Picture a fashion editor's former assistant, a surprise pregnancy already public knowledge between them, and a workaholic partner who has never once made things easy. That is where the Above All Things audiobook picks up, dropping Jules Moretti and Vivian Carlisle back into each other's lives with the messiest parts of their romance already behind them and the harder work of actually building something still ahead.
The Verdict, Briefly
As Vivian's personal assistant, Jules spent her days managing her ice queen boss's whims and commands before the shocking discovery of Vivian's pregnancy, and the equally shocking realization that Jules herself was falling hard for the woman giving her all those orders. Above All Things picks up with the feeling mutual and confirmed, and follows Jules forging her own path while she and Vivian try to balance a new relationship against backstabbing colleagues, meddling family members, and a baby on the way. Roslyn Sinclair writes this as the second entry in The Carlisle series, and Tantor Audio released it in December 2022 with Abby Craden narrating across 9 hours and 34 minutes. The listing carries a note for mature themes, consistent with a story that does not shy away from its characters' more complicated dynamics.
Whether the explosive chemistry that got Jules and Vivian together in the first place can actually survive daily life is the central question the synopsis poses: office politics, families who will not stay out of it, and the practical reality of a baby arriving into an already complicated household. That is a different kind of tension than the will-they-won't-they of a typical first-book setup, and it puts the pressure on whether the relationship itself holds up rather than on whether it begins at all.
Several reviewers frame this specifically as the back half of a duology, with more than one referencing a first book by name as Truth and Measure, and the consensus among them is that the payoff justifies the wait. One reviewer calls it a brilliant ending to a wonderful duology, saying it surpassed even the strong impression the first book left, and credits Sinclair with a precise sense of how Jules and Vivian would actually think, act, and behave, describing them as messy, funny, and awkward in ways that read as genuinely human rather than as romance-novel archetypes. Another reviewer, who says they otherwise give zero thought to the world of fashion, found the book fun and the plot interesting enough to override any lack of built-in interest in the setting, which is a good sign for readers who might worry the fashion industry backdrop is a barrier to entry.
A third reviewer lays out the specific trope mix at work here: age gap, a rich and poor dynamic between the two leads, workplace romance, and the ice queen archetype, combined in a way that reviewer found fresh rather than tired, despite not usually gravitating toward slow burn romance. That same reviewer notes the series avoids one common slow burn pitfall, dragging the will-they-won't-they out for chapters past the point of patience, by having already resolved the central tension in the first book and using this second one to dig into what comes after the getting-together moment most romances end on.
A fourth reviewer, describing Jules's departure from her old employer, referred to here in the review as Du Vour, and her adjustment to being financially independent from Vivian for the first time, called this a natural next step in the couple's arc rather than a manufactured obstacle, and praised Sinclair for giving Jules real stakes of her own instead of keeping her defined entirely by her relationship to Vivian.
Things to Know Before Starting Above All Things
The rating badge here needs a caveat before you weigh it. It currently shows 4.8 stars, but the counter reads only one rating, even though five full written reviews sit beneath it, four rated five stars and one rated four. A single logged rating cannot mathematically produce a 4.8 average, so treat the displayed number as unreliable until the counter catches up with what is actually posted on the page.
Structurally, this is very much a book two, and every review that addresses the series treats books one and two as effectively a single continuous story rather than two fully separate volumes. One reviewer put it plainly, saying the two books together read as one long story rather than a self-contained sequel, and that the wait for the ending was worth it precisely because of how connected the two installments are. If you have not listened to Truth and Measure first, going straight into Above All Things means starting partway through Jules and Vivian's relationship rather than at its beginning, missing the ice queen dynamic and the initial pregnancy reveal that set the entire second book in motion.
Who Will Get the Most From It
Listeners who enjoy workplace romance with a real power imbalance built in will find the most to like here, along with readers drawn to age-gap and rich-poor dynamics paired with an ice queen softening over time, and anyone who wants a slow burn that keeps developing after the couple actually gets together rather than ending the moment they do. The fashion industry setting adds texture without becoming a barrier, based on more than one reviewer who came in with no particular interest in that world.
Skip straight to this one only if you are comfortable starting a relationship story already in progress, since nearly every review treats the two Carlisle books as a single unit rather than independent entries. Otherwise, start with Truth and Measure first, then let Above All Things deliver the ending several reviewers describe as better than they expected going in. Nine and a half hours is a reasonable ask for a conclusion this consistently praised, especially for listeners who already know they want to see Jules and Vivian make it work outside the office.
- Narration: Abby Craden narrates; the audio performance itself goes unmentioned across all five reviews.
- Themes: workplace romance, age gap, fashion-world power dynamics
- Mood: Angsty and warm, building toward a hard-won resolution
- Verdict: Best enjoyed after Truth and Measure, the well-reviewed first half of this duology.
Questions Listeners Ask
Do I need to listen to Truth and Measure before the Above All Things audiobook?
Reviewers strongly suggest yes. Multiple reviews treat the two Carlisle books as one continuous story rather than separate volumes, so starting with Above All Things means beginning partway through Jules and Vivian's relationship rather than at the ice queen dynamic that kicks it off.
Is the Above All Things audiobook a standalone or does it close out a series?
It is the second and, according to reviewers, concluding entry in The Carlisle series, following the first book referenced as Truth and Measure. One reviewer calls it a brilliant ending to a wonderful duology rather than an open-ended sequel with more books still to come.
What romance tropes does the Above All Things audiobook lean on?
One reviewer lists age gap, a rich-and-poor dynamic, workplace romance, and the ice queen archetype as the specific mix at work, adding that the book avoids dragging out the will-they-won't-they tension since the couple already got together in the first installment.
