This was such a cute book and story line. I thought that it was a cute book and we can all relate liking an audiobook readers voice.
I just reviewed Gigi, Listening by Chantel Guertin. #GigiListening #NetGalley
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Gigi, Listening is a sweet and easy rom-com to read. It's a bit meta, in that our heroine, Gigi, loves love stories and owns a romance-focused bookshop. She's turning 30, but a bit stunted in the love department - not much experience, a not great ex, tragedy that kept her from getting out there and seeing the world. She falls in love with the voice of an audiobook narrator, and her friends conspire to book her on a UK travel tour he guides. But along the way, she encounters some curveballs (including a grumpy but sexy bus driver with great banter).

I really liked Gigi's growth and realizations over the course of the book. The supporting cast of characters (the other tour group members) were a nice touch.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for this honest review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for my honest opinion.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Spice Level: Med (semi-closed door, implied scenes)
Language: Med (cursing isn't on every page)
Representation: LGBTQ+ side characters

A friend gave me the heads up about the spice in the first chapter and to not let it throw me off the story. It's brief and then there's nothing until about the last quarter of the story. I'm so happy I read this book because it was charming.

Gigi inherited her parents' book store and has dedicated her life to running it as a romance shop. She's stuck on a narrator's voice because it's the story from her parents' meet-cute.

And now, she's turning 30!

The bus trip across England worked so well for me—it's almost like being on an island with the set characters isolated in a grim situation. You've got the moody teen, the puns from the tour leader, the autumn romance budding, an unexpected romance of two middle-aged women who found love before coming on the trip, the bickering couple who are a mess, the single man who's recording everything, and the bus driver.

There were some funny moments. And surprisingly, I wasn't sure who the male romantic lead was going to be because I was reading too fast and didn't realize that the tour leader was in his 70s. Oops! That's what happens when I don't reread the back of the book before starting.

Taj (the romantic lead) was such a fun character because he's a bit grumpy but is looking out for Gigi. I enjoyed their banter and chemistry. I think it's true that if you like Sophie Kinsella or Christina Lauren books, you're going to be on board for this one. Fans of Emily Henry and Melissa Ferguson will also enjoy this author.

One of my favorite moments is when Gigi's friends try to find a hook-up for her when she's disappointed in how the trip is going. When you read it, you'll see why.

Zane is sort of what I expected—yet, a little different. It was that little bit different that really made him work. I wanted to scream at Gigi if she couldn't read the signs or if she needed them narrated like an audio book to get the picture. Her realization is so satisfying.

This romance feels more grounded than some that I've read. The emotions were very relatable and the reactions were also. I also didn't expect much out of Gigi's brother and he was such a delightful surprise. Maybe he could get a romance book for himself.

I recommend this book.

Happy reading!

An adorable, if predictable, romance novel. Gigi Rutherford loves romance. She even owns a bookstore dedicated to that very subject. For her 30th birthday, her friends send her on a once-in-a lifetime touring trip to England, headed up by her most favorite audio-book reader, Zane Wilkerson. But when she arrives, Zane isn't there and Gigi starts off the tour with a quirky cast of characters, a sweet, septuagenarian tour guide and a grumpy (but very hot) bus driver named Taj. After Zane finally shows up, Gigi must decide if her happily-ever-after meet-cute story will end the way she thought it would.
Very enjoyable read!

*Special thanks to NetGalley & Kensington Books for this e-arc.*

Such a wonderful rom-com book that focuses on different types of love. I love that Gigi experiences love from her friends in Ann Arbor, her tour mates in England, romantic love, familial/sibling love, etc. I really appreciated the character development we get for Charlotte and Francis and everyone else. This is such a kind, fun read that I loved to read while I was in the UK myself. Definitely a great book for spring to get people ready for love szn and give them the travel bug!

Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

This was a sweet, feel-good romance that mostly takes place on a bus tour of Great Britain. Gigi is the 30-year-old owner of a romance-only bookstore. She believes in soulmates, that the kind of romance found in romance novels really exists, and that when you least expect it, someone can walk through the door and trigger the start of your story – your life – together.

I don’t always have the patience for romance novels, as they can be too silly or over the top. But this was just right: likable heroine and lover of books, engaging premise, subplot dealing with grief and loss, and discovering the real Mr. Right.

This is the story of a woman on a journey, both literally and metaphorically. She learns to listen to her heart instead of her head. I recommend reading this novel and joining Gigi on her journey, a fun, romantic trip with a heartwarming ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun story - some serious parts, tons of laughs, and of course - a happy ending. I love how the timeline is laid out according to the tour - helps to keep the timeline straight and really helpful to see how Gigi evolves. I love the secondary characters. The whole story really makes me want to take a bus tour in England.

This story started out rough and super slow. I considered DNF-ing. (Long chapters 😫) But it really did get so much better after like 20% in!

It’s a very cute read, not spicy at all (fade to black kind of thing) but the traveling aspect and character development was what made the book.

Gigi traveling all over England had me thinking it’s finally time to renew my passport! 🤩 Knowing the author travelled to these places for the story makes it that much better. Her details can really help visualize these beautiful cities they visited

You end up loving all of the characters on this journey with her. It was a bit predictable but unfortunately took Gigi a long time to figure out what was best for her. 😂

Overall- a cute read! Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is a wonderful romance story that explores how, sometimes our "perfect" match, isn't exactly who we think they are.

As Gigi falls for the voice actor who narrated her favorite audiobook, she dreams of meeting him one day. So for her 30th birthday her friends all chip in and buy her a vacation package that ensures she'll get to meet her "one and only."

The problem is, while the voice may be the same, the man is nothing like she imagined! And yet the bus driver who seems to rub her the wrong way at every turn starts to become more interesting the more she butts heads with him. And the connections she builds with the other members of the tour start to open her eyes to what really matters in life.

I truly enjoyed this HEA romance and am thankful to Chantel Guertin, Kensington Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

As soon as I saw this book I knew I had to read it since I'm trying to gobble up as many books set in London as possible. I have a trip coming up to London and I want to get in the mood and even get some ideas of what to see. The main character GiGi ( what my Luna calls me btw) owns a bookshop (love) and is in love with a man she's never met but has fallen for his voice. GiGi's favorite novel was made into an audiobook and every time she listens to it she swoons over the readers voice. So for her birthday her friends gift her a trip to London to go on a tour where her very own audiobook voice will be conducting the tour! GiGi will get to explore London and meet her crush and surely fall in love instantly. Of course things don't go as planned ,GiGi will feel like giving up, but fate has a way of stepping in and sending GiGi down the right path.
I loved the characters and really enjoyed tagging along with GiGi in London. Did you know there's a bookstore called the Crooked House? I thought the author might have made it up but I googled it and it's real, totally going there on my trip! This was such a cute read and I highly recommend you pick up a copy!

I’m always a sucker for a book about books, so I really wanted to snap this one up. I had a hard time with this one. I found Gigi to be very cringe-worthy at times and had a hard time relating to her. I found the side characters more enjoyable. Guertin does a great job with character development and world-building, you just have to get passed the secondhand embarrassment.

🚌🚌🚌🚌/5

I want to start off by saying that I really wanted to love this one. And while it was a fun journey, it just didn’t hit all the right boxes for me, personally.

GiGi loves love and the idea of it. She wants the spontaneous, everlasting true love that she remembers her parents having before they unexpectedly passed. And she goes off on an extravagant tour of Great Britain to look for that love, because she thinks The One is the narrator of her favorite audiobook who works as the tour guide on said trip. This idea was fun and cute, and it definitely intrigued me.

I expected this book to be a super fun journey that we got to experience with Gigi in the UK. I expected it to be a whirlwind and super romantic. And honestly, it was sorta chaotic and slightly boring at times.

For me, this was a journey for everyone on that trip, not just Gigi and I found some of those side characters more interesting than her and her never ending desire to live her parents own love story for herself.

I thought GiGi was a bit rude, entitled and ungrateful at times. She was sent on this trip by her friends and the first hour of being there wanted to leave because the man she wanted to meet wasn’t there yet and I just couldn’t relate to her or emotionally understand her attitude towards the entire situation.

I so badly wanted to connect with her and her heartbreak over her parents passing. But instead I found myself wishing she would let the past go and embrace the uncertainty of the future. I mean, what’s the point of life if you aren’t living it? By the end, she got there with the help of the other travelers, but it felt like pulling teeth at times.

I rated this book four stars simply because I loved the adventure of the story. I felt like the descriptions were perfect and very thorough, like I was there myself in the bus with these crazy characters. And by the end we did get the outcome we were after, which was more preferable to the outcome we were lead to believe was to come.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook and audiobook. The author was new to me and I really liked this book, she did so good with the story. The narrator was new to me and I loved their narration of the characters.

I listened to the audiobook while following along with the ebook. The story was so cute, I loved the character growth for GiGi and Taj.

[DNF - 32%] Gigi, Listening tells a story of a young woman who inherits an indie bookstore called Love Story from her parents and dedicates her whole life to the business, and that keeps her from getting involved in a new relationship. With only time for her beloved books and audiobooks, she gets really attracted to a specific audiobook narrator’s voice, Zane Wilkenson.

On her birthday, Gigi’s friends give her a really great gift, a 10-day trip through the UK, which the tour guide happens to be her beloved narrator, Zane. But when Gigi arrives for her first day of travelling, she discovers he won’t be the one to conduct the tour, but might show up from the second day on, which makes her so anxious she doesn’t enjoy her first day.

At first I felt this would be such a cool and easy reading, just what I needed to rest, but sadly what I met with was really kinda different from what I expected. For some time I even pressed on and tried to get to the end, but it just wasn’t working for me.

In the beginning, Gigi, Listening catches you and makes you want to go ahead and discover what’s going to happen, but from the point when she starts on her UK touring, it gets so boring it’s almost impossible to have the desire to continue. There are so much place descriptions which turn the narrative really slow and almost nothing worthy happens, the book becomes stalled.

Also, the way Gigi faces the fact that the histrionic idea of going after some man she never met and just finds attractive because she’s been hearing him narrate a book, about whom she knows only what she found out on the internet, has suddenly gone awry and treats the trip with the sole objective of meeting him, is annoying, to say the least. It just feels so limited and something not worth spending money on.

In short, the bigger plot could have led to a light and pleasant love story, but it had such poor execution, it turned into anything but that. It seemed like a book any book lover would be extremely happy to read and maybe identify itself in it, but that doesn’t happen and it gives the feeling of just a stalker story.

Ok, so hear me out. Even if 2 people read this review & decide to give this book a chance & love it in return, I'll can die happy. This book was everything I love in a romance novel & everything I have been looking for for a long time.

Gigi's cross-country adventure was one-of-a-kind experience that not only changed her life but was enlightening as hell. The group on the tour bus was like a found family who went through thick & thin together. So many precious moments! Ahh

And...Gigi & Taj. This is what I want for myself. Subtle, snarky, sarcastic, hate-to-love(ish) & so so full of love & care for each other. I devoured every second of their scene & could feel the heat of their interactions as I was there.

This was such a character-driven book with a satisfying love-triangle that reminded me so much of 'Just Haven't Met You Yet'. Last few chapters were both heartbreaking & mesmerizing at the same time.
Honestly, I'll be thinking about this book for days to come.

Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Initial thoughts: This is a hard book for me to rate. Sometimes Gigi was so frustrating that I wanted to scream.

Other times, I found myself loving her. But I suppose that makes Gigi all the more realistic to me. No one loves every single thing about a person, be it your romantic partner, a family member, or a friend. Gigi felt very *real* to me.

The cast of characters on the tour bus were so lovely, and I became emotionally attached to them!

If you enjoyed Just Haven’t Met You Yet by Sophie Cousins, you will enjoy this one. I’d love to tell you about how the ending reminded me of my very favorite romance movie of all time, but that would rob you of the joy.

Truly, reading this book was like listening to your best friend talk about her own tour. You’ll be frustrated with her for how utterly oblivious she is to her surroundings, or for her obsession with someone she’s never met… but you’ll also admire her for having the guts to chase them down and find out if the heart really wants what it wants.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

While I read most of the book sure I knew how it would end - I still really enjoyed the ending. Gigi is very annoying at first but she grows and becomes a very relatable person.

Proves that when you stop chasing what you want - you often get what you need.

Gigi finds solace in the voice of the narrator of the audiobook which, before it was an audiobook, brought her parents together. Zane just seems to be perfect. And so when her friends treat her to a bus tour of the UK which he's supposed to lead, well she's over the moon. Except he's not there. Gigi makes friends with the rag tag group of other tourists and begins to see the charms of Taj the grumpy driver but then- no spoilers. I struggled a bit with the concept of someone Gigi's age on a bus tour but it's the plot device for this trope-y but good hearted read, so be it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I loved this book and audio book! So much so I can’t wait for it to come out so I can rush out and buy it. It’s one I simply need to have a physical copy of.

Ok, hear me out. You know when a book is so good you simply can’t let it go? You end up going back and rereading the last few chapters again just to experience it one more time . . . Yes? Well, that was me and this book. *sigh*

Gigi is one of those characters you simply have to like because of how genuine she is and secretly envy because she owns a romance bookstore. I don’t care if she is fiction or not, she is quite literally living my dream! I digress. Gigi is basically in love with the voice of an audio book narrator. Relatable, right? Insert me listening to Shane East reading me to sleep. . . Hell, Julia Whelan reading the male narration even makes me swoon! Needless to say, I get it.

When Zane is a no show, Gigi relaxes into herself; for what seems the first time in her adult life. That is when Taj sneaks in right under her nose. Taj. Sweet, gruff, swoon worthy, Want to know what I love about him so much? THEN READ THE BOOK and thank me later.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of the ePub and the Audio book. They were both simply amazing and I am already itching to read it again. All thought and opinions are my own. #GigiListening #NetGalley

Gigi listening is a very light romance about romance books. I stopped reading at 30% because the female main character monologue is very childish. She appears to have an obsession with a narrator of a book her parents both love.. which I get it. I get it, but that seemed to be the whole premise and I would have liked to see her bloom into her own away from the desire to meet the narrator. Unfortunately since the character seemed immature and I was not able to connect with the FMC it was not the book for me. It could be a great book after where I stop, but I just couldn’t push through to find out.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC. My thoughts and opinions are my own.