This book starts out with MC Gigi on a set up date in a pub in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Gigi is a small bookstore owner, who is a hopeless, romantic and in love with the voice of an audiobook narrator. Not only is she in love with this narrator because of his voice, but also because he is reading the one book that brought her parents together in their love story.

She is convinced that this is the love of her life and fantasizes about him and no other man measures up to Zane. For her 30th birthday GiGi‘s friends purchase a ticket for her to fly to England and take a guided tour by a company run by none other than Zane, as his family owns the company. It turns out that Zane has only ever narrated this one book and so it appears that it is fate.

This book grabbed my attention immediately, because it was quite different than other books I’ve read of a similar genre. The idea that the main character fell in love with a voice because he read a book that brought her parents together was a premise I’ve never encountered in all of my reading. I found the characters completely loveable and quickly devoured this adorable romcom.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC copy of GiGi, listening, in exchange, for my honest review and opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for this title in exchange for my honest review!

I really wanted to like this book. I thought the premise was cute when I first saw the description, and I was excited to give it a try. Unfortunately, it just missed the mark for me.

There is such a thing as overly descriptive, and too much of this book was spent over describing things that truly didn't need it. I appreciate enough description to put me in the shoes of the character, but not every walk we take needs to be on a street bathed in moonlight. Eventually I just want to get to the story and I find myself just skipping over entire sentences once I get the gist of what's happening. However, the descriptions worked well for the travel sequences and making me feel like I was actually in London.

It's also a little weird to me that the main character was 30 and obsessed with someone's voice SO MUCH SO she plans an entire vacation around trying to find them. It borders on stalkerish, losing its romantic undertones.

I found myself skimming through this book to get to the main parts, which for me is never a good sign. The story itself just fell flat for me unfortunately.

This is a nice, middle-of-the-road romance for people who aren’t looking for twists. The premise is a little far-fetched; the characters are mostly either Characters (Gigi’s brother and fellow tourists) or don’t have much personality (Gigi’s friends, even somewhat Gigi herself); you can pretty much predict everything that will happen; and the romance wasn’t exactly the sort that had me truly believing they would be together forever, but it’s an enjoyable enough book. The tourists and their stories did grow on me, and I appreciated both the unabashed defense of romance as a genre and the examination of longterm grief. Might be a good companion for those embarking on similar trips, and those who aren’t able to take their own tour might enjoy the opportunity to read through Gigi’s English adventures.

This friends to lovers tale is not what you may expect at the beginning. I enjoyed that it involved a romance but also developing relationships between a lot of its characters. I also enjoyed that it was set in England (mostly) on a fun bus tour with plenty of bookshops mentioned.

Chantel's Guertin's GIGI, LISTENING is a perfect read when you're looking for predictable, reliable rom com sparkle, friendship, all the feels. Protagonist Gigi is mourning a lost love, strings of forgettable dates, and pining for the swoon-worthy Zane Wilkenson, a hunky British man who happens to be running a bus tour business, small, intimate, and high-end. Naturally, there are best friends sending Gigi off on her thirtieth birthday from the United States to return with sizzling stories of new found soulmates 0n a chartered bus tour focusing on churches and the countryside. Hijinks ensue. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Gigi, Listening is a contemporary romance about a Gigi, a bookseller who’s in love with her favorite audiobook narrator, Zane. Her friends know about this, so they book her a tour of the English countryside where Zane is supposedly the tour guide. But when Zane doesn’t show up, Gigi is forced to deal with a colorful cast of characters on her 10-day tour.

What I loved most about this book is how each travel destination has a detailed description, making readers feel like they’re also part of the tour. I’m not familiar with most of these locations so I’m not sure if the historical backgrounds are accurate, but they make the story more interesting. I also loved the characters in the tour bus and how each of them was given enough time to shine and learn more about their own story.

Meanwhile, the main thing I found frustrating is Gigi’s attitude up until the last quarter of the novel. Her obsession with Zane leads her to make poor choices, and those parts made me cringe while reading.

Overall, I still enjoyed my reading experience with this novel and was satisfied by how it ended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A fun read. Gigi is sent off on a holiday to England by her friends, to go on a tour led by the voice behind the audio book she is obsessed with. Will the trip lead to disappointment or a new man in her life. I loved the setting of the book and it makes me want to follow them too!

This was such a cute book and story line. I thought that it was a cute book and we can all relate liking an audiobook readers voice.
I just reviewed Gigi, Listening by Chantel Guertin. #GigiListening #NetGalley
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Gigi, Listening is a sweet and easy rom-com to read. It's a bit meta, in that our heroine, Gigi, loves love stories and owns a romance-focused bookshop. She's turning 30, but a bit stunted in the love department - not much experience, a not great ex, tragedy that kept her from getting out there and seeing the world. She falls in love with the voice of an audiobook narrator, and her friends conspire to book her on a UK travel tour he guides. But along the way, she encounters some curveballs (including a grumpy but sexy bus driver with great banter).

I really liked Gigi's growth and realizations over the course of the book. The supporting cast of characters (the other tour group members) were a nice touch.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for this honest review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for my honest opinion.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Spice Level: Med (semi-closed door, implied scenes)
Language: Med (cursing isn't on every page)
Representation: LGBTQ+ side characters

A friend gave me the heads up about the spice in the first chapter and to not let it throw me off the story. It's brief and then there's nothing until about the last quarter of the story. I'm so happy I read this book because it was charming.

Gigi inherited her parents' book store and has dedicated her life to running it as a romance shop. She's stuck on a narrator's voice because it's the story from her parents' meet-cute.

And now, she's turning 30!

The bus trip across England worked so well for me—it's almost like being on an island with the set characters isolated in a grim situation. You've got the moody teen, the puns from the tour leader, the autumn romance budding, an unexpected romance of two middle-aged women who found love before coming on the trip, the bickering couple who are a mess, the single man who's recording everything, and the bus driver.

There were some funny moments. And surprisingly, I wasn't sure who the male romantic lead was going to be because I was reading too fast and didn't realize that the tour leader was in his 70s. Oops! That's what happens when I don't reread the back of the book before starting.

Taj (the romantic lead) was such a fun character because he's a bit grumpy but is looking out for Gigi. I enjoyed their banter and chemistry. I think it's true that if you like Sophie Kinsella or Christina Lauren books, you're going to be on board for this one. Fans of Emily Henry and Melissa Ferguson will also enjoy this author.

One of my favorite moments is when Gigi's friends try to find a hook-up for her when she's disappointed in how the trip is going. When you read it, you'll see why.

Zane is sort of what I expected—yet, a little different. It was that little bit different that really made him work. I wanted to scream at Gigi if she couldn't read the signs or if she needed them narrated like an audio book to get the picture. Her realization is so satisfying.

This romance feels more grounded than some that I've read. The emotions were very relatable and the reactions were also. I also didn't expect much out of Gigi's brother and he was such a delightful surprise. Maybe he could get a romance book for himself.

I recommend this book.

Happy reading!

An adorable, if predictable, romance novel. Gigi Rutherford loves romance. She even owns a bookstore dedicated to that very subject. For her 30th birthday, her friends send her on a once-in-a lifetime touring trip to England, headed up by her most favorite audio-book reader, Zane Wilkerson. But when she arrives, Zane isn't there and Gigi starts off the tour with a quirky cast of characters, a sweet, septuagenarian tour guide and a grumpy (but very hot) bus driver named Taj. After Zane finally shows up, Gigi must decide if her happily-ever-after meet-cute story will end the way she thought it would.
Very enjoyable read!

*Special thanks to NetGalley & Kensington Books for this e-arc.*

Such a wonderful rom-com book that focuses on different types of love. I love that Gigi experiences love from her friends in Ann Arbor, her tour mates in England, romantic love, familial/sibling love, etc. I really appreciated the character development we get for Charlotte and Francis and everyone else. This is such a kind, fun read that I loved to read while I was in the UK myself. Definitely a great book for spring to get people ready for love szn and give them the travel bug!

Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

This was a sweet, feel-good romance that mostly takes place on a bus tour of Great Britain. Gigi is the 30-year-old owner of a romance-only bookstore. She believes in soulmates, that the kind of romance found in romance novels really exists, and that when you least expect it, someone can walk through the door and trigger the start of your story – your life – together.

I don’t always have the patience for romance novels, as they can be too silly or over the top. But this was just right: likable heroine and lover of books, engaging premise, subplot dealing with grief and loss, and discovering the real Mr. Right.

This is the story of a woman on a journey, both literally and metaphorically. She learns to listen to her heart instead of her head. I recommend reading this novel and joining Gigi on her journey, a fun, romantic trip with a heartwarming ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun story - some serious parts, tons of laughs, and of course - a happy ending. I love how the timeline is laid out according to the tour - helps to keep the timeline straight and really helpful to see how Gigi evolves. I love the secondary characters. The whole story really makes me want to take a bus tour in England.

This story started out rough and super slow. I considered DNF-ing. (Long chapters 😫) But it really did get so much better after like 20% in!

It’s a very cute read, not spicy at all (fade to black kind of thing) but the traveling aspect and character development was what made the book.

Gigi traveling all over England had me thinking it’s finally time to renew my passport! 🤩 Knowing the author travelled to these places for the story makes it that much better. Her details can really help visualize these beautiful cities they visited

You end up loving all of the characters on this journey with her. It was a bit predictable but unfortunately took Gigi a long time to figure out what was best for her. 😂

Overall- a cute read! Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is a wonderful romance story that explores how, sometimes our "perfect" match, isn't exactly who we think they are.

As Gigi falls for the voice actor who narrated her favorite audiobook, she dreams of meeting him one day. So for her 30th birthday her friends all chip in and buy her a vacation package that ensures she'll get to meet her "one and only."

The problem is, while the voice may be the same, the man is nothing like she imagined! And yet the bus driver who seems to rub her the wrong way at every turn starts to become more interesting the more she butts heads with him. And the connections she builds with the other members of the tour start to open her eyes to what really matters in life.

I truly enjoyed this HEA romance and am thankful to Chantel Guertin, Kensington Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

As soon as I saw this book I knew I had to read it since I'm trying to gobble up as many books set in London as possible. I have a trip coming up to London and I want to get in the mood and even get some ideas of what to see. The main character GiGi ( what my Luna calls me btw) owns a bookshop (love) and is in love with a man she's never met but has fallen for his voice. GiGi's favorite novel was made into an audiobook and every time she listens to it she swoons over the readers voice. So for her birthday her friends gift her a trip to London to go on a tour where her very own audiobook voice will be conducting the tour! GiGi will get to explore London and meet her crush and surely fall in love instantly. Of course things don't go as planned ,GiGi will feel like giving up, but fate has a way of stepping in and sending GiGi down the right path.
I loved the characters and really enjoyed tagging along with GiGi in London. Did you know there's a bookstore called the Crooked House? I thought the author might have made it up but I googled it and it's real, totally going there on my trip! This was such a cute read and I highly recommend you pick up a copy!

I’m always a sucker for a book about books, so I really wanted to snap this one up. I had a hard time with this one. I found Gigi to be very cringe-worthy at times and had a hard time relating to her. I found the side characters more enjoyable. Guertin does a great job with character development and world-building, you just have to get passed the secondhand embarrassment.

🚌🚌🚌🚌/5

I want to start off by saying that I really wanted to love this one. And while it was a fun journey, it just didn’t hit all the right boxes for me, personally.

GiGi loves love and the idea of it. She wants the spontaneous, everlasting true love that she remembers her parents having before they unexpectedly passed. And she goes off on an extravagant tour of Great Britain to look for that love, because she thinks The One is the narrator of her favorite audiobook who works as the tour guide on said trip. This idea was fun and cute, and it definitely intrigued me.

I expected this book to be a super fun journey that we got to experience with Gigi in the UK. I expected it to be a whirlwind and super romantic. And honestly, it was sorta chaotic and slightly boring at times.

For me, this was a journey for everyone on that trip, not just Gigi and I found some of those side characters more interesting than her and her never ending desire to live her parents own love story for herself.

I thought GiGi was a bit rude, entitled and ungrateful at times. She was sent on this trip by her friends and the first hour of being there wanted to leave because the man she wanted to meet wasn’t there yet and I just couldn’t relate to her or emotionally understand her attitude towards the entire situation.

I so badly wanted to connect with her and her heartbreak over her parents passing. But instead I found myself wishing she would let the past go and embrace the uncertainty of the future. I mean, what’s the point of life if you aren’t living it? By the end, she got there with the help of the other travelers, but it felt like pulling teeth at times.

I rated this book four stars simply because I loved the adventure of the story. I felt like the descriptions were perfect and very thorough, like I was there myself in the bus with these crazy characters. And by the end we did get the outcome we were after, which was more preferable to the outcome we were lead to believe was to come.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook and audiobook. The author was new to me and I really liked this book, she did so good with the story. The narrator was new to me and I loved their narration of the characters.

I listened to the audiobook while following along with the ebook. The story was so cute, I loved the character growth for GiGi and Taj.