This book follows audio book narrator Sewanee Chester who once had dreams of being an actress before a tragic accident changed that. Since then she has become one of the most accomplished audio book narrators but she doesn't do romance novels because she doesn't believe in happily ever afters. After returning from a conference in Las Vegas where she has a one night stand with a charming stranger, she learns that one of the most prominent romance authors who recently passed away left instructions that her final work be narrated by Sewanee and male narrator Brock McKnight. Brock is the industry's hottest male romance narrator right now and has a seductive voice. The only thing is, he never shows his face and no one knows who he really is. The project pays well so Sewanee agrees as she needs the money to care for her ailing grandfather. As she and Brock work together and get to know each other over texts and emails the cloak of anonymity makes it easy for them both to open up and be themselves. But eventually reality comes crashing in and secrets are revealed. Can Sewanee learn to open herself up to a life she once thought was long gone?

This book is charming and sweet and I really enjoyed it. There is so much depth to these characters and this is such a great exploration of grief, and learning to life your life to fullest no what cards life has dealt you. If you are an audiobook junkie like me, this is also a fun look behind the curtain at audiobooks and how they are made. While I felt the plot twists were predictable, it didn't take away anything from my enjoyment of the book as these amazing characters propelled the story forward and kept me turning page after page so see what happened.

This was yet another great work by Julia Whelan.

I loved this story so much. I loved the inside view of the audiobook world and what the recording process takes. I thought it was a gentle exploration of multi-faceted grief. I enjoyed that every relationship was nuanced and felt complicated - there was an authenticity to how each character was presented.

This book made my romance loving heart so happy! I was impressed with Whelan's debut novel, My Oxford Year, and I'm glad to say that I loved Thank You for Listening just as much.

A book about audiobook narrators... as someone who does a majority of her reading via audiobooks, I loved the premise of this story. Sewanee was an actress until an accident changed her path. Ever since, she's been an audiobook narrator, and a successful one at that. She's an actress at heart and that translates well into narration. While at a convention for audiobooks, she meets someone. They spend one impactful night together. But we'll get back to that later.

Sewanee is one of those characters you can't help but love. She has her job, but also helps take care of her grandma. I have a soft spot for grandparents in books, and I loved their relationship. Now, back to the narration... Sewanee narrates all kinds of audiobooks, but not romance. She did at the start but hasn't in some time. Until the queen of romance gives Sewanee an offer she can't refuse. Narrating with Brock McKnight and making the money she needs to help grandma.

I'm going to be a little tight lipped about the romance, because I loved how it played out and I don't want to spoil it. This had a bit of the grumpy/sunshine troupe I love so much and our hero was such a gem of a character. Every time he was on page, I had a huge smile on my face. It was serendipitous, how these two got together and fate kept bringing them back.

If you love audiobooks and romance novels, you need to pick this book up. It's not just an epic love story, but it's a story of friendship, family, and self acceptance. It's witty, romantic, fun, and has so much heart. It was perfect for me and as much as I loved reading it, I can't wait to listen to it when the audiobook releases. Julia Whelan is not only a fantastic author, she's one of my favorite narrators and I know she'll knock it out of the park narrating this one!

Thank You for Listening was stellar! It had a wonderful premise, witty and smart writing, and great emotional depth. Julia Whelan was able to bring the audio book narrator profession to life while giving the reader a fated mates story to swoon over.

Sewanee is a former actress turned audio book narrator after a terrible accident. She is still coming to terms with all she has lost and trying to figure out where to go from there. I'm not going to give the name of our leading man. There's a bit of a mystery there, but rest assured, he's perfect for her. As a couple, they have great chemistry and banter, and their meant-to-be-together story is a romance reader's dream.

I just adored this book. It was like a love letter to romance readers with lots of classic tropes thrown in and some great insight into the audio book world. There was an epistolary section of this book that is perfection. There were so many wonderful supporting characters in this book that are fully developed characters with ups and downs of their own. Blah, Sewanne's grandmother, was my personal favorite.

If you are an Emily Henry fan, this book is for you. There is so much more going on here than a typical rom-com, although it is both romantic and funny. It is a heartfelt, sweet, smart story with tons of depth. I left this book with the same feeling that I had after Beach Read, knowing that I just read something that is so special!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-book in exchange for my honest opinion!

I. Loved. This. Book.

Between the very thorough insider details about the audiobook world, the well developed characters and relationships, the artfully deployed tropes, and the amount of sizzle between the MC and LI, I could not put it down. I laughed frequently, I wept more than once (BlahBlah broke my heart!!), and for once in my life I might actually want to listen to an audiobook?

Perfect summer read! Julia Whelan has a way of flipping romance tropes on their head and it just feels so smart and real. I loved how this had almost every trope and transcended above them all to be so fresh and new. This book was so authentic and real - like nothing I had read before. The characters were just so well written and had real flaws and just were so cool - you wanted to be friends with them.

Incidentally - I totally am going to check out the audio copy when it is available. The leads both being romance narrators is just too perfect.

Really fun read and I def have Whelan on my auto buy for sure.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

I've gotten slightly tired of meta-romance. The kind where the characters say "oh no, it's Just One Bed. We're a cliche!" This book was SO good, though, and it reinvented the tropes a bit while still naming them. The characters (and Julia Whelan) have the experience in the audiobook and/or romance industry to bring interesting details to the discussion, too. I immediately pre-ordered the audiobook when I saw she narrates it herself.

Thank You For Listening is one of the more unique romances I’ve read. Sewanee Chester is a actress turned audiobook narrator after a tragic accident (thought she doesn’t narrate romances). Following a whirlwind one night stand with a stranger in Vegas, she finds herself pulled back into the genre working on a new project with the elusive narrator Brock McKnight.

You can tell Thank You For Listening is intentionally meta. Fans of audiobooks, the romance genre will enjoy the references. That being said, if you’re someone who doesn’t like a lot of dialog (understandable from Whelan, a prolific audiobook narrator or herself), you might not like this one. Ultimately, while there wasn’t anything I disliked about this, there wasn’t anything I really loved either. In terms of rating, I’m somewhere between a 3.5 rounded and 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyage for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I haven’t written a proper book review in years but this book makes me want to. I’ve listened to audiobooks, several narrated by Julia Whelan, and I know this isn’t the first book she’s authored, though it’s the first I’ve read. This is the book I didn’t know I needed. It’s sweet and snarky, touching and emotional but funny as hell. It’s the perfect blend of rom com and women’s fiction (that name- grooaaan). It’s a book for not just book lovers but lovers of the written- and voiced- word. I’ve no idea if this one will hit it off with mainstream readers, or if only ex-book bloggers- who tend to get lost in the books they read for days and who have fantasized about both writing and narrating books - will truly appreciate it. I hope so- it deserves the recognition. It’s my favorite read of the year even if the main character’s name reminds me of a Stephen Foster song. ♥️

I was very excited to read this book as I am a huge fan of her other work, My Oxford Year, Unfortunately I did not enjoy this one nearly as much. I struggled to connect to the characters and story. The behind the s of the audiobook industry was the most interesting part. The story got more interesting at the end but I still struggled to connect with it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun to explore how the story played out and was more thought provoking than I originally expected. I read the book, but would have loved to have listened to an audio version!

Julia Whelan, an extremely popular audiobook narrator herself, has given us some insight into the workings of audiobook narration while telling the entertaining story of two such narrators who strike up a spirited relationship while voicing different characters in the same romance. It's the last book written by a beloved author whose books include a series narrated by Suwanee, who won accolades for her work.

Personally, however, Suwanee doesn't believe in the happily-ever-after endings that are the hallmark of romantic novels. She's also had a personal injury that ended her budding acting career. Brock has a golden voice that has enamored him to a host of female readers/listeners, but no one really knows who he is, and he is eager to drop his pseudonym in favor of his real name.

I loved the characters of the two narrators--their texts back and forth are often hilarious as they get to know each other virtually. Suwanee's best friend, actress Adaku, is also memorable and a great foil, and her grandmother, BlahBlah (a nickname based on a child's pronunciation of Barbara), is feisty and supportive, even as her dementia begins to advance. I found the plot and the writing style unique and interesting and raced through the book in a day--time well spent!

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

4-4.5 stars. There's a lot that I liked about this book. For starters, I'm not an audiobook listener, but I'd certainly be tempted to give it an honest try after this. Sewanee Chester doesn't believe in anything romance, happily ever after or good fortune. Once upon a time, she had everything going for her as a Julliard graduate, acting skills and some shows under her belt with unlimited potential until tragedy redirected her on a different path. Now Sewanee is a famous audiobook narrator, but she won't narrate romance, and she lives vicariously through her best friend who is on the track to becoming a major celebrity actress. They meet up in Las Vegas for a convention and Sewanee even finds herself letting loose and putting her actress hat back on as she hangs out with a sexy stranger for a few hours.

Alongside Sewanee, I felt her loss and grief for what could've been or what once was but could no longer be. She pigeonholed herself into a different market and certainly made a successful name for herself, but it wasn't her dream. Now an opportunity to narrate a romance novel presents itself, in such a way that Sewanee cannot say no, contingent that she co-narrate with Brock McNight, who has a significant fan following of romance readers. This begins an email and text correspondence between the two that is highly entertaining, complete with funny banter and innuendos and thought provoking dialogue, solidifying them as kindred spirits. They are both floundering in their life, not really doing what they truly want to do, but scared to make the leap outside of the safety net.

To the reader, the surprises are not unexpected like they are to Sewanee and Brock, but I was still delighted nonetheless at their reactions and genuine connection. There are deep and heartfelt emotions to this story, but also quite a bit of humor and swoon and a general feel-good thrum of energy, too.

I really loved this novel. It has a bit of of a "You've Got Mail" vibe, which is super fun. Whelan allows us a peek into a couple of her worlds of acting and audio book narration with the audio book narration aspect being the most fun for me! The way Whelan treats the secret identity trope worked well for me and I loved all the characters.
While I appreciated the unique physical disability Sewanee, the MC had, I would have liked to see more of how it physically affected her day-to-day life, especially since it ends ups being such a significant aspect of her self-identity.
I really enjoyed the complexity of Sewanee and Nick's personal journeys and the interweaving stories with all of the wonderful side characters. Also, fantastic banter, which is one of my favorite things to read.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of Thank You for Listening.

This book (written by real life audiobook narrator Julia Whelan) was a fun look into the world of creating audiobooks. I just adore book about books and this one gives some fun behind the scenes to the world of audiobooks. As a big audiobook fan, I really enjoyed these aspects of the book!

This book hooked me immediately- the characters were delightful and engaging right away. I read it in a few day- I couldn’t put it down! This is a romance but it is a clever, sharp, funny one that will have you smiling and laughing while you read. I really enjoyed that while it was a romance, it also was about female friendships, family, and self acceptance. This book really checked all the boxes! I loved the character and the banter- it’s rare that a book has such good dialogue between characters. I will for sure be recommending this one to my friends!

What a gloriously fun read!!

I have never read a book by Julia Whelan but this was JUST what I needed. I have never laughed so hard in the first chapter of any book. Ever. I guffawed countless times throughout. It could be that the humor is exactly up my alley and a mirror of how me and my husband banter daily, so maybe I'm a bit biased now.

WHAT I LOVED:
~The characters. Holy hell were they fun. Relatable, real, interesting, imperfect and lovable.
~The plot was golden. It was so smart and witty, I'm still thinking about it hours later.
~The writing was clever, educated, insightful, and funny. Sometimes you can tell when an author is trying too hard, but this felt easy.
~The subtle lessons and thoughtful insights. Life has been beyond heavy lately and I appreciated that while it addressed some emotional topics, they did not overwhelm me. I could read about real life but still escape it. Make sense?
~The romantic tension was perfect. Not too much, not too little. It felt right with the characters and the story. (I wouldn't have minded a bit more of the "snowed in" scene though. IYKYK.
~ Italy.... Nuff said.

DID NOT LIKE:
~I needed more physical descriptions of all the characters. I'm a visual person and that helps me to really see them.
~I wanted Swan to go on the trip with Nick that he takes towards the end. I felt sad this didn't happen.
~I would have liked more closure with Swan and her dad. I felt like there was so much more that could have been addressed there.
~I wanted more of a setting/scene in LA. Italy was golden.
~ The plot twists weren't really surprising but it's a rom-com so.... Not really a negative thing. I just love to be surprised.
~I wanted about 50-60 more pages. I wanted more backstory on their past, more moments with grandma, dad, mom James, Adaku and June, and more insights to their lives.
~There's a character, I think his name is Doug. I felt he was unnecessary. He was forgettable and didn't add anything significant to the story.

(This isn't really a criticism, but I would have LOVED a dual POV)

OVERALL THOUGHTS:
A truly great read. Not life changing, but great entertainment. If you're still unsure, just read the first 6 chapters and I dare you to put it down. I am so curious to listen to the audio-book to see who narrates it.

CONTENT WARNINGS:
~Strong language
~Open door romance

Characters - 9
Atmosphere/Setting - 8
Writing Style - 9
Plot - 8
Intrigue - 8
Logic/Relationships - 8
Enjoyment - 10

Total: 60
Divided by 7 = 8.5 ( 4 stars )

1.1-2.2 *
2.3-4.5 **
4.6-6.9 ***
7.0-8.9 ****
9.0-10 *****
(I read this on Netgalley.com. My opinions are my own)

After a unexpected unfortunate turn of events Swans acting carrer gets derailed. And she turns to narrating audiobooks under an allias. She then gets asked to monitor a romance audiobook panel at a national convention where serendipity and maybe fate come to play.
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Absolutely loved Swans and Nicks interactions, I laughed so much. Nick is such a goofball when he lets his true self through. And dear ol' Swan needs a good laugh. They are so compatible, they fill out each others weaknesses beautifully. I also found entertaining the sarcasm of their disdain for romance novels while living it out lol.
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The rollercoster of emotions guys!! This is not just a romance story, it's a story about rediscovery, redefining goals and overcoming the curveballs life throws you. A story about the uplifting relationships that hold us together when we need them the most. A story about the joy of being truly seen for your true self, a self that you haven't even noticed.
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The insight to the audiobook industry mesmerized me! Like I had no idea of how it worked!!
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The chapters where tittled and that lil detail just made me smile.
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Also, can we get more of Adu and Jason? Don't leave us hanging pretty please!
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Grab this one guys and go for a nice ride!!!

Thanks to netgalley, the publisher, and author for an advance review copy in exchange for my opinion.

I loved this book! Romance with depth is one of my favorite reads because it grapples with important issues but there is still a HEA. This novel delivers on that exploring disability, loss of earlier version of yourself, navigating long-term care, issues in performance.

Beyond that Nick and Sewanee had great chemistry! This was a great read!

My Oxford Year is one of my favorite books ever so I was ecstatic to get the opportunity to read her new book Thank You for Listening. What a fun and emotional ride it was.

Sewanee is an audiobooks narrator. When she has to go to a book convention for her boss she happens to meet the charming Nick. Their one amazing night together because the root of all her fantasies when she gets back home. Swan needs the distraction from the bad relationship with her father, personal traumatic events from her past, a career she misses and most of all an ill grandmother she loves that is taking a turn for the worst. When an opportunity to do a co-narrated romance book comes up she reluctantly takes the job to help out her grandmother. Swan doesn’t believe in the romance genre but a budding relationship with the mysterious Brock McNight her co-narrator might be able to change her mind.
Emotional, sweet and complex characters. Julia Whelan does it again with Thank You for Listening. Grab this book!

<b>I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</b>

Thank You for Listening was a one of a kind contemporary romance that took its own detour off the usual beaten path. It offered genuine humor, unconventional beauty, and self love all set in the exciting world of audiobook narration. What makes this book so special is the author herself is an award-winning narrator who offered insights and special tidbits into the heroine’s unique career. The protagonist, Sewanee, was incredibly relatable and the reader was able to follow along every step of the journey with her. From the flashing lights of Las Vegas to the sunny palms of Los Angeles and even the sparkling waters of Italy, Thank You for Listening was a whirlwind adventure.

Thank You for Listening was nearly a perfect book and provided a breath of fresh air from the standard romance fare. I only had two minor complaints, and it was difficult to find critiques for this unusual piece of fiction. I didn’t expect this to be a closed door romance and the only action we got was them canoodling in a Las Vegas luxury suite. There was no funny business, but I was left wanting more being the little horned toad that I am. My next critique is only a slight ding because it was unrealistic. The couple sent correspondence to each other throughout the book via texts and email messages. They were cheeky, but they were incredibly high brow. I may spice it up with some puns in my interactions with friends, but it's predominantly memes and emojis. I do not have time for heavy literary allusions or rapier wit in my texts. It became a bit too much and I found my believability waning. Other than those itty bitty complaints, this was a neat, original romance. If these were millennials, there would have been way more emojis.

With romances, the occupations of heroines I’ve read can outnumber Barbie, but this may be the first audiobook narrator I’ve had the pleasure of encountering. Thank You for Listening offered an honest and bare bones romance, even with a few wrenches thrown in the works. The couple was able to look past the surface level and find the true beauty underneath. Although the title may be Thank You for Listening, I can’t thank the author enough for creating such a lovely piece of fiction for me to read.