Gigi, Listening
By: Chantel Guertin
Review Score: 3 1/2 Stars

Five Key Feels

-I love Gigi’s background as romantic book store owner.

-Gigi has such supportive friends.

-I enjoyed following along on her trip around the UK, and the people she met.

-Gigi’s self discovery on this trip was really great.

-I found some of this book to be a bit predictable.

——

Gigi, Listening was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Kensington Books. Thank you for allowing me to read this wonderful book!

Release Date: 3/28/23

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. While in some ways, the premise is kind of creepy, it also was a but funny and topical, as, I am sure many others are, an avid listener of audiobooks.

Gigi’s background was rather sad, and of course, I loved her evolution through the story.

I also loved her banter with Taj, and the evolution of their relationship.

Overall, I did like this book. It was a fun read. I just didn’t love it. Some of the story felt unnecessary to the plot, and other parts I wish had more detail. I am definitely torn on my feelings for this book, hence the rating.

I do think people would enjoy this book. I just did not love it.

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Thank You to NetGalley, Kensington Books and Chantel Guertin for the opportunity to read an ARC for this book! It was one of my favourite contemporary romances that I’ve read this year. 💕
I have been on a few bus tours like this before and the author has definitely captured the essence of what these trips are like. You meet all kinds of interesting characters and end up being good friends by the end with many of them. I’ve also had to catch a tour from Victoria Coach Station on my first trip to the UK and so the scene when Gigi is lost looking for her bus felt all too real for me. 😂
I read quite a few books from this genre and will be recommending this one to others who also like it. I think I may try it with people who aren’t big romance readers as well since it’s not a sappy or cringey type story where you know there’s no way people in real life would act this way and the story becomes unbelievable. This story felt authentic and I felt like I was on that bus experiencing the trip. I haven’t really toured in this part of the UK but I definitely want to now! 🇬🇧

I thought this was an okay cute read. It was really predictable and the beginning was a little bit slow. But overall, it was pretty good. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review. All opinions are solely my own.

Gigi’s ten day travel to London is to meet the man she has been listening for so long narrate her favourite love story. But it turns out so much more. It’s a journey from her past and to her future. The sudden death of her parents, she taking charge of the family bookshop and not having a real life for herself. But England and her tour will make meet new people, face new situations and open her heart and soul to an unexpected love. Sweet, funny and charming.

I received the first two chapters of this book as an Advance Readers’ Copy via Net Galley. The story begins with Gigi, a bookstore owner, on a disastrous date she cannot wait to be over. As she gets back to her home/bookshop her crush with an audiobook reader is introduced. The day after her terrible date Gigi celebrates her 30th birthday. During her party her friends gift her with a once in a lifetime trip to England with the audiobook reader as her tour guide. Will there be a connection when Gigi meets him in real life? I’m anxious to find out!

The description was a little misleading to begin with as Gigi does not miss her bus but after we moved past that confusion it was a really cute story.
I loved Charlotte telling Gigi not to be so focused on the story she wants that she forgets to enjoy the story she is in.

Read this on the Netgalley Shelf and was underwhelmed by the app. Type is too small and crammed on the page and the font is hard to read. As for Gigi Listening it has a sophomoric plot. Gigi is in love with a voice - a narrator from an audiobook and her friends raise thousands of dollars to send her on a bus trip through England to meet the voice who also is a tour guide. No idea what happens next because I could not finish this book

I read Guertins's first book and loved it. In fact, it is quite popular and is checked out regularly.

Unfortunately, every other book by this author has been a bit of a hit or miss for me personally.

This one is just so slow. Yes, the author makes a point of creating a 'fun main character, the story is just too improbable, with very predictable results.

I love chick lit (yes, I know this term is somehow bad now) and I can easily suspend my disbelief, but not to this point.

This is a pass.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I’ve sat with this for a bit. Overall this was a fun and entertaining read. I struggled a bit with the obsession that sparked Gigi’s entire story/journey. Everything that unfolds though calmed the annoyance for me and I think the book ended up being enjoyable!

Thank you to NetGalley, Chantel Guertin, and Kensington Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This e-ARC was only the first couple of chapters from the book. I really enjoyed them, and hope that the rest of the book becomes available soon!

The ARC wasn't the entire book and I didn't quite get into it by the time the excerpt finished. I liked a lot of the ingredients - the locations, the bookish-ness, etc, -, but they didn't come together for me.

This is a book that was sucking me in from the get go. It seems like a book I'd really enjoy reading. Gigi had a great voice and sounds like an interesting character. Wish I had more to read.

Chapters 1 & 2 were so good! I hope that the full story becomes available soon because I can't wait to find out what happens next!

This one caught me out a little bit - it pays to read the fine print so when the chapters end abruptly you aren’t thinking you’ve been shortchanged on your netgalley read!

This is the first couple of chapters of GiGi Listening about GIGi a turning-30 bookstore owner who is Ella romance novels well, but isn’t the star of one IRl. Her girlfriends decide to change that by organising a tour of England for her - as the son of the tour company owner happens to be the man (or voice) of her dreams on her romance audio books.

The question is weather GIGi and her favourite voice have the stuff that freaks are made of!

Who knows? I certainly don’t … I only reached Chapter 2!

Thank you net galley for the advance two chapters of this novel. The first two chapters were great and I can't wait to read the rest of this book.

I was not familiar with Chantel Guertin so I was not sure what to expect with Gigi, Listening. I received ONLY the first two chapters of this book from NetGalley.

Gigi, owns a bookstore, runs a romance bookclub, and has great friends. She loves books and has a particular affinity for a narrator of an audiobook series. Gigi is convinced this audiobook narrator, Zane, is her true love.

For her thirtieth birthday, her bookclub friends surprise her with a trip to England to meet the real life Zane. This is where the second chapter ends.

I love that Guertin referenced other romance authors and books.

I received an ARC of the first two chapters from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

This was so cute! A wonderful romance, filled with witty banter, delightful characters, and just enough steaminess. A must read for romance lovers!

I’m excited to read more of this book! I actually first saw it in the Book Buzz preview, and requested it again to try to read more of the story… only to find out this version is only the first two chapters. I will keep watching for this book when it is released so I can find out what happens if (when?) Gigi meets Zane!

Well, I liked the 2 chapters that I read and the publisher had available. Whenever Kensington releases the full ebook ARC, I'll happily read it. I don't feel right giving stars or publishing a review on Goodreads just yet, so the stars are a placeholder for the time being.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the sample ebook ARC chapters. All opinions are mine alone.