The Year I Stopped Trying
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The Year I Stopped Trying Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Katie Heaney (Author), Kristen DiMercurio (Narrator), Listening Library (Publisher)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 41 ratings
See all formats and editions

Booksmart meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower in this novel of overachieving, existential crises, growing up, and coming out, from the author of Girl Crushed and Never Have I Ever.

Mary is having an existential crisis. She's a good student, she never gets in trouble, and she is searching for the meaning of life. She always thought she'd find it in a perfect score on the SATs. But by junior year, Mary isn't so sure anymore.

The first time, it's an accident. She forgets to do a history assignment. She even crosses "history essay" off in her pristine planner. And then: Nothing happens. She doesn't burst into flames, the world doesn't end, the teacher doesn't even pull her aside after class.

So she asks herself: Why am I trying so hard? What if I stop?

With her signature wit and heaps of dark humor, Katie Heaney delivers a stunning YA novel the sprints full-force into the big questions our teen years beg - and adeptly unravels their web.

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  1. Listening Length
    5 hours and 19 minutes
  2. Author
    Katie Heaney
  3. Narrator
    Kristen DiMercurio
  4. Audible release date
    November 16, 2021
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Listening Library
  7. ASIN
    B08X224PBH
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 5 hours and 19 minutes
Author Katie Heaney
Narrator Kristen DiMercurio
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date November 16, 2021
Publisher Listening Library
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B08X224PBH
Best Sellers Rank #298,167 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#289 in Teen Fiction on Dating & Sex
#294 in LGBTQ+ Romance for Teens
#639 in LGBTQ+ Literature & Fiction for Teens

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
41 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥
5.0 out of 5 stars I adored this book
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
I’m not normally a big YA reader (I’m in my late 20s) but this book’s themes really spoke to me during a weird/stressful/sad time of my life (love to experience my Saturn return during a years long pandemic 🤪). I was immediately drawn in by the premise: what if you just stop? Quit everything?

This word is so overused right now, but it truly was prescient of Heaney to write about quitting during our era of the so-called Great Resignation & a burgeoning new labor movement. Of course, the stakes for quitting are lower for a middle class white teen than it would be for others, but those lower stakes are part of what makes this book such a joy to read. It’s a big, existential topic, but through the eyes of a delightfully neurotic and very funny 16 year old, with a loving, imperfect family whom she can ultimately rely on. And of course, when you’re 16, stakes DO seem insanely high! Taylor Swift fans know this, as does anyone who’s ever been in high school.

Plus — Mary, like all young people right now, is facing climate disaster & the collapse of democracy. What is the point of doing homework at the end of the world?????

Anyway, I really related to Mary’s search for meaning, and I was so surprised and deeply MOVED by where her journey takes her in this book! It’s just lovely. Also got me out of a big reading slump I’ve been in lately. Grateful for this book!!
5 people found this helpful
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Chiara
5.0 out of 5 stars Smiled the whole time I was reading!
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
Tore through this one - funny and poignant, I was rooting for the main character, her quiet rebellion, and her budding romances. Kept alternating between laughing aloud and saying “So true” to myself. Come for the premise, stay for the weirdly compelling descriptions of Midwest Winter and shifts at a Panera-like sandwich and soup place! So comforting, familiar and transportative….but actually funny. Really recommend!
4 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Story; Admirational Lesson
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2023
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It was a great story with an admirable lesson . However , I wish it ended better than it did.
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Sam
3.0 out of 5 stars A worrhy read but disappointing for me
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2023
Very good writing and story. This book starts off amazing and I loved the theme of shedding external expectations and exploring the authentic self. By the last third of the book, the main character started to bore me, as she never seems to quite breakthrough. She has a revelation at the end, and it comes off as pandering to the current cultural milieu around gender politics instead of a deeper self awareness. The book is richly written, does describe accurately what it’s like to be 16. It draws you in to her world, and the world of trying to live up to unrealistic standards we set for ourselves. There’s a lot of things I loved about this book, I just wanted more form the ending and the main character.
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Caroline
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, sharp, insightful
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book is fabulous. Its author deploys so much wit and sharpness to flesh out the main character and the world she lives in (a suburb, a high school). If you’re familiar with Heaney’s previous works, you’ll recognize the wit and humor very well. An awesome book about getting to know oneself.
2 people found this helpful
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melissa
5.0 out of 5 stars the perfect book for my pandemic burnout
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2021
Verified Purchase
What a gift this book was. The writing is charming and genuine and very funny (there were several laugh out loud moments for me) and the story itself is moving, not to mention extremely relevant/relatable, and ~ no spoilers ~ but the ending is hopeful while still being believable. I loved it.
4 people found this helpful
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Hanny Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Insightful and Sarcastic makes for a great read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2021
Verified Purchase
The author speaks in a manner which allows the reader to feel like she is sitting down to listen to her friend’s story of finding herself by resisting what she Should do and in the process finds herself. This includes some laugh out loud moments!
3 people found this helpful
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Paige G.
4.0 out of 5 stars book review
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2021
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Year I Stopped Trying

Author: Katie Heaney

Book Series: Standalone

Diversity: F/f romance, Lesbian MC

Rating: 4.5/5

Recommended For…: young adult readers, contemporary, romance, LGBTQIA+

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publication Date: November 16, 2021

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Pages: 256

Recommended Age: 14+ (masturbation discussed, sexual content, romance, coming out, slight language)

Explanation of CWs: Masturbation and sexual content is discussed. There is a sapphic romance. Coming out is shown and there is some curse words.

Synopsis: Mary is having an existential crisis. She’s a good student, she never gets in trouble, and she is searching for the meaning of life. She always thought she’d find it in a perfect score on the SATs. But by junior year, Mary isn’t so sure anymore.

The first time, it’s an accident. She forgets to do a history assignment. She even crosses history essay off in her pristine planner. And then: Nothing happens. She doesn’t burst into flames, the world doesn’t end, the teacher doesn’t even pull her aside after class.

So she asks herself: Why am I trying so hard? What if I stop?

With her signature wit and heaps of dark humor, Katie Heaney delivers a stunning YA novel the sprints full-force into the big questions our teen years beg–and adeptly unravels their web.

Review: I really liked this book. It read like a Judy Blume book and it was so sweet. The book not only goes into mental health and how hard school is on teens, but also goes into discourse over society’s pressure to be perfect in school, do everything you’re told to do, turn in every assignment, and even into compulsory heterosexuality. The book makes a lot of good points about school, some of which I wished more kids knew. When I was in my sophomore year I discovered that I could get away with 1-3 missing assignments and still have an A in the class, which was a small relief for me during high school to be able to know if I had an off day I could just skip the homework. A lot of teachers overpressure kids to do everything in classes, for example extra credit even if they’re earning above 100%, and I hope that kids read books like this and realize that it’s ok to take time you need. Personally I believe that kids should have mental health days/PTO like days from school like how you get when you’re an adult at most jobs. I also loved the sex positive nature of the book and how the main character questions their sexuality in a relatable way. The character development was amazing as well.

The only issues I had with the book is that the world didn’t feel that well developed and I felt like the plot kind of died a bit in the end of the book. It was just drug out and didn’t move like the rest of the book did.

Verdict: Highly recommend!
2 people found this helpful
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