic. He reminded me that my life isn't so bad and look for the humor. Laughter is the best medicine
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1 person found this helpful
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- Suzanne M. Garrison
- 06-26-18
Unexpected! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I wasn’t expecting the body of this story to be as entertaining with laugh out loud moments. The premise is certainly dark, but the conclusion provide prospective and great insight. For such a short book it was well written and the performance was outstanding! Give it a go!
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- KendallRN
- 02-27-25
So Very Wonderful!!!
Sad, uplifting, hilarious… yes… all of that!!! Mr. Spalding, you’ve done it again!!! You bring all the “feels” (even tears!) of sadness, and just darn good funny stuff!!! (The donkey bit… PRICELESS!) This is the 3rd of your work I’ve listened to… and I’ll be downloading more shortly!! Thanks for sharing your talent!!
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