Thank You For Listening is equal parts fun and heartfelt and gives an interesting view into the world of audiobook production.

Julia Whelan is a Queen! She is, in my opinion, one of the absolute best audiobook narrators (my personal favorite), and I have really enjoyed her work as an author. Her evocative writing and character interactions (banter, chemistry, and conflict) have won me over with both her debut and this novel.

The premise of this book is so intriguing! In Thank You For Listening, which is written by a women who has made a career as an audiobook narrator, we have the story of two audiobook narrators and their relationship that evolves while they work together on the same project. I absolutely loved the “behind-the-scenes” view of the production of an audiobook. I also really liked the epistolary elements. I just found this to be a very fascinating read!

While I did love the storyline, wit, and emotion, I didn’t always connect with the characters, so I felt some parts dragged a bit.

Overall, I think fans of Women’s Fic that toes the line of Romance and fans of audiobooks, in general, will enjoy Thank You For Listening.

*Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book. This did not affect my opinion or the content of my review.

An excellent book. It grabbed me from the first pages. I really enjoy this author’s work (both as a writer and an audiobook narrator) so found this to be an informative glimpse into her life.

Highly recommend.

3.5 / Damn can Julia Whelan write banter!! Everyone is like, "The accents this" or "The voices that" but I'm over here cackling while folding laundry because the dialogue is some of the best I've ever read.

TW: loved one in assisted living, grandparent with dementia (main theme), death of a loved one, suicide attempt (off-page), parent who cheated, toxic parent, discussion of past dead dog with cancer, vomit, ableism, accident leading to physical disability recounted

Based off the author's note, I can confidently say this story is heavily inspired by Whelan's own life, so it's safe to assume some of the characters' attitudes and views reflect the author's, or at least at one point did. The main character stops narrating romance because she stops believing in the HEA. The love interest feels trapped, perhaps even pigeon-holed, in romance narration because of his enormous success. The two of them reconcile these internal conflicts and fall for each other while narrating a beloved author's posthumous romance release.

I saw several people describe this book as closed door, which is why I felt comfortable going with the audio. I HATE sex scenes being read to me. It's the ickiest feeling in the world. But I was told I'd be fine with this one, and of course Whelan narrates it herself, so it's not to be missed. She pulls out ALL the stops and flexes her talent like she's up for every award. But WHEW this book is definitely door ajar. Nothing graphic per se, but the woman knows how to write sexual tension, and I barely got through some of the scenes without crawling out of my skin suit and slinking into the sewer system.

This story was interesting and certainly different than most romance on the market. A romance novel about romance narrators written by a very loved and popular audiobook narrator? PLEASE. But despite the fresh concept, the story is kinda forgettable, an issue I had with Whelan's debut too.

She can write incredible dialogue, is genuinely funny, and clearly knows the genre, but I don't usually love the execution. It can feel a bit heavy-handed in theme and the characters feel a little choreographed.

However, this book has some genuinely amazing parts! We have the pen pals trope, a very very hot one night stand told through flashbacks, behind the scenes into the audiobook industry (including the impacts AI is having right now), a love interest with an accent 🤤, steamy—but not descriptive—scenes, and a conversation about being physically disabled in the entertainment industry after the "big break."

I usually don't like one night stand tropes because the sexual tension is cracked in the very beginning, but the way Whelan handled it was so well done and kept the tension ramping up, even though as readers we saw the reveal coming. But that didn't lessen the sexual tension!

So overall, this is a 3.5 star read rounded up to a 4 because I would definitely recommend this to certain readers. I keep seeing people compare it to Book Lovers, usually saying it's better, so I'm off to read that and compare.

Rep: Black side character, disabled main character (missing eye), part Irish main character

Thank you to Avon for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this story. It amused me, the character flaws were fairly relatable. Some of the storyline did feel a little disjointed but overall I enjoyed all aspects of it.

Okay, this one was almost a nope for me. I don't know why when I was reading it, the tone was wrong in my head I think, and I really didn't like Sewanee's character that much. However, I saw that Julia Whelan narrated her own book, so I gave it another go on audio, and it completely changed my outlook on this book. Julia is an amazing narrator, and I will have to look at her other books in the future. Sewanee still wasn't my favorite character, but she grew on me. Nick is an absolute saint, and I loved BlahBlah. I also loved how they threw in on the cliche romance troupes and even made a little fun of it towards the end. I would say that this book is good, but to truly enjoy it, I think audiobook might be the win for this.

I was really enjoying Thank You for Listening for the first seven hours of the audiobook. There were even several laugh-out-loud moments that made me think I'd finally stumbled across a book worth my time (currently in a slump after a string of mediocre stories). Unfortunately, after investing nearly eight hours, the main character decides to be awful and stupid. Everything was falling into place perfectly, and then Sewanee decides to be someone not worth reading about.

I like that this book has a main character with a disability.

I like that this book addresses dealing with an elderly loved one that struggles with memory loss.

I like that this book has a male love interest that's sweet, charming, and understanding to a fault.

I like that this book has a best friend that feels like family.

Pause.

I did not like that Sewanee used her disability as an excuse.

I did not like that Sewanee thought she - and only she - knew what was best for her ailing grandmother. She didn't even want to consider what her grandmother wanted for herself.

I did not like how Sewanee treated the male love interest once everything was out in the open. She walked away, what, ten times? Nick still stuck around and tried to give her time to process her feelings. She ends up running away anyways and ignoring all of his attempts at conversation. Everything, and I mean everything, in their romance-novel-worthy relationship was falling into place and she squandered it. She looked a gift horse in the mouth and then shoved that horse over a cliff.

I did not like how Sewanee chose to treat her best friend (the one that's more like a sister). Her friend had been there through it all and was always in Sewanee's corner. Sewanee was cruel and undeserving of such a friendship.

All of my dislikes happened after listening to 68% of this book. I normally don't DNF this far into something, but her entire personality was a turn off at that point. She made bad decision after bad decision and I couldn't find a single redeeming quality that made me want to keep going.

However, I do have a positive to end this review with. Julia Whelan narrates her own book and it's amazing. She is a phenomenal narrator that I really enjoyed listening to and will definitely look for in the future. (★★⋆☆☆ )

{Book Review} Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan

Oh, Julia Whelan. I was nervous to read your sophomore novel because I wasn’t sure anything could come close to the brilliance of MY OXFORD YEAR and you blew me away. Let me count the ways I love your books.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING was a really meta vibe because the heroine, Sewanee, is a successful audiobook narrator and all the details of how audiobooks are made was fascinating. I loved this inside look into this aspect of the book world. And I loved Sewanee. I loved her story, her journey to overcoming some past trauma but I especially loved the relationship with her best friend Adaku. There were so many beautiful moments of deep friendships that my own best friend and I were trading screen shots while reading.

The romantic element was…chef’s kiss. I mean, almost absolute perfection. The banter. The conversations. The reveals. I was mentally cheering and fist pumping at certain points it was fricking brilliant.

Julia Whelan is an author that has shot herself to the top of my favorite authors, I cannot wait to see what she impresses us with next!

Thank you infinitely @avonbooks for the review copy!

After a tragic accident ends her acting career, Sewanee has found success and satisfaction as an audiobook narrator. She stopped narrating romance book, but a large financial incentive and a request from a late author, she agrees to one last book. Sewanee resurrects her old pseudonym and begins a texting relationship with the industry's hottest male narrator Brock. As she works on this project, Sewanee discovers what her dreams really are.

I loved this! Julia Whelan is an incredible audiobook narrator AND author. It was so good, and I highly recommend you LISTEN to this!

One of the most compelling aspects of the novel is the relationship between Sewanee and Brock McNight, the industry's hottest, most secretive voice. The connection between the two is hidden behind the comfort of anonymity, and it is a beautiful and tender exploration of love and intimacy.

The novel also deals with some heavy themes such as the trauma of a tragic accident and the realities of life, but it is handled with sensitivity and depth. Whelan expertly explores the emotional fallout of such a life-altering event and the way it affects Sewanee's relationships, her career, and her sense of self.

I listened to this one on audio, which I think was the perfect way to consume this novel, as Julia Whelan is one of the most recognizable audiobook narrators working today, and, well, the book is about audiobooks. I appreciated the meta look inside the industry, and thought that this was did great job combining humor with heavier topics. Is it the most memorable book I've ever read? No. But I enjoyed listening to it for sure.

This book was amazing, I hated having to put it down to go back to real life. I love listening to audiobooks so getting behind the scenes details of how narrators do their job had me geeking out. This book had everything for me. It had so much depth with Sewanee facing her life after her accident & watching her grandmother's fight with dementia. As someone who watched her own grandparents go through that I felt it was realistically portrayed witb how heartbreaking it is. I also loved the way the love story was incorporated in as well. Nick had flaws but that made me love him even more. My only regret is that I waited so long to read this book.

Great fun and a lot of laughs! One instance of too much information in a sex scene, but otherwise lovely. I was just about to get annoyed with Sewanee when she didn't seem to get how in love Nick was, but the author deftly departed from that line and caught me up again as Swan moved forward, not staying stuck (thank heavens!). Thanks, Marilyn, for pointing this one out to me. I, too, liked the inside look at audio book production. The author made a wonderful narrator and her afterward was entertaining also.

Not sure why I didn’t review this already, since I read and raved about it immediately. All the feels. So steamy. My perfect kind of romance!

Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan is a love letter to audiobook fans everywhere. We get the story of Sewanee, a former actress and current audiobook narrator, who has had her fair share of hardship over the last couple of years. An accident has left her feeling not like herself, and Sewanee has to relearn how to live herself again. She finds a friend in Nick, a stranger she spends one Vegas night with, and she begins to realize that in order to be happy, she has to be the one to decide to be.

What I loved:
-Tropes: Snowed in, One night stand, email writing/texting, Mistaken identity
-the texting/emails. This is when the story really hooked me 😍
-the Hollywood/Vegas settings made this read feel escapist
-Blah Blah, Sewanee’s quirky, theatrical grandmother, was so sweet. Her friends at the nursing home were funny too!
-Adaku was the most supportive bff ever. Julia needs to write a book from her POV next.
-the mistaken identity in the book was one I saw coming but also didn’t at the same time.
-the lessons in the story about loving yourself even despite the hardships life has handed you were amazing. I loved that both main characters had to wrestle with that, so the intimacy/steam was not the forefront of the story. I didn’t miss it though 🤷🏻‍♀️

I can’t wait to see what Julia Whelan writes next. Now my next goal? To finally listen to one of her audiobooks. I hear she’s amazing!

This book was amazing! The love story, the family tension, the behind the scenes look at being an audiobook actor. All the stars!

Cute romance with a few more serious storylines. I loved the look into an audio narrator's career. I enjoyed the print version, but this book is probably best on audio. Julia Whelan herself is an audio narrator, so I've heard the audio version is amazing.

this was fantastic, I actually listened to it and then read it because I enjoyed the story so much. and loved the meta of it all.

Julia Whelan novels are like a warm hug from a friend or your favorite sweater on a rainy day: comforting and uplifting. Thank You for Listening had unexpected emotional depth, likable and relatable characters, and a fun and funny storyline. I won't hesitate to pick up whatever Whelan has up her sleeve for the next novel. A solid four stars from me.

This is a book that needs to be listened to instead of read with your eyes. The narration is incredible and helped me connect with the characters more than just by reading the words on the page. The humor is great and I found myself laughing out loud multiple times. Yet my heart also broke at the appropriate times.

This was my first book by Julia Whelan, and I quite enjoyed it. It definitely leaned more towards general fiction than it did romance, as there is a lot of introspective moments about the lead character figuring out some very personal and traumatic things. I loved that the book was influenced by the author's life, and I loved that the main character had lost an eye in a bad accident and wore an eye patch. For some reason it was incredibly refreshing to read about, and read about how the character dealt with everything that came with the accident (unworthiness, guilt, etc), because I don't think I've ever read a book in which a female (especially in a non-fantasy book) has that kind of physical disability. I thought the book was well-written, unique, and fun, and while the romance isn't the biggest plot point in this book to me, it's still prevalent enough where she gets her happy ending.

I ended up listening to this on Audiobook and enjoyed it so much! It seemed like a no brainer - an audiobook about an audiobook narrator falling in love with another audiobook narrator written by an audiobook narrator.

The story itself was really fun, I enjoyed the characters and the unique set up. Sewanee and Nick were such fun MCs and I really enjoyed getting to see them both open up both to themselves and to each other. The book was full of tropes, but in a way that felt like a love letter to romance lovers rather than full of cliches.

I can truly see this being one of my favorite romances for 2023.