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:
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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.
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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.
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"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.

Loved the premise of this book and felt like it was different than the usual romance trope! Brock was a favorite male lead of mine, and I found myself really enjoying their banter and interactions! Great amount of steam as well. Highly recommend!

Genuinely loved this. I recently became familiar with Whelan as a voiceover artist. I'm happy to learn that her writing is delightful, genuinely funny, and with good characters.

What an incredibly creative romance. what a great peek into the world of audiobook production. Cannot recommend this one enough! Julia Whelan is not only a brilliant audiobook narrator but a tremendous rightet to boot!

Well, this book is charming. I’m not a huge audiobook listener, however I do like them and after this book it makes me want to listen to more. What to say about this book - if you love romances, family relationships that are heartwarming but also complicated, characters who are working through accepting who they are and who they want to be and if you love happy sweet endings that make you want to hug a book when you’re done, read this one. You wont be disappointed.

tw/cw: Alzheimer’s, troubled relationship with parent, tragic accident/disability

The queen of narration knocks it out of the park again. I really really liked the story and I'm so happy that one of my favorite narrators is now also an author! I really enjoyed the banter back and forth with the rom-com couple and laughed out loud many times. I also loved the relationship with her grandmother.

So I loved the first like, 60% of this book, but then I sort of felt like the last 40% was all over the place.

The beginning is catchy, I loved all the behind the scenes audiobook stuff. I listen to a LOT of audiobooks, and I loved the convo between the MC and Brock, the texting chats back and forth about pronunciation and the MC’s comments about reviewing and prepping. It’s stuff I never really thought about and I loved all of that.

I sort of saw the reveal coming, expected it, really, but that I think was around 60%, and everything after that got so complicated and all over the place while the main character was trying to figure herself out.

I saw a review where someone said that this book was marketed as more of a romance when it really wasn’t, and I’d have to agree. The romance is a piece of the storyline, but not the main focus. This book has a LOT going on.

I liked all the banter and connection with the characters at first, then it sort of trails off near the end. And the epilogue with the last snippet, the POV from the fictional author, I don’t really think we needed that and I could have done without it. I also felt like everything ended so quickly before the epilogue.

Overall, I think this was fine. I really did love the first half, but the last half fell a bit flat. If you love audiobooks, I think you’ll enjoy this, and if you love romance, just go into this knowing that’s not the MAIN focus.

This one released 8/2! 📚

This was such a unique, fascinating, delightful, meta WF/romance. I'm going to keep thinking about it and all its wonderful characters for a long time.

I loved this take on books! Sawanee’s story broke my heart, but just like her romance novels, we story has an HEA. Her story is one of strength and faith; of finding yourself after you feel you’ve lost a core part of you along the way. There are heavy topics and a groveling gentleman with a Irish accent.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy!

The queen of narration knocks it out of the park again. I really really liked the story (and I don’t usually read rom-coms) but I loved the narration. I am always amazed how JW can become so many voices. I really enjoyed the banter back and forth with the rom-com couple and laughed out loud many times. I also loved the relationship with her grandmother. I was able to read an ARC but after I began I decided I much rather hear Julia bring it to life, and boy did she!! Great Audible listen!