A tale as old as time, what happens in Vegas never ever stays in Vegas. As a reader who recently has found a love for audiobooks, I was intrigued by the plot and having a lead who is an audiobook narrator.

Sewanee is a previous romance narrator who doesn’t believe in the notion of a HEA and Brock is the most in demand narrator who’s over the years of page sex. This author humanizes the people who bring our favorite characters to life. Sometimes it’s hard to differentiate the character from the narrator, but there is a level of intimacy the author creates between the reader and Sewanee and Brock that makes them real.

One thing I adored about this book is the way it was set up. The quotes to divide the sections of the story, email and text exchanges, and titles for each chapter really help foster this book into a fun and entertaining read.

This is more than just a romance book, it’s a journey towards self acceptance from emotional and physical wounds. It's a charming story that makes you reevaluate your dreams while realizing the true definition of a HEA, for Pete’s sake. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this eARC

A book my one of my favorite audiobook narrators? Yes please.

The story of Sewanee, previous romance audiobook narrator going back to her roots for some extra cash to pay for her grandmother’s assisted living.

I actually enjoyed learning more about the audiobook Industry more than the main plot, but still enjoyable.

My only dislike was the too many texts and email exchanges within the story. Never my favorite writing device.

Well this was cute! Normally I don’t go for love triangles but this was a “sort of” love triangle so it worked for me. The voice acting aspect was neat, I’ve heard the audiobook is even better!

Thank You For Listening is a perfect gift for audiobook fans - whether you read it in paper format or listen to it! Julia Whelan, a fan-favorite audiobook narrator, takes readers on a behind-the-scenes tour of the audiobook world while also crafting a fun romance story. Sewanee and Brock, two audiobook narrators, connect while working on a serial romance series from a beloved romance author. As a fan of audiobooks, the peek behind the curtain is so fascinating! I loved seeing how the narrators prepared for their scenes and just learning more about the business.

Thank You For Listening is also a romance novel that explores conventions of the genre. Whelan cleverly uses pseudonyms and secrets to keep these two from realizing who the other is in real life. It takes a bit for the romance plot to pick up but it has a satisfying ending.

Readers should know that a large part of Sewanee's story is about caring for her beloved grandmother who has Alzheimer's. Sewanee is also grappling with accepting her new face after sustaining an injury in an accident.

Thank You for Listening made my heart squeeze in the best way possible. The banter, a staple of all good rom coms, was fantastic. I fell in love with most of the characters, and was rooting for each one. Other than the plot and characters, I enjoyed learning a little about the audio book biz. Who knew eating a bite of green apple helps keep a mouth from making a smacking noise when talking into a Mic😉 I will recommend Thank You for Listening to my customers that buy romance. I think it will be a hit summer read.

This is the second novel by Julia Whelan, and I must say I thought it was really good!! I felt so connected to these characters. Sewanee Chester is so witty, and beautiful, and strong. I was already loving her and her best friend Adaku, and her and her boss/landlord/friend Mark but then we met Nick. As soon as Nick and Sewanee connected in this book I was hooked. Literally one night and I was like we need so much more of that!!
What I loved the most about this book (other than the story obviously) were the characters. They were very dynamic and lovable and I enjoyed reading about them! Our two main characters both have given up on their dreams due to life’s circumstances and I loved watching them come to accept life's challenges and how it changed their lives and finally grow/move on from it.
This story was a slow burn romance, but the family relationships also pulled at my heart strings. Sewanee’s grandma Blah was a favorite character for me. She suffers from memory loss and is in a home, which is why Sewanee takes the opportunity to work with Brock McNight on the newest romance project. And then things really heat up!
I loved the unexpected surprises this book gave you. It was a slow burn but I didn’t feel bored through it because I genuinely enjoyed the writing and the characters. I am trying my best to write a spoiler-free review so I think I will stop there because I don’t want to blab too long!

This was a 4 star read for me!

I am so happy I got to read this book and received this ARC. Special thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! I am so thankful. This book releases on 8/2/2022 and I highly recommend it!

This book. I was not ready.

Reading Thank You For Listening is like having a slice of those decadent chocolate 20-something layer cakes…it seems like there’s too much going on, that it’s possibly overdone, yet the layers are all basic and familiar…and so fucking delicious! Seriously, I greedily devoured this book in 2 days and neglected my family all weekend. It was a worthy sacrifice.

The premise of the story centers around Sewanee (pronounced Swan-knee) and her many talents as a renowned audiobook narrator who’s dipping her toes back into the romance pool that she once thought she was done with. She’s at several crossroads in her life that all seem to converge at once and she needs to figure out which paths will lead her to her own HEA. Bursting with literary references and innuendos, this book is a romance reader’s wet dream. The tropes! The banter! That window scene!!! 🥵 I mean c’mon…WORD FOREPLAY! PAGE SEX! Everything you want from a romance and more! (Seriously, as an avid romance reader, I particularly get delighted when my books start taking on a meta vibe.)
Romance genre aside, other themes in this book hit deeply on so many levels (CW: suicidal thoughts, accident causing disfigurement, death).

*sigh* What a blessing and a curse to have read this as an ARC. Blessing because I got to bask in this book’s sunlight early on. Cursed because I simply can’t quote the many, many, MANY highlights I had throughout yet. Also cursed because like all book hangovers, I don’t want to move on! I just want to soak in all my feelings. I can’t wait for TYFL to drop in August 2022 and see how it lands because I think it’s really something special! 5 solid stars.

*Thank you to Avon/Harper Voyager via NetGalley for the ARC*

I loved this book!

It was about an audiobook narrator. I enjoyed this glimpse into the world of audiobooks because I LOVE audiobooks. (In fact, the author of this book is my all time fav narrator!). I read a lot of romance and there isn’t usually a twist that surprises me, but this one did it! It was such a fun read.

I loved Julia Whelan’s first book and still think about it to this day. I was so excited when I heard about this book especially because the main character is an audiobook narrater like the author. I loved the character arc for both female and male main characters. The side characters of the best friend and grandmother and even the smaller side character of the step father made me smile and hope for happiness for Sewanee! Definitely a good read for 2022.

Thank you Avon books and Netgalley for this ARC!

Thank You for Listening is an is a delightfully funny love story between two cynicals . Whelan has a way of writing that feels like the book is speaking directly to you and it lent well to making the reader feel immersed in the story.
The chemistry between Sewanne and Nick was palpable and and the banter was delicious!
If you are looking for a heartfelt, funny with a side of serious Thank You for Listening is definitely for you!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

(3.5) Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book! When I first heard Noelle talk about this novel on her YouTube channel, I knew I had to read it. I am very glad I did. While this didn't hit home for me - hence the 3.5 stars - I do think Whelan executed this novel well. My main gripe is how needlessly trope-filled it is. While it is intentional and discussed by the book's two main characters, a few could have been taken out and the story would have remained the same. All in all, it was cool to get a look behind the scenes of audiobooks, and I am planning on checking out some of Whelan's work.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Thank You For Listening

Julia Whelan

Publication: August 2, 2022

This book was just everything! Swoony meet/cute, secret identities and pen pals with a “you’ve got mail” feel. The characters were so well written and the relationships between them were absolutely epic: the romantic leads, the friendships, the family bond…the banter was hilarious and clever and also heartbreaking and poignant. There was such a perfect balance of humor and deep emotion, dark and light moments. I will say it again, this book has it all! I can hardly wait to hear the audio version of this book especially since the two main characters are audiobook narrators.
Perfection! 5 Stars!!

This might be my favorite book of the summer! I loved the look inside the process of narrating an audiobook, but of course I really loved the sweet love story here. I'm happy that Sewanee and Brock found each other, but happier still that Sewanee found herself. My heart broke over the tale of BlahBlah and loved the reality and grace with which this was handled in the book. All of us with aging parents and grandparents can relate to the fears of how their final years will go. This book was a knockout from start to finish.

Mein Leseerlebnis

Lasst mich diese Rezension mit einem Update zu meinem derzeitigen Lesestatus beginnen (Stand Mitte März 2022). Seit gut drei Wochen stecke ich in einer kleinen Leseflaute und Bücher haben es schwer, mein Interesse zu packen und vor allem zu halten. Darunter kann mein Leserlebnis mit “Thank you for listening” durchaus gelitten haben, genau kann ich es aber nicht sagen.

Die Geschichte von “Thank you for listening” hat eigentlich alles, was ich an einem Liebesroman schätze. Es gibt interessante Charaktere, der Schreibstil lässt einen in einen guten Lesefluss kommen und die Geschichte ist frisch. In Kombination hätte mich das eigentlich umhauen sollen, aber leider konnten mich die Geschehnisse im Roman nicht so sehr packen wie erhofft.

Ich fand alles ganz nett, aber leider nicht mehr. Vor allem konnte ich keine gute Beziehung zu den Charakteren aufbauen, was für mich in einem Liebesroman aber ein Muss ist.

Bis zum zehnten Kapitel habe ich der Geschichte eine Chance gegeben, mich doch noch einzufangen. Da dies nicht passiert ist, habe ich den Roman danach abgebrochen.

- keine Bewertung -

PS: Die Autorin ist selbst Sprecherin von Hörbuchern, dadurch fühlten sich die Details zu dem Thema sehr natürlich an und waren zusätzlich interessant.

Für wen?

Ich denke, dass der Roman vielen Leser:innen eine schöne Lesezeit bereiten sollte. Die Geschichte ist frisch und nicht nur Fans von Hörbüchern sollten so einige Details spannend finden. Wenn euch die Leseprobe anspricht, ist das Buch auf jeden Fall einen Versuch wert.

Yes, Julia! You've done it again. I fell in love with this story so quickly. For one, I loved learning more about the behind the scenes of audio narrating. Julia is one of my favorite narrators by the way! Sewanee was a character I wasn't sure about at first. Her story was interesting and I kept waiting to see WHAT happened to her. What was holding her back? Herself? Maybe it was Hollywood.

Then we've got Las Vegas and Nick. A steamy one night of pure fun and obviously some steamy fun , but it just ends. What happened to him??!?!?!? I knew it would come back at some point in the storyline (also an explanation) so I was urgently reading more and more to figure it out!

So that puts us at Brock, who in my head sounded exactly like MY personal favorite male narrator. That voice that melts you. I kinda knew what was going to happen, but it did take me a bit to figure out the Brock/Nick storyline. The banter between Sewanee and "Brock" was so good! I laughed out loud and was rooting for them.

Then we get the epilogue!!!! OMG!

This story was just so incredible and I loved it so much.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Sewanee and Nick. They meet at a bar have a night of pleasure and leave each other the next morning. Sewanee does audio on books, she used to be an actress. Nick does audio on romance books. They each have their issues from a grandmother in nursing care, to a airplane accident, alias names, and trust issues. They eventually work it out and fall in love.

Thank You for Listening
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Genre: 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
Format: 𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤
Length: 𝟒𝟑𝟐 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺, 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘝𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

Thank You for Listening follows audiobook narrator, Sewanee Chester, as she does her best to navigate her life after a terrible accident. Sewanee used to narrate for the romance community but has since moved on to different genres. But after the death of a close author friend, Sewanee decides to do one last romance project in her honor but this means working with Brock McNight.

As someone who loves audiobooks this was such a fun read! I loved Sewanee as the main character; she was constantly taking care of others but rarely took care of herself. She’s a beautifully flawed individual.

The chemistry between Brock and Sewanee was everything, I loved their interactions. I have to say that I was disappointed though that for two individuals in the romance genre, I felt that the overall romance was lacking. Yes we had build up of Brock and Sewanee building a foundation but I wanted some dating, some adventures together, and where oh where was the smut? There were a few smutty scenes but you cannot tell me that Brock does not know his way around a woman after the countless smut scenes he has read over the years.

Overall, a great book with developed and flawed characters. Pacing was good throughout the book, I really didn’t want to set it down. Plot was believable and enjoyable. Writing was easy to comprehend and flowed nicely. This book is definitely worth picking up if given the chance!

This book was so much fun and just a delightful read. I love reading romances that take place in the publishing industry and Thank You for Listening offered a unique twist on that - a look at the life of an audiobook narrator. Julie Whelan has a wonderfully funny voice and I actually laughed out loud a few times while reading this book.

The characters were all wonderful and we meet a lot of them. Each character, whether it be in Sewanee’s world or the ones we meet at BlahBlah’s home, Seasons, was distinct and contributed to the story. From their very first meet cute, the love story between Sewanee and Nick was the perfect blend of sweet and steamy and I loved how it wrapped up in the end.

I will definitely be going back to read My Oxford Year after this. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an advanced copy.

I enjoyed this book. I requested it from NetGalley because I'm a big fan of Julia Whelan's narration. Her writing is also good and the story kept my interest. This is not my usual genre of choice, but I'm glad I read it. I was drawn to the "Swan" and the rest of the cast of characters. I loved learning about the behind-the-scenes of audiobook narration.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Avon and #HarperVoyager for the ARC of this book.

I enjoyed Julia's Whelan's My Oxford Year, but I liked Thank you for Listening even more. The character development is great and the characters are relatable. I loved the behind the scenes look at the world of audiobook production. I look forward to listening to this one.