Audiobook narrator, Sewanee Chester is unhappy. A former actress, she switched careers due to a tragic accident that she still hasn’t healed from emotionally. Sewanee also quit recording romance novels five years ago when she decided she didn’t believe in a happily ever. She receives an offer that she can’t refuse but it’s narrating romance, and working with the hottest male voice around, Brock McKnight. Sewanee and Brock begin emailing and texting to discuss their productions, but soon it turns personal and she agree to meet in person. Has Sewanee finally met her HEA?

Thank You for Listening is funny, sad, romantic, and entertaining. Easy to read and hard to put down, I devoured the book in a few days. Sewanee and Brock’s witty banter and innuendos led to some pretty amazing chemistry in their relationship. Also, I love it when I learn something new from a book. In this one, I learned about the process of producing an audiobook, all the research, pronunciation issues, and dialogue or dialect discussions. I’d never really have it a thought before and I found it very interesting on top of the actual story.

When audiobook narrator, Sewanee, is asked to return to her romance novel roots and be one of the two voices for the final audiobook of a beloved author under her old pseudonym, she must learn to re-love the genre she thought she had moved past. The other voice actor for the project is the mysterious Brock McNight who has made a name for himself exclusively reading romances novels. The two must work together on the book while trying to keep their true identities a secret. On top of the job, Sewanee is navigating dealing with her best friend making it big in Hollywood and a beloved grandmother who is battling dementia and is beginning to need more care.

This book was a delight to read and I’m sure that the audiobook, as it was read by the author, would be equally delightful. The book is entirely from the perspective of Sewanee and would not work as a dual POV book. I loved the structure of the book as it was broken down into plot sections like “a woman goes on a journey”, “the notorious rake”, “snowed in”, “the proposal”, and “the reconciliation” rather than normal chapter titles or just numbers. My favorite was a large section near the middle of the book that was mostly epistolary containing large blocks of emails and text messages. Having the chapters this way kept the pace of the book going and told me exactly what I was getting without revealing too much.

I adored Sewanee. I found aspects of her character very relatable wile other aspects were just over the top enough to make her a wonderful romance heroine. I liked her relationship with Brock and while the twist was obvious, it was still very fun to read. I liked the various side characters and felt that the really added to the story and helped me to really see Sewanee as a real person. The tone of this book is what I would consider a dramedy with comedic aspects breaking up the more serious scenes. Overall I loved this book and cannot believe that it is only the second book written by Julia Whelan.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When she was just twenty-four, Sewanee (Swan) Chester was in a horrific accident that scarred her psychologically and physically. At the time, she was an aspiring actress, but now she narrates audiobooks for an appreciative fan base. In "Thank You for Listening," Julie Whelan pokes fun at the cliches and formulaic plots of tacky romance novels. Although Swan dislikes narrating romances, she agrees to take a lucrative job that entails recording stories about good-looking men and women who find true love and live HEA (happily ever after). Swan needs the money to finance her beloved grandmother's costly stay in an assisted-living facility.

The novel is most touching when Whelan focuses on Swan's devotion to her grandmother, who has severe memory loss. The least realistic aspect is Swan's unexpected encounter with a gorgeous man in Vegas, with whom she spends a torrid night before parting. For some inexplicable reason, the lovers initially lie about their identities. The growing attraction between these two is as improbable and cliché-ridden as the romance audiobooks that Swan records.

Swan's relationship with Nick progresses in fits and starts, which breaks up the novel's flow. The tale's most intriguing passages involve the fascinating art of narrating audiobooks. In order to do the job well, the narrator must speak naturally and be able to convey subtle emotions. To rise to the top of her field, she must also be an excellent actress who forms a bond with her listeners. Swan earns our sympathy for the challenges she faces, but "Thank You for Listening" is too predictable and bland to win our hearts.

What a fun read. I have been in a book slump but this book pulled me right out and entertained me immensely. I loved the main characters and their interactions were just a lot of fun.

Definitely and interesting and somewhat twisty take on the traditional romance genre. I loved the text/email format parts of the book. I think it broke it up and made for some relatability. BlahBlah was the best, of course. While there were some sad and dramatic parts, I also enjoyed the intermingled genres and plays on that. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a book that isn’t quite what you would expect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon, HarperCollins for the advanced copy.

what do you know, julia whelan can write! i've listened to a number of audiobooks she's narrated, and while this premise isn't terribly far afield from her usual work, it's very charming

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan - My thanks to Avon and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my unbiased opinion of it in the following review.

This was a truly unique book about a woman who was an up-and-coming actress who, after an unfortunate accident, becomes a narrator of audiobooks. The author who is also an audiobook narrator gave some fun looks into the behind the scenes of making audiobooks that I thought were interesting and entertaining. The main character, Sewanee, takes on a project with a male narrator. No one knows his true identity, but he is considered the rock star of audiobooks. The two of them bond through correspondence regarding the project and become very close. I loved the sections where they are getting to know each other through messages. While this sounds like a light and fluffy romance, it is definitely not all sunshine and flowers. Both characters have a lot of issues to work through. At times I was just wanting to get to the romance when the story had taken a more serious tone, but when it was all wrapped up I was truly satisfied with how everything was resolved.

I know of Julia Whelan mostly from her brilliant audiobook narrations, and this is the first book of hers that I've read. I enjoyed it and learned a bit about what narrating books is like. It's a fun story and I like the characters of Swan and Nick.

📚Review📚
"Feelings aren't constant, they're transient. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. You can believe in them, but you can't know them. How can you know what something is before it becomes it? It's like....". "Like a caterpillar and a butterfly". (From the book)
An audiobook narrator is in search of a new road and agrees to a romance novel though she doesn't believe in them. What Sewanee finds in the process is the story of the book. Can't reveal too much since anything else is a spoiler.
This book is an utter delight. It is funny, charming, cute and at the same time filled with emotions. And it is a bit steamy as well.
Liked: The humor in this book. The characters other than one were really amazing. This book does not take itself seriously but at the same time it is serious in how the characters are portrayed.
Did not like: Nothing honestly. I did not want the book to end.
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you NetGalley , Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of this book.

I love Julie Whelan and will listening to anything that she narrates. I also LOVED My Ofxord Year - it is a book I think about often and hold as the pinnacle of my reading taste. I was so honored and thrilled to receive an ARC of Thank You For Listening, a book I have been impatiently waiting for for years!

I loved it! We meet Sewanee Chester, an audiobook narrator (wonder where Julia got this idea?) who has overcome some very difficult moments to get to where she is now - an award winning and respected narrator who does NOT narrate romance. She dreams of her former life as an actor, but has made peace with the path her life has taken. As a favor to a friend she ends up in Vegas for a book convention and unexpectedly meets a handsome stranger who she shares a whirlwind night with. Once home she is met with an offer she can't refuse - to narrate a world famous romance author's last book with the infamous Brock McNight. What comes next is...almost like a romance novel.

I love the way that Julia builds characters and environments - everyone feels so 3 dimensional and human. I loved the path that this story took, and in some ways it was predictable, but that was also the point. It was cheeky, thoughtful, fun, and heartwarming.

Another slam dunk! Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager - Thank You For Listening is out now! Don't miss it!

Whelan's expertise in the audio industry makes the clerical details of this book refreshing, but it can't quite save the story from succumbing to a static storyline and flat characters. Parts of Swan's profile seemed overblown—her background as an actress, her injury, her (inexplicable) distancing from happy endings.

Still, a propulsive read that goes down as easily as the sound of a smooth narrator through oversized headphones.

This was such a fun read. Sewanee and Brock have a terrific connection and learn a lot about themselves and the narrating process as they work together.

I loved seeing the inner workings of the book narration process with two such fun characters as they banter back and forth over text. The epistolary portions of the book were some of my favorite parts. And, I loved the “love triangle” situation ala You’ve Got Mail.

Loved the meta aspect of this rom com book that pokes fun of itself and the genre while simultaneously telling us a great romantic story!

Thank You for Listening published today and, while I LOVED the ARC that Avon was so nice to provide via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion, I can not wait to revisit it via audiobook! I read about as many audiobooks per month as I read Kindle books (with the occasional physical copy in there). And if you also listen to audiobooks, you know that the narrator is a huge part of the story (haha). I especially love listening when Julia Whelan is the narrator. Her ability to do different voices and accents is unmatched. Recent books I've loved because of her narration include The Measure, Malibu Rising (a reread via audiobook), Flying Solo, I'll Be You, and The Latecomer. In Thank You For Listening, she takes us behind the scenes to see more of the audiobook recording process, with a romance tied in, too. I could not put it down, and I recommend the book - but I bet the audiobook is even better!

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan is nothing short of perfection. It has humor, wit, heat, sensitivity, adventure, heart, and is wildly entertaining.

I would recommend this on audiobook because the author herself narrates it and she is THE BEST (seriously, my favorite narrator).

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book which was my most anticipated book of the year and did not disappoint! Julia Whelan is outstanding and this is as good as her previous book, My Oxford Year, if not better. Brava!

I've read several books about writing books, authors struggling with their own stories and how their real life struggles end up giving them great literay works. Now we turn the tide and have a narrator bringing those stories to life. Sewanee was a girl who had it all, she was living her dream as an actress and about to make it big. Then trouble strikes and she finds herself with an injury that she feels jeopardizes her true desires of being a famous actress. Years later she has a job and career reading books. She has the voices down and she is able to use her acting/directing skills to truly bring the story to life. She's even won a few audiobook awards. Now when life is tough and money is the answer she takes part in a job to read a romance story, something she hasn't done since the beginning of her narrating career. One of her favorite indie authors has passed away and she feels like she ows her a lot for helping with her career in the beginning. She reads the book with Brock McNight who is a mysterious narrator that no one knows. As time goes on Sewanee and Brock become friends and feelings develop. What will happen when she discovers that she has actually met Brock before. The twists of secret identities, family, and love all come into question.

I honestly wish I had done the audiobook for this book. I know Julia had to have done a phenomenal job with the way she described doing accents and voices for so many different characters, I feel that part was harder to read just because you don't get the real voices/sounds while reading a physical book. I know this part would have translated better in audio form. The romance was sweet and even though you probably assumed who Brock was, I still felt the surprise Sewanee did when she found out and even more when a few more surprises came to life. Sewanee is a character with deep issues and problems that are still relatable and I loved how she grew and helped our mysterious Brock become more of himself as well.

4.5 Stars...and what a fun book this was to read! Sewanee Chester is a former actress, turned book narrator, who has a one-night stand in Las Vegas. What follows is story of self-discovery with lots of wit and, of course, romance.

I loved Julia Whelan's My Oxford Year and Thank You for Listening is nearly as good. I highly recommend this book and want to thank Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an advance copy.

First, Julia Whelan is an absolute audiobook icon of our time.

Second, I’m still unsure how I felt after reading this story.

I think I enjoyed the story but it’s one of those stories that’s a one-time read because I genuinely don’t remember anything about it. That probably had to do with the timeline and the jumping around that happened. This isn’t necessarily a cute rom-com. There are mentions of grief and loss and how that affects who you become after said trauma.

Maybe it was just a bit too wordy for me because even while listening to the audiobook, I would space out and not even bother going back to listen to what I missed.

This one was probably just not for me. Thanks for reading my ramblings that make absolutely zero sense!

Julia Whelan is a new author for me to read. However she has hit a homerun with Thank You for Listening. The airplane incident was so hilarious, plus it was a true example of my fear of listening to romance novels. So needless to say I don’t and won’t start now since the four almost five year old would be a grandchild. Nonetheless it was laugh out loud, my-husband-asking-what-is-so-funny scene. From there I knew I would love Sewanee Chester her scrappiness her proper use of English as well as her journey of self-discovery.

A smart story for the intelligent who understand life can some hard throw punches but you come up fighting. Never giving up and never losing that ability to reach for a new hope or dream. Too good of a story to give any spoilers. Just read it for yourself. It will be the book of the summer. Even if you don’t care for romance books read Thank You for Listening. You will be glad that you did.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

**Updated Review**

Narrator Sewanee Chester has sworn to never go back to working on romance audiobooks. Just when she needs a way to pay for her grandmother’s care, an offer comes from an author from her past.

I inhaled this book! Julia Whelan has been one of my favorite narrators for a while and her writing is just as exceptional. I originally read an ARC of Thank You For Listening back in February (2022) and I promptly pre-ordered the audiobook. The day before the release, I was sent an early copy of the audiobook and immediately started listening to it even though my own copy was going to show up the next day.

Thank You For Listening has just the right of romantic tension that compels you to keep reading (or listening). The plot is quite unique for a romance novel and does not rely on all the typical tropes. Sewanee’s loyalty to her family and friends makes her so relatable. The author weaves those relationships throughout the plot with just as much importance as Sewanee’s romantic relationships.

As great as the written book is, get the audiobook! Julia Whelan narrates her own books and gives life to them in a way no other narrator could.

I think Thank You For Listening would make a great option for book clubs.

I voluntarily read and listened to advanced copies of this book and audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, William Morrow & Harper Audio!

Unlike many reviewers I've seen, I'd never heard the voice of Julian Whelan nor read her other title, but I'd heard great things. This book did not disappoint. I absolutely adored it. I got swept away in the story and could not put it down.