I am always appreciative to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc of this book! Overall I enjoyed the story and the connection that the author clearly has to the subject. There were a few things that I predicted right away and a few of the repetitive writing pieces that annoyed me, but overall it was a good story. There were also parts that I enjoyed a lot, especially the main characters relationship to her grandmother. Although I did not complete the arc before the date, it did give me the opportunity to listen to Julia Whelan narrate her own story.

BOOK REVIEW

BOOK: Thank You For Listening
AUTHOR: Julia Whelan
FORMAT: Audiobook
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
DID I CRY: No
PUB DATE: 8/2/22
RATING: 7/10
3.5 stars

Thank you so much @harperaudio @librofm for my #gifted advanced copy of THANK YOU FOR LISTENING, out 8/2!

MY THOUGHTS

It’s no secret that Julia Whelan is one of the most loved individuals in the book world. Most know her as their favorite audiobook narrator (including myself) and it comes as a surprise to most that she is an author as well! Though this is not her first book, it was my first time reading a book by her. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

First of all, we need to talk about how Julia, an audiobook narrator, wrote a book about an audiobook narrator. It was ICONIC. There were so many little tidbits weaved into the story about the behind-the-scenes of audiobook narration & I loved learning more about it. The MC was extremely likable, demonstrating admirable qualities for the reader to resonate with. I found this book to be laugh out loud funny at times as well, and with Julia narrating, I felt the humor and emotion was so seamlessly and effortlessly conveyed. The love story was also fun to follow and it was realistic to me; the course of events felt modern and not some unreachable fairytale-esque sequence of events.

My qualm for this book I think primarily was my lack of connection to the story. Not necessary that I didn’t feel it was relatable, I just felt like for me it felt sort of surface level and I didn’t really care either way what happened. I wanted more about Sewanee and her past, I wanted more about Adaku, I wanted more about her grandmother, and I wanted more about the love story. As fun and interesting as it is to touch upon so many different themes (love, resilience, family, humor, friendship, career, trauma), sometimes a little bit of everything makes it hard to delve deeper to a desired level into anything.

Overall I definitely recommend! This book has rave reviews already and is quickly becoming a bookstagram darling! If you’re going to read it, I highly recommend the audiobook for the full experience.

Julia Whelan is one of my favorite narrators and she just wrote a book about an audiobook narrator. Awesome! I adored this book because of the characters, the wit, and multiple emotional scenarios.

Sewanee and her best friend have their lives planned out. They will have fame and fortune acting. Then tragedy strikes Sewanee and she finds herself resetting her goals while watching her best friend rise. She soon begins reading audiobooks and is very good at it. Romance isn't for her anymore but is swayed to do one more for a friend. She is paired with the most famous male romance narrator, Brock McKnight (great name). A chemistry starts to smolder. Meanwhile she heads to Vegas for the Audie Awards. She has a one-night stand and can't shake him from her mind. Two love interests and hilarity ensues when they collide.

Sewanee has a close relationship with her ailing grandmother and a tenuous one with her father. The progression and growth of these relationships was touching and added to an otherwise typical romance novel. I liked Sewanee's will to overcome self-doubt because of her accident and move forward.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon Books and Julia Whelan for the opportunity to read the arc.

This was pretty, good but I didn't love it. I think after reading I would have really enjoyed listening to the audiobook and keep it really on theme. I may try again via that format in the future and see how I feel.

I will always love the romance genre, but just merely like this one.

Ooh this one was so much fun! A book about audiobook narrators? Sign me up! The banter between Sewanee and “Brock” was hilarious, especially their email threads. I loved the side plot of Sewanee and her relationship with her grandmother. A fun romance read that also had some depth. I’d read another from the audiobook Queen!

I'm not a big fan of audiobooks; the main reason being is that you are able to multi-task while listening to them. I don't want to read a steamy love scene while matching socks or giving the dog a bath while I'm listening to a really good whodunit. I want to hold a book.

That being said, I found the whole storyline fascinating. The author, a very popular audiobook narrator herself, gives us a glimpse into that world. And based on a couple of the steamier scenes in the book, I'd honestly consider listening to this.

I have to say, I thought I had the whole book figured out. I did figure out part of it, but not the whole thing and was happily surprised. I thought the book was fun and well-written. It was also tasteful and oh boy, does it keep your interest. All the characters were likeable and I was happy with the ending.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are mine and expressed freely.

I enjoyed this book, but I think it would’ve been better on audio. I just couldn’t get invested in any of the characters, and I felt like there was way too much going on. I liked Brock, but I didn’t think he and Sewanee had great chemistry. With all of the side stories, it also didn’t feel like a romance book. That being said, it was funny and entertaining overall.

Thank You for Listening is a wonderful romantic comedy about Sewanne Chester, an audiobook narrator heading to LA to hang out with her best friend and attend a bookcon that she’s hosting a panel for and she meets an extremely charming man who spends the night with her. She gets home after and learns that she’s being offered a lot of money to narrate a famous romance author’s last novel with the world’s most famous male narrator Brock McNight. She at first doesn’t want to do it because she’s a huge romance skeptic but then she learns that her grandma is going to need an extremely expensive place to stay as her health is failing fast and now that money would help with keeping her grandmother in a place she’s comfortable and safe. What happens next as she and Brock start to record their parts separately from across the country is hysterical and heartwarming.

This story had me laughing out loud and tearing up in the best way possible. Knowing that the author both wrote and narrated this fantastic story about family, friendship and love. I absolutely loved the main characters especially when they were talking, texting and email with each other because those scenes had me in stitches in the sidesplitting parts and blushing in the steamier parts. I love how the author included every single beef I’ve had with the romantic genre like the ridiculous descriptions especially in the sex scenes and the crazy tropes. I love how she understands how listeners have to deal with the dreaded fear of people learning that you’re listening to romance with smut in it and how that most likely won’t happen but it’s still quite terrifying nonetheless. I loved being able to peek inside the interesting world of audiobook narration and the way the two main characters recorded the episodes was so amusing and eye opening. Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the digital copy of the book. I recommend this book to anyone who loves amazingly witty banter, extremely well developed characters, and the perfect narrator.

Listening to this as an audio book is truly the way to experience this novel. Julia Whelan is the quintessential audiobook narrator, and listening to her narrate a book she wrote about a romance between two audiobook narrators. This was such a sweet book, I thought the main characters were so likeable - I enjoyed their arc and how each character evolved throughout the novel.

A home run romance for me! The character development was flawless and the ending was perfect. I will be recommending this novel to friends for years to come.

Sewanee has not had an easy time of it. As the novel opens she is on a plane where a few embarrassing things happen. One of these is that a four year old repeatedly quizzes Sewanee about her eye patch. The author skewers a certain school of parenting in the scenes that follow. This is indicative of the tone of this novel.

Sewanee is on her way to Las Vegas where she will attend a book convention and also meet up with her closest friend Adaku, an actress. Sewanee has stopped acting and is now an audio book narrator. The book that she listens to in the beginning of the story is also satirized.

What happens as the story advances will include changes for Sewanee. This arc begins with a one night stand. Readers will hope that she gets her happy ending.

Author Whelan has narrated audio books herself which adds authenticity to the narrative. That said, I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. It took me awhile to feel immersed in the story. I feel in the minority as Taylor Jenkins Reed, Emily Henry and Jodi Picoult, all authors I very much like, have endorsed this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this title. All opinions are my own.

“Thank You For Listening” was a cute romance that featured audiobook narrators and an atypical back story. I didn’t know much about how the world of audiobooks works so it was a good behind-the-scenes take. It always felt like a feel-good story even though you could predict how the love story with the main characters would come together. It was a unique, romantic piece of fiction which also addressed the manifestation of one’s own insecurities. 3.5 stars ⭐️ rounded up to 4 stars ⭐️. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley.

Actor-turned-audiobook-narrator Sewanee Chester does not narrate romance novels, and she doesn't do HEA (Happily Ever After). Her acting career ended abruptly after a tragic accident that left her scarred, both physically and mentally, and ever since, she doesn't believe in love, romance, or happy endings of any kind. But then one of the industry's most cherished romance authors passes away, leaving behind a request for Sewanee to co-narrate her final novel, to be published posthumously. The money is hard to resist, especially since Sewanee is paying for her beloved grandmother's care. Her co-narrator for the project is Brock McNight, the romance audiobook world's hottest, most enigmatic voice. Under the cover of anonymity, Brock and Sewanee begin to forge a real connection...but can it sustain the pressures of real life?

I received an ebook of Thank You for Listening but decided that I'd listen to it as an audiobook instead. Julia Whelan is one of my favorite narrators and has had a prolific career, narrating novels by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Gillian Flynn, Kristin Hannah, and many other popular writers. She truly is a master of her craft, with a wide range of voices in her arsenal and a knack for tone and timing that make the books she narrates feel like you're experiencing them, rather than just reading them. I felt like I had to listen to such a gifted narrator read her own novel, and I'm so glad I did.

Thank You for Listening is one of those books that just feels like a long, restorative hug from the universe. It's uplifting and life-affirming, peopled with characters who feel like friends. It explores Sewanee's complex relationships with her loved ones and her recovery and growth, mixed in with lots of fun banter, vivid descriptions, poignant moments, and some sizzling sexy times. The characters have spark and depth, and while this book tackles tough topics, it balances the hard stuff with humor and heart. I also loved getting a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes world of audiobook narration (green apples improve voice output -- who knew?) and loved Julia's afterword in which she discusses the parts of this book that drew from her own life.

Thank You for Listening is charming and entertaining and endearing. I'd recommend this one to all readers as I think there's a little something here for everyone, but specifically for readers of romance and women's fiction.

I loved this one! An audiobook queen writing about an audiobook queen, and it’s so good. Sewanee Chester, aka Swan, does NOT do romance but is then specially requested to narrate the a romance book... And who tf is Brock McNight?! Good question because he seems too good to be true, IYKYK 🤣 I loved Swan and Brock’s text and email exchanges. Their banter was the best and I was literally laughing out loud at them. Swan and Aduka’s friendship is absolute fucking goals. The supportiveness, the realness, I just loved them both. I absolutely loved reading this and I’ve heard that the audio is just as amazing. I have a feeling this will be a reread for me at some point to hear it narrated by Julia herself! 😍

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As an avid audiobook listener, I especially liked the behind-the-scenes look at the process. Part romance, part women's fiction - Sewanee's journey to accepting herself after her tragedy was one I recommend.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyage for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

Such a good story! Great characters and real interest in life and how we go through and overcome the hard things we go through.

Do I love Julia Whelan? Yes. She’s a fabulous narrator.
Am I going to love everything she does? No.

And unfortunately this was a “meh” for me.

Unfortunately for me this story just fell incredibly flat for me. I was bored with a lot of this story.

I didn’t buy into the love story. It wasn’t bad, I just didn’t feel the passion that I wanted from them. It seemed way more forced than it should be.

I also felt like the author tried to include SO much that in the end it didn’t work well. I would prefer to see her focus on a trope or two, a story line or two, etc. There was so much going on I didn’t feel truly invested in any of the plot lines. The grandma storyline was actually my favorite. (Although her name being Blah Blah was mildly annoying, but whatever I can get over that. I know people have nicknames for family, but this nickname felt really disrespectful.)

Will I recommend this particular story? No
Will I continue to read and listen to Julia Whelan? Absolutely!

This one has a LOT of positive and 5 star reviews though so if it sounds good I say give it a shot! It may be a win for you!

This book was an absolute delight! Julia Whelan takes us inside the life of an audiobook narrator, a world in which she is quite familiar. I loved the quick witted banter between the characters. I especially loved the heartwarming relationship between Sawanni and her grandmother. Rom coms can be very hit or miss for me and this was a huge hit. I highly recommend!!

I didn't love her first book, so I was wary of this one, but dang if if I didn't blow through it in a few days - it was absolutely great fun.

The queen of narrating audiobooks, Julia Whelan, delivers this sweet and sexy romance about two audiobook narrators falling for each other virtually and in real life. I loved this book! It was so much fun to read and guess who the voice was behind Brock McNight, the most secretive and sexy voice in the audiobook industry. When Sewanee is asked to narrate a book with him, she reluctantly agrees so that she can use the money to pay for her grandmother’s care. The two exchange emails and texts, and as their interest for each other grows they agree to meet in person - and they are in for a big surprise when they do meet.