Our editors weigh in on July’s most anticipated new releases.
A beguiling beach listen
My family’s trip to Turks and Caicos was the perfect locale to escape into this sumptuous, engrossing novel examining desire, midlife, motherhood, beauty, and relationships. After devouring Robinne Lee’s debut, The Idea of You, I waited (albeit impatiently) for her next book and was not disappointed. Pushing a sleeping toddler in a stroller around the resort, I tucked into this atmospheric listen, voiced—rather, inhabited—by Lee herself. I was transported from Paris to Cabo to Los Angeles through the lens of Cecilia Chen, a chic, self-aware artist at sea in her life and seeking escape, which might lead to rebirth or destruction. Lee’s world-building had me so invested that I couldn’t hit pause, and I predict the same for you.
A masterful conclusion to the Harlem Trilogy
An old boyfriend once told me that I’ll never love anyone as much as I love New York. As it turns out, I was just gay, but still, a point was made. Like many New Yorkers, I’m so enamored with the city that if a film or novel takes place here, there’s a good chance I’m already listening or in line to buy a ticket. I love the way characters ignite against the city’s dramatic, gritty-to-glamorous backdrop. Now take that glorious city and run it back a few decades to 1980s Harlem, with Pulitzer winner Colson Whitehead walking you through its streets, introducing you to its jaw-dropping characters, and fleshing out the finale to his masterwork in crime fiction.
The nonfiction thriller of my nightmares
I still haven’t recovered from Annie Jacobsen’s last book, which taught me that in the event of nuclear war, it’s best to be directly under the blast: Poof—it’s over. No such luck with her latest frighteningly plausible scenario, which outlines with terrifying precision how either an accidental or directed release of germ warfare could cause a world of prolonged hurt to all in its reach, while leaving the surrounding infrastructure fully (purposely!) intact. Want to have nightmares about recombinant DNA, Soviet-era Biopreparat, or the loophole in the Biological Weapons Convention treaty that got us here? Join me for another five-alarm wakeup call by Jacobsen, who wrangles sources, science, and secrets in a thrillingly cinematic tale that she also narrates to perfection.
A treat for the dog days of summer
Daniel Mason again summons the vast reserves of magic lurking in the enchanted forests of New England. Like North Woods, his last novel, this audiobook unspools with an immersive full cast of performers and a story centered on a humble plot of land. There resides Miles Krzelewski, a sweet, devoted man whose wife just accepted a prestigious professorship while he himself remains 12 years late completing his PhD on Russian folktales. In other words, he’s a golden retriever husband who could use a little direction—say, a sign from the universe that a local legend is more than just myth? Where there’s whimsy, there’s a way, and following in the footsteps of Miles on a mission to renew his sense of purpose is a worthwhile, life-affirming listening excursion.
Dervla McTiernan let her fans pick her plotline
Dervla McTiernan put three story ideas to her fans and asked them to choose her next book. Lucky for us, she'd already written the standout choice, Three Reasons for Revenge. This twisty thriller is the first story McTiernan has set in her adopted home, Australia, but the story is universal. I'll be honest: I'm a strictly daytime thriller listener, so no after-dark scary stories for me. But the moral grey zones in this one kept me up at night anyway! Alison McGirr's narration is flawless. Once you press play, you won't want to stop.
A new dystomance to obsess over
When I found out the audiobook release for Daggermouth was moving up by nearly a month, it genuinely felt like a present just for me. (I know it wasn’t. Let me have this one; it's my birthday month.) I knew the story was going to stay with me before I even finished the first chapter. H.M. Wolfe drops listeners into a brutal dystopian world where a failed assassination leaves mercenary Shadera trapped in a political marriage with Greyson, the very man she was sent to kill. What begins as a fight for survival slowly becomes something far more complicated, as the lines between enemy and ally begin to blur. Angel Pean and Teddy Hamilton deliver performances that capture every single ounce of tension. And that cliffhanger? It was so jaw-dropping I’m counting down the days until I can listen to Python, the next in the series.
Written in the stars
It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with a certain other space love story from last year, but An Infinite Love Story by Chanel Cleeton charts a course all its own. Vivian is a journalist with ambitions beyond the menial tasks her colleagues in the newsroom dish out to her. Joe is a fighter pilot, a Korean War hero with his eyes—and heart—set on the final frontier. Set against the 1960s Space Race, the narrative alternates between Vivian and Joe’s love story, and 1968—when Joe’s spaceship has lost communication with NASA, and Vivian is living the nightmare on the ground as possibly the only person left with hope that he’s still out there. Cleeton weaves a dash of speculative fiction into their story, making it all the more heartbreaking and beautiful. Kelli Tager’s performance felt effortless, and the intentionality behind Barton Caplan’s moments as Joe elevated the listening experience. Cleeton wrecked me with this one, but my goodness, it was worth it.
Keeping our pride strong
From the moment I heard actor and narrator Russell Tovey was writing his debut work of fiction, I knew I needed to hear it. But if Tovey’s writing somehow isn’t enough to grab your attention, how about a full-cast performance led by actors Andrew Scott and George MacKay? Set in London and exploring difficult family dynamics, queer identity, and drag, Starlings follows a 40-year-old aspiring drag queen as he’s reunited with his estranged younger brother. It’s an ode to the queer and drag communities and a heartfelt celebration of family and self-expression that’s perfectly designed for audio.
Just make yourself
Jia Jiang's unconventional approach to finding fulfillment through self-discipline makes more sense when you consider that he once spent 100 days actively seeking rejection—and lived to write a bestselling book about it. But behind the seemingly masochistic thrust of his approach is a message of hope for ambitious type B’s everywhere. Easy Discipline, named after Jiang's system for goal setting—Enjoyment, Artistry, Systems, and Yourself—invites even the most disorganized among us to take the first step toward actualizing our dreams. Drawing from his own experience with ADHD, this how-to for habits lays a framework for success that works with your distracted brain, not despite it.
Summerween can officially begin
How fortunate are we to enter our fourth consecutive summer with a new Chuck Tingle novel? In his latest horror romp, the author amps up the camp, taking on the trappings of fame, greed, and social media with wannabe influencers and reanimated dead rock stars. Mara Wilson is known and loved for her cool and measured delivery, but her performance here as the self-absorbed Poppy deserves a chef’s kiss.
Pack an umbrella—love's on the forecast
Chelsea Curto takes two people who are obsessed with the weather and somehow creates a romance with just as much electricity as the storms they’re chasing. In Stormy Weather follows rival meteorologists Quincy and Sebastian through a summer of hurricane tracking—and years of unresolved tension. Quincy is exactly the kind of woman-in-STEM heroine I love to root for: brilliant, ambitious, and unapologetically passionate about her work. Stella Hunter and Alex Kydd bring every ounce of chemistry, banter, and longing to their performances, elevating an already fantastic story. Smart, sexy, and action-packed, this is a romance I couldn’t stop listening to.
When home becomes an obsession
I think Shari Lapena might have written her most disturbing couple yet. This book left me wondering about the things people will do to keep up their lifestyle. Jill and Ted are obsessed with their gorgeous New York brownstone that they spent millions of his inheritance remodeling. When Ted makes a bad investment that threatens everything, including their beloved brownstone, their solution isn't downsizing. It's murder. They're in this together, but "together" starts feeling real fragile real fast. Every small misstep feels like a ticking bomb. Lapena has a gift for making terrible people fascinating, and Jill and Ted are no exception. You'll root against them and still won't be able to pull yourself away.
As comforting as a cup of tea
Step into the Village of Nothing Much, where a dozen neighbors prepare for their annual Labor Day block party. From the Bookseller to the Piano Teacher to the Innkeeper by the lake, each resident's story comes alive through multi-cast narration that draws you deeper into this warmly interconnected community. Rich with sensory detail and gentle revelations, this cozy audiobook celebrates the beauty of small gestures and chosen family—the perfect soothing listen for moments when you need self-care, comfort, and connection.
Be a pervert, listen to this book
Maybe I’m a nerd (read: definitely), but I think listening is a lot like falling in love. There are the books you like, and then there are the books you can’t stop talking about. So far this year, the book I’ve fallen for hardest has absolutely, without question, been Perverts by Mac Crane. Not since Miranda July’s No One Belongs Here More Than You have I been so utterly and completely taken by an essay collection—and by taken, I mean disassembled and then put back together, only different. Anne Lamott famously says in her bestselling writing-bible Bird by Bird that the only question writers need to ask themselves is “How alive am I willing to be?” As if in response to that iconic question, Crane penned this collection of surrealist, eye-opening, uniquely cutting, queer stories that left me speechless. In fact, the day I finished it, the only note I jotted down was “I’m afraid of how alive I am.”
Who am I to fight this alchemy?
In a trilogy, book 2 can sometimes feel like a weak point. A soggy middle, if you will, to cite a term writers use about the challenge of penning the second act. Stacey McEwan does not have this problem. A Forsaken Prophecy is every bit as compelling and addictive as the first installment in her Artisan trilogy—a gritty, high-stakes romantasy that married the Hunger Games with Peaky Blinders and added a dash of magic. McEwan further explores the magic system of Belavere Trench, introducing more towns along the route between the capital and the Brink, but the living, breathing heart of the story remains the romance—or lack thereof, at the moment—between Patrick and Nina. Karise Yansen joins Billie Fulford-Brown and Joshua Riley to bring our favorite gangsters and Artisans to life. I’m already counting down the days to book 3.
The true costs of "linguicide"
By narrating How to Kill a Language herself, Sophia Smith Galer transforms a rigorous journalistic investigation into an immersive, deeply affecting audio experience. The award-winning British journalist (she pioneered vertical video reporting at the BBC and has a huge following on TikTok) also trained as an opera singer, so she brings an exceptional level of authority and vocal precision to the 10 global languages explored. Hearing Galer's voice crack with the raw grief of losing her Nonna—and with her, the family's connection to dialët (a regional language spoken in Italy)—drives home the reality that language extinction, a.k.a. “linguicide,” is not a distant statistic but a devastating erasure of human heritage.
