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.

I never expected to be approved for an advance review copy. I was DELIGHTED when it went through. I was also nervous. I really enjoyed Julia Whelan’s first novel, My Oxford Year, until I didn’t. I thought it would be one thing and turned out to be another, in what I think of as the JoJo Moyes genre. And that’s fine, but it’s not for me.

Well, I needn’t have worried. Because man, I just enjoyed this so much! It was so fun, well done, and interesting to see inside the audiobook industry, particularly as I am a rabid audiobook fan. And, I think it can be really tricky to pull off writing a fictionalized version of your own industry. Or perhaps more accurately: I usually find nods-within-the-book at writing and/or the genre to be annoying—but she does SUCH a nice job with it here.

If you’re a book lover, audiobook lover, fan of Julia Whelan, or just really enjoy a good book, I think you’ll really enjoy this insider look at the industry, wrapped up in a great story.

I will definitely buy it and read it again on audio when it comes out. Julia Whelan narrating her own book about narrating books—what’s more fun than that?!

My one quibble: the injury/accident is the same as something that happened to a real person and was in the news ten years ago. Not sure if that was intentional. I’m also not super comfortable with someone writing about a disability they don’t have. Both those things did at times take me out of the book. But overall, I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books, and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review!

I truly loved this book, which is definitely in the running for my favorite book of the year.

After a horrible accident, Sewanee turns away from acting and becomes a very successful audiobook narrator (a truly fun meta storyline from the author, a wildly popular audiobook narrator herself). While she initially narrated some romances early in her career, she has since sworn off them, thinking they sell a false bill of goods: the HEA. But when a romance novelist she previously worked for and admired passes away, leaving one last project she insists Sewanee narrate (one that will provide handsome compensation Sewanee desperately needs), she can't resist. The catch is this project will be dually narrated, and her co-narrator is none other than Brock McKnight, the hottest narrator in the romance biz who is as elusive as they come.

What follows is a beautiful exploration of self, love, family, and friendship quite unlike anything I've previously read. I'd say this book definitely veers more romantic fiction than romance, delving deep into Sewanee's relationships with her complicated father, her beloved grandmother, and her successful best friend, but I loved how each of those foundational relationships played into the main arc of the story, which is Sewanee's path to accepting who she is after her accident. The romance here is a key element of that journey as well, and oh boy did the romance work for me. The meet cute here is one of the best I have ever read - just banter and chemistry leaping from the page. How all the threads of this story tied up really worked well for me, too. I have seen some reviews that note that this book feels overstuffed at times and I don't think that's an unfair criticism but sometimes a book just hits so right - if any of this at all sounds appealing to you, give it a chance, because it might hit right for you, too.

One last note - as someone who is not disfigured, I can't really comment on the rep here. It's unclear to me whether sensitivity readers were engaged on this project (my advanced copy didn't have acknowledgments included) but I'd hope that they were, given that as far as I know, the author is not herself disfigured.

Thank you very much to the publisher for an advanced copy. All opinions my own.

The moment I picked up Julia Whelan's My Oxford Year, there was just something that just spoke to me (maybe it was my Anglophile side or just the book's captivating nature, not quite sure). So, when I learned that Whelan had penned another novel *and* it had a bookish setting, I was instantly exciting. As I started reading, I found it so easy to get drawn into this pen pal-like romance that was very fun, very cute and very adorable. While the chapters were pretty long and drawn out, it still read quite quickly.

This book is perfect for romance audiobook listeners as you learned how your favorite books are made. I loved Sewanee's journey to healing after the accident, the you got mail vibe with a secret identity. This book was fun ride.

I wasn’t sure about this book because I thought it started a bit slow. But I ended up loving it. I loved Sewanne and Nick and the love she had for her Grandmother Blah Blah. It was interesting to hear all about audiobook narrators. A very enjoyable boook.

I have been a fan of Julia Whelan for years. I often listen to books that I would never read simply because she narrates them. I was so excited to see she had written a book and requested it immediately. Oddly enough this one was not an audiobook but any fan will hear her voice while they read it. It had such fun insight into the life of an audiobook narrator - I found that really interesting. But more than that, the way she told the story won me over. I hate romance books and every time I try to read one I am reminded that they aren’t for me. But this one was great! I love the dialog, the way she tells the story, the characters, everything. You should all read it. And then go listen to one of her books because she’s the best out there.

This author is so frickin cool! She writes and she narrates! I hope she does her own audiobook, that would be so cool. Four fun stars!

Julia Whelan is one of my favorite audiobook narrators, so perhaps the only thing that would have made this title more enjoyable (and enjoyably meta) would have been hearing her narrate the audio version! But impatience got the better of me and I couldn't resist the chance to read an ARC via Netgalley. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING is a witty, fun romance that embraces fans and skeptics of the romance genre alike, without taking itself too seriously.

Whelan hit all the right notes with a memorable supporting cast and an extra layer of depth as the protagonist had to learn to forgive herself for her most life-altering mistake long after her scars had (literally) healed. The result is a fresh take on how we have to love ourselves before we can fully share our hearts with anyone else.

While this book was fairly predictable and I could see where we were going from the start, that didn’t really detract from the enjoyment of the journey. I enjoyed the peek behind the scenes of audiobook narration and also the mixed media format of the book. The characters were delightful - and although the last bit of the book dragged just a bit for me, overall this was a delightful read!

Rating: 3 stars

What piqued my interested in this book was the fact that the two main characters are audiobook narrators. I love audiobooks. I did not read this as an audiobook. I read an ebook about audiobook narrators. Now that we have that distinction set, let's move on.

For every trope or plot event or character trait I loved in this book, I kept coming across things to be less than pleased by. I love me a Hollywood setting with characters who have talent/entertainment professions. I loved the *double* secret identify plot lines. That trope really works for me and it made an appearance x 2.

Everything surrounding the trope didn't work for me. I was already falling out of love with the Hero by the time he confessed that he doesn't like reading. at all. I found the dynamic between the two main characters to be quite toxic at times. They immediately jump to insults and accusations during arguments, which is the biggest red flag of an unhealthy relationship to me. They were both extremely unstable individuals, and I found myself preferring an ending where they stayed broken up and went on individual journeys of self-discovery. For those who wish to know, there's practically no spice. I'd rate it a 0.5 out of 5, and that's generous.

Non-comprehensive list of Trigger Warnings: questionable (?) act of self-harm, family member with advanced stage of dementia, disability due to traumatic event

The reader obviously knows early where the story is going, but that doesn't detract from the delight of the journey.

There are a few sections, especially early in the book, when the author uses ridiculousness to patch over some rough areas-- these section made me think of the Stephanie Plum series ([book:One for the Money|6853]) but they were fortunately few; a little more polish and this author will be a complete treasure.

With all the author/editor books out recently, I don't know what was in the water at the publishing houses, but this is a nice addition and includes a few details about the audiobook industry that will appeal to readers and to devoted listeners.

Recommended to fans of Emily Henry. ARC from NetGalley.

Two audiobook narrators find themselves working on the same project and falling in love. Boy meets girl's voice? It's a cute summer romance.