Julia Whelan becomes former child star Fiona St. James, offering just the right amount of backstage gossip, romance, and mystery to keep listeners engaged. Fiona was a pivotal character in “Birds of California,” a successful fictional TV sit-com. The producers want a reboot of the series, and they need Fiona and her costar, Sam Fox, to make it happen. When Sam tries to convince Fiona to join the cast, dormant feelings emerge, and she becomes irrational and unpredictable. Whelan provides credible voices and emotions as details about Fiona’s public breakdown emerge. She develops the romantic undercurrent between Sam and Fiona with subtle shifts in tone and pace, and makes Fiona’s reluctance to reenter the world that caused her to fall apart understandable. Great summer listening. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Birds of California is exquisite and delicious, featuring Katie Cotugno's magical combination of wit and insight, with just the right amount of steam. Cotugno has made a name for herself rendering messy, honest, tangled love stories. But with Birds of California, she has outdone herself.” — Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of Daisy Jones & The Six and Malibu Rising

"Funny and heartfelt." — Booklist (starred review)

“Katie Cotugno’s genius is in the details. In her adult debut, she lets us into the messy, complicated lives of Fiona St. James and Sam Fox, two former teen stars thrown back together by opportunity. Cotugno is a master observer, and her skill for specificity shines on every page of this delightfully sexy novel.” — Elissa Sussman, author of Funny You Should Ask and Once More with Feeling (as recommended in the Washington Post)

"Funny and heartfelt."

Birds of California is exquisite and delicious, featuring Katie Cotugno's magical combination of wit and insight, with just the right amount of steam. Cotugno has made a name for herself rendering messy, honest, tangled love stories. But with Birds of California, she has outdone herself.

09/01/2022

Cotugno's (You Say It First) adult debut takes readers to the heart of Los Angeles, where former child/teen star Fiona St. James is trying to make it through her day between caring for her family and opening night as a director-producer-star of a local theater company's newest production. She is shocked when her former costar (and crush) walks into her family's print shop. Sam Fox is desperate for Fiona to agree to a reboot of their former show so Sam can continue to support his family financially back in his hometown. Both are reluctant to show their true feelings or let the other go beneath the surface to extract their secrets. Narrator Julia Whelan (The Measure) expertly brings this novel to life with laugh-out-loud banter and heartfelt emotions. While the story unfolds at a slower pace, her engaging narration will keep listeners hooked into the story. VERDICT Readers of Cotugno's young adult novels will find some similarities, and the audiobook adds a richness to the story that might otherwise be skipped.—Stephanie Charlefour

Julia Whelan becomes former child star Fiona St. James, offering just the right amount of backstage gossip, romance, and mystery to keep listeners engaged. Fiona was a pivotal character in “Birds of California,” a successful fictional TV sit-com. The producers want a reboot of the series, and they need Fiona and her costar, Sam Fox, to make it happen. When Sam tries to convince Fiona to join the cast, dormant feelings emerge, and she becomes irrational and unpredictable. Whelan provides credible voices and emotions as details about Fiona’s public breakdown emerge. She develops the romantic undercurrent between Sam and Fiona with subtle shifts in tone and pace, and makes Fiona’s reluctance to reenter the world that caused her to fall apart understandable. Great summer listening. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine