Sabrina Brier Says Recording Her Audiobook Made Her a Romantasy Fan: ‘I Must Join the Trend’ (Exclusive)

Sabrina Brier is hopping on the romantasy train!

The comedian and influencer, 30, spoke with PEOPLE on Jan. 28, following a launch event with Ariana Madix for her new audiobook That Friend. Brier said that working on the project led her to listen to more audiobooks in general — as well as dip into one of the most popular book genres today.

“I have been getting into the romantasy audiobooks, graphic audiobooks, and so it's been a little bit of making [That Friend] and, at the same time, becoming more of a fan of the form,” Brier says. Some of her recent reads include the bestselling Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.

“I'm on Assassin's Blade,” Brier says, referring to the series' prequel. “'I’m like, okay, I must join the trend. I'm anything if not a follower.”

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That Girl, out now from Simon & Schuster Audio Originals, follows a character named Sabrina as she navigates dating, friendship and her budding career as an influencer in New York City. The protagonist is an expansion of Brier's viral "That Girl" character on TikTok.

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The comedian has gained over 15 million views on the app, according to her publisher, and though she’s since expanded her comedy beyond social media (she had a recent guest star spot on the sitcom Abbott Elementary), Brier says that jumping into the audiobook medium took some adjustment.

“With the writing process, it was obviously grueling, and it was a challenge to get myself to concentrate for that many hours,” Brier says. “My editor was so supportive and incredible and really got me.”

“When it comes to the fun of it, once you got into the recording booth, it was like, ‘Wow, we really just put this thing together and now we're making it come to life,’” she continues. “And I'm a very social person, so I'm always going to love [that] part more, where there's more people involved.”

That Girl also features a full cast, including Rachel Zegler, Nicola Coughlan, Danielle Brooks, Lukas Gage and more. Brier said that her career in the entertainment industry helped her to reconnect with some of the talent.

Related: Spotify Reveals Top Audiobooks of 2024: Did Your Favorite Read Make the Cut?

“The cast is absolutely stellar,” Madix also tells PEOPLE of the cast. “You have these amazing, talented people who are lending their voices to the project that really fill out the world that That Friend is living in. And so it's really fun to hear them also be a part of it and be able to recognize their voices and see how they play these characters too.”

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Brier also hopes that listeners who may be familiar with her now-beloved online character will also appreciate the resonance of the audiobook.

“I hope anyone feels comfortable just diving into the world, but I hope that when people are approaching it with knowledge of the character, [they] sort of keep an open mind to the poignancy and the relatable moments that dig a little bit deeper than what we're used to seeing her do online,” Brier says.

That Friend is now available, wherever audiobooks are sold.

Read the original article on People