Okay… how do I describe this book without doing it a disservice? Thank You For Listening by @justjuliawhelan is a beyond amazing new release book that you all need to read.

I went in completely blind with this one only hearing a couple times how much people were loving it and how it was a must read. Let me just say, this book was all that and more, it was an instant five star read for me because not only were the characters amazing and so easy to love but… the female lead Sewanee was incredibly relatable. This book made me laugh out loud, tear up and just.. made me so happy like only a handful of authors can do with their books.

I’m sure as you read this you’re thinking, okay but what is this book about? Why will we love it? All I can say without giving things away is that you’ll love the relationship Sewanee has with her grandmother (tears here too), the friendship she has with her best friend Adaku, ALL the book talk (this book made me love audio books even more) && because we can’t have a book without a leading man.. or men.. well, there is plenty of that.

So, go into this book completely blind and enjoy the heck out of it, because just how I loved it, I know you all will too.

I thoroughly enjoyed Thank You for Listening! This book was witty beyond belief. This peek into the world of audio book voice recording artists is invaluable and unforgettable. Although, I am not an audio book fan, I now, more than ever, believe that the patience and talent it takes to record them is remarkable.

Sewanee, the heroine of this story and Brock, the hero have chemistry that is enviable. The conversations these two audio book narrators have via email and text are hilarious. They had me laughing out loud in places where it was not appropriate. The situations where Sewanee finds herself are so unexpected.

What I admired most about Sewanee was her indefatigable spirit. No matter the circumstance, she found a way to push through and fight for what she wanted. She turned her disappointment, hurt, and anger into weapons that helped her succeed in life.

Brock is a force of nature. His good humor and unwillingness to settle for less than he desires helps him to win his happiness. I absolutely love his spirit of forging ahead in the face of the unexpected.

Together, Sewanee and Brock provided hour of entertainment for me. This is a book I will read again. It was my first Julia Whelan experience, but definitely not my last.

Julia Whelan is my absolute favorite audiobook narrator and her debut novel "My Oxford Year" was a 5 star read for me, so I was absolutely ecstatic to be able to dive into "Thank You for Listening".

Sewanee "Swan" Chester is an audiobook narrator that had big screen dreams that were dashed by an unfortunate accident. Swan purposefully does not narrate Romance audiobooks anymore, but she is drawn back in by a posthumous request by one of the world's most beloved romance writers who requested that Swan and the hottest most mysterious male audiobook voice, Brock McNight, narrate her final book.
What ensues is a behind the scenes look at the audiobook process peppered with so much witty banter (my favorite). Although I loved Swan's budding "relationship" (which is via emails and texts only) with Brock, I was also drawn in completely by her relationship with her best friend Adaku, her relationship with her parents, and most of all, her relationship with her beloved, ailing grandmother BlahBlah.
Although I really loved this book - and could not put it down at the end - I really cannot wait to pick up a copy of the audiobook and listen to Julia's narration. I know that without a doubt that her performance will be nuanced and engaging.
Thank you to NetGalley, Julia Whelan, and Harper Collins Publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Publication Date: 8/2/2022.

Sewanee Chester is an audiobook actress who goes to a convention at the beginning of the story to fill in for her boss. While there, she has a fun one night stand with a mystery man. On the way home, she is asked to record the narration for a romance novel with a popular male narrator Brock McNight. In the past, Sewanee was an up and coming movie actress who had a terrible accident that left her with one eye and a belief that her happy ending could never come. She had sworn off narrating romance because she felt like the happy ending idea was fundamentally a lie. Her grandmother is in need of special care so Sewanee decides to take the job in order to make more money. She and Brock develop a fun, intimate relationship through email and text as they work on the narration together. I really enjoyed the story and the behind-the-scenes glimpse of recording audiobooks. All of the characters felt lived in.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest albeit late review.

Swooooon! 💕 
I love Julia Whelan! If you haven't read her book My Oxford Year, you must! I loved it and thus had such high hopes for her newest book, Thank You For Listening. And let me tell you... it delivered. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I have on occasion chuckled while reading a book (hi every Abby Jimenez 👋) but have only truly belly laughed out loud a few times: You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle (loved it) and THIS ONE! I laughed so loud while reading and working out at the gym and did not even care that people were looking at me. The first 70% of this book is hysterical and endearing. The last part had me in tears. Happy and sad. It was just so good. The supporting characters are amazing and Nick is now one of my book boyfriends. 

Julia is not only an author, but she is an actress and narrates audiobooks. In this book, the main character Sewanee is a well-known audiobook narrator. I have never listened to an audiobook, but this one made me want to. I have heard Julia is a goddess at narrating books. She has covered Emily Henry, TJR, Abby, Linda Holmes, Kristin Hannah... basically all of my favorites.  

Thank You For Listening came out last week and I highly recommend. It is romantic, funny, and tugs at your heartstrings. ❤ Thanks to #netgalley and Avon for the copy!

Thank you to the publisher!! I am a Julia Whelan fan and loved her previous book. This was so fun and I really enjoyed the story. It was a cute romance! Definitely recommend.

I loved this! It’s a unique take on “a book about book that was fresh and meta and a nod to IFYKYK. Audiobook listeners will love this so hard, and I can’t wait to recommend it to my patrons.

First, thank you to @avonbooks for the ARC of this book in exchange for my review!

Okay now back to the review. This book was an adorable, meet cute, coworkers to lovers, quintessential romance.

Sewannee, the former actress turned audiobook narrating superstar has never quite gotten over the accident that changed her life forever. While others can see past the physical changes in her, that’s all she can see about herself.

When she has a one night stand with a man in Vegas after her best friend abandoned her in the middle of a freak snowstorm, it boosts her confidence a little bit, but she realizes it’s just a one time thing.

When she’s asked to narrate a romance novel with the bad boy of audiobooks, Brock McKnight, all she wants to do is turn it down. Unfortunately she also had a grandmother who’s her best friend, and suffering from dementia, and she needs the money to help take care of her!

When the work conversations between “Brock” and Sewanee, or “Sarah” as her fans know her, get a little more intimate, what is she supposed to do?

I honestly loved this book. From the disability representation, to the real life issues it tackled, it tugs at your heart strings and makes you fall in love with the entire crew!

What a delightful surprise of a book!

I had no idea what to expect when I started reading this, and picked it based on my interest in the audiobook narration business. What I got was a sweet, interesting and wonderfully written tale of a woman who’s life isn’t what she planned for and wanted and what she ends up making of it.


There are romance tropes, a terrific epistolary aspect, and strong female relationships. I thought everything about this book was so well-done: the patience of the pacing was perfect, the elegant writing and the characterization of the heroine and the secondary characters. I would have liked dual POV and more of the hero’s character development, but overall it’s a wonderful and light-hearted read with substance.


Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

#ThankYouforListening #Avon #NetGalley #Romance #ReadingRomance

I liked the premise of this book, Brock and Sarah meet to do the audiobook for a romance novel being published posthumously after the author passes away. They hit it off on text, but have yet to meet in person, as their “relationship” grows, so does the desire to meet in person, a iwont spoil anything, but it was a bit predictable and I could’ve done without the storyline of the grandmother. Otherwise it was a sweet story.

“Thank You for Listening” is a delightful book about audiobook narrators, written by the audiobook queen herself Julia Whelan. I’m sure this book is best listened to on audio, however, I enjoyed it immensely with the written word.

Part family drama, part romance (sometimes romcom - whew that banter!), part friendship, part overcoming difficulties – this book had a lot going on, yet, everything came together in the end.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this digital reviewer copy in exchange my honest review.

Thank you @avonbooks and @netgalley for the #gifted eARC

I’m going to keep this short.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING is a real winner in my (audio? 😜) book 🏆

Not only is Julia Whelan’s second novel a truly funny and heartfelt love story (what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas), it also provides a really entertaining glimpse behind the scenes of an audiobook production. The latter was my favourite part, especially given the fact that the book is written by the Queen of Audiobooks herself.

If you’ve ever wondered how audiobook narrators go about narrating a romance novel…it’s all in here.

If you’re able to listen to it on audio, I recommend going that route because Julia Whelan brings out a full repertoire of different voices. So fun!

For Sewanee Chester, being an audiobook narrator is a long way from her old dreams, but the days of being a star on film sets are long behind her. She's found success in a new way, far from what she originally thought she'd have. When she is given the chance to narrate the novel of a late, great romance novelist, she can't pass up the opportunity. She and the male narrator begin to fall in love, but will it last or will it explode?

Title: Thank You For Listening
Author: Julia Whelan
Publisher: Avon Books
@avonbooks
Genre: Contemporary

Ok, so we all know Julia Whelan as gifted audiobook narrator extraordinaire. She’s the #goat. But I actually first fell in love with her from her book ‘The Oxford Year’. I was late to the audiobook game. I know most are going to go the audiobook route because Julia narrates it herself, but I read this one through @netgalley and really enjoyed that experience too. This is like a love letter to her fans. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher @avon for the #gifted eARC.

Thank You For Listening is an uplifting second chance novel of sorts about a former actress who turned to book narration when a tragic accident forced her to leave acting. It’s a journey of self discovery, love and most of all acceptance of yourself.

Sewanee Chester started her book narration career at the bottom doing romance novels. But once she advance beyond them she was done. After all, she doesn’t believe in HEA; How could she when all her dreams of acting were cut short! However, when she finds herself needing money to support her beloved grandmother, she is personally requested for a project with heartthrob narrator Brock McKnight and can’t say no.

Along the way these two start connecting because of the project, but find themselves connecting outside of the project too. They both may be working through similar issues and maybe aren’t so alone in how they are feeling.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The supporting cast steals the show. You guys know I love a sassy grandmother. I’m also a big fan of the grumpy sunshine trope. The negatives for me were the main characters name. I just could not say it correctly and my brain kept pronouncing it Shawnee! Also the book was a tad on the long side for its genre. Pick up a copy today, Pub Day 8/2

Holy smokes, Julia Whelan is unstoppable. I LOVED "My Oxford Year" and I listen to the audiobooks she narrates just because she is such a talent. I had no idea what I was in for with "Thank You for Listening" but it is easily in my top 5 books of the year. Just a completely perfect behind-the-curtain look at all things audiobook. This book felt like so many things to me, but is genuinely just a perfect romance novel at its core.

I definitely liked the romance part of this book more than the women's fiction. The romance between Sewanee and her one-night stand and then between her and her audio book partner had so much potential to pull readers in. Sewanee has a traumatic past that she's trying hard to get over, even as her best friend is getting all these amazing acting gigs that could have been hers 'if only' the accident never happened. Sewanee is also dealing with her ailing grandmother who is suffering memory problems which means she need to move to a more expensive part of the assisted living facility. Thus, she decides to accept an offer to narrate a romance which will help foot the bill.

I felt like this book was very choppy because as soon as the characters start sparking some romance, Sewanee's family drama pops in. I loved the banter between Sewanee (as Sarah) and Brock - they were sarcastic with a lot of sexual innuendos that were funny to read.

As a side note, I picked this book because I listen to a lot of the audio books narrated by Julia Whelan and wanted to see how her book would be. It wasn't amazing, but it was still a very good read.

“Eventually, don't know when, but eventually? You’re gonna have to stop thinking you’re nothing more than the damaged version of yourself.”
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Hands down, this is my favorite book of 2022. I found myself laughing out loud one minute, crying the next. Let me break my review down into two parts:
🎧
Part 1: The Audiobook World
Whelan pulls back the curtain on the audiobook world and I LOVED learning about the creation of audiobooks, the inner working of a world that fascinates me, the relationships with others narrators. Carb-loading, limiting your red wine consumption, green apples -- the industry tricks! If I didn't love Whelan already, this would have won me over. I imagined this book to be a glimpse into her world that readers would love to experience.
🎧
Part 2: The Story
I adore Sewanee "Swan" Chester and her dedication to her family and friends. Her relationship with Blah Blah (her grandmother) is the sweetest thing ever. It also brought tears to my eyes listening to their interactions. We also get Brock McKnight in "Thank You for Listening" who turns out to be the best kind of surprise ever. When Swan and Brock tackle a new project together, we get pure magic ("Will do Daddy."). This book deals with loss, second chances, and self-discovery. There's amazing growth for each character, considering they all have some hefty baggage to work through.
🎧
"Thank You for Listening" is a slow burn rom-com with depth and heart. Whelan knocks it out of the park with this one.

This was such a trip for me because I was already SUCH a huge fan of Julia Whelan. I loved it! This is one I have already recommended to others!

Thank you @librofm, @avonbooks, and @netgalley for an ALC/ARC copy of this book!

POV you’re listening to an audiobook narrated by the audiobook queen herself @justjuliawhelan about an audiobook narrator. I absolutely loved this one!

Julia Whelan is easily my favorite audiobook narrator, and I was absolutely in love with the story she created! It had so much depth with handling complicated family dynamics, addressing grief, self-acceptance, and how to move forward after a tragic accident.

It still had all the fun of a romance filled with banter and light-hearted moments! I loved seeing how Sewanee and Nick came together by the end. The tension and arc of the conflict to the storyline was perfectly crafted to me!

I truly could not stop listening, I was so invested!

Overall this book was such a fun rom-com with depth giving us a peek into the audiobook world! Also partial to the audiobook version, because who could narrate it better than the author herself 💕

You know books that feel like a hug? This one felt like a SMILE. And also a hug. Its full of witty banter, uplifting and bittersweet moments and heartbreaking ones. It made me so happy reading it. When I wasn’t reading it, I couldn’t wait to get back into it. It’s about lost and failure and getting back up again. There’s also romance. I loved learning more about audio books. I loved the texting/emailing with “Sarah and Brock”. I loved it all. I miss this story already. Nick is SWOON worthy.

Sewanee is my new favorite character. I absolutely adore her.