Us After You (Unabridged‪)‬

𝐔𝐬 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮 by Claudia Burgoa is an emotionally charged book about two wounded souls coming together in the wake of unspeakable tragedy to care for a defenseless baby girl, but also find their own light in the darkness in the process. To the world at large, Tucker Decker has been the famous frontman of the Sinners of Seattle, a ruthless businessman, and generous philanthropist, but few people know the deep emotional scars he carries from his tumultuous childhood. The enduring feeling of not being enough leaves a mark on a person. Constantly trying to save your friends without being dragged into the abyss yourself is futile in some cases. When he met Sage, the chemistry between them was obvious and instant, but they just weren’t ready for each other, as she had demons from her own past still dogging her heels. Life had to throw more tragedy, drama, and sacrifice at them, in order for them to be ready to fight for something better.

I listened to the audio version narrated by George Newbern & Grace Grant, and I’m honestly blown away! I don’t know how they read this beautifully painful and poignant story without getting emotional themselves!!🥹 The emotions throughout the story were so raw and gritty, with twists that had me crying. Don’t get me wrong, there were happy moments too! The way Tucker totally melted for the baby was a major swoon factor!! I just love the way the narrators were able to embody the full range of emotions, as well as all the different characters! And that ending? So much happiness!!😍

Claudia Burgoa pens another amazing novel set in her “Sinners of Seattle” world, and those Sinners are some of my favorite characters, the Deckers too. Besides the Sinners, characters from some of her other books and series make appearances. Burgoa’s world building is phenomenal, and I love how she built most of her books/series in the same world, and characters occasionally crossover and appear in other books. This book stands on its own, so if you haven’t read or listened to any of the other books, you will not feel lost or like something is missing, because everything you need to know is in the descriptive details. Now back to “Us After You”, this book is Tucker Decker and Sage Haywood’s story and wow, what a story it is, not only did it captivate my attention the entire time but it tugged on my heartstrings too. Their story is an emotional rollercoaster like no other, Tucker has grown so much as a person since he was first introduced, he got a handle on his inner demons and he is finally the person he was meant to be and he has finds the person he wants to be with. Sage’s sister, Sienna, fell in love with Patrick, who the Sinners just called Rocco. Despite his failed attempts at staying clean, they still considered him family and we see that more than ever in this book. Sienna asks Sage to help put her wedding together, and this is how she first meets Tucker, the man with many names. Sage left NY to get away from her abusive ex-husband and to help her grandparents with their bookstore. When dealing with her parents, Sage rarely spoke what was on her mind, she just said what they wanted to hear, and the best thing she did was get away from them and her loser of an ex. Life throws here another curve ball after a tragedy and lands her straight into the Sinner’s world and side by side with Decker. She gets to witness what a family should really be like when it all hits the fan. This beautifully written and plotted story has plenty of drama, heartfelt emotions, some angst, heart-rending and gut wrenching moments and a slow burn romance. Claudia Burgoa, thank you for another amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧And for the wonderful narration, George Newbern and Grace Grant did an amazing job bringing these characters to life and did so with a complete understanding of who they were and gave each a voice that was a perfect fit. Grace Grant nailed it as Sage, humanized and grasping her every emotion and had you feeling every single one, and Newbern did the same for Tucker. Both were fabulous at performing the roles of the secondary characters as well. These versatile voice artists are entertaining storytellers and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for this amazing listen.