Sewanee Chester doesn't believe in love. Her dreams of becoming a famous actress disappear after a tragic accident. Now, she sustains herself with her job as an audiobook narrator. Sewanee loves her job and the people who work close to her.

During a book convention in Las Vegas, she has an unforgettable night with a stranger. Regrettably, She didn't tell him her real name and she didn't ask for his phone number either.

When she returns to LA, she has a new book to narrate if she agrees to do it. It is the last novel written by famous romance author, June French. If she accepts, she will be narrating it in conjunction with the "it" voice in the romance world, Brock McNight. At first, they shared emails but soon texting becomes their new way of communicating. Sewanee starts believing that maybe falling for someone is possible until they decide to meet....

I loved this one. It was so much fun listening to it. I love the couple's banter, and I thought Julia Whelan did an excellent job at fleshing out this book's characters. The same thing goes for the secondary characters. Adaku, Blah, Mark, and her mother were all wonderful additions to the novel.

I can see either book by Julia Whelan becoming a movie. I wonder who she has in mind for the characters.

4.5/5 stars

TW: Dementia

Sewanee Chester works as an audiobook narrator, and though it is very different than her initial Hollywood dreams, she has found success and happiness through doing what she does and has a stable way of helping pay for her ailing grandmother’s living expenses. Then one night at Las Vegas where she was booked to attend a book convention, she meets a charming stranger who sweeps her off her feet and Sewanee throw caution to the wind and loses herself to the night. When she returns home, an opportunity is brought to her to narrate the last work of the author who had given her the jumpstart to her career, the only problem? She no longer narrates romance. With a pay offer she cannot refuse; she accepts and will be narrating along the mysterious and suave Brock McKnight. Once she and Brock begin to communicate, they forge a real connection which allows Sewanee to open and be vulnerable. The closer Brock and Sewanee get the more secrets are revealed and the pressures of life threaten the beautiful bond they have built.

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I must start off by saying this book has the best banter I have EVER read in a romance. The email and text exchanges between Sewanee and Brock were amazing and you could feel their connection burn through the pages. This book had me laughing out loud with its humor and colorful characters while also tearing up as we see Sewanee struggle with her grandmother’s deteriorating memory. This was a sweet romance but touched on some very heavy themes like dementia and Sewanee’s accident that changed her life. The relationship Sewanee has with her best friend Adaku and her grandmother made my heart swell 🥹 The twist in this one was very predictable so I was curious to see how things would unfold and I did think it was very well done. There were some parts that ran a little too slow for me but overall, I REALLY enjoyed this one. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This title is available now for purchase!

I love Julia Whelan's audio narration, so I was excited to see she was also an author. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was a solid romance book with complex characters.

Probably one of my favorite first chapters in any book I've ever read and it only got better from there. I think this is one of those that sort of straddles the line between WF and romance, especially because it feels as much about Sewanee's self-journey, or even moreso, than her romantic arc, but there IS a HEA here, so take that as you will. Engaging prose, exciting characters, cleverly titled chapters, and so many tropes abound in this one that feels like a dedication to both the audiobook and romance communities with a very sweet ending that brings the entire plot full circle — and maybe leads you to wonder whether Sewanee crossing paths with her love interest (that I don't want to spoil because the reveal is GREAT) was more a result of romance author meddling than chance encounter.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a delight! I loved a glimpse into the world of audiobook narration! As a big audiobook listener, and huge fan of Julia Whelan, this was such a treat.

I was looking so forward to listening to this book as Julia Whelan is an accomplished audiobook reader. It did not disappoint! I loved all the references to the world of audiobooks as I am an avid listener.

I loved this one. This was my first book by the author, although the reason I picked it up was because I loved her as a narrator.

While I was hoping for a romance, this was more women's fiction to me. Loved the insert that the author put in conversation about the differences between romance and women's fiction. So for that reason, this book fell a little flat for what I was hoping this would be.

But I still really enjoyed seeing Swan navigate this part of her life. A few years after an accident, she's trying to resolve who she was with who she is now, and what she wants from her career. Throw in a little fling while she was in Vegas for a convention, which turns into something else entirely.

A small part of the book, but I loved the chapter titles. I love to see it.

Overall I would still recommend this one and pick up other books by this author in the future. As long as your expectations are more women's fiction rather than romance.

Highly recommend you check out the audiobook as well, as the author narrates it herself. I loved the different voices and accents.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This romance has hidden identities, joint work projects, and living with a disability. The romance between Sewanee and Nick is great, and I love their banter and growth together. Sadly, the romance didn't seem to have time to shine as much as other elements in the story. The book felt a bit chaotic beyond the romance, which may have been intentional with all that is going on in their lives. Other than the romance, my favorite part of the story was Sewanee's relationship with her dying grandmother.

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan
I have listened to many audiobooks narrated by Julia Whelan, and I was interested in reading one of her own stories.
I enjoyed this twist on a romantic comedy starring audiobook narrators Sewannee Chester and Brock McKnight. Set in Los Angeles, the plot of Thank You for Listening has an old movie set feel; Sewanee’s grandmother was in show business and retired to an acting-themed senior living facility in LA.
This was a story with many “HEA- happily ever after” romantic tropes, many of which are brought up within the story. Even with this tongue-in-cheek tone, the characters have a lot of depth. I definitely wanted to find out the backstory to further understand where each character was in his/her life. The unfolding was natural and the use of texting, emails and letters moved the action along quickly.
I would recommend this book and have out her previous book, My Oxford Year on my TBR list. I would also recommend her many audiobooks and will listen with new ears after hearing some of the tips, techniques and routines of an audiobook performer.
#netgalley

I think the only way to read this one is to listen to this one--amazing narration. I wanted to love this one--as I love Julia Whelan, but I felt like the story was just missing something. The connection between the two narrators was great, and super fun, but I felt like I missed something in the story, waiting for more.

Thank You for Listening, Julia Whelan's second novel, will go down as one of my favorite books of the year. I listened to it and kept taking the dog out for long walks because I needed to know what would happen next. Whelan has developed lovable, deeply flawed characters that you can't help but root for and placed them in a wonderful meta-romance. Romance lovers and newbies to the genre will find a lot to enjoy.

This one just did not live up to the hype for me. I think it's really weird to write a romance novel where the heroine actively disdains the genre after making a ton of money off of it, for one. And I just didn't find it that well-written: Sewanee is kind of self-centered, she and Brock text like Boomers and not like people in their early thirties, you could have excised the whole sub-plot about her grandmother and lost nothing for it (which is not a great thing for a major sub-plot!), and there's a couple of fat jokes & suicide jokes I definitely could have done without.

I know Julia's a beloved audiobook narrator, and certainly those elements felt true. But I don't think I've ever listened to her narrate a book before, so I didn't already have that emotional tie, and this book certainly doesn't have me tripping over myself to pick up her first.

Julia Whelan is one of my favorite audiobook narrators, so I was really excited for Thank You for Listening. But...and I need to say this first off, I hated the main character’s name so much! Sewanee. All I could hear was Judy Garland singing “Sewanee, how I love ya, how I love ya. My dear old Sewanee!” But I did chuckle because there’s actually some detail in the book about how the grandparents/parents only agreed on the name because of its elegance. (Insert big sigh and eye roll).
Sewanee (now you’re hearing the song too, I’ll bet) Chester is a former actress, who had a disfiguring accident, now narrates audiobooks. After a convention in Las Vegas, she has a one-night stand with a stranger during a freak snowstorm that shuts everything down!
After her return to LA, Sewanee agrees to narrate a romance, a genre she left behind year ago. But Sewanee agrees because her grandmother needs to be moved to a memory care facility, and her father is unwilling to pay for her to stay in her current residence.
Her co-narrator is mysterious Brock McNight, who is a star in the romance audiobook narrator world. The dialogue between Brock and Sewanee is absolutely delightful. Ms. Whelan definitely knows how to right a romance. The flirting that goes on between them via email, then later text, then telephone is so charming.
Between the backstory of Sewanee’s accident, and her trauma from that and losing her acting vocation, the family storyline, Sewanee’s mother’s storyline, the handsome stranger in Las Vegas storyline, and the Brock McNight romance storyline, Ms. Whelan has packed every storyline I think she’s ever narrated into one book. I think this was done purposefully, but it was a lot.
I think this book could have used some editing in places. A little bit could have been cut and the story would have been just as good.
Overall, I enjoyed the stories, and I enjoyed learning more about how audiobook narration works. I would recommend this on audio, which I had pre-ordered so I was able to both listen and read the advanced e-copy I received.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #AvonBooks for the advanced e-copy of #ThankYouforListening by Julia Whelan.

I really enjoyed this book! Swan is an audiobook narrator who used to be an actress and narrator of romance novels, but after a tragic accident leaves her disfigured, she pulls back because she doesn't think that romance can exist for her anymore. As a favor to her boss, she attends a book convention in Las Vegas to lead a panel discussion. On a celebratory night out, she meets suave Nick who doesn't tell her the whole truth about what he does but she feels drawn to him. After Swan's friend has to leave, Nick and Swan spend the night together when Las Vegas has a freak snow storm and they get snowed into their hotel. A few months later, the author that Swan had done a lot of romance audiobooks for passes away and she is contacted with one last request- the author wants her and the most sought after male audiobook narrator, Brock McNight, to collaborate on a serialized romance project that will make both of them a lot of money. Swan's grandmother, who she adores, is in the early stages of Alzheimer's and she realizes that her care is only going to continue to get more expensive so she takes the job. As the project continues, she and Brock get closer despite never having met. At an awards ceremony she runs into Nick again and finds that she is still very attracted to him. She's conflicted with her growing feelings for Brock but she is still haunted by the connection she had with Nick, but an unexpected twist throws Swan for a loop and makes her question everything she knows about love.
Some other things I really enjoyed with this book- it was humorous with a lot of witty banter. I loved getting the behind the scenes look at how audiobook production works. I also really liked how this book touched upon lots of different romance tropes and overall it was just a really fun read that I enjoyed immensely.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the eARC in exchange for my review, all views are my own.

This was a lovely book. Written and narrated by Julia Whelan herself, who is one of my favorite narrators. Personally I enjoyed listening to this one more than reading it. She really has a talent for voice and emotion and quite an insight into how to write characters so that they feel like very real people. I loved that the main character was learning to come to terms with the accident that upended her career and life and her journey felt very authentic.

This was my first book by this author and I am utterly charmed. I couldn't put it down and read it in one day. The characters were well rounded, the tropes were adorable, and honestly it was just so fun.

Sawanee suffered a terrible accident that ended her acting career. She narrates audiobooks now and starts a new project narrating one of her favorite authors with the industry's favorite male narrator. They become friends and maybe more but she's still a bit stuck on the guy who gave her a wonderful night in Las Vegas.

Nick is the guy from Las Vegas. But there's so much more to him that Sawanee doesn't know yet and he wants to be brave enough to go for what he wants. They meet again unexpectedly and their relationship takes a new turn in such a great way.

I don't want to spoil this book because I really enjoyed the plot building. I liked everyone, especially Sawanee's grandmother BlahBlah. I loved seeing Sawanee recognize herself in her new place in life. I definitely think this will be on my re-read list.

I loved this RomCom about two narrators for audiobooks by the queen herself, Julia Whalen. It’s perfect for a fun and quick read over the weekend. Highly recommend!!

This one was so good!! I also got the libro. fm ALC and I strongly suggest listening to it!! Julia Whelan is an amazing author and narrator. She has a very wide range of voices and characters that she does and is so talented you believe they are different people. I loved the whole idea of this book! Check this one out asap.

Sewanee Chester is living a life she never wanted- her beloved grandmother is in the throes of dementia, she isn't acting due to a horrific accident, and she doesn't want to narrate romance novels again. But, when the opportunity to make a lot of money narrating the last book of a famous romance novelist, she sees the chance to take care of her beloved BlahBlah (I love this name!). This book was so much fun- I loved the chapter names (romance tropes) and the meta look at audiobooks. Julia Whelan really knows how to dive into characters and this was a great read.

Julia Whelan is my absolute favorite audiobook narrator. It was so fitting for her to write this book and it was done impeccably.

It was absolutely delightful to read this book. So much playful banter with a little bit of spice. Such a feel good book. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Avon Books and Netgalley for the ARC!