Gigi, Listening

Gigi, Listening, the new book by Canadian author Chantel Guertin, follows Gigi Rutherford, an American romance bookshop owner who finds solace after losing her parents by repeatedly listening to the dulcet tones of the audiobook actor who narrates the book that brought her parents together decades before.

For her thirtieth birthday, her friends send her on a ten-day trip in England where, none other than Zane, the audiobook narrator, will be the bus tour's guide. Gigi imagines their own meet cute, but things don't go according to plan in this story that is a blend of a travelogue, a journey of self-discovery and a sweet but tame romance with a side of slightly creepy stalking.

This is a slow burn and rather chaste romance that had its sweet moments and some good banter between Gigi and another character. But I often felt bad for Gigi and her over-the-top obsession with Zane that made her seem more like a teenage BTS superfan, than a 30-year-old business owner. Her issues felt overbearing at times, but the addition of a quirky group of secondary characters - a delightful band of misfits - brought some enjoyable levity. I particularly loved the vivid descriptions of England - I even jotted down a few places to add to my itinerary for a (hopefully) upcoming trip to that country.

This is a story about the impact of grief and learning to step outside your comfort zone to live your life to the fullest. Fun, predictable and a great pick for light romance loving travelers who want a bit of an escapist read set in the beauty of England.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Kensington Books for my advanced digital copy which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Chantel Guertin

Genre: Romance, Canadian

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Kensington Books

First Published: March 28, 2023

Note: This book is also known as Two For The Road in some markets.

Book Description from GoodReads: Fans of Sophie Kinsella and Christina Lauren will adore this touching and witty novel about a woman who takes an impulsive trip to England to meet the man behind the audiobook narrator she’s fallen for.

Gigi Rutherford loves love stories. She reads them, she sells them at her romance bookstore, and she could spend hours imagining the meet-cutes of every couple she encounters. But when it comes to her own love interests, Gigi is out of stock. Instead of enduring bad date after bad date, these days she’d rather curl up with her favorite audiobook and the only man who makes her heart skip a beat: Zane Wilkenson, the smooth-voiced narrator Gigi is convinced is her soulmate.

Then, she’s presented with the chance of a lifetime: a ten-day bus tour through the English countryside, an ocean away from her bookstore—all in the presence of Zane, in person, as he leads the tour.

But when Gigi arrives at the bus terminal in London, Zane is nowhere to be found. Until he shows up, she’s stuck with an eclectic group of fellow travelers: recently widowed and chatty Charlotte; trivia-obsessed Francis; Jenny, a true-crime-makeup YouTuber documenting every detail for her subscribers; and Sindhi and Roshi, a long-married couple who can’t stop bickering. Then there’s the brooding bus driver, Taj, who Gigi finds infuriating yet also incredibly alluring . . .

With heart and charm, warmth and humor, Chantel Guertin explores the meaning of love and family—and how, sometimes, the journey to yourself is where you’ll find everything you’ve been searching for.