Julia Whelan is one of AudioFile’s 2020 Golden Voice narrators, a well-deserved honor. We celebrate the best of the audiobook narrators to encourage listeners to seek out exceptional performers who have impressive narrations over a range of genres. Julia Whelan won the 2019 Audie Award for Best Female Narrator for her performance of EDUCATED by Tara Westover, and she is a frequent winner of AudioFile Earphone Awards and Best Audiobook selections. She’s stellar with dialogue, especially with characters in a group, and is sensitive to powerful emotions.

On today’s episode, host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss BEACH READ by Emily Henry, which highlights a lot of Julia’s skill with sassy first-person narration. This is a lovely get-away romance that takes place at a little lakeside town in Michigan. The story centers on two writers, January and Gus, who are stuck with writer’s block and bet one another that they can write and sell a book in the other’s genre — rom-com and literary fiction. The witty banter, vulnerability, and chemistry between January and Gus come alive in Julia’s narration. Published by Penguin Audio.

Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com

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