sarahsthoughtsonbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Fine line between contemporary fiction and romance. Not well balanced between the two. It doesn't lean one way or the other, but neither is really developed enough. Great idea, but could be better executed? Not that it was flawed, but I wanted more. It just felt a bit rush. I think that's what it is, that there seemed to be a medium pace that was going well, and then part was just rushed. Which caused it to feel lacking.
Also, both protagonists seem to hate romance genre. Makes me wonder if Julia has a second, lesser known pseudonym that she recorded some romance under (like her Sophie Eastlake stuff send to be mainly two authors)
Also, both protagonists seem to hate romance genre. Makes me wonder if Julia has a second, lesser known pseudonym that she recorded some romance under (like her Sophie Eastlake stuff send to be mainly two authors)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/injury detail, and Medical trauma
Minor: Eating disorder and Body shaming
cady_sass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I am *very* picky about audiobooks, to the point that I know it’s unfair and illogical and so I tend to not listen to them at all, but I like Julia Whalen. A lot. I find her very talented and enjoyable to listen to. Now, bring me a book of written by an audiobook narrator ABOUT audiobook narrators and it seems only fair (and totally obvious) that it need to be consumed via audio. Right? So, of course, I did. Now please refer back to my comment about being unfairly judgmental and illogically picky about audiobooks and take my review with a grain of salt. I believe this book is good and if I had read it on page I would’ve loved it more, possibly. The characters are unique and flawed and diverse, the banter is funny and witty and cute. BUT…. But… you can tell an audiobook narrator wrote this. There are characters who exist solely for the purpose of the narrator [author] showing off her skills in accents. Which, for the record, is good (with the exception of the Bostonian ex boyfriend with the most horrendous Boston accent I’ve ever hear and take person offense to), but there’s no real reason for them. I also have mixed feelings about a white author writing about the plight of a black woman in Hollywood… but it does seem (to me, another white woman, to note) to be handled somewhat carefully. Just perhaps not her story to tell, again, as a white woman who was a former actress. I guess all this to say some of this felt inauthentic but it’s hard to parse that from what I HEARD and wish I would’ve just read the book 🤷🏻♀️ don’t come for me. I still gave it 4 stars!! There’s quality story here and a lot of fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Dementia, Sexual content, Racism, Suicide, Abandonment, Eating disorder, Self harm, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Drug use, and Suicide attempt
maethereader's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Oh, I struggle with how to rate & review this. I was SO enjoying this book at first. I honestly laughed out loud a few times. I'm not a huge romance person, but I really enjoyed the banter in the beginning and through the epistolary section. I enjoyed the story lines about other characters like her best friend, parents, grandma. And I enjoyed learning about audiobook narration.
But... once these two met, it all fell apart for me. I suddenly didn't understand the characters' motivations for basically the rest of the novel... On top of that, all of the smaller storylines seemed to wrap up very quickly, which I found unrealistic and unnecessary.
And I'm not sure how to feel about the inclusion of this disability trope. It feels like it was just a device used by the author for a convenient storyline, and the character's handling of it, thinking about it, processing it, as well as that of her friends and family just did not ring true to me at all (coming from someone who became disabled as a young adult). Did Whalen talk to anyone who had gone through something like this? I hope so, but honestly it doesn't seem like it. So that's really disappointing. Disabled characters only included in books when it's convenient to make a storyline out of their disability... ugh.
Listened to this on audiobook and narration was great (obviously!).
But... once these two met, it all fell apart for me. I suddenly didn't understand the characters' motivations for basically the rest of the novel... On top of that, all of the smaller storylines seemed to wrap up very quickly, which I found unrealistic and unnecessary.
And I'm not sure how to feel about the inclusion of this disability trope. It feels like it was just a device used by the author for a convenient storyline, and the character's handling of it, thinking about it, processing it, as well as that of her friends and family just did not ring true to me at all (coming from someone who became disabled as a young adult). Did Whalen talk to anyone who had gone through something like this? I hope so, but honestly it doesn't seem like it. So that's really disappointing. Disabled characters only included in books when it's convenient to make a storyline out of their disability... ugh.
Listened to this on audiobook and narration was great (obviously!).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and Injury/injury detail
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Death of parent, Suicide attempt, and Death
cristinareading's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/injury detail and Dementia
Moderate: Death of parent, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, and Racism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
livelyghost's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
With so many threads to this story I was really hoping that one or two would really grab me but unfortunately nothing really did. I think I really wanted to know more about BlahBlah’s life and her neighbors at Seasons more than I did Sewanee or Nick! I felt like I learned a little about a lot of things like the marketing dilemma of women’s fiction vs romance, the making of an audiobook, experiences of Hollywood and the publishing industry but never got really fleshed out worlds for the many parts of Sewanee’s life.
Sewanee is a fun lead - complicated but not a mess, hopeful but not all sunshine all the time, and a lovely friend and family member. Her family and friends are written with enough story to make you interested but not distracted. Every pull quote from June was gold. Nick is someone I could tell you maybe two things about and I literally just finished the book.
Overall I have mixed feelings. This was a quick read and I enjoyed some of the characters, but the writing just felt like I was getting a lot of appetizers and not a main course sprinkled with some uneven pacing.
Sewanee is a fun lead - complicated but not a mess, hopeful but not all sunshine all the time, and a lovely friend and family member. Her family and friends are written with enough story to make you interested but not distracted. Every pull quote from June was gold. Nick is someone I could tell you maybe two things about and I literally just finished the book.
Overall I have mixed feelings. This was a quick read and I enjoyed some of the characters, but the writing just felt like I was getting a lot of appetizers and not a main course sprinkled with some uneven pacing.
Ultimately, I don’t think it matters what I say, does it? Will you ever truly believe, deep down, that anything other than pity brought me over to you? Nothing I can say will ever make that disappear for you. I can tell you I don’t see it and you will always see it. I can tell you that you’re everything that keeps me up at night and everything I daydream about and how that makes you feel might last a day or a week or an hour. 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 then be done with it for the rest of our lives.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia, Death of parent, and Eating disorder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Body shaming
headinthepages's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Racism, Violence, Injury/injury detail, Dementia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, and Grief
theespressoedition's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Sometimes writing a review for a book I absolutely adored is harder than writing one for a book I disliked. I just want everything I say to be perfect because the easiest thing to do would be to shout: "YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK. I CAN'T EXPLAIN WHY--I JUST KNOW I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT AND EVERYONE NEEDS IT IN THEIR LIFE!" However, I realize that wouldn't be all that helpful. So, without further ado, let me try to explain just how much I loved this book and why...
Thank You for Listening is a fictional story about an audiobook narrator--written by an audiobook narrator. Now, it would be natural to assume that the book is slightly autobiographical. I'll admit, I certainly did that at first. When someone writes a book revolving around their own career, it's only natural to layer the story atop their personal life. However, while there are elements of Sewanee's life that err on the side of reality, this tale is not a memoir in any way, shape or form (according to the author herself).
That being said, it certainly made me intrigued by the life of popular audiobook narrators and voice actors in general. It sounds like a fascinating business to be part of (though also quite taxing). This book made me wonder what it's actually like to be known primarily for your voice or the style of books you most frequently narrate. For Brock McNight, this particular element made things really complicated. He feels like he's stuck. He doesn't want to narrate romance anymore and doesn't feel connected to it, but it's what he's known for and if he steps out of that--or brings more of himself into the roles--what would that mean for him? It makes him an especially interesting character. Some of the reveals regarding his more personal details helped me understand him so much more and took him out of the "typical sexy-yet-unfeeling man" role.
If I'm being honest, the entire cast of characters held my interest. I constantly wanted to know what would happen next with Adaku and her acting dreams. There were so many emotions revolving around Blah and the impact she had on Swan's career and personal life (the bond between these two just warmed my whole heart). Gosh, I was even invested in the lives of the minor characters. There wasn't a moment that went by when I was uninterested. I finished the book and immediately wanted to turn around and listen to it again. Honest to goodness, I kept finding myself hovering over my audiobook app during the next few days, considering a reread.
Don't get me started on the romance element because I'll be here all day, raving about the adorkable chemistry between these precious protagonists. I was rooting for them from the get-go. There wasn't a single moment where I felt like things were too rushed or impractical. The text conversations had me full-on belly laughing, something that doesn't happen very often when I read. It would just bubble out of me because they were just so dang hilarious and awkward. I really loved the way the story played out between them and the progress that was made individually and as a couple. While their careers and circumstances may have felt slightly escapist, their nitty gritty conflicts and challenges as people made them really relatable. There were so many moments that made me feel so seen.
This book was made to be listened to. I'm sure it's excellent as a physical read, but there's something extra special about listening to an audiobook about audiobook narrators. It made the entire story feel so immersive. I can't tell you how many times I forgot I was reading. It was that good. Do yourself a favor and download it ASAP. You can thank me later!
Thank You for Listening is a fictional story about an audiobook narrator--written by an audiobook narrator. Now, it would be natural to assume that the book is slightly autobiographical. I'll admit, I certainly did that at first. When someone writes a book revolving around their own career, it's only natural to layer the story atop their personal life. However, while there are elements of Sewanee's life that err on the side of reality, this tale is not a memoir in any way, shape or form (according to the author herself).
That being said, it certainly made me intrigued by the life of popular audiobook narrators and voice actors in general. It sounds like a fascinating business to be part of (though also quite taxing). This book made me wonder what it's actually like to be known primarily for your voice or the style of books you most frequently narrate. For Brock McNight, this particular element made things really complicated. He feels like he's stuck. He doesn't want to narrate romance anymore and doesn't feel connected to it, but it's what he's known for and if he steps out of that--or brings more of himself into the roles--what would that mean for him? It makes him an especially interesting character. Some of the reveals regarding his more personal details helped me understand him so much more and took him out of the "typical sexy-yet-unfeeling man" role.
If I'm being honest, the entire cast of characters held my interest. I constantly wanted to know what would happen next with Adaku and her acting dreams. There were so many emotions revolving around Blah and the impact she had on Swan's career and personal life (the bond between these two just warmed my whole heart). Gosh, I was even invested in the lives of the minor characters. There wasn't a moment that went by when I was uninterested. I finished the book and immediately wanted to turn around and listen to it again. Honest to goodness, I kept finding myself hovering over my audiobook app during the next few days, considering a reread.
Don't get me started on the romance element because I'll be here all day, raving about the adorkable chemistry between these precious protagonists. I was rooting for them from the get-go. There wasn't a single moment where I felt like things were too rushed or impractical. The text conversations had me full-on belly laughing, something that doesn't happen very often when I read. It would just bubble out of me because they were just so dang hilarious and awkward. I really loved the way the story played out between them and the progress that was made individually and as a couple. While their careers and circumstances may have felt slightly escapist, their nitty gritty conflicts and challenges as people made them really relatable. There were so many moments that made me feel so seen.
This book was made to be listened to. I'm sure it's excellent as a physical read, but there's something extra special about listening to an audiobook about audiobook narrators. It made the entire story feel so immersive. I can't tell you how many times I forgot I was reading. It was that good. Do yourself a favor and download it ASAP. You can thank me later!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, and Death
Minor: Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting
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