4 stars = I really liked it.

As a avid audio book listener it was fun to read a romance with an audio reader in the starring role. Plus, since the author Julia Whelan is also an audio reader, it was fun to get a small peek behind the curtains to see what goes into the making of an audio book.



ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley - release date - August 2, 2022 - this is an unpaid review
(The audio version of this with Whelan reading her book is being released at the same time at the print version and I am tempted to reread this in that format.)

I read this book and listened to it as well. I loved the narrator it made this book so much better to hear her read it with the voices of each character. I loved the inside into the life of a narrator. Blah was such a fun character. I loved the interaction with the male characters and the twist was excellent.

Hands down my favorite romance of the year! I loved the backstory of our main character as well as the fun little plot twists sprinkled through out the story. The steamy scenes were perfect and the character development was perfectly plotted. I highly recommend this book!

This was a fun, spicy romance. Julia spotlights a fun new industry and brought depth to the story with the main character’s past trauma. I thought this was better than Whelan’s first book, and it read more easily too. All of the industry details she included were interesting.

What a cute story! I really liked Thank You for Listening. It was refreshing to read a romance with a totally different storyline and I found it easy to root for the characters. I definitely recommend this one! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

I read Julia Whelan's first book, My Oxford Year, and loved it so much it is one of my top books of all-time. Over the years I have done a good ole Google search to see if she had released additional books. Even though, I discovered she took up being an audio-book narrator I kept checking in every so often. That's how much I enjoyed My Oxford Year.

Then I saw it. Julia Whelan is putting out a new book and I knew I had to read it! Netgalley and Avon Harper Voyager graciously allowed me an advanced reader copy and once it hit my Kindle, I dove in.

Thank you for Listening is creative and superbly written. I laughed out loud and felt all the emotions during the story. Swan and Brock's are tasked to work together on a joint narration of a book and though they've never met their texting banter is on point. There are quite a few twisty-turn surprises so I'll say this: Give it a read and be ready to enjoy seeing inside of the recording booth as two people face insecurities from their past to find more than they could imagine in each other.

Thank You for Listening
by: Julia Whelan
Pub Date: 08/02/2022
Publisher: Avon and Harper Voyager
Audiobook Narrator: Julia Whelan

More than just a romance, this novel is a brilliant, emotionally gripping story about a woman trying to find herself again after a life-altering injury that makes her rethink who she is and the life she wants in this new life. Sewanee is an audiobook narrator caught between her old life as an actress and her dreams, which stand in sharp opposition to the audiobook narrating life she finds herself in now. After accepting a romance novel narration job to help support her grandmother's elderly care facility costs, Sewanee begins spending time opposite Brock McNight, a narrator she is performing with. As they begin to get to know each other, a relationship blooms and Sewanee needs to decide if she wants to continue reminiscing in the past or truly living in her present.

Review:
Although romance is a beautiful part of this story, it is not the whole story. This story isn't about Sewanee's love interest or the ensuing romance, it is about who she is at the end of the day and her love for herself. The true romance of this story is one woman learning to fall in love with herself and as in all good romance novels, she finds her happily ever after.
I found this book to be a beautifully written, slow-burn romance that expands on the romance genre and tests the boundaries between romance and contemporary. To add frosting to this already delicious cake, the author - a wonderful audio narrator in her own right, Julia Whelan, - gave a masterful performance in an audiobook version that I highly recommend. A one-of-a-kind novel that I am sure to continue thinking about, I couldn't give this story anything but 5 stars.

Julia Whelan is by FAR my favorite audiobook narrator -- if she narrates it, I will listen to it. So what is better than her as an author of a book about audiobooks?!

I loved this story and I give it 5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

When I originally clicked "Request", I did so simply because this book was by Julia Whelan. For those who don't know, she is one of the best audio narrators out there.
I mistakenly thought this was a book about her life as a narrator. Nope, this is fiction and is a delightful, wonderful ride of a read.
I both read and listened to this book (how could I not?). The story line was great! I laughed out loud and became a bit teary at times. The narration was stellar as expected!
5 wonderful stars

My Oxford Year is one of my all time favorite books so the minute I heard Julia had a new book coming out, I started requested copies asap from anyone and everyone 🤭

And did Thank You for Listening deliver yet again!! It was emotional, sincere, steamy, and was about audiobook narrators!!

Like in MOY, TYFL is way more than “just a romance” book. This book also tackles overcoming emotional and physical trauma, finding that next step in life, letting go of the things that no longer serve value, complex parent relationships, and grief among so many others. There were so many lines of valuable nuggets I highlighted!!

But also Swan and Nick 🫶🫶 ugh they’re just perfection

But also Brock McNight 🥵 if there is a romance male audiobook narrator along the lines of Brock McNight irl, please send recommendations my way. Just, you know, asking for a friend 🤪

Read if you like:
🪩 Chance meetings
🍾 What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas stories
❤️‍🔥 Slow burn
👩‍💻 Mistaken identities
🫶Physical disability rep - FMC wears an eye patch
🎧 Audiobook narrators
💌 Flirting over email
🛥 International grand romantic gestures

I’m giving this a rounded up 3.5 stars. It was a pure delight, start to finish. I enjoyed the characters and how traditional romance tropes (like all of them) were inserted in funny and clever ways. The plot was beyond predictable with of course the HEA ending, and isn’t that just the thing we come here for?

I absolutely love Julia Whelan’s narration. I will enjoy any book she ever reads to me. When I discovered that she had a book coming out that she WROTE and she was NARRATING the audio, holy cow, I was excited! And guess what…I wasn’t let down!

Sewanee is the main character in this story. She’s an audiobook narrator but has a history in the movies too. At an audio convention, she has quite a connection and a nice little romp in the hay with a mysterious man. After heading home, she is asked to narrate a romance novel, which she refuses to narrate after her own tragic story. But with some life pressures breathing down her neck, she agrees to do it, and finds that she’s narrating with Brock McNight, a sexy voice and incredibly popular narrator. As they work long distance to narrate, they find quite a connection, but Sewanee has a lot of baggage she has to work through to really give herself over to another person.

This was a wonderful story filled with emotional moments, beautiful character growth, and heartwarming romance. Sewanee had an accident that could have ended her life, and the aftermath of that changed how she views herself, and how others view her. The story really allowed Sewanee to find herself, and I really appreciated watching her grow. This part of the story was beautiful, and I loved the emotions it created while reading.

The romance is a bit steamy at times, and I loved watching Brock and Sewanee learn about each other and discover things about themselves as well. There are some moments that make your heart swoon and some that make you sweat, and they are all great!

I would highly recommend this to readers who enjoy strong character growth and self-discovery as well as some solid romance!

I love Julia Whalen as a narrator, but had no idea what a phenomenal writer she was. This book was absolute perfection. I never knew I needed a book about audiobook narrators falling in love, but this was everything I didn’t know I needed. I love every second of this witty, clever, fun book.

Some may say this could qualify as a 'beach read' because it's got the mysterious identity revealed interspersed with romance. But it also covers family conflict over how to best help an aging parent, the money involved in caring for seniors and having frank discussions about money. I appreciated all of these topics.

But the good part was the ''meet cute" with two audiobook narrators. I love audiobooks and it was a lot of fun reading about it with the knowledge that the author is an expert because not only is she a writer but she's an audiobook narrator!

This was a page-turning story that kept me reading during a cross-country flight. It's sure to have many fans among those who love a light book with substance underneath the fun.

Such a beautiful and powerful story. I loved the book and couldn’t wait to know what was next. The MC was relatable and I love that in a book.

Like me, you might be wondering where you have heard the name Julia Whelan before.... WELL EVERYWHERE. This woman is single handedly carrying the audiobook game, and for that I am incredibly thankful. With that being said, when I found out she was writing a book, I was so excited and intrigued. An audiobook narrator, who writes about audiobook narration,,, with romance... SIGN ME UP! I listened to and read this book at the same time, and let me tell you the audio is not to be missed! This book is so freaking hilarious and definitely worth the read/listen.

I absolutely loved this book. I fell in love with the characters and didn’t want this one to end. I haven’t stopped raving about it and recommending it since I finished.

Thank you for Listening by Julia Whelan was a great read! I really liked this book. The characters were well developed and the dialog was clever and kept me engaged. Definitely one of the better books of the year so far. Extremely engrossing, both in the romance and the side plots.

Thank you to netgalley for access to the early edition. I’ve been super busy at work so I’m posting this a little late, but I really enjoyed this book! I’m a fan of Julia cause of all the audiobooks she narrates so when I saw that this book would be about audiobook narrators, I jumped for it. The writing is great as we should expect, but I really enjoyed the connection and chemistry between the main pair. I definitely recommend for fans of audiobooks who want a little hint into what making one is like. Now I want to listen to the audio version and see how that it.

I waited for the audiobook to listen to this story. I'm sad to say this didn't have My Oxford Year vibes that I was hoping for. I thought for sure It was going to give me a romance and it didn't. This had some gritty emotions with other family members and I wasn't expecting that. I didn't connect at all with Swan and Brock's relationship. This was a miss for me.