If you’ve listened to more than a few audiobooks in the past decade, you’ve almost certainly encountered the voice of award-winning audiobook narrator Julia Whelan, who’s recorded more than 500 books. All that narrating has given her plenty of insight into what a great read looks (and sounds) like. She has put that knowledge into practice with two novels of her own: MY OXFORD YEAR and now the equally delightful THANK YOU FOR LISTENING, which takes avid readers and listeners behind the scenes of the audiobook industry --- and offers a playful and charming romance to boot.

Our protagonist is Sewanee Chester. She’s a Julliard-trained actor whose television, stage and film career was on the verge of taking off --- until a life-altering accident left her with vastly diminished career prospects and a permanently altered self-image. Now she’s an award-winning audiobook narrator, but she’s filled with both pride and a touch of envy for her best friend Adaku Obi, a fellow actor who is finally achieving the kind of fame (and paychecks) they once dreamed of when they were starving acting students.

"THANK YOU FOR LISTENING is an absolute delight, not just for its behind-the-scenes glimpse into the process of producing audiobooks but also for the ways in which Whelan savvily plays with a variety of romance tropes..."

The two meet up at a book convention in Las Vegas, where Sewanee is moderating a panel about narrating romance audiobooks and Adaku is a headliner, thanks to her role in a new film based on a book. When Adaku is abruptly called back to Los Angeles, Sewanee is left alone in her luxurious suite. A chance encounter with a charming and handsome stranger leaves her with a weekend to remember.

It's been a long time since Sewanee has let herself think so much about romance. Like many audiobook narrators, she cut her teeth recording romance novels (under a pseudonym) but has since very deliberately left that behind. But upon Sewanee’s return to Los Angeles, her agent reveals that she has gotten an intriguing offer --- to record the final novel by a recently deceased romance novelist. It turns out that the author specifically requested Sewanee, and the author’s estate is prepared to offer a compensation package that makes it almost impossible to say no, especially when she’s facing increased costs for her beloved grandmother’s assisted living facility.

So Sewanee grudgingly agrees to record the book, a dual narration with the hunkiest of male romance narrators, “Brock McNight” (also a stage name, of course). Much to Sewanee’s surprise, Brock’s emails and text messages are charming, thoughtful and revealing. Could she be falling for the man behind the voice that’s made millions of listeners swoon?

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING is an absolute delight, not just for its behind-the-scenes glimpse into the process of producing audiobooks but also for the ways in which Whelan savvily plays with a variety of romance tropes --- tropes that are obviously very familiar not only to her and her listeners, but also to her self-aware protagonists. In both Sewanee and Brock, Whelan explores characters in the process of reconciling their past dreams and aspirations with their present-day realities, trying hard to figure out what they want out of life --- and how love fits into the picture. The book is also refreshing in its portrayal of a romance protagonist with a disability, as well as in its depiction of how those around Sewanee respond to her with care --- or its opposite.

I read THANK YOU FOR LISTENING in print format, but I’m seriously considering picking up the audiobook (narrated by Whelan herself) to take advantage of even more of this gifted author’s talents.