More of a character study

This one was an interesting listen. I picked it up because I love Kim Holden and Alex Kydd. I wasn't really clear on the plotline when I started. While there was a loose plot here it struck me more as a character study. Miranda is a horrible woman married to a wonderful man. I get that we can't choose who we love and that kindness and compassion are far better qualities than hate and resentment. But dude, how much do you put up with before you are a doormat? Poor Seamus finally gets out the clutches of the world's worst wife and meets a sweet girl. Only life is never that easy. Miranda was a fascinating character but I think I would have preferred less of her perspective.
I enjoyed this one but it was a super compelling read and definitely not as good as other Kim Holden books I have listened too.

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So much more than I expected

I love Kim Holden - and I've owned this book in several formats since it's release but I was having troubles wanting to read it because it didn't really sound like my type of book. I loved Brightside and Gus and even have a "Do Epic" tattoo so I expected to like this book as well.
I LOVED this book. I can't entirely explain why but any time that I wasn't listening to it or reading it I was anxious to. I would sit on my couch at the end of the night and think "wait isn't there a tv show I'm in the middle of/excited for?" but then remember it was this book that I was anxiously awaiting to continue. It was entrancing. I admit I didn't like the narrator for Miranda in the beginning but my dislike for her ended up fitting well with my dislike for Miranda thus making it perfect somehow. Kim Holden, I love your brain. It's pretty rare that someone can make a character that you hate so much but need to keep reading. I can only think of one other book that accomplished that.
Do yourself a favor and read this. Listen to it. Whatever way you need to just KNOW THIS STORY!

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4 people found this helpful

Such a great listen

𝗦𝗼 𝗠𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗞𝗶𝗺 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
🎧𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥
🎙️𝘌𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘒𝘺𝘥𝘥, & 𝘔𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭

I absolutely loved this story. I was immediately hooked, and listening to this in less than a day! I REALLY connected with Seamus and his struggles with his health, and feeling broken because of it. I adored all three kids, and loved that we got to see their personalities and were just mentioned. I absolutely hated Miranda, but everything worked out as it should in the end. Highly recommend this!

𝘽𝙇𝙐𝙍𝘽:
This is the story of the rise and fall…and rise…of Seamus and Miranda.
In the beginning, Miranda was attracted to the good everyone saw in Seamus.
Seamus was attracted to the good no one saw in Miranda.
Miranda loved plans.
Seamus loved people.
They came together with purpose and passion.
The perfect family.
Until the façade cracked.
And crumbled.
The rise.
And the fall.

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Beautifully Written & Narrated

I have been on a Kim Holden binge...I started with All of It and then continued on and this was the last one (well not anymore since she recently released another one) and have not been disappointed in any of them and she is now an automatic one-click for me. WOW does this girl know how to bring out all the feels in books and invoke a ton of emotion into her words. I felt this one was very different than her previous books but not in a bad way. I absolutely hated Miranda throughout much of this book but by the end, I was actually kind of starting to like her and Seamus is super dad throughout every word of this book and I'm so glad that he met Faith and they were able to help each other. Although the majority of this book is about Seamus and Miranda the secondary characters, Hope and Faith, get their chance to speak and tell their stories as well and it just makes this book all the more enjoyable. The narrators were perfect for this story and were able to convey every emotion into their voices and make you truly believe they were the characters. I could see this story playing out perfectly in my head. After reading 5 of Kim's books, I'm not sure how this amazing author isn't on top of every best selling list out there because she has truly crafted the art of story telling no matter what the subject.

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Wow! What a beautifully crafted story!

I was hesitant to read this because from the description and some of the reviews read I was worried that it would be really angsty and anxiety-provoking.
It absolutely makes the reader feel a massive spectrum of emotions, but it wasn’t (thankfully) a heartbreaking torturous kind of story for me, even though there certainly was heartbreak within the story.

Miranda is an interesting character. For the vast majority of the book she is pretty much the definition of evil incarnate. She is just a vile witch with a capital B. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly loathe her more, she proved me wrong, time and time again.
Seamus, on the other hand, is love and kindness incarnate. He loves with his whole heart and loves his kids more than anything. He is everything that a daddy should be, and it’s heartbreaking that he ended up with such a conniving, manipulative she-devil.
Faith & Hope are both interesting characters. We don’t know much about Hope for most of the book, but wait until you get to her part of the story. Ugh.
Faith is incredible. As incredible as Seamus is, much amplified, if you can believe that. (I will say though that her having dreadlocks was disappointing to me because Caucasian hair doesn’t lock naturally like Black hair does. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I wish she just had blue hair instead of blue locks. But I digress. The fact that Faith has reached adulthood with such a pure, kind heart is miraculous given all she’s been through. No doubt, her angel of a social worker is due a good amount of credit.

I am so glad that I read this story. It’s extremely rare that I rate stories 5 stars, so that should tell you how worthwhile this story is! It’s being added to my Favorites list too.

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SO MUCH MORE!!!!

Would you listen to So Much More again? Why?

No, I don't listen to books twice, there are too many other books out there to read.

What was one of the most memorable moments of So Much More?

A COUPLE OF THINGS
* WHEN MIRANDA RECEIVED THE PHONE CALL FROM THE HOSPITAL
*WHEN MIRANDA BACKED HER CAR....

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

OH, THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS!
* THE NARRATOR WHO DID MIRANDA WAS UNBELIEVABLE!!! SHE CAUGHT HER PERSONALITY SO PERFECTLY, I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!
*THE OTHER TWO NAILED THEIR PARTS ALSO!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

YES, WHEN YOU REALIZE THE STORY BEHIND THE CANE, AND HOW MIRANDA TALKS TO HIM (SPOILERS)

Any additional comments?

RUSH, RUSH, RUSH RIGHT NOW AND GET THIS BOOK!
YOU'LL PROBABLY RECOGNIZE SOMEONE YOU KNOW IN HERE!!! 😉

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3 people found this helpful

Amazing

So Much More is such a riveting book I listened to the whole book in one day! I loved that it had three narrators and they all did an amazing job.

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Another great romance from Kim Holden

Love, absolutely love the narrator Alyx Kidd. I loved the life affirming heart of this story, the well written love scenes and the great mix of drama, thoughtfulness and mirth.

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So Much More

I read the Audible version. And loved the narrators. This story has had me engrossed for days while driving to/from work, walking on the treadmill and the hours in between.

Let me start by saying how much I despised Miranda. This is a story of goodness. Fathers giving love so freely. Children smiling and playing despite their circumstances. Young struggling women, mature beyond their years, giving free hugs. Neighbors offering support freely. It made my heart ache and gut twist at the cruel and manipulative things she did. Redeemable? Not in my mind, although an epiphany can put one on the right track, her soul is so damaged and almost evil.

Fate dealt her hand. Lessons learned the hardest, most painful way. Soul deep pain. Youthful happiness and spirit restored. Something, rather someone, missing discovered. Hearts healed. Love found...and survived. It's a story of goodness. And we all need some goodness. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ So Much More...

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4 people found this helpful

Does not disappoint

Kim Holden is a genius. Her characters are so well written. Heart warming, heart wrenching. The narration was strong. Alex Kydd caught my attention with "Gus" and again delivers a powerhouse performance.

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4 people found this helpful