Truly genuine story w/the perfect narration!

I'm not sure if I loved this even more due to my obsession with audiobooks, but it was SO well written. I truly believe it could only be told and done justice by someone in the audio industry. I shed a few tears, but mostly laughed, especially during moments I could personally relate to.

This was such a clever and original story, I wish everyone could read it, but please grab the audiobook if possible, you'll be able to appreciate it even more. My cheeks are still sore even hours later, and I will definitely be reading this one again soon!

I LOVED this book. The characters were so well written. I loved Swan, I loved Blah, I loved Adaku (I’m starting a petition to read her book!). I really found myself identifying with Swan’s arc - not the particulars, but more of accepting and loving themselves. Swan and Blah’s relationship was fun and heartbreaking to read, and Adaku and Swan’s friendship was goal-worthy.

I really enjoyed the nods through the book to romance readers and audiobook listeners. And the romance(s) were so well thought out and fun and real, but also not. I really enjoyed Julia Whelan’s first book but this one became an instant favorite.

This was a delightful read by one of my favorite audiobook narrators. I loved it from start to finish. Julia Whelan wrote a “love” story that didn’t feel quite like your typical rom-com. I enjoyed to peek behind the curtain to the world of audiobook narration.

Not only is Julia Whelan the queen of audiobooks but she's also an excellent writer! This book made me laugh, blush, swoon, and tear up. A true joy to read.

Swan narrates audiobooks. Mostly fiction. When a project comes her way that would require her to pick up her abandoned romance narrator alias, Sarah Westfield, she really doesn't want to. She's sick of the HEA. It's not real. That's not how life works. Right? Ugh. Because of her relationship with the author she decides to do it along with a male narrator, Brock McKnight. He's funny, charming, and has a sexy voice. What could happen?

If you're on the hunt for your next book, I recommend picking up Julia Whelan's Thank You for Listening! It follows Sewanee, a jaded audiobook narrator who reluctantly agrees to dual narrate a romance novel. She's been through enough trauma to believe that happy endings are pure fantasy. But, as she grows closer to her new co-worker, she starts to rethink her stance.

Usually you won't find me advocating for a heroine who slanders romance novels, but I really liked the way Whelan showed how it stemmed from Sewanee's own feelings about the happy future she had once envisioned for herself being lost. She can't let go of that pain, and Whelan shows her journey to recognizing that she's still hurting and learning to open up to the idea of healing as being complicated and rewarding in equal measure. All of this is tempered with excellent banter and humor woven throughout.

This book sits on that line of women's fiction and romance, and I thought it balanced both really well. I don't want to add too much about the hero (he's a bit mysterious after all), but let's just say there's an Irish accent involved so I was sold! And I loved the parallels Whelan created between him and Sewanee to allow them to connect.

If you've ever wondered what narrating looks like behind the scenes, this book offers an insightful glimpse! Whelan (as a narrator herself) was able to weave in fun facts as well as real issues that narrators face in the industry—such as the emergence of AI and the importance of having human narrators. On that note, the author also narrates the audiobook version and does a fantastic job if you'd prefer to read that way!

One character I haven't mentioned yet is Sewanee's grandmother, Blah. Their bond is incredibly important to Sewanee, especially as she watches Blah's increasing struggles with dementia, and I loved their hilarious and meaningful moments on page together.

This book was enjoyable for me. I am late in writing my review but I just loved it so much.

I think the author has created a perfect setting for a romance story and the way Brock and Sewanee. Even the characters’ names seem so fitting.

They have to narrate a book together and more so; it is a romance book, one with many steamy scenes.

Sewanee is such a great female character. I love her resilience and how she stands up for herself and also how emotional and vulnerable she is inside.

Her interactions with her family and friends just bring it all to the surface even more.

As for Brock, he is a sweetheart for me. He definitely won me over in a short time with his wit and humour.

I think this is one of those books where you cannot cease reading because you just don’t want to finish it.

I dare you to read it, especially if you love audiobooks.

Great read and loved to hear all the behind the scenes about recording audiobooks. This was a little triggering for me because I just lost my grandmother and Sewanee's grandmother is dealing with developing Alzheimer's which has affected my family greatly. I thought the connection between Sewanee and Nick was a bit predictable, but loved the book all the same. Julia Whelan is a great writer and an excellent audiobook narrator.

I firmly believe that this is The Book that Julia Whelan was destined to write. It was such a genuine delight, and no one would be able to write about this industry quite as well (or as charmingly) as Whelan. I would read this over and over again for the first time if I could.

Julia Whelan is one of my favorite audiobook narrators so I was excited for the opportunity to read this book. It was a cute story featuring a female audiobook narrator and her relationship with a fellow male narrator as they work on a project together. Without giving too much away, it was fun to see how their connection develops, and it was an enjoyable story!

Book had an interesting premise but eventually fell flat for me. Maybe it’s that I’ve just read too many books with similar tropes. Still, am interested in whatever Julia Whelan does next.

I flew through this one and absolutely loved it. The story wasn't always what I was expecting, in the best way possible, although there were a couple of predictable moments. I'm a big big fan of Julia Whelan's writing, although I'm in the minority that hasn't listened to many of her audiobooks (sorry bookstagram), and hope we'll see more from her in the future.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 stars

This was such a fun read! It was hilarious right off the bat and I had a hard time putting it down. It was also really well written, very heartfelt and a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. Overall I loved it and I look forward to reading her next book.

Sewanee is a successful audiobook narrator who fell into the business after an tragic accident left her unable to pursue her burgeoning acting career. She used to narrate romances but gave up on them many years ago because she doesn't believe in happpily-ever-afters the genre promises. So when she's offered to narrate one last romance for a very large sum of money, she has to think hard about it. When she realizes that she can use the money to help her grandmother- who's suffering dementia- to settle in to a retirement home that can care for her better, she goes for it.

She's paired with Brock McKnight- a legendary but mysterious romance audiobook narrator. Initially they exchange emails than phone numbers- just to plan and coordinate their parts in the book, but they begin a relationship that grows, sharing sexy banter and baring their deepest secrets.

What follows is a novel that is part romance and part relationship fiction- a hearty mix of fantastical romantic situations paired with everyday issues like dealing with surviving a serious physical injury, to living with a disability, working through career transitions, and having a beloved family member with dementia.

Trends I noticed in this book were:
1) friendship was a central theme here
2)the 2 main characters are in the publishing/literary industry.

These are 2 themes I've seen popping up a LOT lately in books- which is a good thing because I'm a fan.

This book was absolutely phenomenal. OMG. If you haven’t read it yet (do it!) but I would 10000% recommend the audiobook. Blew me away with how well done it was. I loved reading a book featuring audiobook narrators. Typically when I read a book where the character is in the book industry, it’s usually as an author, so it was amazing reading from this perspective.

And the friendly/flirty banter between the love interest…amazing.

I don’t want to give much away here and spoil anything.

Beautiful read. Absolutely adored.

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from Thank You For Listening beyond a romance between two audiobook narrators and an excellent performance from Julia Whelan, but it absolutely delivered on both those things and MORE. I laughed, I cried. It was better than cats.

This lives for me in that gray area between contemporary fiction and romance, because it focuses so much on Sewanee and her life outside of her romance with Nick. She’s grieving a lot—her acting career, the person she was before her accident, her relationship with her father, her grandmother whose dementia is worsening—and it made for some tear-jerking moments. But there’s also a lot of wit and levity, an excellent, really fleshed out cast of side characters (especially aided by Whelan’s performance), and the romance is *perfection*. Nick is SO FINE and the banter between him and Sewanee is excellent. There’s even an epistolary section! Be still my heart!!

I’d definitely recommend this one to fans of Beach Read, Seven Days in June, or Abby Jimenez’s work as romance-heavy fiction (with an HEA!) that centers on the fmc and her personal journey. I’d also HIGHLY recommend you listen to the audiobook, because I adore the way Julia Whelan brings her characters to life. (Plus there’s a great moment where a guy talking to Sewanee doesn’t believe that she does all of the characters’ voices, including the men’s, in the audiobooks she narrates, which is particularly funny to listen to from Whelan.)

CW: Dementia, injury, sexual content, death, grief, attempted suicide, addiction, racism

Sewanee, an audiobook narrator takes a lucrative job working on a romance novel after swearing off all “happily-ever-after (HEA)” romance books. While working with her co-narrator, the most sought after male voice in the business, she starts to reevaluate her career and her outlook on life after losing her dream of making in big as an actress. I really enjoyed the characters in the novel. Brock/Nick was charming and believable and Sewanee was understandably bitter but not over the top cynical. I also appreciated the deeper themes throughout the story that made it more than a typical rom-com novel.

Thank You for Listening is a super-sweet romance - with multiple love stories happening at the same time - stories of romance and stories of family. Highly recommended!

I loved this one. It's a love letter to romance. I mean, our awesome heroine, Sewanee, says something along the lines of, "Falling off the romance tree and hitting all the trope branches on the way down," and it is the perfect description of exactly what the plot of this book does. Which Whelan does masterfully because there is not a single thing in this book that I could possibly criticize.
Sewanee is an audiobook narrator that refuses to do romance books because she thinks they give people false expectations. She has a one-night stand with an Irish hottie while participating in a book convention in Vegas and then moves on with her complicated life. When she gets a very profitable request to record the last romance by an old friend who recently passed away just when she needs the money, she starts to collaborate with the hottest male voice in romance and slowly build a relationship that's as deep and complete as any she could have with the people she sees every day. Many more things happen and it's all so fun to discover as it goes along that I'm not going to talk any more about the plot besides saying, once again, that it's an incredibly fun read. Even with a certain very important reveal being obvious from a mile away.
Sewanee and Brock make an excellent romantic couple because they truly complement each other and make each other see things from a different perspective even when the other is convinced that they know what's right. Their interactions are always full of great emotions and are what drive the plot to such great depths.
I can honestly and without any doubt say that this is one of the best, most memorable romances I've ever read.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyage for the brilliantly romantic read!

Julia Whalen does it again. I think I loved this book even more than her first novel. I loved the characters and the sheer meta madness of this novel. Read it, listen to, I don’t care, just get this book into your life now.

Really really enjoyed this however if you have the option I would recommend it on audio. I’m pretty sure Julia Whelan wrote some of the side characters just so she could show off her amazing voice talents so it’s worth a listen. This story was really fun, predictable as any romance should be but it did have some fun surprises. Some parts were a bit too steamy for me but that’s my only complaint.