Lily Chu blends the sharp edges of rivalry with the soft sweetness of romance for a uniquely entertaining enemies-to-lovers romp that you won’t want to hit pause on. Sparked by a prematurely published obituary for a not-dead-yet local author, rival Toronto journalists reluctantly team up to investigate a scandal that challenges both their personal and professional ambitions. Chu’s longtime narrator Phillipa Soo is joined by actor John Cho for this dual-narrated novel full of intrigue and humor that provides the perfect balance of bitter and sweet. —MH

Romance blooms from tragedy in this contemporary romance debut from screenwriter and director Yulin Kuang. Thirteen years before the start of the story, Helen’s sister takes her own life by jumping in front of a car driven by Helen’s classmate Grant. Now a successful YA author, Helen’s popular series is being adapted for television and—surprise!—Grant is leading the writing team. How to End a Love Story embraces the messiness of real-life relationships in a uniquely heart-wrenching enemies-to-lovers storyline that will break your heart with its anti-meet-cute, and then jigsaw it back together in a real and satisfying way. To hear more from Yulin Kuang, listen in to our interview. —Katie O.

So many of my favorite listens this year have a light speculative element to them, and The Love of My Afterlife fits the bill perfectly. The concept hooked me from the word go: Delphie has died (in the most embarrassing way possible) but when she discovers immediate chemistry with someone in the afterlife’s waiting room, her luck in love—and life!—may just be turning around. Narrator Sofia Oxenham delivers the perfect amount of humorous, exasperated snark you might expect from someone who only has a week to locate the actual man of her dreams (come on people, move!), and the delightful side characters she voices will come to feel like your own friends too. This book is a beautiful pick-me-up for whenever things are feeling bleak. —Emily C.

I don’t know if I should confess how many times I’ve listened to this (or if I even have an accurate count). This delightful novella was 100 percent my comfort listen of 2024. Not sure what to listen to next? I fire up some CLo. State of the world got me down? I just put this one on. It’s kept me going, let me tell you. It may be bite-sized, but this listen was the perfect morsel and my favorite romance of the year. It’s a dual-narration epistolary story—one of my favorite tropes—performed by Marli Watson and Andrew Gibson. A high schooler accidentally emails another student instead of a teacher and begins a correspondence tradition that unfolds on Valentine’s Day over 12 years. So not only does it deliver on the meet-cute/immediate chemistry it promises, but there’s a coming-of-age arc to the narrative that allows you to really connect with the main characters. And I just love the magical hand of fate element that brings them together in the end.—EC

As a devout Swiftie, I must admit that I was first drawn to Emma R. Alban’s debut novel because of its title. But then I learned that the queer Victorian romance was being touted as a cross between Bridgerton and The Parent Trap. A millennial’s dream, TBH. Veteran historical romance narrators Mary Jane Wells and Morag Sims give voice to debutantes Gwen and Beth, who hatch a plot to set up their widowed parents as they avoid being matched with husbands of their own. It was witty and swoony (and the start of a series!), and I had a marvelous time listening. —KO