TOO SOON FOR ADIOS

Narrator Luzma Ortiz adds a charming, lovable quality to this story about finding hope after loss. Gabby is a 29-year-old L.A. native who recently lost her mother to cancer. Emotionally and financially devastated, she accepts her biological father's proposal to flip her great-grandmother's house in New Mexico. Gabby hires the town's attractive mayor/handyman, Diego, to help her fix up the house. Ortiz delivers an emotionally charged performance as Gabby, who doesn't know if she can trust her father or Diego. Ortiz is funny and versatile as she portrays some of the town's interesting characters, such as the local medicine woman and the cook at the diner. Ortiz nimbly switches from English to Spanish and back when necessary and delivers accents superbly. A.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2023]