I love to listen to audiobooks all year round, but my reading rhythms are undoubtedly different in the summertime. Maybe it’s the longer days, the slower pace, the hours I spend pulling weeds, or the way a good story pairs perfectly with a road trip to somewhere new (or familiar).
Since 2009, June has been Audiobook Appreciation Month. While audiobook listening has exploded since then, June remains an especially apt time to honor audiobooks as a delightful and accessible way to experience the joy of reading.
Come every summer, we do audiobooks big around here! We kick things off each year in the Modern Mrs Darcy Summer Reading Guide, where I’ve traditionally carved out a special place for audiobooks that are “Awesome on Audio.” These stellar audiobooks don’t just replace the experience of reading with your eyes, but instead elevate it into something truly special.
The new-for-2025 titles in this year’s Summer Reading Guide are fabulous, if I do say so myself. (I’ve included two of those brand-new releases in my book list below.) But summer is also the perfect time to revisit backlist gems you missed the first time, haven’t gotten to yet, or loved enough to revisit for a re-read. That’s why I’ve chosen ten more Awesome on Audio titles from summers past to draw your attention to today.
My audiobook apps of choice are Libro.fm and Libby, which I use to listen to my library borrows. If you’re new to Libro, use this link to get three audiobooks for the price of one with a new membership. I’m also a sporadic Audible user, as some titles are only available on that platform.
Whether you’re new to audiobooks or a longtime devotee, I hope you enjoy this selection of titles that are truly Awesome on Audio. And along with my fellow readers, I’d be grateful if you’d help us out by sharing some of your favorites in the comments section. For even more ideas, check out our ever-expanding audiobook-specific archives right here.
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Over the past few years I got into the habit of listening to the latest Hilderbrand on audio, read by longtime narrator Erin Bennett. This 2022 release is my favorite of recent years. When the story begins the titular hotel’s Gilded Age glory days are long gone: it’s a real dump (and in a fun plot twist—haunted!) when London billionaire Xavier Darling buys it sight unseen. The new owner hires local restaurateur Lizbet Keaton to make his hotel the best property on the island, if not the whole Eastern seaboard. And that means The Hotel Nantucket has to wow Shelly Carpenter, the influencer who’s become a national obsession for her blog Hotel Confidential. The influential critic regularly reviews hotels for her eighteen million followers and awards each property anywhere from one to five keys. The staff is energized by this audacious goal, because no hotel has ever earned five keys from Shelly Carpenter. To earn the coveted fifth key, they’ll have to do everything right. Super fun, and I especially enjoyed the ghost story element! 12 hrs 27 mins. More info →
I thought The Soulmate Equation was fine but I was surprised to ADORE this standalone follow-up set in the worlds of entertainment and publishing that features a romance writer whose love life is in shambles. After another relationship ends badly, Fizzy realizes she’s in a terrible slump, in love and in writing. Meanwhile, documentary filmmaker Connor gets unwelcome news from his overbearing boss: he won’t get funding for his next nature project until he films a big money-maker… like a reality show. The two reluctantly unite to create a one-of-a-kind dating show that relies heavily on romance tropes, and also requires them to work closely together. This is one of the seasoned writing duo’s best efforts, with palpable chemistry, serious tension, winning humor, and a satisfying resolution. Narrated by Jonathan Cole and Cindy Kay. 10 hrs 52 mins. More info →
Piecing Me Together author Watson wows with her adult debut. Zenzi Williams’s moving narration further enhances the reading experience. Things are finally going well for forty-year-old Lena: she has a good job, loving relationships with her parents and daughter, and a handsome fiancé she’s set to marry in just a few weeks. But his shocking confession the morning of her would-be wedding sends her reeling, and destabilizes the once-firm foundation she’s carefully built. Close female friendships and familial relationships feature prominently as Watson unpacks the beliefs surrounding beauty, love, fatness, and faith handed down from each generation to the next. Lyrical and kaleidoscopic, Watson compassionately explores what it means to love yourself, love your body, and love others, while showcasing Portland’s rich Black history. Narrated by Zenzi Williams. 9 hrs 9 mins. More info →
Edgar Award-winning Berry’s standalone companion to her 2021 bestseller Northern Spy continues to explore the Irish Republican Army’s activity in the post-Brexit era. The story starts with a bang when the IRA kidnaps journalist Tessa on a remote highway outside Dublin and delivers an ultimatum: persuade her MI5 handler to become an informant, or someone she loves will die. Tessa and her sister Marian had become deeply involved with the IRA several years before, but she thought those entanglements were behind them. Now she fears for her and her son’s safety, as she knows the IRA will make good on their threats. Berry delivers a riveting spy thriller and a fascinating exploration of women’s involvement in the IRA and the subsequent impact on families, neighborhoods, and entire communities. Narrated by Katharine Lee McEwan. 8 hrs 45 mins. More info →
A 2025 MMD Minimalist Summer Reading Guide pick! Wilson deftly combines the heavy and the light in this found family story of four scattered half-siblings who meet for the first time and pile into an old PT Cruiser to go find the father who abandoned them long ago. Wilson’s stories often feel larger than life, yet the emotional heart feels real and relatable. Quirky, warm, and bighearted, with a multigenerational cast and road trip hijinks galore. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s no spoiler to say I found this coast-to-coast adventure to be an utter delight. Narrated by Marin Ireland. 7 hrs 22 mins. More info →
Renowned travel writer Bryson takes to the Appalachian Trail in this laugh-out-loud travel memoir. After returning to America after 20 years in England, Bryson reconnects with his home country by walking 800 of the AT’s 2100 miles, many of them with his cranky companion Katz, who serves as a brilliant foil to Bryson’s scholarly wit. A superb hiking memoir that skillfully combines laugh-out-loud anecdotes with serious discussions about history, ecology, and wilderness trivia. Droll, witty, entertaining. This is one of those rare occasions where I’d recommend listening to the abridged version, because Bryson himself narrates it (5 hrs 58 mins) but the full-length version narrated by Rob McQuay (9 hrs 44 mins) is also excellent. More info →
Hartnett’s gift is to nestle genuine humor right alongside life’s most terrible tragedies. In this new-for-2025 SRG selection she again balances joy and tragedy, combining the comedy of a screwball road trip with a serious meditation on loss, grief, healing, and second chances. Along for the ride are a 63-year old named P.J. who has an ailing heart and a drinking problem, his estranged 23-year-old daughter, his brother’s recently orphaned grandkids, and Pancakes, a tabby cat with unusual powers. They’re on a mission to reunite with P.J.’s old flame at Arizona’s Tender Hearts nursing home. This madcap ride manages to feel hopeful and heartwarming despite its sad subject matter. Narrated by Mark Bramhall. 11 hrs 48 mins. More info →
In 1953 Tehran, a young man failed to meet his betrothed in a Tehran square. Sixty years later and half a world away, the woman, now grown old, is about to discover why. This sweeping love story spans 60 years and two continents, taking the reader between contemporary New England and 1953 Tehran, thoroughly immersing the reader in the volatile political climate of 1950s Iran. Narrated by Mozhan Marnò. 9 hrs 13 mins. More info →
“Ever since my mother died, I cry in H Mart.” So begins Zauner’s poignant story. After her mother received a grim cancer diagnosis, Zauner realized her mother’s death would also mean losing her only tie to her Korean heritage, so she sought to shore up stories while she still had time. Whether she writes about the intricacies of preparing traditional Korean dishes or a hurtful misunderstanding, she explores moments from her tumultuous mother-daughter relationship with tenderness and love, often returning to the idea that our experiences of home, family and culture are viscerally rooted in what we taste, see and hear. An honest, lyrical, and life-affirming memoir about grief, growing up, and making amends. Narrated by the author. 7 hrs 23 mins. More info →
Fan favorite January LaVoy voices Chris Pavone’s newest mystery, driven by a missing person, a ticking clock, and secrets from an old life. Ariel Pryce wakes up on her honeymoon in a Lisbon hotel room to find her husband missing. Fearing the worst and increasingly frantic, Ariel turns to the Portuguese police and American embassy where her concern is met with skepticism: he’s a grown man and it’s only been a few hours. When they discover the couple both changed their names ten years ago, their skepticism balloons into outright disbelief—even though his kidnappers have surfaced and demanded an outrageous ransom. With the clock ticking and no help from authorities, Ariel seeks help from those she’d long since left behind in her old life—and then things get really interesting. Narrated by January LaVoy. 14 hrs 30 mins. More info →
I don’t remember why this May 2022 release originally caught my eye (since I read it before her hit 2024 release The Wedding People, but once I beganI was immediately swept up in the story. Chronologically, this story of two sisters in small-town 1990s Connecticut begins when shy Sally is just thirteen, and her bold and beautiful sister Kathy is sixteen. But on the first page of the story Sally is 28, seemingly telling her absent sister about everything that happened between then and now. (“You disappeared on a school night. Nobody was more surprised by this than me …”) Back then both girls nursed crushes on Billy Barnes, the handsome senior a year older than Kathy; when Kathy and Billy start dating, Sally drinks in all her sister’s updates on their relationship. But then a car accident involving the three teenagers kills Kathy. This is the story of what happened after, a haunting portrait of confusion, love, and grief, enhanced by the unusual second person narration. Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky. 12 hrs 17 mins. More info →
In his sophomore book of essays, the Here for It author tells hilarious, moving, and deeply insightful tales of love, adult friendship, family, and marriage, and also therapy, Zoom funerals, working alone, COVID isolation, middle age, and his home city of Baltimore. There’s no weak link in this collection: every story feels immediate, intimate, and real. Two years later, I still can’t stop talking about this book. Narrated by the author. 6 hrs 40 mins. More info →
What are your some of your very favorite audiobooks? Please tell us in comments!