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

Mar. 15, 2025

Sabrina Brier.Photo:Rachel Coster

Rachel Coster

“I’m onAssassin’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.”

Simon & Schuster Audio

That Friend, 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 Friend” character on TikTok.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!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 sitcomAbbott 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.”

Sabrina Brier.Rachel Coster

That Friendalso features a full cast, includingRachel Zegler,Nicola Coughlan,Danielle Brooks,Lukas Gageand more. Brier said that her career in the entertainment industry helped her to reconnect with some of the talent.

“The cast is absolutely stellar,” Madix also tells PEOPLE. “You have these amazing, talented people who are lending their voices to the project that really fill out the world thatThat Friendis 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.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer , from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.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 Friendis now available, wherever audiobooks are sold.

source: people.com