Reviews with content warning for Dementia - Thank You for Listening

did Julia Whelan write specific characters just to show off her incredible narration abilities? yes, and you have to respect her for it.

this book was absurd and ridiculous in just the right ways (while still touching on more serious topics, like caring for someone with rapidly declining dementia, discrimination in the acting industry, etc.). I saw the "twist" from the minute Nick showed up in that bar, and I don't care. it's self-aware and fun!

my only complaint is that there was not that much time put into actually developing the romance part of the plot. I happened to like the side characters and plots, and I generally like when romance books expend energy on other characters, unlike many romance readers. however, I do feel that Julia (and Sewanee) have some internalized romance hatred in them, possibly hindering her full commitment to depicting a nascent relationship on-page for more than a chapter or two.

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kylasmv15's review

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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sarahsthoughtsonbooks's review against another edition

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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)

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mikelandbeforetime's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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marleywrites's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.0

This book was great. I loved the author’s sense of humor and was really enjoying the banter between the main characters Nick and Sawanee. They were both so interesting and the author revealed little bits of them at a time which kept me intrigued the whole book.

I adored the side characters of this book. They were great supports for the story and kept the pace moving. All the scenes with the Seasons folks were hilarious. I loved the best friend characters.

This book was, on one hand, light hearted and fun. On the other, it also dealt realistically with working in an industry that’s toxic, an industry that takes more than it gives, and what it’s like to love someone with dementia. It was very much “the highs were high and the lows were low.”

I listened to this book on audiobook and I am loving the hype for it. I’m so glad people are falling in love with audiobooks because of this story! The author/narrator was incredible. What a performance!

I rated this four stars, because some parts of it I didn’t fully resonance with, but it’s more of a personal thing. The parts I liked, I really loved, and I hope that others enjoy this story with great disability representation as well.

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atamano's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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eligru's review

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funny inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.75

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