From the drama of space travel to the wonder of the natural world, with characters who speak to our souls and settings that take us across time and around the globe, this year’s top fiction has something for everybody. Full of voices we adore and stories that inspire, our list includes novels and Originals that absolutely dazzle in audio.
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Once again, Taylor Jenkins Reid has placed me in an emotional chokehold. In Atmosphere, Reid anchors the listener in 1980s Houston amid the first wave of women scientists and pilots in NASA’s space exploration program. We watch our heroine Joan ascend from candidate to astronaut, fall in love, and fight to keep that love when a mission goes south. Julia Whelan and Kristen DiMercurio deliver deeply moving performances, pulling you in until the characters’ emotions are your own. Brimming with nostalgia and hope (and complete with an ending that will knock you sideways), Atmosphere won’t let you go once you’ve entered its orbit. —Katie O.
This epistolary novel captivated me from the first letter. While the premise may sound less than exciting, I found following seventy-something Sybil Van Antwerp through her correspondence to be absolutely thrilling. Sybil is brilliantly bold. She writes to family, friends, and strangers, including authors like Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. As her physical world shrinks, her emotional landscape expands—diving deeper into the past and opening up to new possibilities. The full-cast audiobook, led by Maggi-Meg Reed as Sybil, transported me from simply envisioning a solitary woman at her desk to experiencing a world full of meant-to-be-heard voices. What a delight! —Tricia F.
There’s writing—and then there’s whatever it is Ocean Vuong does, which feels more like conjuring something out of stars and earth and bone marrow to tap into the language and rhythm of life in a way that is wholly singular. Poetry is embedded into the DNA of Vuong’s work, and thankfully those poetic sensibilities are transportive in audio and allow James Aaron Oh to perform this story about the friendship between a teenage boy and an elderly widow with both color and grace. —Aaron S.
The first chapter of The Wilderness is one I'll never forget. Angela Flournoy sets the stage for a transformative listen about five Black women navigating two decades of friendship, grappling with grief, love, career ambitions, and identity through pivotal moments like the George Floyd protests and the COVID pandemic. Narrators Aja Naomi King and Ashley Nicole Black—Flournoy's middle school best friends-turned-accomplished actors—breathe authentic life into these characters, making each woman feel like someone I’d recognize from my own sister circle. Flournoy's own narration of select chapters draws you deeper into this intimate world. Her gorgeous prose translates beautifully to audio, creating an immersive experience celebrating Black sisterhood and resilience. —Margaret H.
Buckeye is in many ways a simple story, following the lives of two interconnected families in mid-century, small-town Ohio. But the superb and evocative writing makes this novel anything but simple. There isn’t a misspent word in the book. Author Patrick Ryan’s gift for detail illuminates the poetry of everyday life, eliciting a compassion and tenderness for his characters that is infectious. One gets the sense that narrator Michael Crouch savored telling this story, matching the accessible charm of its prose with his effortlessly amiable voice. This one feels like a classic, not because of its Americana vibes but because it's the kind of writing that lasts, and the kind of themes that are eternal: how the past tugs at us, the future beckons, and the heart wants what it wants. —Phoebe N.
Fredrik Backman crafts a touching dual-timeline story about four teenagers who find solace in each other. Their summer days spent together become immortalized in a painting that becomes wildly famous and even changes a young woman’s life decades later. Narrator Marin Ireland beautifully renders these intertwined stories of friendship and transformation. Backman's signature style shines as he explores how art connects us across time, while depicting the beautiful mess of human relationships. This novel broke my heart and mended it simultaneously, leaving me changed for the better by the journey. —TF
Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of a remote island near Antarctica that houses the world’s largest seed bank. Rising seas are threatening the island, but before they have the chance to evacuate, a woman mysteriously washes up on shore. As she recovers, she gets to know the children, who are still reeling from the loss of their mother, and Dominic—a man she’s not sure she should trust. The storytelling moves through each character’s perspective, voiced by a stellar cast of narrators: Cooper Mortlock, Katherine Littrell, Saskia Maarleveld, and Steve West. It’s an immersive, moody listen that left me in tears in the best way possible. To hear more from author Charlotte McConaghy, read our interview.—TF
When Leila Mottley first made her fiction debut with Nightcrawling, it was almost impossible to believe that a teenager had written such a heart-shattering story. Three years later, her stunning sophomore novel is once more challenging any lingering doubts around the undeniable maturity that so many young women possess, this time delivering a realistically tender exploration of teen pregnancy. Narrators AhDream Smith, Erin Spencer, and Khaya Fraites bring this novel to life, performing The Girls Who Grew Big with a warmth that allows the story’s themes of female friendship to radiate from the page. —Haley H.
This pitch-perfect book arrived in my library as if by divine force. Not my usual genre, I barely recall downloading it. All I know is that from the first words—“The farmer is dead”—and an unforgettable incident involving a small boy, his dog, and some sheep, Broken Country held me spellbound (and sobbing). Clare Leslie Hall spins a story that’s part circle, due to the brilliant cyclical nature of its alternating timelines, and part triangle: the love kind. Beth is torn between a formative old flame and her adoring husband, while two children and twin tragedies complicate matters enormously. Like the plot, Hattie Morahan’s narration is flawless, from explosive start to gut-punching finish—and just like that, I’m crying again. —Kat J.
Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series was one of my first audio obsessions—and Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure shares much of the same meant-to-be listened-to ambiance. Bowen brilliantly balances cozy charm with weightier themes of reinvention, female solidarity, and wartime struggle. Her characters quickly feel like friends, and narrator Barrie Kreinik’s performance is a delight; she nails every accent (British and French) perfectly. This breezy, heartwarming listen proves it's never too late for adventure, romance, or discovering your inner strength. —TF
In the much-anticipated follow-up to Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters has crafted a collection of stories that interrogates everything you think you know about gender and queerness. By challenging binaries, embracing the uncomfortable, and celebrating both the good and the bad of queer experiences, Stag Dance is an audio experience that plays with form as much as it does storytelling. With four standout performances from narrators Lee Osorio, Briggon Snow, Eileen Noonan, and Pyrrha Nicole, Stag Dance champions queer experiences and authenticity in all their forms—for better or for worse. It’s a book that will stick with you—it’s been eight months since my first listen, and I still can’t get it out of my head. To hear more from Torrey Peters, read our interview. —Michael C.
Who knew that a series of phone calls between the current Minister of Loneliness and her prospective replacement could be filled with so much witty banter? Performed by Minnie Driver and Billy Crudup, this short listen will leave you enthralled and wanting more. These two have quite the vibe going—at certain moments, I felt like a third wheel. It’s the kind of storytelling that leaves a lot to the imagination. All we have are these few phone calls. How would you want their lives to converge? Where might it all go from here? After just one hour and 42 minutes of listening, I’ve spent days contemplating the possibilities. —TF
As a longtime fan of The Best Man, I was ecstatic to learn that filmmaker Malcolm D. Lee was continuing his beloved franchise in a new book series. Delving deeper into Harper, Jordan, and Robyn's lives, Lee and co-author Jayne Allen masterfully navigate each character's personal growth and complexities, while maintaining their friend group's tight-knit dynamic. Narrators Jakobi Diem, January LaVoy, and Zenzi Williams strike the perfect balance of humor, heart, and hope. With a jaw-dropping cliffhanger that left me desperate for the next installment, I fell in love with these characters all over again. To hear more from Malcolm D. Lee, listen to our interview. —MH
A literary thriller feels like having your cake and eating it too—and when it has exceptional narration, that’s a hefty dollop of whipped cream on top. This dream cast of performers includes fan-favorites like Helen Laser and Alma Cuervo and is led by actress Justine Lupe (of the Netflix hit Nobody Wants This). Lupe plays burned-out nurse Valerie Gillis, who goes missing in Maine while hiking the Appalachian Trail. But Valerie is not the only character lost in the proverbial woods. Beverly, the game warden searching for her, and Lena, an elderly armchair detective, wrestle with their own loneliness and alienation as the case unfolds through their different points of view, creating a journey for the listener both riveting and poetic. —PN
I was lucky enough to see this show live in New York City on Broadway two days before it closed. And while I wish everyone could have gotten that chance, it was clear to me while sitting in the audience how perfectly this musical dramedy would translate to audio. This truth-is-stranger-than-fiction tale about the decades-long adventures of the mummified remains of train robber Elmer McCurdy is zany, dark, comedic, and oddly moving. The music and lyrics by Tony-winner David Yazbek will have you singing along while quietly ruminating on your own mortality. —Emily C.
