Thank you NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I want to start off by talking about how amazing the cast of characters were. Slowly but surely, as Gigi started bonding with them, I started loving their unique additions to the group dynamic and their travels across England together made me want to be part of that little group. That being said, I struggled with the start of the book. Gigi's obsession with Zane was something I just could not get behind and every time she talked about him, I found myself cringing a little because of the pedestal she put him on and how she was letting that get in the way of all of these amazing people around her. However, I thought the book did a great job of treading through this illusion Gigi has about Zane which added so much depth to her character. I think having the ending be longer would have definitely made the book much more enjoyable as well.

Review of “Gigi, Listening” by Chantal Guertin 🎧

2,5 ⭐️

Okay, there were some highs and some lows with this book. Let’s start with the highs: this book takes you on a very cozy journey through the UK which I really loved! I’ve visited the UK a few times and a lot of the landmarks in this stories were landmarks that I’ve also been to, so that felt very nostalgic. Also, this story has some of the most lovable side characters! The people on this trip were all very nice to read about and I felt like I was getting to know them better and better throughout the story and conversations they all had with the FMC, Gigi.

Then the lows. First of all, the FMC, Gigi, is obsessed with an audiobook narrator’s voice. Like, obsessed obsessed. The story narrated by him means a lot to here as it’s the story that once brought her parents together, but it honestly doesn’t really feel like she cares about the story anymore, just this man’s (a man she’s never met, mind you) voice. She’s actually going on this trip to the UK because she believes her and the narrator are soulmates and his family owns the travelling agency that does these trips. It’s a great premise for a dark, dark romance, which this is not supposed to be. Then Gigi meets the narrator, Zane, after a while and he’s a d*ck. Like, honestly, insufferable. Despite that, Gigi is still convinced he’s the one, even though Taj is one of the most lovable MMC there is.

Also, honestly, Gigi did some weird ass things as well. The way she fell out to her brother really was something I didn’t like at all. Also the main energy she had throughout the book sometimes really annoyed me.

I don’t know, I felt very weirded out from the start. This obsession with Zane’s voice was definitely something to seek help for and I just couldn’t vibe with it at all. The stars this book gets from me are really just based on scenery and side characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for a review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! This contemporary romance was a quick fun read. I will always be a sucker for a hopeless romantic, and I think that Gigi's adoration of love was a compelling concept. I think that this book would have worked better with younger protagonists, it is clear that the author writes YA., which isn't always a bad thing; I think the story lacked the maturity that I was looking for. I wanted to love this book, but it wasn't my cup of tea. There is an audience that will fall in love with this book unfortunately, I'm not part of that audience.

3.5 ⭐️
The book was good and amusing, the blurb catched my eye and as romcom lover I was kinda expecting more from it. Gigi became a completly different character at the end of the book and I don't know what else to say.

“Gigi, Listening” by Chantel Guertin is a charming and heartwarming romantic novel that will resonate with fans of Sophie Kinsella and Christina Lauren. Gigi Rutherford, a passionate lover of love stories, runs a romance bookstore, and she’s utterly smitten with Zane Wilkinson, the smooth-voiced audiobook narrator she believes is her soulmate. When she’s gifted a ten-day bus tour through the English countryside, led by none other than Zane himself, it seems like a dream come true. However, her journey takes unexpected twists when Zane is nowhere to be found at the start of the tour.

The novel sets the stage with an enchanting premise: a romance novel enthusiast going on a journey in search of her own love story. The book begins with great promise, introducing Gigi’s bookshop, her book club, and a diverse group of fellow travelers on the tour. The picturesque descriptions of English towns, architecture, and nature add depth to the narrative, immersing readers in the scenic beauty. However, the story tends to lose its charm when it becomes primarily focused on Gigi’s obsession with Zane. Her constant fixation on his absence during the tour overshadows the more enchanting aspects of the journey, and the romantic elements of the story feel predictable and lackluster.

What shines in the novel are the side characters on the tour, who bring a sense of camaraderie and fun to the story. Their interactions and personal stories add depth and interest to the narrative. Ultimately, “Gigi, Listening” offers a nice escape into the English countryside, with scenic descriptions and moments of joy. While the romantic aspect may not be as fulfilling as some readers might hope, it’s still an enjoyable read. If you’re looking for a light-hearted story centered around travel and adventure, this book might be a good fit.

I was debating between a 3 and 4 star review. I’d say a 3.5 is more accurate. While the story is fun and entertaining, I did find parts of it a bit annoying. Take the main character for example, throughout her trip to England she becomes less fun and more whiny and complaining. This is supposed to be a feel good read, yet the main character had that annoying quality.

A cute rom-com! It’s about Gigi, who owns a romance bookstore. That already sold the book for me! Gigi is convinced that her favourite audiobook narrator Zane is her soulmate. So she goes on a tour of which Zane is the leader. i have to say, it wasn’t my favourite romance ever, but I enjoyed reading it. 3 stars out of 5. Thank you Netgalley!

I wish I liked this book but it did not work for me. The whole idea was great and I loved the fact that there were so many Michigan references but it’s a no for me. I did not like Gigi at all, not 100% sure what it was about her but I did not care what happened to her. I did love the side characters especially Angus. As for the Zane… I spent way more time rolling my eyes at everything he said to consider him even. The last 2 or 3 chapters were better but it was a struggle to get through this book.

Let’s start with the things I love:
1. The cover. This truly needs no explanation, it is perfect.
2. Gigi owns a bookstore. Isn’t that the dream?

Now…
Gigi has an audiobook she loves and she is convinced that the narrator is her soulmate so logically she books a 10 day bus tour because Zane (the narrator) is the one doing it. In case you don’t find it weird yet, that’s when things really start to get weird. I mean, she fell in love with someone’s voice. That was enough for her. Like ma’am, calm down.

Anyway, she makes lots of friends and rediscovers herself through the journey. Did I like it? Sure. Was it a favorite? No.

I loved Gigi, Listening! To fall in love with the idea of how you think someone is and all to find out how you thought them to be is nothing compared to how they truly are, can be just as bad as a real life break up. I loved the characters and how the romance developed at just the right pace!

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for the advanced copy!

Gigi is one of us. She loves love stories. She owns a romance book shop. She is secretly in love with the narrator of an audiobook. So, when her friends surprise her with a trip to meet the narrator of her dreams, she is hoping she is about to meet her soulmate.

This book is very cute. It has such a lovable cast of characters and a main character that is just the right amount of delusional to make her relatable.

This book was written for you if:
1. You love a London boy
2. You are an audiobook girlie
3. Or you want an adorable clean romcom for the true romantic

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy. GIGI, LISTENING is the perfect title because Audiobooks plays a role in this story.

This is a witty novel about a young woman who takes an impulsive trip to meet the man behind the audiobook narrator that she has fallen for. Gigi Rutherford loves stories. She reads the books and sells them at her romance bookstore.

The illustrated cover is perfect because it shows Gigi listening to an audiobook with iPods in her ears while holding a book to read.

This book has everything I love from romance to English locales.

Loved the character development.

3.5⭐️

Romance bookstore owner Gigi is gifted by her friends a ten-day bus tour trip throughout the English countryside for her 30th birthday. Splendid, right?! Yes, but what makes this even more of an amazing gift is that her favorite audiobook narrator Zane is leading this tour. Zane, the leading man starring in all her dreams and fantasies. What starts off as a quest to go after the man of her dreams, ends up being much more.
 
This book was so fun and enjoyable to read. The premises was interesting and definitely intriguing. At the start, I sensed it was slow-paced dragging a bit, but toward the second half of the book, things start picking up and I started warming up to the characters which made up for so. I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptive parts of the scene’s settings. It gave me as a reader an eye into all those amazing places they visited and activities they did during their tour. My mind was constantly transporting me there alongside them from the comfort of my own bed. A free travel with no physical hassle; sign me up!
 
I like how much Gigi grew through this story & the self-reflection journey she went through. She relaxed and stopped being stuck in her head and started enjoying and living the moment she’s in. In other words, experiencing REAL life. Sometimes what we think we want and have mentally hyped up in our mind turns out to be not the right thing for us. Which is fine. Life has a funny way of working itself out cause best things in life come to us when we are not looking for. However, what is important is to always have an open mind and heart.
 
I feel the real gain of this journey for Gigi for sure was the friends she made along the way on this trip. A rewarding irreplaceable gift to take back home.
 
For me, the secondary characters were the ones that held up this story. They were as much heartfelt and enjoyable to read as Gigi’s. A group of misfits with an array of personalities and backstories that got revealed bit by bit during the journey. Each of them had their own moment to shine, purpose to be there, and fair chance to leave an impact. I wished if their stories were explored a tad more, but hey, that’s the greedy side of me talking.  
 
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ARC!

"Gigi, Listening" was a great refresher from the normal romances trope. I loved the idea of have the main character enjoy an audiobook because of the voice she was fell in love with. Once she met the person behind the voice, she was not to intrigued in the end and he did not turn out to be the person she believed he was. Instead she fell hard for the other male character. I also loved all the diversity in the book, although it might not seem much due to the almost all white characters. There was diversity in able bodies and sexuality. There was a mixed family in terms of a lesbian couple and one of the wives daughter from a previous relationship. There was also the couple that was still finding it's way back to loving each other. Then there was the older lady who wasn't even trying to find love, but she ended doing so. Then lastly the older male with early on set dementia. This book captivated everybody with it's different stories.

Okay, so I'm just going to dive right in. I was not "loving" this book. It was a weird sort of vibe from the beginning for me. Georgia "Gigi" Rutherford runs a romance only bookshop in Michigan and has been obsessed with the audiobook version of the novel that brought about her parents "meet-cute". The book is narrated by Zane, and he looks as good as he sounds to Gigi. She convinces herself that they are soul mates and her awesome friends chip in to send Gigi on a tour of England that just happens to run by the tour company Zane's family owns. She is booked on the trip that Zane himself guides and she's just going to let fate take over.

Up to this point I was still into the book but once she gets to England and things don't go as expected, she begins to get on my nerves. I had a hard time relating to her because she came off whiny and slightly stalkerish. Taj is introduced and it's pretty clear that there is some chemistry at play between them, but Gigi just can't stop feeling sorry for herself and she also misses out on a lot while being so selfishly stuck in her "Zane Bubble". It does finish in a HEA and I was very content with the way it played out.

This is a solid 3 stars for me. The cover is adorable, and the writing style is really great. I just felt that some parts went a little too long and the author could have dialed back just a smidge on how obsessed the main character was. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Kensington Books for the ARC. All views discussed are my honest opinions.

This book just was not for me, whether I was in a bit of a reading slump or it wasn’t my kind of book, im not sure. I did DNF this book however I am willing to try again, perhaps in audiobook form.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book :)

I loved the premise of this story, and the outline of our protagonist on paper. Bookish, witty, a little caught up in romantic notions but for deeper emotional reasons. But the character and prose just didn’t deliver for me.

Gigi Listening is a great light hearted quick read. I would have liked to have a bit more steam as it's very much a slow burn. Overall, a great weekend read.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for this ARC! I read it well after the pub date, and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to finally pick it up. Gigi, Listening was heartwarming, quirky, funny, and so sweet. My favorite aspect of the book was the group trip setting. The cast of characters, especially Angus and Charlotte, were so dear and added such dimension to the story as a whole. Each had their own backstory and personality that you get to know and love as the trip went on. The love triangle added another layer to the story that while predictable, made it that much more rewarding in the end. I enjoyed seeing Gigi grow and mature during her trip, and heal some old wounds that she had carried with her for so long. Overall, a great book that I will recommend to other readers!

This had one of my favorite endings that I've read in a romance in a long time. It was Notting Hill satisfying. A lot of books give you one long chapter for the conclusion but it doesn't feel well thought out. I can tell the author put a lot of thought into the end and it pays off.
Gigi is a die-hard romantic and had become her certain that she is destined for the man who narrates her favorite audiobook. This particular audiobook does have a legitimate reason for being so meaningful but it really doesn't make this particular story line any less weird or annoying. This story really excels whenever Zane is nowhere near the author physically and mentally. The secondary characters are adorable and I loved their stories so much. The actual love story was wonderful and I wouldn't change a thing. The 10 day tour through England was a clever and the perfect setting for this story. I think this is the perfect book if you are looking for a sweet love story with a unique premise.
Thank you to Kensington Books Publishing for the ARC