2025 Summer Reading Guide: Absorbing Audiobooks
Audiobooks are my favorite soundtrack to summer – whether you’re road-tripping or need some entertainment while you fold pool towels, these audiobooks are funny, fascinating and very hard to turn off! Here are picks for adults or the whole family!
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Whoa I loved this book! Similar vibes as Daisy Jones and the Six with a dash of Wuthering Heights. Katerina Shaw and Heath Rocha met when they were young and become very close. Both grew up in dysfunctional families and find a safe space with each other, eventually teaming up as ice dance partners and setting their sights on Olympic gold. But you better believe there will be A LOT of drama along the way! It’s told as a documentary which is SO fun! There is some language and spice but I loved this gripping audiobook!
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
This was our audiobook pick for our family trip and it was a huge hit! I picked the full cast version, which was a great call – there are so many different voices and original music and sound effects and it just made for a stunning listen that we were all very into from the first few minutes. Tress has lived a quiet life until her beloved friend (and . .. .maybe more than friend?) is taken away on a voyage by his father and disaster strikes. Now Tress is ready to leave everything she’s ever known behind to stow away on a ship and sail across the mysterious seas where even a single drop of water can spell death for everyone aboard.
Wormwood Abbey by Christina Baehr
The Secrets of Ormdale series came highly recommended after I raved about Emma M. Lions. They have been a huge hit at our house, especially for my 12 &14 year olds. Set in Victorian England, the series follows Edith and her family, dragon protectors who inherit an abbey in Yorkshire. They discover dragons on the property and must protect them from the outside world. With a spunky protagonist, a fantastic setting, and great character development, this YA series with a touch of fantasy is an absolute delight. Now there are 4 audiobooks, each narrated by a fantastic British voice!
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
I wasn’t sure what to expect after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (which I couldn’t get through), but this Haymitch prequel completely hooked me and reminded me of the grip the original trilogy had on me! Set during the 50th Hunger Games, this is the story of Haymitch as a contender in the Hunger Games 24 years before Katniss volunteers as Tribute. This one is INTENSE and the audio made me feel like I was watching a movie.