I have enjoyed many books about books, libraries, bookstores, publishers, and authors, but this is the first book I have read about audiobooks and narrators. Thank You for Listening is a great story that deals with family relationships, moving on in life, friendship, romance and loving what you do. Sewanee Chester, Swan, originally dreamed of being an actress, but after an accident left her with one eye, an eye patch and a bad shoulder, she gave up the dream. Still using her talent, she became an audiobook narrator, who progressed from romance books to literary fiction and "important" stories. While at a convention in Las Vegas, she meets Nick, an Irishman with a great sense of humour and they have a one night stand, but there is a lot of chemistry there. When she is offered a job narrating an episodic book with a well known male audiobook narrator, she takes it to honour one of her mentors. This leads her into a long distance relationship with Brock, her co-narrator and lots of fun ensues.

I really enjoyed this story. Julia Whelan is a veteran audiobook narrator and one of my favourites, so it was interesting to hear about the ins and outs of the business. The characters were all wonderful, and I loved Swan's relationship with her grandmother, Blah Blah. It is very poignant and heartfelt. Swan's best friend, an actress who hit it big has her own issues and she and Swan also have a very special relationship. They have supported one another since acting school and they not only encourage one another, but are there when they are needed. Brock and Nick also play a very important role and you will be surprised as you learn more about them. I really enjoyed this well written story. There were some laugh out loud moments, some sad ones that had me teary, and some angst, but all meshed together well. I loved the chapter titles, each was a different trope that I have learned about as I read more. The narration was performed by Julia Whelan which was perfect. I always enjoy when an author narrates their own book, as they know what voices they were thinking of when they wrote the book, as well as the emotion and emphasis. I recommend Thank You for Listening for an entertaining read or listen.

This was, by far, the best audiobook I have ever listened to. I love listening to audiobooks while on car trips. The narrator & author was the best narrator I've ever heard. I would often forget that it was the same person narrating the whole book. Her male voice was so convincing, not to mention the accents.

The story was fascinating. I love Swanee. She was so human and 3 dimensional. I related to so much of her journey especially with blah-blah. It was my Mom that I went through that with. I swear I cried through this story as much as I laughed and I guffawed so many times.

I am really looking forward to finding more of Ms. Whelan's audiobooks and really look forward to reading more from her in the future!

I haven't (yet) read Julia Whelan's first book, My Oxford Year, but I've heard good things about it. And I'm a big fan of her narrations of audiobooks - there's a reason she's at the top of the "favorite narrators" lists of so many audiobook listeners. And yes, I do love a good romance novel. So I knew I wanted to listen to her narrate her romance about an audiobook narrator - a subject where her knowledge could add so much to the story.
And wow, did she ever deliver on both fronts. The story and the writing was just so much fun - smart and sad and sexy, full of heart and just really entertaining. Whelan has written wonderful supporting characters for her main character, Sewannee (Swan) Chester in the form of family and her lifelong best friend. Swan is a former actress and a successful audiobook narrator who doesn't like narrating romances because she's lost her belief in happily ever after. When she's enticed into narrating "just one more romance book" to solve a family financial crisis, the job comes with the opportunity to work long-distance with the mysterious Brock McNight, the narrator with the McDreamy voice whose true identity is a mystery. The usual elements of a romance novel are there and the journey is a delight. The peek behind the scenes of the world of publishing, audiobooks, and book conventions adds an extra dimension to the whole package.
The narration is, as expected, brilliant. Whelan can make you laugh and break your heart with that smooth, buttery voice, and she shows her talents for accents as well. I've no doubt that it's wonderful on the written page, but I highly recommend the audiobook version for this one.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Julia Whelan's Thank You For Listening (audio version) was well narrated. Whelan's narration was engaging, and she did a wonderful job of creating the separate voices of her characters. While the story, I think, could have been about 20-30% shorter while not losing the heart of the plot, I was overall entertained throughout the story. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with access to this audiobook.

I didn't even realize that Julia Whelan was a narrator of some of my favourite audiobooks until after I started listening and recognized her voice! WHAT A NICE SURPRISE. I haven't read Julia's previous book but now I have it on hold at the library because that's how much I enjoyed it.

I loved the meta feeling of this book. Two narrators falling in love? Making fun of tropes while experiencing so many different tropes? IT WAS SO GOOD. I don't think I should keep yelling about this book but if you enjoy friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, one night stands in vegas, hilarious characters then you need, need, need to read this book.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!

WOW, loved it! If you love audiobooks, you'll love it too! Such insight into the production of audio books, the characters are so real and the story grabs you. The only problem is you keep listening to find out what happens but when you do, it's over. I wanted it to go on and on and on...

A charming and delightful tale of second chances and a great reminder that growing up is not just for the young! The audio experience, in this case, made the experience much stronger (I was reading parts of it in phyiscal format and found myself super disconnected from the story!)

Short synopsis: Sawanee (Swan-ee) is an actress turned audiobook narrator after a tragic accident left her face scarred and in an eye patch. She decides to un-retire her romance pen name to co-narrate a book with heartthrob male narrator Brock McNight.

My thoughts: Julia Whalen is one of my very favorites, I was so excited to read a book by one of the best narrators about audiobooks.

I loved the disabled representation in this one, the banter was top notch, and while the plot line was predictable because it totally followed the romance equation I enjoyed the process.

There was a lot of side stories (so much going on with all the side characters) which is partially why my rating was lower, but I do think it did add to the story because it helped us get a better glimpse into why Swan was the way she was.

This one is out now! I did a mix of reading and audio listening and would suggest you listen to the audio version, I felt like there are definitely added bonuses to hearing the story be told by the author as she intended.

Read if you love:
* Audiobooks with amazing narrators
* All the romance troupes
* Books about books
* Inside look Into narration
* Witty banter

Thanks For Listening is the newest release by Julie Whelan. I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by the author. The author is known for her narration of audiobooks and she has used her knowledge of that world to create a book revolving around narration. Her main character is a narrator and she becomes involved with someone in the business. If you like romance novels, then this is the book for you. Read and enjoy!

I loved this! It’s a unique take on “a book about book that was fresh and meta and a nod to IFYKYK. Audiobook listeners will love this so hard, and I can’t wait to recommend it to my patrons.

It's only August 8th and I already know this will be my favorite book of the year. A perfect peek at the audiobook and romance world that is both fascinating and enlightening. If you are a fan of either, but especially if you are a fan of both, this is a must read. Well, it's more a must listen.

What an incredibly creative romance. And this audiobook is literally also just a huge showcase for Julia Whelan's HUGE audiobook narration talent. Seriously, the accents and inflection! It was truly perfect and a great peek into the world of audiobook production. Cannot recommend this one enough!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I adored this book. I head Julia Whelan on a podcast talking about this book and what is like to narrate books. While I loved learning the behind the scenes of a life of an audiobook narrator, this is a great love story. I loved Sewanee and her grandmother Blah Blah. Highly recommend this book.

The author did a fabulous job narrating the book.

Friends!!! #fantasticAudiobookalert!!!
Who would love to listen to an audiobook about two hot voice actors narrating a hot romance audiobook while both snickering and bantering back and forth via text with one another sexual innuendos and how #HEA is bs?? (#happilyeverafter #hea)
@justjuliawhelan I WOULD!!!! (and so will the rest of you!!)
What a fun fantastic story with sexy but funny banter, I loved Nick and Brock and Angie and Swan lol. I appreciated the depth of the story as it covered several representations such as disability, aging with dignity, and a best supporting actress/best friend as a POC. Loved that friendship and what they learned from each other about themselves & how well they took care of one another. I loved BlaBla as a character and Swan's special relationship and devotion to her grandmom. The whole story was just fantastic fun with depth and yearning and uncertainty & damned if it wasnt downright sexy.
The story was fantastic and it was also narrated by the author Julia Whelan, who herself started as actress then voice actress and now is an author too (a triple threat if i ever saw one coming)! I am so grateful as I was with @katherinecenter 's recent romcom #thebodyguard - because both books were great to listen to as a pick me up. Both had substance yet were fun with fantastic narrators (@pattimurin love your work too)!! If you loved The Bodyguard you'll love this one. And you all know you love a book about books, well this was a fresh take on that trope since its an audiobook in the setting of an audiobook(and so much more). I feel like Im all over the place with this review because I just now finished it and have the heaviest book hangover! Im so enthusiastic about this so please if you have a choice, give this a listen! To Julia the author: was Brock's voice yours??? I could swear that was the sexiest man's voice ever. Also, yes we the audience and lovers of audiobooks and the fantastic voice actors that act them out for us DO NOT want a BOT to ever read for us!!! EVER! & you all should get royalties. ehem. Soooo worth royalties!
#thankyouforlistening
@harpercollins

This was my first experience with Julia Whelan, both as an author and a narrator, and I can completely see why she has so many fans. Her cadence and her ability to voice any/all of the male characters was just on point. I also loved the story itself. The disability rep, in my opinion, was dealt with well and the love story was complex. I definitely want to listen to more of her work!

“Feelings are temporary. They stick around as long as you believe in them and then they’re gone, waiting to be believed in again. If they were permanent, then we’d only have to say I love you once and be done with it for the rest of our lives.”

4.5 stars. I enjoyed Thank You for Listening so much! Julia Whelan is my favorite audiobook narrator, so I knew this would be amazing. What a heartfelt, beautiful story about learning to love yourself through the curveballs life throws at you.

Disillusioned audiobook narrator Sewanee Chester takes on a romance novel —despite her dislike of the genre — to pay for the care of her elderly grandmother. When Sewanee meets and connects with her co-narrator, she begins to face the things about her life that she’s gone years without confronting.
Thank You For Listening is a delightful story made even more charming by the author’s narration. I would have expected as much, given Julia Whelan’s incredible talent, but the witty banter, humorous, insider references to romance novel perceptions and tropes, and relatable characters made this a great listen. Highly recommend.

After reading Julia Whelan's debut novel I knew I needed to read the latest. I have seen a comment that I totally agree with, she is everyone's favorite narrator. For this book I was gifted with the book and audio, and I will address both. Julia Whelan's narration was perfection as always! She made this book really come to ilife and make you enjoy the story and characters even more, if possible.

At first, I thought it was going to be a true story, but learned I was wrong, and it was a delightful surprise. Sewanee Chester (Swan) was and up-and-coming actress with a bright future ahead of her. When she is involved in a tragic accident her life changes., but she finds a way to utilize her acting abilities. She begins narrating audiobooks. She is able to do all kinds of accents, different characters, different genders, etc. This also gives us a chance to get some behind the scenes information on how this process works.

When an author's dying request is that "Sara" and one of the most popular, if not the most popular male narrators, Brock, are to narrate a romance book together, Swan is hesitant. She does not believe in Happily Ever After. But, as they two meet and join forces, there is lots of playful banter that just gets better and better.

I loved this book and will happily give it five stars! I love the humor, heart, hot bits, banter, I just loved it all.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

julia whelan’s voice is just… i could listen to her talk for HOURS and I HAVE and I WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO.

sewanee is a wonderful main character and i love that she is so reflective and cautious with her life. the romance felt real and cute and not at all cringey and her struggles were universal yet so personal at the same time. the tone was light when it needed to be, but when it got darker or sadder man oh man did it work. the pace was also perfect and although i saw that twist coming from a mile away (tropes lol), i will say that nick (the love interest) made it worth it. he was three-dimensional and was a person outside of sewanee… and damn was he smooth. i loved it! absolutely loved it!

if you’re gonna read it, please do so as an audiobook because that shit was GOOD and theatrical. i might only listen to audiobooks by julia whelan from now on because no one else is doing it like her!!!!

thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for the ARC!

I loved EVERY. SINGLE. SECOND of this amazing audiobook. Julia Whelan is my all-time favourite narrator and I also loved her first book, but this was next-level love for me because I am fascinated by the world of audiobook narration and this book approached that career from such an intimate and unparalleled perspective.

Though the love story was predictable in the best possible way from hints in the synopsis, I LOVED the way this story unfolded and the way the two characters met (so cute) and got to know each other (amazing banter) and then the way they resolved conflict and grew as characters near the end. There was also an incredible cast of side characters including an amazing best friend, father figure, super-sweet grandmother, mother + hilarious new partner, and some travel that felt fun and interesting too.

Overall, I highly recommend this book, particularly on audio, but really just any way you can get it -- you'll definitely see it on my list of top books for the year.

Thank you to Netgalley & LibroFM for the advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.