Paldies par klausīšanos

Thank You for Listening

by Julia Whelan, Džūlija Vīlena, Dina Kārkliņa (Translator)

Džūlijas Vīlenas dzīvesprieku iedvesošais romāns vēsta par izbijušu aktrisi, kura ir atteikusies no saviem sapņiem un kļuvusi par panākumiem bagātu audiogrāmatu ierunātāju, un par viņas ceļu pretī sevis iepazīšanai, mīlestībai un pieņemšanai pēc tam, kad viņa piekrīt ierunāt vēl vienu — pēdējo romantisko romānu.

Audiogrāmatu ierunāšana ne tuvu nelīdzinās tam, par ko Svonī Čestere sapņoja jaunībā, taču viņas filmu zvaigznes dienas ir palikušas senā pagātnē. Ierakstu studija viņai nodrošina gan panākumus, gan gandarījumu, turklāt nu viņa var parūpēties par savu mīļo, sirgstošo vecmāmiņu. Pēdējā brīdī ieradusies Lasvegasā uz grāmatmīļu pasākumu, Svonī neplānoti pavada vētrainu nakti ar kādu valdzinošu svešinieku.
Atgriezusies mājās, viņa saņem piedāvājumu ierunāt romantisko romānu “karalienes” pēdējo grāmatu — kopā ar nozares seksīgāko un noslēpumaināko balsi Broku MakNakti. Svonī vairs netic tam, ko sludina romantiskie romāni, tomēr apbrīna pret aizsaulē aizgājušo rakstnieci un izdevība finansiāli palīdzēt vecmāmiņai mudina viņu avantūrai piekrist.
Atjaunojusi savu kādreizējo romantisko romānu ierunāšanas pseidonīmu, Svonī sāk darbu pie grāmatas. Broks negaidīti izrādās lielisks partneris, un, slēpjoties aiz ērtas anonimitātes, starp abiem uzšķiļas necerētas dzirkstis.
Bet vai šīs dzirkstis var novest pie kaut kā īsta, vai viņu sapņi atkal nesagrūs? Lai to noskaidrotu, abiem nāksies nojaukt barjeras un atklāt vairāk nekā savus īstos vārdus — atklāt savu sirdi.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Adult

414 pages, Hardcover

First published August 2, 2022

About the author

Dubbed "The Adele of Audiobooks" by The New Yorker, Julia Whelan is a writer, lifelong actor, and acclaimed audiobook narrator. Her performance of her own debut novel, the international bestseller My Oxford Year, garnered a Society of Voice Arts award. Her 2022 novel, Thank You For Listening, was a Best-of-the-Year pick at Amazon, Audible, and NPR as well as a Goodreads Choice Award nominee and winner of the CALIBA. She is the founder of Audiobrary, a new human-only audio publishing company and app, and her new book, the 8-part audio series Casanova LLC, debuted exclusively on Audiobrary Valentine's Day, 2024. She is also a Grammy-nominated audiobook director, a former writing tutor, a half-decent amateur baker, and a certified tea sommelier.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I fell in love with the author’s debut novel My Oxford Year, so I was thrilled to start this one. I saw some mixed reviews and rolled my eyes, determined to remain objective.

Normally, by the first chapter, I have a semi-verdict about a book. As usual, I started reading this one, and I was literally guffawing—it had a hilarious opening! A few chapters later, I was completely hooked, and as soon as Sewanee meets Nick, I was all in! I practically started drooling over it! The book was glued to my hands—I couldn’t stop reading! It was smart, seductive, heartfelt, and entertaining!!!

Here’s a quick recap of the plot:

I easily connected with Sewanee Chester, who was once an aspiring actress until a terrible accident caused her to lose an eye (now covered by a permanent eye patch) and damaged her shoulder.

She decides to use her acting skills in a more practical way by narrating audiobooks—and guess what? She absolutely nails it! She’s incredible at doing different accents and imitating perfect male voices. The only thing she won’t do is romance novels!

But after attending the Vegas Book Convention to cover for her boss/landlord/mentor Mark, and sharing a room with her bestie Adaku—a rising movie star living her dream as the lead in a blockbuster—her life changes in one magical night.

When Adaku leaves her alone at the bar to catch an audition in LAX, Sewanee decides to call it a night. But then something magical happens, like only in romance novels: A perfect stranger with an Irish accent and undeniable charm sits at her table and starts talking. They have only one night before the stranger, Nick, leaves town. They share a memorable night together, with Sewanee pretending to be someone else—Alice, the book editor, complete with a Texan accent. And then they part ways.

Then she does something unexpected. To pay for her grandmother Blah’s (short for Barbara—who steals every chapter she’s in) nursing home expenses, she needs extra cash. So, she takes an offer she can’t refuse: co-narrating a romance novel with the industry’s hottest, most secretive, and sexiest male voice—Brock McNight.

Sewanee is still trying to forget her magical, snowy one-night stand in Vegas, but now her sweet, steamy banter and long text messages with Brock have her hyperventilating!

Should she meet the guy face to face? Absolutely! But that blind date might be more earth-shattering, mind-blowing, and jaw-dropping than she ever imagined!

Can you picture a rom-com meeting women’s fiction, approaching all those classic clichés with a sarcastic and incredibly entertaining tone while fully embracing them? That’s the definition of this book!

It’s a delightful mix of romance tropes, including a one-night stand, mistaken identity, love triangle (sweet Mitzi was a tough competitor), and epistolary elements—and you’ll enjoy every one of them!

I can’t give it less than five stars! Honestly, if I could, I’d give it ten! That’s how much of a dreamy experience I had! Dear Julia Whelan, I’ve become a true fangirl of your writing! I’m looking forward to reading your future works as well!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts

[Ayman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julia Whelan is a fucking queen! if there's anything i'm gonna hype fixate on it’s gonna be a romance following “Mirrorball characters.” This book follows 2 audiobook narrators, Sewanee and Brock. And it’s hard to describe this book without spoiling it but basically these two become a sort of pen pals because they are recording this audiobook together and down the line they decide to meet in person and all hell breaks loose.

These characters are complex and deep, and I would sell my family to protect them. The emotions and self-discovery Sewanee goes through is written authentically and realistically. We are in her 3rd pov through out the whole book and witness the complex relationships she has with family members and friends.

Brock omg don’t let the name fool you, was a fucking delight. He was funny as fuck and I just feel like Julia wrote this mf for me lmaoo.

Anyway, the reason it’s not getting a full 5 stars is because the pacing was kind of off and lowkey towards the last 25% I wanted it to be over already. Nonetheless, I’m glad I made it to the end because not only was it worth it but because it ended better than I thought it would.

[Taylor Reid]

When former actress turned audiobook narrator Sewanee finds out one of the biggest names in romance wanted her to narrate her last book, she reluctantly agrees, even though she doesn’t buy into the idea of romance. The last thing she expects to find is a real connection with co-narrator and audiobook star Brock McNight. An utterly delightful read!

[Victoria Schwab · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute delight.

[MarilynW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank You for Listening
Julia Whelan (Author/Narrator)

Since I'm a fan of Julia Whelan's narrations, I definitely wanted to listen to this book that she both authored and narrated. Despite the very serious subject matters that are explored, this story is funny, too.

Sewanee Chester used to be living her dream. Her life as an up and coming actress was looking better and better everyday until a tragedy slashed through her dreams and she found herself living a nightmare. It's been seven years since her tragic change of direction and now she is an audiobook narrator. Sewanee's really good at it and has made a name for herself but she isn't able to let go of the past, her regrets, her self blame, and that she will never be able to live that old dream again.

In the beginning of her narrating career Sewanee narrated romance, with all the embarrassing words and sounds that go with certain scenes. But she's been able to move on from that genre to step out of the "too much info" of romance to narrating tamer genres. Now, Sewanee is about to hit a complicated time in her life. She has a one night stand with a charming, funny man and they didn't even exchange numbers so she will never see him again, Especially since she gave him a fake name and background. He couldn't even find her if he wanted to do so.

Not long after that Sewanee agrees to co-narrate a romance novel written by a late author that she adored. The other narrator is Brock McNight, known as the male voice of romance. Getting to know this man by text, working with him without meeting him in person, Sewanee becomes aware of what she might be missing in life. Both men have her thinking about learning to accept herself as she is now and about how having a man who she really enjoys sharing with, laughs, cries, all of it, could be a thing she wants, if she could only let go of the past and the blame.

The mysterious love interests are funny and made me laugh more than I want to admit. Interactions with both of them can get pretty goofy but it's good that Sewanee lets more of her inner goofiness out. She has a really good sense of humor when she can get over herself. But Sewanee has a lot on her plate. A neglectful father, a grandmother slipping farther into her dementia, jealousies she can't let go of, "why me" that she can let go of, and worries that this is all there is after her dreams became a nightmare.

I enjoy author's notes and Julia's author's note is especially interesting to me. I like knowing stuff and she breaks down what is and isn't from her life about this story. It's fiction but she knows her subject matter and I look forward to more work from her.

Pub August 2, 2022

[chan ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's a crime against me personally that i didn't get to see these 2 bang it out

but this was still better than Book Lovers and i stand by that

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

theres a scene in this where the MC explains to her love interest the difference between womens fiction and romance. while both have their merits, i initially picked this book up hoping for a romance but instead got womens fiction.

and as a chick-lit novel, this is good. it explores some relevant topics for adults, such as saving family relationships, forging career paths, navigating friendships, and overcoming past trauma. and its all done really well.

but man, i desperately wanted more of the romance. theres just sooo much potential for sparks between two romance audiobook narrators but, sadly, its not utilised. enacting a scene together in a confined audiobooth should have been steamy, but instead it gets turned into a conversation about career goals. which yes, are important, but not as immediately important as the characters chemistry!

so this didnt quite deliver in the way i wanted it to but, for the story it is, its pretty good.

↠ 4 stars

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

08/02/22 New Release!

Please hear me out on this one before coming at me 😬

1. I was over the moon excited to listen to this after seeing the rave 4-5 ⭐️ reviews on here!

2. I was even more hyped that the MC Sewanee was disabled! ( being chronically ill I believe that romantic partners with disabilities should be written about WAY more often!) I am ALL FOR romances with characters that aren’t cut from a cookie cutter mold.

3. I know that Julia Whelan is a beloved Audio Book Narrator & Actress. I’ve enjoyed her voice a good amount of times as well so I was intrigued!

However this book was a total miss for me.

A. The romance between Sewanee & Brock always seemed forced.

B. I don’t think either character had a very enjoyable personality.

C. The twists that come out were quite cringe (spoiler free so I’ll keep this basic & say for instance why he really approached her to begin with)

“Why had he chosen her? She realized her hair had fallen forward in a way that had hidden her eye patch.”

D. The back & forth banter wasn’t very humorous for me, but a bit dull.

E. There were FAR too many side stories : her grandmother in the nursing home, her strained relationship with her father, her best friend’s career, her mother & stepfather’s romance, June’s backstory etc.

F. In comparison with another book that I listened to about audio book narrators, “The Ex Talk” it wasn’t nearly as good.

G. There were zero steamy parts IMO. 😬

H. The book was too long & repetitive. I actually sped up the last 15-20% so I could be finished.

I. The odd names were very distracting Seawanee aka “Swan”, “Blah Blah,” Adaku…

“The human voice is the thread that connects one soul to another. “

“I don’t know when but eventually you’re gonna to have to stop thinking you’re nothing more than a damaged
version of yourself.”

Thank you #partners @librofm @netgalley & @harperaudio for a #gifted ALC in exchange for my honest review. I know this one is loved by many !
📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖

💭As discussed in Chapter 2 what would your stripper name be?
Name of your first pet & the street you grew up on.
👉🏻Mine would be Sassy Maine -I think it’s kinda sexy! 💁🏻‍♀️

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first saw that this book was written by everyone’s FAVORITE audiobook narrator, Julia Whelan- an actress who herself now uses her acting skills to bring to life the words of many of our favorite authors- I wondered if it was autobiographical. 🤔

Although that doesn’t seem to be the case, it does allow us have a glimpse, into BOTH worlds, which added an extra layer of intrigue to the story for me!

It definitely shows the side of audiobook narration which isn’t as glamorous as what one would imagine, and it was fun to learn that just like acting there is A LOT of PREP WORK that goes into it-you don’t just sit down and read a book aloud!!

Sewanee Chester, (Swan) named after her grandmother’s hometown, no longer believes in HEA (happily ever after).

An accident which resulted in the loss of one eye, took away her dreams of becoming a film actress, and while her best friend, and fellow Actress Adaku, soared to fame-she retreated to a sound booth, getting her start narrating novels for iconic romance author, June French, using the alias, Sarah Westholme.

As she developed her own following as a narrator, she gave up the romance genre, and moved on to others, but when her ailing grandmother, Blah Blah, (she couldn’t pronounce Barbara as a toddler) needed to be moved to the very expensive “memory care” wing of her assisted living home, she decides to reconsider when offered the kind of money she would need to pay for this move.

June French had recently passed away, and her wish was that her LAST novel be read by “Sarah” and the hottest male narrator in the industry, Brock McNight.

I loved the relationship that Swan shared with Blah Blah, as I was extremely close with my late grandmother, so this dimension added a lot to the story for me. It was also refreshing to see a strong, female friendship portrayed as well!

But, it wouldn’t be a satisfying ROMANCE novel if there wasn’t chemistry between Sewanee (Sarah) and Brock.

Fortunately the book DOES have the playful banter which makes these stories fun, and the HEAT 🔥 to make you want to believe in HEA!

The first half was stronger for me, as the story got a little to preachy and cheesy around the 75% point-but the ending had me closing my Kindle wearing a satisfied smile.

NOW AVAILABLE! Read it or LISTEN 🎧 to it narrated by Julia Whelan, herself!!

A buddy read with DeAnn-be sure to check out her wonderful review! ❤️

Thank You to Avon Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

[Anne Bogel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two audiobook narrators find love in this meta take on contemporary publishing. Romance enthusiasts always roll their eyes when critical readers mock the “predictability” of the genre. In her long-anticipated sophomore novel, top-tier narrator Whelan has a ball skewering the tired objections of romance skeptics as she takes us deep into the world of the field she knows so well. Actress-turned-narrator Sewanee is still recovering from a terrible accident that scarred her inside and out when she’s cast alongside the sexy and secretive Brock McKnight in a coveted project. Whelan clearly enjoys playing with the genre’s familiar tropes—snowed in, just one night, mistaken identity. With wittily named chapter titles (don’t miss them!) and great supporting characters, this sometimes steamy romance shows our heroine forgiving herself and finding true love. Open door.

Listen to my conversation with Julia Whelan in What Should I Read Next Episode 340: The secret life of an audiobook narrator. This is a Modern Mrs Darcy Summer Reading Guide selection.

[Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Date of Publication: 2 August, 2022!

3.5⭐

After a tragic accident forces Sewanee “Swan” Chester, a graduate of Juilliard and former up-and-coming actress, to forgo her dreams of an acting career, she ventures into the world of audiobook narration, a profession in which she earns repute and a respectable income. However, memories of her accident and subsequent disfigurement and her unrealized dreams cast a shadow on her present life. Initially, she gains recognition as a popular narrator of romance novels (under an assumed name) but has since moved on from the genre (she detests the unrealistic and impractical tropes and the promise of HEA in romantic novels!) to more serious books and is presently a successful audiobook narrator, under her real name. A chance meeting with a handsome stranger at a book convention in Las Vegas leads to a very interesting night for her and provides a welcome change from her monotonous life in LA.

Upon returning to LA she is offered the chance to perform the last novel of a famous romance writer, who has recently passed away, with the elusive and extremely popular narrator Brock McKnight. Initially reluctant she ultimately accepts the offer as it would enable her to afford an upgrade in her grandmother’s care at a swanky retirement facility. The audiobook is scheduled to be released in episodic format and what follows is a collaboration between Swan (using her previously discarded pseudonym) and Brock, lots of humorous communication, sharing and attraction which also brings its share of tension, misunderstandings, secrets and other challenges. As the narrative progresses, we see how Swan tries to balance her personal and professional aspirations, deal with her grandmother's failing health and navigate her way through tension with both her father and her well-meaning best friend who is a successful actress trying to help Swan revive her acting career, all in an effort to move on from her disappointments and allow herself to finally be happy.

Julia Whelan’s Thank You for Listening is an entertaining read with loads of heart and humor. Yes, the usual tropes (the chapters are actually named after the more common tropes in romance novels) make the story predictable ( it is a rom-com, so no surprises there), but the cast of interesting characters, their backstories, the humorous banter over emails and texts between the main characters (reminiscent of one of my favorite Meg Ryan/ Tom Hanks movies) make for an entertaining read. Though the story did drag in a few places (400+ pages is a bit too long), it still managed to hold my interest. What upped my rating (from a 3 to a 4) was the inside look into the hard work that goes into the process of audiobook narration and the challenges faced by professional narrators. Also, reading a romance novel that pokes fun at the genre and the concept of HEA, while the narrative progresses in a similar direction was an amusing experience.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyage for providing a digital review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interestingly enough, I picked this book up at 7 p.m. last night, thinking I would just read a couple of pages before nodding off to sleep at my usual early evening night night.

But…I was so engrossed, I finished it at 10:30 p.m. before heading to bed.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed every moment of it.

I say surprisingly, because I wasn’t sure I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I started reading it.

It was charming, uplifting, funny and had its lovable heart-warming moments.

There was a balance of light and playful moments with the heavier, sometimes somber real issues.

But…It was fun to follow Sewanee, a former actress who created a successful audiobook career after a devastating accident.

And…Even if she started with an audiobook career doing the romance genre, this was not the genre she wanted to end up in…

However…When her favorite author, who gave her, her start dies, had left instructions for her to narrate her final work…

And…With responsibilities for her grandmother in assisted living…

It was impossible for her to say no to this amazing opportunity and much needed paycheck.

Besides…She would get to work with the mysterious Brock McNight, who is an extremely popular romance audiobook narrator, and very anonymous guy.

How will this decision change her life?

The story is also told via emails and texts and showcases, and highlights the power of friendship.

And…It is beautiful to watch the evolution and growth of Sewanee…

But…We can also appreciate that the romance is integral to her journey.

This was a very refreshing, dynamic story.

And…Even if some of it is predictable, it still is one readers’ can’t help but hope will head towards, a true happily-ever-after ending.

[Rachel L · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

After a tragic accident, Sewanee Chester has settled into a career of being an audiobook narrator and leaving behind her acting career. She started in the audiobook career reading romance, but since her success has left that genre behind. After one magical night with a stranger while at a conference, Sewanee returns home to find that she has an offer to record an audiobook with a world famous narrator, but it’s a romance and she is hesitant. This with lots of changes in her family and friends life leave Sewanee at a point of change in her life, she just has to pick which direction to go.

It's funny because while this book is fiction it really seemed to me almost autobiographical in nature (which luckily author addressed at the end of the book). A former actress turned audiobook narrator? That’s Julia Whelan. But the characters are very much their own and not rooted in real life, which considering they felt real I was very impressed.

My favorite parts of the book are the ones in which Sewanee spent time with her grandmother Blah, they felt the most real to me and hit me the hardest, even bringing tears into my eyes. There were complicated friend and family dynamics covered in this book that I enjoyed very much and hit home a lot. I will say, the plot of this book was fairly predictable which is why it’s a 4 and not 5 star read for me. I guessed every single plot point from the beginning of the book which did take away from my enjoyment a bit.

Whelan with her second novel, gives a heartfelt story about a woman accepting her circumstances and forgiving herself for the mistakes she made leading to this point. It’s also a love letter to audiobooks and the artists who make them.

I received an ARC from the publisher via netgalley. After that I received an advanced listening copy from libro.fm as a part of their librarian ALC program. I chose to listen to the advanced copy instead of reading. Publishers, don’t hate me I love you

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

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!

[Sheyla ✎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

When one of my favorite narrators has a new book, I'm more than invested in listening to it. I loved My Oxford Year and I was more than ready to read something else by Julia Whelan.

Sewanee Chester doesn't believe in love. Her dreams of becoming a famous actress disappear after a tragic accident. Now, she sustains herself with her job as an audiobook narrator. Sewanee loves her job and the people who work close to her.

During a book convention in Las Vegas, she has an unforgettable night with a stranger. Regrettably, She didn't tell him her real name and she didn't ask for his phone number either.

When she returns to LA, she has a new book to narrate if she agrees to do it. It is the last novel written by famous romance author, June French. If she accepts, she will be narrating it in conjunction with the "it" voice in the romance world, Brock McNight. At first, they shared emails but soon texting becomes their new way of communicating. Sewanee starts believing that maybe falling for someone is possible until they decide to meet....

I loved this one. It was so much fun listening to it. I love the couple's banter, and I thought Julia Whelan did an excellent job at fleshing out this book's characters. The same thing goes for the secondary characters. Adaku, Blah, Mark, and her mother were all wonderful additions to the novel.

I can see either book by Julia Whelan becoming a movie. I wonder who she has in mind for the characters.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Avon Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

[Corina · Rating 4 out of 5]

PERFECT narration!!! and just a wonderful romance novel. ♡ MUST READ

Not only is the book perfect for everyone who loves audiobooks, since both MCs are audiobook narrators, one of them is this hot, sexy, mysterious male romance narrator that everyone wants to you-know-what, and nobody knows who he is. Doesn’t that sound familiar to you?

But the novel is also perfect for everyone loving this genre.

It has the most wonderful banter, and it comes across as amazingly effortless. Their chemistry is full on display, and their attraction palpable. From their meet cute to them getting to know each other and lastly meeting up in real life – it just worked!! Plus the range of emotion was beautifully balanced, from lighter romance to more emotional family story, it made for a perfect combination. Low on drama and big on everything else. Just the way I like it.

Seriously, it was a pleasure to listen to this audiobook. Julia Whelan did a fabulous job, as always. She is actually one narrator who does the male voices as good as any male narrator.

So, if this sounds anything at all like you might like, go and grab yourself a copy. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

PS. The author’s note was such a great touch and answered quite a few of my questions.

___________________________________
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.

[Júlia · Rating 5 out of 5]

trigger warnings: suicide, having a relative with Alzheimer, death and living with a disability.

"Eventually, don't know when but eventually, you are going to have to stop thinking you're nothing more than a damaged version of yourself."

This entire book just hit way too hard and way too close to home in all the right places.

One of my favorite reads of this entire year.

What an incredible, original and full-hearted read. Emotional, heart-breaking and so romantically hilarious and so unbelievably realistic.

I feel like Julia has narrated enough books by Emily Henry that they literally have the exact same prose. I dare say Julia is better at it.

This is the story of two audiobook narrators who fall in love before they really know who the other one is in real life. It had absolutely everything I love in contemporary romances. A lot of flirty texts, believable characters, a relatable, hilarious and heart-breaking female main character.

This book dealt with life in the most amazing, unique and real way. I don't think I have enough words to express how real and touching this book was. I 100% recommend the audiobook that is narrated by Julia herself. I love her narration style and honestly, she rocks her male voice.

This is one of the best book I've read this year. Totally worth the ride.

[Blaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now, that was a smile. It rendered the cheesy line charming. Oh, God. Swan wasn't ready for this, this lanky-limbed, broad-shouldered, tanned wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, 8 o'clock shadowed, tall, iced umbrella cocktail of a man.
…
I was a fearless boy who became a fearful man.
…
We break, in many different ways, but it doesn’t mean we’re broken.

The Goodreads description for Thank You for Listening is an excellent summary of the plot, so I won’t bother with my own recap. And that’s nice, because it allows me more space to gush about how great this novel is.

The story in Thank You for Listening worked for me on every level. The banter and dialogue is snappy and almost too perfect, but the content, the subjects, and the feelings being discussed are completely true to life. The story has humor throughout (including a wickedly funny opening scene). The romance is a realistic one—and puts a meta spin on several romance novel tropes along the way—with occasional sex scenes that are hot without being particularly explicit.

That alone would be enough to recommend a book, right? But Thank You for Listening brings so much more to the table. There is a great deal of non-romance content, and it packs an emotional punch. The entire storyline involving Sewanee and her father disagreeing over how to best care for her grandmother as she fights her losing battle with dementia. Sewanee’s backstory, and her struggle to accept and move on from the accident that changed the direction of her life. The stories within the novel about the fictional romance writer June French and the final project she wrote for Sewanee to help narrate. These counterbalancing plot lines give the book real stakes, and create joy and sadness and genuine emotion. Finally, as an avid audiobook listener (who also knows that Julia Whalen is one of the best narrators around), I thought setting this story in the world of audiobook narration and seeing the behind the scenes work it takes to record an audiobook was really fun.

Relatively early in Thank You for Listening Sewanee explains to Nick the purported differences between women’s fiction—“usually written by women about … life. You can win, you can lose, you can die. You know, real human things universal to everyone”—and romance, which has two general requirements: a happy ending, and it has to be about people falling in love, usually with on-page sex. Of course, Sewanee and Julia Whalen are in on the joke that these divisions are just dismissive, sexist nonsense. Women’s fiction is just … fiction about real human things universal to everyone, and some of those things are going to be romantic (and hopefully a bit on-page smutty from time to time 😄😈). Part of the brilliance of this novel is how well it blurs the lines between this false division, so that you won’t know until the final pages whether you’ve been reading so-called women’s fiction, romance, or a hybrid of the two. A great novel. Highly recommended.

P.S. Obviously, the best way to read this book is by listening to the audiobook, performed brilliantly by Ms. Whalen herself. You will not be disappointed.

[DeAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 witty banter stars - now available (and I heard will be featured on NPR today)

I loved this book about an audiobook narrator. Who knows, it might even inspire me to listen to an audiobook someday! It was a fascinating glimpse into what goes into creating an audiobook, it’s not just reading out loud.

Meet Sewanee Chester, she was an up-and-coming actress when a tragic accident forced her to put aside that career. She’s made a success of a career as an audiobook narrator, even though she still yearns for an acting career. She started narrating romance but has moved on to other genres.

She’s caring for her sick grandmother when a startling offer comes through to narrate one last romance book from one of her favorite authors. I really enjoyed the strong relationship and connection that she has with her grandmother.

This offer could make the difference in providing quality care for her grandmother, so she begins work with the elusive Brock McNight. Through the project, they begin to get to know each other although they never meet in person. Could something more develop between them?

Overall, this one was an enjoyable read and I’m tempted to pick up audiobooks now!

Be sure to check out Jayme's amazing review, this made for a great buddy read for us.

My thanks to Avon/Harper Voyage for the copy of this one to read and review.

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook….read by Julia Whelan
….11hours and 16 minutes

I enjoyed “My Oxford Years” years ago
—but even more,
I’ve grown to ‘adore’
Julia Whelan’s…. immediately familiar voice….
…..for the many books that she’s narrated — that I’ve loved.

As soon as I saw this title …
“Thank You for Listening”…..
I was interested and intrigued…..
But then I said to myself….
“Wait! A *NOVEL*… huh? How can that be?”

I had seen ‘nothing’ about this book — until I did…..
not on Goodreads either. ( guess I’m becoming an aging slow turtle asleep under a rock)….
But…
I quickly purchased it and went in blind.
I was secretly hoping this was a memoir to be honest….
I mean just the title had me talking back to Julia:
“I do! I ‘do’ thank you, Julia, for reading many very enjoyable books. It would be my deepest pleasure to hear about your experiences as a voice narrator”……
“I mean you’re the AUDIOBOOK READER FEMALE QUEEN!”

but … it’s a novel (ha, so the book says)….utterly enjoyable too….
….clever in that she weaves other romance novels -romcoms - into this story.
Although I wouldn’t categorize ‘this’ book as a simply a romcom…..its more broad-range that that. SMART…..heartwarming enjoyable.

It’s laugh out loud hilarious in ‘parts’…..and a few sad parts too …
…what added a deeper personal satisfaction for me was Julia’s author notes. You have to read the book first to appreciate her notes.

1 + 1 = 2
Julia Whelan reading a novel + reading a novel she wrote = LOVE

[Sam I AMNreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Look. Metatextual novels(someone correct me if I've got this wrong...) are truly hard to pull off. I tend to be hella put off by them, especially those that are brash,out in the open commentary of a genre, its fans, and the grit of audiobook producing. So this is a layered metatextual experience that well, frankly, lacks nuance.

Am I defensive? Hell yes, I'm defensive of the fact that many, many authors deploy their criticisms at romance and seek to destroy that which is problematic by unmooring romance conventions subtly, beautifully, and effectively. They do it with their characters, with a line that nods to us with those same feelings, with an unexpected twist with the plot, scene, or interaction.

But this felt like being pummeled AND nudged all at the same time. Like "we love romance but also it's stupid and we're too good for it" Simultaneously congratulatory and outsider. A distinct line between "good" romance and, well, that other stuff.

And I think all of this affected my enjoyment. I was never "in" this with Sewanee. I was never rooting for the couple. I found her criticism of Brock, doing a job he hated, frustrating as all hell. And I'm looking at the time and seeing I've got TWO hours left. Do I care? I don't feel like I care. The conflict was super annoying and now I am just so ugh. (DNF, 85% BC I keep my promises)

"Swan, this ain't goodnight moon"
"Right, but you are"
... WHAT? THE? Fuck? does this mean

My flist loves this book. I have other issues, one of them that I listened (bc of course) and I don't love the way epistolary/ text translates here. I found Whelan's writing all at once overly ambitious, choppy, and devoid of the consistent rhythm that I need in audio format. This was utterly fascinating to me, given Whelan is an actor and narrator. I understand the deployment of short, action-oriented sentences in certain recollections of this novel, but they were not pleasurable nor evocative for me, they were just there: unvaried, heavy, and, blunt. I also struggled with character, and part of me doesn't know why - although I bet it's basically the first paragraph of this review.


Structurally, I also questioned the way this book was pieced together. Why scenes are dropped and picked up later, just didn't work.

I know Whelan is amazing but there's also another meta-element I kinda hated. We're constantly reminded of Sewanee's acting ability, how talented she is. So listening to the audio really was a struggle to lose myself in-constantly reminded about the process etc. That's me, nobody else felt that way, but my emotions were at 10,000 feet and absolutely never in the moment. Like, oh right, this whole thing is acting. There she's acting, here she's acting... Everywhere acting.

Sewanee lost her absolute shit on her optimistic, lovely BFF bc she was still beautiful and perfect. She'll never understand how difficult it's been for Sewanee. And yeah, like her face was her commodity and all that, so she's bitter, and also capitulated (no judgement here just fucking true) to the standards of beauty as exist in Hollywood. But, Lord, she's gone off at her Nigerian best friend, also an actor -- on the standards of beauty in Hollywood-- and I know this might be a character being her character but I wouldn't have been mad if Adaku would've said fuck you forever. Instead, she supports her and they move on and acts perfectly... absolutely no issue or comment (other than on her name) with all the multiple micro aggressions leveled at her in this book. I really struggled with the divergence between what I still see as Sewanee's endless privilege and her repressed feelings about her disfigurement and the failure to reconcile herself to the two. Often it was human, but it was comes across as
self-indulgent in this read.


Which leads me to my last issue. It was overly ambitious, unfocused, and lengthy. This is me, complaining about that "full picture" feel while simultaneously missing those epic romance feels like we had in lengthy romances 30 years ago and also complaining that one attempted to accomplish that. We contain multitudes.

[Jessica J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few weeks ago, I got together with my Any Book Book Club (where instead of reading and discussing the same book, we just talk about what we've been reading lately - it's brilliant and everyone should do this) and we got into a discussion about books that are marketed as romance novels and have all the hallmarks of romance novels (ie, the Happily Ever After) but do not feel like romance novels because the "couple falling in love" part of the story doesn't feel like the most important thing happening.

The topic came up because one woman felt like the book she'd read wasn't a romance novel because it focused too heavily on the protagonist's relationship with her sister; I'd felt like the plot with the sister was secondary to the romance with the handsome fella. But it also got me thinking because I'd also recently read a book that was marketed as a romance novel but whose primary emotional core came from the protagonist's relationship with her sister. And funny enough, that same basic theme came up again in Thank You For Listening, which was a romance novel that fell short of my expectations because the love story wasn't the primary focus. Full circle, y'all.

I think it's safe to say that Julia Whelan is everyone's favorite audiobook narrator. Which makes sense, because she's great. She narrates a ton of books each year, but she might be most well-known for her romance and "women's fiction" catalog. So of course it makes sense that she would pen a romance novel(ish) about a woman who makes her living as an audiobook narrator. Write what you know, eh?

Sewanee Chester is the protagonist here. She and her friend Adaku both aspired to be actresses; while Adaku's career has taken off like a rocket, an accident left Sewanee with a career-altering injury and she has turned to audiobooks instead. She built her career on narrating romance novels but she grew weary of the genre in recent years and has shifted her focus elsewhere.

As the novel opens, Sewanee is attending a BookCon-style convention at the behest of her boss/landlord. When Adaku bails on a girl's night out in Vegas, Sewanee finds herself flirting with a hot Irishman at the bar. Sewanee gives him a fake name and backstory, but one thing leads to another and the two share a single, steamy night together. Fast forward a couple of months and Sewanee receives a proposal: one of the most beloved romance authors in the world has passed away and she wanted Sewanee to narrate her final book with Brock McNight, the secretive pseudonymous male narrator who is undoubtedly the biggest name in romance audiobooks.

Sewanee is hesitant, but the proposal comes with a huge paycheck. Sewanee needs that money in order to pay for her grandmother's transfer to a dementia unit in a senior care facility, so she eventually agrees to narrate the book under her own pseudonym (who knew so many narrators don't use their real names!?) As they get to work on the book, Sewanee and Brock begin exchanging emails and eventually texts. At first, it's all about the logistics of their work, but there's a real flirty vibe between the two of them and Sewane finds herself revealing parts of herself she's been hesitant to share with anyone else. It all forces her to be honest with herself about the reasons that she pulled back from so many things in her life.

And, I don't know. The behind-the-scenes details of the audiobook world were truly fascinating and Julia Whelan has written some great chemistry between Brock and Sewanee, but there are honestly just too many other threads going on in this story. Sewanee has conflict with her father over her grandmother's deteriorating state, conflict with Adaku over her acting career, self-confidence issues pertaining to her injury, turmoil because her boss might be ready to close down the audiobook production company, an encounter with an ex that leaves her feeling shaken, and she's trying to sort out her feelings about this man whose real name she doesn't know. Because there's so much going on, it doesn't feel like any of these issues are really explored with the kind of depth they deserve and the resolutions to these various storylines don't always feel earned. I think that's why it ended up feeling less like a romance novel than a novel about a woman going through some shit who just happens to catch feelings for a dude along the way.

Maybe that was Julia's Whelan's goal? I'm not sure. It's definitely marketed as a romance novel, but the characters do spend a not-insignificant amount of time debating the difference between romance and "women's fiction" (I think we can all agree that's a stupid term, right!?) so I do think she wanted to at least explore the limits of genre with this one. Maybe if she had just narrowed her focus just a little bit and trimmed some of the plot threads that didn't really feel so vital to Sewanee's journey of self-enlightenment, I might have enjoyed this more. As it is, though, I found Thank You For Listening to be just very run-of-the mill.

[Rachel Solomon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece. Just exquisite.

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read if you like:
⬗ Witty banter
⬗ Mistaken Identity
⬗ Women’s Fiction
⬗ Audiobooks

4.5★

Thoughts: I have only listened to one audiobook narrated by the treasured Julia Whelan, but I was intrigued when I saw she had written several of her own, including this upcoming release, Thank You For Listening. Although I was tempted to read it on my kindle, as I do with many ARCs, I opted to listen to her narrate her own story on audiobook. And I think listening to this one on audio took it up a notch for me. Listening to her multitude of tones and accents was as impressive to me as the story itself, if not more so.

I enjoyed getting the inside look at the world of audiobook narration, a story within a story if you will, and the process that goes along with making a book come to life via narration. I also really liked the way Whelan developed her characters, including even her supporting characters. I absolutely loved learning about Sewanee’s grandmother Blah Blah, her sparkling sense of humor, her rich past and the connection she has to her granddaughter.

While predictable, I adored the relationship between Sewanee and Brock, in the many forms it takes on. Filled with more swoon worthy moments than I can count, I was utterly charmed by Brock and his inability to see anything but her internal beauty (*sigh*).

For a deep and heartfelt rom-com with as much com as rom, look no further than Thank You For Listening. And if you can, check it out on audio to hear Whelan in all of her glory.

Thank you to Libro.fm and Avon Books for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

[Claude's Bookzone · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I love Julia Whelan as an audiobook narrator and now as a writer too! This was funny, so interesting and the chemistry between Sewanee and Nic was amazing. It respectfully addressed some serious issues in terms of recovering from trauma and finding new purpose and meaning. However, the book never felt heavy and I appreciated that as I was there for the swoony worthy romance. Really enjoyable!

[Lau ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who hasn’t listened to a romance audiobook without daydreaming about the voice behind?


Thank You for Listening is the romance created for audiobook lovers. While the execution didn’t quite work for me, I adored being able to glimpse how the industry works and being able to follow two professionals while they fell in love.


I’m more into balanced romances than chick-lit, so part of my frustration was around the fact that this reads more like the latter. You are following the sensational Sewanee Chester, one of the most important voices in the audiobook industry, who doesn’t believe in happily ever after. Life has shown her that the hard way.


But she wasn’t expecting to meet a handsome stranger on a crazy night in Las Vegas. Or having to say yes to co-narrate a romance with the hottest romance narrator, Brock McNight, in order to pay for her grandmother’s care. And she definitely wasn’t expecting to start falling for Brock while she can’t stop fantasizing about the Vegas stranger. When did her life become a romance novel?!


Julia Whelan narration was exquisite and the only reason why I kept reading even when the story was boring me to tears. This started on a high note, even if the pace was rather slow. Sewanne was the kind of heroine that’s average enough to make people relate to her. I just didn’t think she was interesting enough to carry out the entire narrative, being this a chick-lit of over four hundred pages-ten hours of audiobook.


At the beginning it was the romance what carried the book for me. I was fangirling so hard when Sewanee met the sexy stranger, cheered when Brock started flirting with her through the phone, screamed internally when they decided they needed to meet because they were too curious about each other to let the opportunity pass. I’ve always adored the idea of two people getting to know each other before physically meeting; it works so well in romances because you know everything will work perfectly fine.


But I soon realized it was one of those romances meant for women. I know we are the target audience of the genre, but I like when I can exchange the heroine’s and hero’s actions and it still works. I don’t want to see how the heroine is the only one who can overreact, freak out, lie, be unsure and basically be human while the hero is there looking pretty and handsome like an accessory to wear. While the hero also committed his mistakes, I would have preferred seeing a man I can believe it’s real-weird personal preference, I know.


What really got into my nerves-besides not caring about Sewanee’s life as much as I should thus being bored most of the time-, was the fact that they kept saying ‘this is not like a romance novel’. If you want to keep saying things like ‘we are not going to do a third act break up because this is not a romance novel’, you have to give me in exchange a story able to break those limits and explore something different. It was the equivalent of hearing a YA heroine reminding you that ‘she was not like other girls’ when she was, in fact, exactly as all the other girls.


Overall, I loved the idea of the book but the book itself not so much. I appreciate what the author was trying to accomplish, but maybe I’m not in the correct mindset to be able to enjoy a romance without being overly skeptical about it.

[Charlotte (Romansdegare) · Rating 3 out of 5]

To start with, I listened to the audiobook, and HIGHLY recommend this format if you plan to read the book. This is absolutely a five-star performance. To my recollection, I have never listened to a Julia Whelan audiobook before, and I will certainly be seeking out more of her work. The audiobook experience isn’t just auxiliary to the reading process: the entire plot is set in the world of audiobook recording, and there are all kinds of insider tidbits into how professional narration works that are themselves worth the price of admission. Because the narrator is also the author, it seems pretty clear that she set herself some deliberate narration challenges as she wrote, and she pulls them all off with aplomb.

The main character here, Sewanee, is an experienced narrator who used to be an actor, then got her start narrating romance, then transitioned away from romance to do more “serious” book narration. Part of the backstory here is that Sewanee was in a serious accident, which resulted in her losing her eye, and that change made her feel forced to leave film and television acting and go into audiobook narration. Her injury and facial scar are something she grapples with throughout the entire book, and I don’t necessarily feel qualified to comment on how that’s represented, but I would recommend seeking out reviews from others who have more informed things to say about this element of the story. There's a lot of focus on Sewanee's feelings about her accident, about finding her career path again, about her relationship to her best friend (a successful actress) and her grandmother (who suffers from dementia). That's a lot to balance along with a significant romance plot, and the book mostly does it well, I think. Mostly.

What primarily tripped me up about this book is that it's very meta, but at times had a reductive view on romance as a genre, despite coming from what feels like (and is presented as) an insider perspective. There are a lot of jokes about romance - which to be clear I have no problem with in theory. No genre is without its own foibles, and certainly there’s nothing wrong with pointing that out or making fun of them. And I do want to avoid that weird gate-keepery territory of assuming that it's ok for "romance readers" to poke fun at their genre, but not for others to do so. It's... a complicated thing, and I think on the whole this book walked both sides of a line. A lot of times the fun-making felt like it came from a place of deep understanding and love for the genre's quirks. For example, there's a great scene where Sewanee and her love interest talk about the differences between subgenres, and start spitballing about how their story would end differently if they were in a women’s fiction book vs a romance novel. The bit where they take turns imagining wild plot twists involving billionaires and kidnappings if their love story turned out to be a genre romance was genuinely hilarious and charming: I listened with a giant smile on my face the whole time.

But… there are also a LOT of cliches about the genre in here, and I didn’t love the way Thank You For Listening was positioning itself as… not *better* than the genre it’s written and marketed in, per se, but certainly more evolved and revolutionary? It’s hard to do this without discussing some major plot points, but I'll try to be as vague as possible.

Part of the problem is that some of the cliches about romance here are just tired or unnecessarily normativizing. There are a LOT of unoriginal jokes comparing romance and audiobook reading to pornography. At a book convention that Sewanee attends early on, romance readers get presented, I thought, as an undifferentiated block of straight middle-aged women with no interesting thoughts about what they read, who just want to ogle cover models and salivate over (male) audiobook narrators. (The assumed straightness of all romance readers is a blind spot that the book itself replicates. The only queer "representation," such as it is, is one man with a Tragically Dead Partner, and two puerile jokes about whether the male LI is acutally - hur hur- dating a man. Dislike.)

Anyway, in particular the idea that “most romance readers and creators aren’t smart enough to distinguish between the genre and real life” gets baked more and more into the premise as the book goes on. At one point we are told that June French (the author of the romance Sewanee and the mysterious Brock McNight are narrating) was borderline neglectful to her adoptive son because … no man could ever measure up to the heroes she wrote, and so she just … hated all men in real life? Come on.

This may seem like a small detail, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the basic thesis of Thank You For Listening was that the book, and its MCs, were somehow revolutionary for their understanding that romance “in real life” doesn’t have to be like it is in romance novels. Sewanee’s big final epiphany is that it’s ok to take a chance on something even if HEA isn’t guaranteed, and to make her own way and figure things out as she goes. And while I absolutely love that as a conclusion, I don’t love how it was presented as this massive revelation that no person who loves the romance genre has truly understood?

I mean... there's absolutely an interesting discussion to be had around whether the function of writing love and desire in romance is to be mimetic, or if it's to present an escapist unattainable fantasy, or if, in fact, it's some combination of the two that tries to reach emotional authenticity through agreed-upon representational codes and tropes. But it just didn't feel like this was a book that thought its readers - or any romance readers really - were capable of that kind of nuanced analysis of the genre. Maybe I'm just being cynical, and I'm certainly sensitive to the idea that I'm being talked down to as a reader. But something here just didn't quite gel for me personally.

Finally, there's a fair bit of poking fun at romance’s plot formulas (including third act breakups and grovels and HEAs) which is ironic because… I think this book has a LOT of pacing problems? In particular, there's a weird double-reveal about the male love interest's identity that felt unnecessarily convoluted, it happens at exactly the same time as a massive fight between Sewanee and her best friend, AND a deeply upsetting episode with Sewanee's grandmother (whose experience in a care home has been a significant part of the plot- please see the CWs on this, I don't think the book really realizes how traumatic this bit could be for some readers). And the book has given itself such a big mess to solve with Sewanee and her love interest that it just... ships them both off to Italy to work on their romantic issues? Meaning that for a good 25% of the book Sewanee doesn't even *think* about her massive blow-up fight with her best friend, or her grandmother's increasingly precarious physical and mental health, even though both women have arguably been a much bigger presence in Sewanee's life, and in the book, than her LI up to this point. It's not the worst plotting issue I've ever run into, and to be honest I might not even have mentioned it here except that... the fact that romance has a fight/make up formula doesn't make it easy to write. Case in point being that the book fumbled it here, I thought.

On the whole, I have to give the audiobook a lot of credit for holding my attention all the way through, which isn't often the case. But I do think that this book is trying very hard to be meta about its relationship to romance, without either fully thinking through its relationship to the genre, or assuming that readers are capable of doing so themselves. A mixed bag, really.

CW: discussion of Sewanee's accident (described in detail in the past), discussion of dementia and a suicide attempt by a secondary character, secondary character death.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book! I enjoyed and appreciated the facial scarring representation, as well as the nuanced family dynamics related to both parents and grandparents. I found the writing a bit cheesy though – I guess I don’t really read romance genre books that often so not sure how much of it is the genre versus this specific book. A lot of the dialogue especially between the romantic interests felt forced or cliché to me. However, I respect the portrayal of an overall healthy romantic relationship and the prose was solid enough so I can see why other folks like this book.

[Brittany McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a lot of fun. Julia Whelan has narrated many books I love, and it was fun to have her narrate her book about an audio narrator.

I loved the humor and the messed-up romance cliches that the book both used and made fun of in equal measure.

A fun read with great life advice about how we bail on ourselves repeatedly as a protection method.

Some great quotes such as:
“Eventually, don’t know when, but eventually? You’re gonna have to stop thinking you’re nothing more than the damaged version of yourself.”

“She was drawn into the story as an aroma draws one to a meal.”

“It took me a lifetime to find my place in this world. But it was worth it—'cause it's with you.”

4.5 stars rounded up.

[emilybookedup · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved every second of this audiobook—from the first chapter to the author’s note. highly recommend the audiobook as the queen, Julia Whelan, narrates herself! it is LOL funny you guys.

i thought about it every time i hit pause and wanted to make it last as long as i could. truly the best feeling reading the book.

it had a lot going on too—definitely parts romance, romcom, family drama, coming of age, friendship, etc. hard to stick it to one genre and all parts were done so well.

full review to come on my IG on pub day, 8/2! thank you to Libro FM for the gifted advanced copy.