Sitting poolside, under an umbrella at the beach, or traveling for the summer? Listening to a book helps you enjoy a vacation or staycation. Try an engrossing novel that the whole family can enjoy or a hilarious rom-com. To unwind and unplug, here are 9 audiobooks to listen to this summer.
Zomromcom by Oliva Dade
Fun, hilarious and sexy, one of the best audiobooks to listen to this summer is definitely this paranormal romance by Olivia Dade. For anyone who loved Zombieland’s endearing cast of characters but wished it were a bit more romantic–this one’s for you. Narrated by Joy Nash.
Summary: When Edie Brandstrup attempts to save her sweet, seemingly harmless human neighbor from the first major zombie breach in two decades, she’s stunned to be saved by him—and his ridiculously large sword—instead. As it turns out, he’s actually a super-old, super-surly vampire. But for all her neighbor’s newly revealed cynicism and lethality, Gaston “Max” Boucher (yes, Gaston) is unexpectedly protective. He wants her to stay in his safety bunker until the breach is resolved. Edie can’t risk more innocent people getting killed, though—and Max won’t let her save them alone.
As they unravel a sinister conspiracy to set zombies loose on the world (again), the duo meet a host of lovable allies and discover they’re not the only ones willing to fight for the future of humanity. Despite the awful timing, Edie finds herself falling for the vampire who’s helping her save the world . . . but all their dangerous plans could end their future before it even begins. As she and Max battle side by side, Edie must decide whether having a love worth living for also means having a love you’d die for—and, in a world that grows deadlier by the minute, whether that’s a risk she’s willing to take.
Available now via Penguin Random House Audio. Pre-Order here.
The Re-write by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
If you love a complicated lovers-to-enemies-lovers story with a dash of a celebrity romance thrown in the mix, this fun bookish romance will be one of the best audiobooks you listen to this summer. And when one of the best romance authors Tia Williams calls an author a “romance genius,” you know you need to pay attention. Narrated by Faith Alabi.
Summary: Temi and Wale meet in London. They flirt, date, meet each other’s friends. Then they break up. And Wale goes on a reality dating show. Instead of giving in to heartbreak, Temi throws herself into her dream: writing. She’s within touching distance of a book deal that would solve all her problems. But publishers keep passing on her novel and bills still have to be paid. So, when the opportunity to ghost-write a celebrity memoir arises, Temi accepts. And, of course, the celebrity turns out to be Wale…Will Temi and Wale repeat the patterns of their past? Or can they write a whole new story?
Available on August 12, 2025 via Penguin Random House Audio. Pre-Order here.
Ride or Die by Delilah S. Dawson
Add a thrill to your camping or road trip this summer with Ride Or Die by Delilah S. Dawson. It’s one of the best audiobooks to listen to with the whole family. Dawson’s fast-paced writing will keep everyone gripping the edge of their seats. Narrated by Dominique Salvacion.
Summary: Tonight is Brie’s chance to finally be accepted by the Ems—the most popular girls at school. If she can just keep one potentially reputation-ending secret under wraps, she’ll have the best night of her life, screaming on scary rides and running the Wildwoods amusement park with her new friends.
But when the Ems take a game of truth or dare too far, Brie ends up alone in a creepy abandoned section of the park. There, she meets a group of cool older teens that invite her to join them. They seem friendly enough.
Little does Brie know she’s about to come face to face with a reawakened evil that wants to take her on the ride of her life…make that her death.
Available on August 5th via Penguin Random House Audio. Order here.
These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean
Everything about These Summer Storms makes it the best audiobook to listen to this summer. From the New England setting to the queen of narrators Julia Whelan, it’s a must-listen.
Summary: Alice Storm hasn’t been welcome at her family’s magnificent private island off the Rhode Island coast in five years—not since she was cast out and built her life beyond the Storm name, influence, and untold billions. But the shocking death of her larger-than-life father changes everything.
Alice plans to keep her head down, pay her final respects (such as they are), and leave the minute the funeral is over. Unfortunately, her father had other plans. The eccentric, manipulative patriarch left his family a final challenge—an inheritance game designed to upend their world. The rules are clear: spend one week on the island, complete their assigned tasks, and receive the inheritance.
But a whole week on Storm Island is no easy task for Alice. Every corner of the sprawling old house is bursting with chaos: Her older sister’s secret love affair. Her brother’s unyielding arrogance, her younger sister’s constant analysis of the vibes, her mother’s cold judgment. And all under the stern, watchful gaze of Jack Dean, her father’s intriguing and too-handsome second-in-command. It will be a miracle if Alice manages to escape unscathed.
A smart and tender story about the transformative power of grief, love, and family, this luscious novel explores past secrets, present truths, and futures forged in the wake of wild summer storms.
Available Now via Penguin Random House Audio. Order here.
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandana
Cozy fantasy and witchy vibes abound in this warm and romantic audiobook. The story follows a once powerful witch and the magical historian helping her. If you like your books on the whimsical side, this is one the best audiobooks you can enjoy this summer. Narrated by Samara MacLaren.
Summary: Sera Swan used to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps Jasmine run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests’ shenanigans, tries to keep said talking fox in check, and longs for the future that seems lost to her. But then she finds out about an old spell that could hold the key to restoring her power…
Enter Luke Larsen, handsome and icy magical historian, who arrives on a dark winter evening and just might know how to unlock the spell’s secrets. Luke has absolutely no interest in getting involved in the madcap goings-on of the inn and is definitely not about to let a certain bewitching innkeeper past his walls, so no one is more surprised than he is when he agrees to help Sera with her spell. Worse, he might actually be thawing.
Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera Swan is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone…and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.
Available now via Penguin Random House Audio. Order here.
Crash Test by Amy James
A high-speed sports romance for fans of Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid. This is one of the best audiobooks to read for Formula One fans. It’s always great for anyone who wants a dynamic contemporary romance to round out their summer. Narrated by Gary Furlong and Patrick Zeller.
Summary: Twenty-four-year-old Formula 1 driver Travis Keeping is halfway through an incredible racing season, with the championship well within his sights. But when a massive crash leaves driver Jacob Nichols in critical condition, Travis’s world is flipped upside down. No one knows, but he and Jacob have been dating for almost a year.Now the only boy he’s ever loved is clinging to life, his F1 team can’t understand why his performance is faltering, and he’s locked in a cold war with Jacob’s parents, who want him as far away from their son as humanly possible. Travis is sure everything will get better when Jacob wakes up, but he soon realizes he’s underestimated Jacob’s parents’ influence on their son.
As the F1 season barrels on, Travis and Jacob find themselves alone and miserable on opposite sides of the globe. But with some new friends by their sides, both drivers will be pushed outside of their comfort zones and onto a journey of self-discovery—one that just might lead them back to each other in the end.
Available now via HarperAudio. Order here.
A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry
If you love fae and historic fantasy, A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry may be one of the best audiobooks for you. Pitched as Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell meets A Tale of Two Cities, this revenge tale set during the French Revolution will keep you riveted until the last second. Narrated by Nathaniel Priestly.
Summary: I feared this was the best of times; I hoped it could not get any worse.
The faeries stole Sydney Carton as a child, and made him a mortal servant of the Faery Realm. Now, he has a rare opportunity for revenge against the fae and Charles Darnay, the changeling left in his stead.
It will take magic and cunning—cold iron and Realm silver—to hide his intentions from humans and fae and bring his plans to fruition.
Shuttling between London and Paris during the Reign of Terror, generations of violence-begetting-violence lead him to a heartbreaking choice in the shadow of the guillotine.
Available now via Macmillan Audio. Order here.
This Princess Kills Monsters: The Misadventures of a Fairy-Tale Stepsister: A Novel by Ry Herman
Hilarity and swoons ensue in this feminist Grimm retelling. One of the best if you like a wonderfully narrated audiobook you’ll laugh along with while listening.
Summary: Someone wants to murder Princess Melilot. This is sadly normal.
Melilot is sick of being ordered to go on dangerous quests by her domineering stepmother. Especially since she always winds up needing to be rescued by her more magically talented stepsisters. And now, she’s been commanded to marry a king she’s never met.
When hideous spider-wolves attack her on the journey to meet her husband-to-be, she is once again rescued—but this time, by twelve eerily similar-looking masked huntsmen. Soon she has to contend with near-constant attempts on her life, a talking lion that sets bewildering gender tests, and a king who can’t recognize his true love when she puts on a pair of trousers. And all the while, she has to fight her growing attraction to not only one of the huntsmen, but also her fiancé’s extremely attractive sister.
If Melilot can’t unravel the mysteries and rescue herself from peril, kingdoms will fall. Worse, she could end up married to someone she doesn’t love.
Available now via Random House Audio Penguin Random House Audio. Order here.
Vanishing Treasures by Katherine Rundell
Katherine Rundell’s books are some of the best audiobooks I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. Her stories (and their narrations) are whimsical, heartfelt and full of a magic that readers of any age can enjoy. This book about the wondrous animals on our planet facing extinction features Rundell’s truly marvelous writing and passion for all creatures great and small. Narrated by the author and Lenny Henry.
Summary: The world is more astonishing, more miraculous, and more wonderful than our wildest imaginings. Katherine Rundell takes us on a globe-spanning tour of the world’s most awe-inspiring animals currently facing extinction.
Consider the seahorse: couples mate for life and meet each morning for a dance, pirouetting and changing colors before going their separate ways, to dance again the next day. The American wood frog survives winter by allowing itself to freeze solid, its heartbeat slowing until it stops altogether. Come spring, the heart kick-starts itself spontaneously back to life. As for the lemur, it lives in matriarchal troops led by an alpha female (it’s not unusual for female ring-tailed lemurs to slap males across the face when they become aggressive). Whenever they are cold or frightened, they group together in what’s known as a lemur ball, paws and tails intertwined, to form a furry mass as big as a bicycle wheel.
But each of these extraordinary animals is endangered or holds a sub-species that is endangered. This urgent, inspiring book of essays dedicated to 23 unusual and underappreciated creatures is a clarion call insisting that we look at the world around us with new eyes—to see the magic of the animals we live among, their unknown histories and capabilities, and above all how lucky we are to tread the same ground as such vanishing treasures.
Full of inimitable wit and intellect, Vanishing Treasures is a chance to be awestruck and lovestruck, to reckon with the beauty of the world, its fragility, and its strangeness.
Available now via Penguin Random House Audio. Order here.
What have you been listening to? Did we miss any? Let us know at @inbetweendrafts.bsky.social.
Brianna Robinson is a book publicist and Sarah Lawrence College alum. She lives in New York with too many books and two enthusiastic dachshunds. You can find her on twitter @blrobins2.
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