We know and love Julia Whelan for reading us beautiful stories from authors like Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, Rachel Hawkins, V.E. Schwab, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and many many more as an audiobook narrator, but did you know she writes books too? Thank You for Listening is her second book, and it’s clear this woman knows her way around the romance genre. I recommend the audiobook, obviously.
Sewanee is an audiobook narrator who has left the romance genre behind her under a pseudonym she no longer acknowledges. She dislikes the genre so much, she dreads covering for her boss at a romance convention in Vegas, but in a surprising turn of events, the trip ends with a scintillating evening with an Irish stranger she will never forget. When she returns to real life, the offer of a lifetime is waiting for her — join one of the industry’s most popular (and illusive) male narrators in the final post-humous project of one of the greatest romance authors of all time (her Sewan song, if you will). Against her personal reservations, she agrees to do the project as they are offering her a stupid amount of money that will enable her to care for the aging grandmother who always had her back. Working with Brock (the heartthrob narrator) turns out to be an unexpected delight, and when she runs into the mysterious stranger from Vegas again, things begin to tangle into delicious complexity.
A good contemporary romance novel will give you more to chew on than simply the girl-meets-boy, heart-eyes, fall-in-love storyline, and in that regard, Thank You for Listening delivers. An accident in Sewanee’s past leaves her with life-changing consequences to deal with, her grandmother’s decline is a huge emotional vampire, her best friend is getting to live the life she wanted for herself, and each of her parents have lessons to teach her before the story closes.
I appreciated the slow-burn natural romance development between Sewanee & her suitor(s). One thing I can say with confidence is that everything that happens is supported by the story. That is to say nothing felt “too convenient” or not rational, even in the midst of several well-used tropes (and they’re even called out by Sewanee when they happen, which adds to the witty humor of the novel).
Julia was able to call upon her first-hand knowledge of how audiobook production works, the industry as a whole, and even included a few tricks of the trade in this novel (green apples, amiright?). I loved all the details — her expertise really had a chance to shine here.
This was definitely a 5-Star read for me, and if you like your romance complex with a side of self-discovery, then this one is certainly for you!
Details
Title:: Thank You for Listening
Author:: Julia Whelan
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Avon
Length:: 432 pages
Audio Length:: 11h 16m
Audiobook Narrator:: Julia Whelan
Audiobook Publisher:: Harper Audio
Published:: August 2nd, 2022
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
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