Review by Booklist Review
Whelan (My Oxford Year, 2018), draws on her experience narrating audiobooks in this poignant and charming novel about two famous audiobook performers who fall in love during their dual narration of a romance novel. Seven years ago, Los Angeles native Sewanee Chester walked into a plane's propeller and lost her right eye and acting career. She is now comfortable with her eye patch but has never come to terms with her loss, convinced that she is ugly, second-best, an afterthought. Whelan sensitively explores Sewanee's growing acceptance of self. Sewanee had switched to narrating general fiction, but to pay for her grandmother's assisted living care, she reluctantly returns to romance. New Yorker Nick Sullivan is an American who grew up in Dublin and has narrated four hundred romance novels over five years. Fans swooning over his rich, resonant voice are legendary, but Nick isn't emotionally invested in his work. Music is his first love, and he wants to get back to it. Much of the novel consists of pseudonymous emails and text messages, in which Nick and Sewanee eventually realize how emotionally vested they are in each other. The shock of their discovery of one another's real identity and how they reconstruct their relationship is where Whelan's skillfully nuanced writing truly shines.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In the uplifting latest from Whelan (My Oxford Year), a former actress's stint as an audiobook narrator, as well as a one-night stand, turn out to have big implications for her future. After Sewanee Chester is disfigured in an accident, she's unable to continue acting and turns to narrating romance audiobooks. Despite her award-winning success in the field, she gives up the gigs after believing that she'll never have a romance of her own. During a trip to Las Vegas with her bestie Adaku Obi--who has found the acting success Sewanee believes she has lost forever--Sewanee meets a dashing Irishman named Nick, spends the night with him, and assumes she'll never see him again. After Sewanee returns home, she agrees to record one last book for the author who gave her first big break. During the project, she develops a snappy text message--based repartee with her conarrator, the pseudonymous Brock McNight, who reminds her of Nick, whom she hasn't stopped thinking about. Still, she fears Brock will be repulsed by her appearance if they meet in real life. Though the twist is no big surprise, Whelan has a fine touch with the characters. This is one to revel in. (Aug.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Whelan brings her experience with audiobook narration to her second novel, after My Oxford Year. Audiobook reader Sewanee Chester stopped narrating romance novels because she doesn't believe in HEAs (Happily Ever After). As a favor to her boss, however, she's moderating a panel at a Las Vegas romance convention. As a bonus, she'll get to spend time with her best friend, actress Adaku Obi, who's appearing on another panel at the convention. When Adaku is called away for a meeting, she encourages Sewanee, already dressed up for dinner, to take advantage of Adaku's expense account and live it up. Sewanee, on the other hand, is planning to go back to the room and relax instead--until Nick sits down at her table and begins chatting her up. This delightful, heartwarming, romantic comedy is well-written and fast paced, pulling readers in and keeping them glued to the page. The characters are quirky, damaged, and lovable, with rich backstories and banter-filled, witty, dialogue. Emotional subplots surround the protagonists, keeping the plot grounded and realistic. VERDICT Readers will thoroughly enjoy this peek behind the audiobook curtain and cheer for the inevitable HEA.--Heather Miller Cover
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An audiobook narrator and former actress gets more than she bargained for when she performs a book with the audiobook world's sexiest and most mysterious voice. Sewanee Chester grew up dreaming of being an actress, and for a short while, she made that dream a reality. But before her career could take off, an accident caused her to lose an eye and derailed her path to stardom. Now Sewanee narrates audiobooks, using all the talent and passion she once showed onscreen to bring the pages of books to life. When Sewanee isn't working, she visits her former actress grandmother in an assisted living facility. Since Sewanee's accident, everything about her life is orderly and planned…until she attends a book convention and ends up spending a romantic night with a stranger. Despite that one out-of-character night, Sewanee isn't a romantic--that's why she now says no to narrating romance novels, despite starting her career with them. After being disappointed by real life one too many times, she doesn't believe in happily-ever-afters. But when she gets an offer to narrate a posthumous book from a romance novelist she once worked with, she agrees--only because she needs the money to help pay for her grandmother's care. She'll be performing the book with Brock McNight, a narrator who's as sexy as he is secretive--people may know his voice, but they've never seen the man behind it. As Sewanee begins working with Brock, trading texts and emails, they forge a connection that goes beyond the book. But Sewanee quickly learns that showing vulnerability in real life is harder than performing it. Can she be brave enough to follow her dreams, even if it means risking failure? And do her old dreams even fit into her new life? Whelan, a celebrated audiobook narrator and actress herself (as well as the author of a previous novel, My Oxford Year, 2018), brings an incredible amount of realism to her descriptions of Sewanee's career. Although there's plenty of tragedy and angst in Sewanee's life, there's also a lot of humor (the story opens with a laugh-out-loud scene involving a particularly racy romance novel being played at full volume to unsuspecting airplane passengers). Sewanee and Brock have crackling chemistry in their innuendo-laden texts, and there are love scenes as steamy as the ones Sewanee narrates. Whelan also shows an awareness and appreciation of romance tropes that lead to a fun and slightly meta reading experience. Although the romance is a standout, Sewanee's journey of self-acceptance is the real star. A compulsively readable story about self-discovery with plenty of laughs and spice along the way. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
