Star Rating: 4 Stars
This book was GOOD!
I’m going to start there because here’s the thing: it’s a romance, and I don’t read Romance.
Why?
To put it plainly, I’ve made assumptions:
- Romance is fluff
- It’s unrealistic
- It’s filled with sex scene after sex scene, and that’s not MY scene
But mostly, happy endings—Yeah, I’ve never found that appealing. I want more grit in my books. HEAs (which, by the way, I didn’t even know that acronym until reading this book), what are those anyway?
So, why did I pick up this book?
I’m impressionable and easily influenced when authors I admire recommend a book. I think, “Well, if they liked it . . .”
Julian Whelan, the author of Thank You for Listening*, is a former actress and current audiobook narrator (among other things). She’s the narrator of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s book, an author I enjoy reading, and this book came highly recommended by her. Of course, it did, right?
But she was also recommended by Jodi Picoult, who definitely isn’t a romance writer. So, I thought, let’s give this book a try.
I think the character is me.
Here are two things to know about Sewanee Chester, the book’s main character. She’s an audiobook narrator who hates Romance and doesn’t like audiobooks.
I’m not an audiobook narrator, but I’m not a fan of Romance and don’t enjoy listening to books. I’ll occasionally listen to a business or self-help book, but not fiction—never fiction!
So, those two things about Sewanee Chester drew me in right away.
The book is about a woman who used to be an actress, something she loved dearly, but an accident took her career away. She found work as a successful audiobook narrator, first in Romance and then moving on to other genres. She swore she’d never go back to Romance, but she agrees to do one last Romance at the post-mortem request of one of her most admired former clients. Also, the money’s too good to pass up. Sewanee needs that money to pay for her grandmother’s care.
And, yes, there’s a romantic element in the plotline when Sewanee meets a “charming stranger” and then finds herself falling for someone else totally unexpected. After all, it’s a romance, right?
But this book was so well-developed and Sewanee’s character so well explored that I was actually rooting for her HEA!
Who’s this book for?
If you’re an audiobook fan, you’ll love this book. It’s a fun, behind-the-scenes look at the industry even though it’s not autobiographical (something Whelan makes clear in her end notes titled: On Autobiography).
If you like Romance, I’m sure you’ll love this read.
It’s also great for people who enjoy reading books with strong female leads and excellent writing.
Have you read Thank You for Listening? Let me know what you think!
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*Disclosure: As an indie writer, I find clever and unique ways to make money to produce books for you! If you click on my affiliates/advertisers links, I am going to receive a tiny commission. Although it sucks that writing doesn’t pay the bills, here’s what I want you to know: I value you as a reader, and I appreciate you immensely. I don’t want this “hub” to become filled with pop-ups and ad-after-ad. I just want to connect you with a good read!