This is definitely the romcom for book fans!

I absolutely adore Gigi, especially her love for stories and reading. From the first chapter, Gigi is 100% plugged in!

And I love seeing her experience new things (riding a bike!) and finding herself. She's open-minded, and a good friend, and deserving of all the good things.

"You're always trying to take away my coffee." ☕️😂

(And she deserves the coffee and books!)

Gigi runs a bookshop and is in love with an audiobook narrator she's never met. For her thirtieth birthday, her besties give her a 10-day bus tour in England (she lives in Michigan). The tour company is owned by Zane, the narrator she's so excited to meet. But when she arrives in London for the tour, she discovers Zane hasn't shown up. As disappointed as she is, she climbs aboard, and the trip turns out to be a lovely romantic surprise after all. I have to say the book was slow, with too many characters and too much banal travel description. Also, the main character is quite immature for 30.

This was a nice little romantic read. Gigi, a bookshop owner, has recovered from a failed romance but is not ready to find a new love. Actually she already has. She has fallen in love with the voice of the narrator of an audiobook. His internet image shows a pretty cute guy who leads tours in England. So, as a 30th birthday gift, her friends buy her a ticket for the tour.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an egalley of Gigi, Listening,

Oh man, where to start with this book. It was a delight from start to finish.

Gigi is turning 30 and her life doesn't look anywhere close to how she imagined it would, but she is ok with that. She has a great group of friends, is running a romance bookstore, and has Zane who narrates the audiobook that brought her parents together. Except she's never met Zane in person - she just listens to his voice night after night.
When her friends surprise her with a tour of England for her birthday it comes with the added bonus that none other than Zane (the ZANE!) is leading the tour. 10 days to spend riding around the English countryside with Zane - and 15 other strangers - to see if there is a spark between them. But nothing goes right from the moment she steps foot on English soil. First off, she's late to the bus. And Gigi is hungry and jet lagged and met with the final straw of Zane has been called away for a family emergency. Resigning herself to a mediocre trip, Gigi settles onto the bus to suffer through the next 10 days. But as any romance reader should know...love finds you when you least expect it.

3.5 stars

I was SO excited about this book, but I ended up having mixed feelings about it. As a romance lover, I liked the premise and the fact Gigi owned a romance bookstore and was quick to defend not only her preferred genre, but also her love of books in general. I loved the details and descriptions of the places they traveled to. That was the best part to me, especially since I’ve been to several of the places they visited. I enjoyed the cast of characters and how each of them had a distinct personality, along with something to teach Gigi.

Part of my issue was that I didn’t particularly like Gigi. While I ultimately appreciated her growth, it took her a really long time to get there, so her ‘redemption’ wasn’t the triumph it could/should have been for me personally. She had an incredible opportunity literally handed to her - a FREE trip to England - but all she could do was whine that Zane wasn’t there and wonder when he was getting there and not enjoy herself because, you guessed it, Zane wasn’t there. I kept wanting to reach through the pages and shake her, and I admit there was a lot of eye rolling while reading. I understand her disappointment, but there were times I felt like I was reading a YA book because she seemed more like an infatuated teenager than a thirty-year-old woman who owned her own business and had been living on her own for years.

As I said, I did ultimately appreciate Gigi’s growth. She learned a lot, she took chances, and she stopped thinking only about herself long enough to realize the error of her ways and make things right. While this wasn’t my favourite book, I did enjoy it for the most part and would recommend it to those who love travel romances, books featuring book lovers, those who enjoy enemies to lovers, and anyone who enjoys a big cast of loveable characters that give found family vibes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Definitely wasn't expecting podcasting and audio books to be a recurring theme for books in 2022-2023, but not mad at it!

Gigi never met a meet cute romance she didn’t love. For her 30th birthday, Gigi’s friends send her on a trip from her her romance bookshop to England. Does she find her meet cute or a crabby bus driver? Fun story.

As far as romances go, such an original concept. Bookish Gigi swoons over the audiobook narrator, Zane, and embarks on a voyage to meet him. Except, he's not there when she arrives in England and has to endure a trip with a bunch of bonkers tourists. This book is absolutely fun!

But here's the thing...what I liked most about Gigi was she was the type of girl who'd choose books over dating, but then would be bold enough to pursue her soulmate whom she'd never met IRL. As far as witty MCs go, she's as fun and neurotic as they come. :)

I love this book--and I think it's the perfect roadtrip or vacation companion!

I enjoyed the story though I did have a hard time with some of the immaturity from a 30 year old. Gigi’s obsession with Zane seemed unhealthy as well but it made for a good start to the tale.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gigi loves books, especially the kind that have any kind of romance in them. She runs a bookshop that only sells romance books.

She also has a huge crush on a guy she never met.
When she listened to an audiobook of a story that helped their parents get together, she fell in love with the guy reading it, just based on his voice.

Her friends buy her a ticket to England, on a tour bus, run by the guy she is crushing on. She believes that every great love has a great story of how they came together and she believes this is the start of hers. But when she arrives, she is very disappointed, the guy is not there due to some family emergency and is left to go on a tour bus with a bunch of strangers. It's hard to escape disappointment, but after a little while she makes friends with people on the bus. Especially with the driver. They have a special connection, but she is set on how her story should go.

Then the guy arrives finally, and slowly the romance she built in her mind crumbles. He is nothing like she imagined. But, just maybe she can see past the fantasy and notice what and who is really there for her.

It's such an awesome story, I had so much fun reading the book. So many different characters on the bus, each with their own quirk really made the story pop. And then there is Gigi, who goes through huge character development, learning to live, not just reading about living.

I adore the book! Highly recommend it!!!

got it on Netgalley, all thoughts are my own

2.5 stars- Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC! I genuinely think this is one of the most heterosexual things I've ever read, but that made it funny, so I mildly enjoyed it.
This isn't exactly up my alley, and so I didn't love it, but I do think it's a very cute book. It has a lot of cute tropes, I just didn't enjoy the characters that much. However, I think the beginning was very weird. I just can't fathom having a parasocial relationship with a person who's read one audiobook. I know the whole thing with her parents or whatever, but I just still don't get it. I need to listen to more audiobooks I guess. It makes sense that she ends up with Taj, and Zane turns out to be horrible, but I think it was still just not something I personally would have ever thought to write.
One thing I actually did like a lot was the relationships between the people on the bus, and I think that it was a very cute group of characters.
Overall, not my thing, but if you like very straight romcoms, this is for you!

This absolutely was as described "a touching and witty novel with emotional depth". I went in without much expectation, but came out feeling all warm and fuzzy inside and absolutely in love with Gigi and her love of love <3. It's the first book I've read by Chantel Guertin, and I'll certainly be back for more!

I thoroughly enjoyed the whole aesthetic of this story and everything about Gigi and her life (her bookstore, her obsession with romance and meet-cutes, her travelling adventures) is everything I've always dreamed about! It's just all so magical.

I loved the main characters and how their contrasting personalities eventually grow to appreciate and respect each other, as well as the delightfully slow burning romance! Taj is once again a brooding somewhat grouchy love interest (which really seems to be the trend lately!) but his instant fascination with Gigi is undeniable. I also absolutely ate up the entire 'travel' aspect of this story and lost myself in the beautiful UK adventure (especially as it's one place in the world I have yet to personally visit!)

There was very little to fault in this magical story, and to be honest the only thing I didn't love about it was 'Zane' - and I feel as if the story wouldn't have even missed much without him. Also just a minor note in some editing there was a part in which a Jane Austen book was mentioned, and a little later it was another book title in reference to the same thing.

All in all a super cute and engaging Rom-Com which made me feel all the right feels and left me with reeling in that fairytale feeling. I can't wait to read more :)

Final rating 4.5 / 5 stars

This book is absolutely delightful from start to finish. This book was originally released to NetGalley as a first chapter excerpt, which I hadn't realized. I started the book on vacation last year and was immediately sucked in, only to find out I couldn't read the book because it was only a sample! NOOOO!!!!
I have continued to think of this book ever since and was so happy to see that the full ARC was uploaded. Luckily, the full story didn't let me down.
Gigi owns a romance bookshop in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her parents died tragically in an accident, leaving a huge hole in Gigi's life. Her parents had a magical meet cute and Gigi dreams of one day having the same experience herself.
She becomes obsessed with an audiobook narrator with a sexy voice. She researches him and learns that he's an English tour guide. On her 30th birthday, Gigi's best friends pool their resources and book her a trip on one of his coach tours. Is her magical meet cute finally going to happen?
The characters on the tour are fun and interesting. The stops on their trip are a lovely literary tour through some highlights of England. The romance is fun and fresh.
This was a pleasant read that just made me happy. Exactly what I needed after a bit of a reading slump.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc!

This book shows life is all about living and not just dreaming about it.
I absolutely loved this book. From the gushy and sweet love to the friendships formed along the way. Every single character was rich and felt three dimensional. All their lives intertwined in such a unique way. I was deeply moved by their interpersonal relationships.
The love story was well developed and executed in an amazing way. I’m very glad I got to read this book.
Definitely keep an eye out for its release!

This was a very fun read! At its face, this book is a cute "meet cute" with a somewhat ridiculous premise. However, the book had more depth and discussion around complex issues than I anticipated, which was a pleasant surprise. I truly believed and was invested in each character's journey and was begging for more by the end.

Originally, and at face value, I felt that I would struggle to connect with Gigi. However, she quickly became a complex character with incredible depth and growth, and I came to love her dearly.

My one critique of this book is that it would benefit from another round of editing. I will not include this comment in my social media discussion of this book, but I found these mistakes to be distracting. For example, there is a comment about how bright the new moon is in the sky when a new moon means there is no moon. However, I am excited to read this book again upon publication!

A sweet and quirky read. Gigi trying to live after losing both of her parents has one thing to cling to, the voice of a gentleman on podcast that she's fell in love with. She takes a trip in hopes of finding happiness and escaping the heart ache but ends up finding true love. A cute read that you won't be able to put down.

An impulsive trip to England will lead Gigi to face what she ever wanted - meeting Zane - an audiobook narrator she's been in love for a while.
But sometimes there is a lot of unexpected circumstances that can change the whole plan.
And now Gigi will find what she always been waiting for.
.
Sweet, fresh, flirthy.
For hopless and hopeful romantics.
A journey to finding yourself and why not maybe the love of your life .
.
Special thanks to publisher, author and Netgally for sending me this ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

Gigi runs a quaint romance themed bookshop in Ann Arbor, having taken it over years before after her parents sudden deaths. She's happy enough, but she's also fallen in love with an audiobook narrator - which she knows is a bit odd. Zane, the narrator, runs a family tour company in England. Imagine Gigi's surprise, when her book club girlfriends gift her a trip on his tour for her birthday. What is there to do but go and hopefully meet the man of her dreams? But then, he isn't there; and Taj is. And Gigi cannot help but be attracted to him, even while she waits anxiously for Zane to arrive. Who is it going to be?

Initially, a very ridiculous premise: who falls in love with an audiobook narrator and goes half a world away to meet him? But it did get better and I truly enjoyed the supporting characters who went on the tour with Gigi. Overall, a fun meet cute.

Gigi is in a serious rut. Her parents have died, she's running their bookstore and the only sign of romance for her is the audiobook narrator's voice she's fallen in love with. When her friends gift her a trip to England to meet this narrator she has dreams of their meet-cute and subsequent happy ending. I loved this sweet and quirky story for its characters and predictability.

Gigi Listening is a fabulous travelogue through England with wonderful character connections and romance too Sign me up for a coach tour through England with quirky personalities and a handsome bus driver.. The excellent depth of character development, fantastic and detailed descriptions of all the stops all along the trip, twists and turns in the plot line just keep the reader wanting more. Love love love this book.