Yeah, this was my thought.

Listening to a Harry Potter audiobook? Exact same as reading. No difference.

But with something like War and Peace, I feel like it’s too easy to just zone out throughout.

Though I think that the reason I feel that way might be less about the density of the material, and more about the implied motivations.

If you listen to a Harry Potter audiobook, I assume it’s because you want to hear the story. But even in the question as posed, it feels like you’re reading War and Peace just so you can claim to be the kind of person who read War and Peace. It’s clout chasing, not reading the book for it’s own sake.

Which, to be clear, isn’t a bad thing. I’ve read books just to say I did. But, it makes doing it as an audiobook a bit more sus, as it means you could just basically fall asleep while it’s playing and still “get the clout,” if you wanted to.

But, as you say, if you actively engaged with it, I certainly don’t see a problem.