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Gigi, Listening
By: Chantel Guertin
Publisher: Kensington Books
Pub Date: 3/28/23

Gigi Rutherford loves romance books so much so that she runs a entire bookstore for only romance books.
Gigi is turning 30 and her girlfriends come together to send her on a bus tour through the English country side. She has been obsessively listening to this same audiobook for years. A book her parents were reading when they fell in love. Only Gigi has fallen for the narrator of the audiobook, Zane whom she’s never met.
Unfortunately, he’s missing when the tour starts so now she’s stuck on a bus alone with an eccentric group of people. The question becomes when will he arrive and how will their 1st meeting go?
This was a really cute quick read. Gigi’s character has tons of growth throughout the story both personally and in her relationships.

Lots of bookish things in this one (reminded me a little of You’ve Got Mail with the family bookstore). I knew that things weren’t going to go the way Gigi planned on her trip and I was here for the unplanned romance. Surrounded by an eclectic group, a fun tour setting and a slow burn romance; this was full of heart and charm.

This was a good book. I did get a bit frustrated with Gigi's flip-flopping between Taj and Zane, but I liked the practical ending.

Gigi's been grieving the sudden death of her parents for years. She inherited their romance book shop and almost never leaves because she doesn't want to close the shop. When her friends surprise her with a trip to the United Kingdom as a birthday gift, she calls in her brother for support. She's on a mission to meet the audiobook narrator of a book that changed her life-it's the book that brought her parents together and she's convinced she'll fall in love with him as soon as they meet face to face. It's a sweet story about a woman finding herself and finding love.

This was a cute roadtrip romance about living in the moment and realising that real life can be just as amazing as the books we read. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun and lighthearted hallmark type read.

Thank you to the publisher for kindly providing me with an ARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved the premise when I first saw the book, but Gigi as a character to root for was disappointing. She owns a bookstore and loves romances. She falls in love with Zane, the narrator of a book that’s special to her, and when she finds out that he’s leading a trip in England her friends gift her the trip for her 30th birthday.
Unfortunately, Zane doesn’t lead the tour and Gigi can’t get past that. The supporting characters were well drawn and amusing, and I’d actually love to go on that tour itself! I liked the ending but got tired of Gigi obsessing over the missing Zane. 3.5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Gigi loves love stories and even runs a bookstore selling romance novels. There’s one romance novel in particular she finds herself listening to over and over because of the narrator, who Gigi is convinced is her soulmate. For her 30th birthday, Gigi’s friends give her the ultimate gift - a 10 day bus tour throughout England with Zane, the narrator, as the tour guide. However, when Gigi arrives, Zane is not on the tour - and she is stuck on this trip she’s not sure she wants to be on, waiting for him to show up.

I did a study abroad program in England in college, and one of my courses that was designed for those of us in the program, took us on trips throughout England to see different locations and learn the history. Many of the locations Gigi visited in this book were locations I also visited through this program, so it was very fun to relive those adventures from my college days. This helped me fully envision the story and relate to it in a way I’m not sure I would have without that experience.

For the book itself, I struggled at times because Gigi frustrated me so much - her actions often made me want to roll my eyes as she was being so negative about this adventure of a lifetime. However, the setting and the cast of side characters really made this book fun to read so I was able to get past my feelings about Gigi. The other travelers on the bus tour were an eclectic group with so much personality and they were the real stars of this story.

Another big selling point was the narrator - Natalie Naudus can do no wrong in my opinion and I always love listening to her.

Thank you to Kensington Books, RB Media and NetGalley for the advance copies.

Oh Gigi, what fun you are!

Gigi works at her family bookstore and is obsessed (or perhaps just strongly attracted) to a specific audiobook narrator with a swoonworthy voice. When she is gifted a suprprise trip to England to take a bus tour with THE VOICE as the guide, well how could she possibly refuse? Although it is outside of her comfort zone she takes time off work and flies off to her destiny. Unfortunately, when she arrives, the guide is someone unexpected. Will Gigi be able to let go of her dreams and disappointment and see the potential right in front of her?

This book is exactly what you'd expect. It's romance, it's frothy, and it appeals to the Anglophile in me. I don't feel like reading this novel grew my brain or gave me deeper insight into myself, but hey, sometimes that's ok. If you're in the mood for a rolicking rom-com I'd recommend Gigi, Listening for your reading pleasure!

Thank you Kensington Books and #NetGalley for the arc!

Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me. I was uncomfortable with the original premise of the love story, and couldn't get past that feeling.

Gigi, Listening by Chantel Guertin was a British romance I didn't know I needed. This story took me on a tour of England filled with history and romance. This book was a light, feel-good romance and was a quick read. I loved the various popular bookish influences. When you combine romance with a travel experience and books, I'm hooked! Looking forward to more from this author!

This book was so weird. I liked the blurb, but the more I thought about what Gigi did (and her friends encouraged), the more weird I felt about it.

Gigi’s friends know she’s obsessed with an audiobook narrator and she believes they are soulmates without knowing him at all. Her friends buy her a trip to England on his tour so she can meet him. She is convinced they will fall in love. She gets to the tour and Zane is not running it, because of a family emergency. She considers leaving!? And then ultimately stays with the replacements Angus and Taj.

It was very obvious that Taj was her love interest and they’d get together in the end. Zane was boring and they didn’t have hardly anything in common. Her obsession with him was kind of creepy and off putting. I liked the side characters best in this one. And loved that it was set in Michigan, in one of my favorite cities.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good travel story, and this novel was no exception! Gigi, Listening is not only a lovely reading experience, but also a travel experience! This story will take you on a tour of England and is filled with quirky facts and bits of history!

This book was a light, feel-good romance and was a quick read. I loved the various popular bookish influences (and the list of referenced titles at the end!).

On the other hand, the writing style was fairly simple and the dialogue cringey at times. I was also a little weirded out by the MC's obsession with her beloved audiobook narrator (see synopsis).

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and combined two of my favourite things: travel and books about books!

Read if you like:
✈ Travel
📚 Books about books
🇬🇧 England settings
💞 Closed door romance
☺ Happy endings

⚠️ Potential trigger warnings: loss of family member, grief, illness (may not be an exhaustive list)

🙏 Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for the gifted Gigi, Listening electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Gigi listening is a light romantic comedy. Gigi is struggling with the loss of her parents and escapes into a fantasy world by listening to an audio book. When reality meets fantasy is hilarious. Quick, easy, light read. Does not go into loss and reality vs fantasy deep, very light escapism fiction. Loved the English countryside descriptions.

I enjoyed this read! I’m a big fan of the U.K., so it was nice to read a book that was set there. I also thought this book was hilarious and enjoyed the concept of it generally. It was a nice read.

The story follows Gigi, whose friends sign her up for a tour in London guided by Zane, her audiobook narrator crush. Now that seems ridiculous, who'd travel across the planet for a voice? But bear with the book, it's so much fun.

Likes:

✨️The tour. I love learning about new places and looking them up.

✨️The characters were absolute delights, especially Francis, with his reciting totally random facts. Also, getting to know each character and the way they all united in the end was an enjoyment all on its own.

✨️The fact that Gigi owns a bookstore, defends it and her reading, and that she uses them as getaways. I mean, when she said, "I need the comfort of the bookstore as a reset." So real.

✨️Now to my favourite thing of all. Taj. His sarcasm and jokes? Perfect. The interactions? *chef's kiss*. The biceps? ;)

Dislikes:

✨️Mentioning 'The Unhoneymooners' and 'Colleen Hoover' had me crashing back down to reality. Major turn off.

Many thanks to @netgalley & @kensingtonbooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.8/5

This was a super cute and charming book. At the beginning, I was a little skeptical because Gigi's reasons for going to London were cringe. But I ended up enjoying these characters so much!

“If I go for more than a week without hearing someone play Spice Girls on a harmonica I start to get the shakes.” —Taj. This is such a sweet and funny book. There were so many intricate characters and relationships throughout this story that I absolutely loved. I loved seeing the connection of other romance authors and bookstores through the book and of course the setting being a tour through all the great places of England. It makes me want to travel so badly.

Gigi, Listening
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Romance
Author: Chantel Guertin
GR: 3.69

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Kensington Books and RB Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: This book was good and I enjoyed the story, however, I do wish some things were done differently. I did connect with the MC throughout the story. Gigi is constantly searching for a love that her parents had. She is convinced that Zane, an audiobook narrator, is her soulmate. Zane did the narration for the book that brought her parents together. Her friends surprise her for her birthday with a bus tour in London, that Zane runs. However, he is not there when she arrives and shows up towards the end. The eccentric passengers, grumpy tour guide Argus on this ten day bus tour through London with a surprising end.

The story is narrated solely by Gigi, in her POV. I would loved to have seen a male narration in there, especially for Zane. Gigi is passionate, caring, and just wants to find the love of her life. The supporting characters were eccentric, witty, and really added a layer to the story. The characters were well developed, had witty banter, chemistry, connection, and well done. Gigi has a long road of self-reflection and growth throughout the story. The author’s writing style was complex, some spice, some swoon, and overall flowed well and easy to read. The story has a wonderful ending.

Overall, I would recommend this book. It’s a quirky road map to a love story.

Gigi, Listening is a light, low stakes, low steam, relatively predictable RomCom that is well-written enough to forgive some of its shortcomings. Gigi grows throughout the story and the supporting characters are charming. A good vacation read.

It has been a long time since I read such a good romance. And a road tour in England with just the amount of interesting people added to my enjoyment. Thanks to #NetGalley and #GigiListening for advanced digital copy.