LIGHT & COMPLEX - BEACH READS (GROWN-UPS)

Hula

A Novel

By: Jasmin Iolani Hakes
Narrated by: Mapuana Makia
Length: 10 hours 43 minutes

“What a gorgeous, invigorating debut. Jasmin Iolani Hakes has written the novel we needed about Hawaii. The story is told from the perspective of three generations of women in a legendary family, and through the omnipotent We of the Hawaiian people, using traditional language and dialogue throughout, requiring the reader to become familiar with... Read more

Remarkably Bright Creatures

A Novel

By: Shelby Van Pelt
Narrated by: Marin Ireland & Michael Urie
Length: 11 hours 16 minutes

“If you need a nice book, one that is generally feel-good but with a little depth and a very interesting perspective then this book is for you! It is an astonishing debut that finds three unlikely personalities - a lonely widow, a lost young man, and an aging octopus - in the same small town north of Seattle. Each one of them has had sadness in... Read more

The Guncle

THE GUNCLE

By: Steven Rowley
Narrated by: Steven Rowley
Length: 11 hours 23 minutes

“Absolutely adored this. I laughed so hard while also feeling moved by the characters navigating grief associated with losing a mother / sister-in-law/best friend. Rowley plays with expectations surrounding grief – to be sad, to mourn, not to laugh – and the need for joy, survival, and life after loss. "Gup" (Gay Uncle Patrick) imparts his wisdom... Read more

The Island of Sea Women

A Novel

By: Lisa See
Narrated by: Jennifer Lim
Length: 13 hours 22 minutes

“As with her previous novels, Lisa See manages to transport the reader to another culture. Using the universal themes of friendship and female empowerment See brings a WWII Korean island to life. Mi-ja and Young-sook, sisters of the heart, grow together and then are forced apart by circumstances much larger than themselves. The story shifts... Read more

American Mermaid

A Novel

By: Julia Langbein
Narrated by: Tara Sands
Length: 11 hours 1 minute

“This tale of a high school English teacher turned novelist brought out to Hollywood from Connecticut to adapt her literary mermaid novel for the big screen is funny, feminist and a little bit mean (in the best way!) It also has some shimmering moments of transcendentally beautiful writing from a debut author. I love books about books and the... Read more

Bad Summer People

A Novel

By: Emma Rosenblum
Narrated by: January LaVoy
Length: 9 hours 48 minutes

“Juicy and salacious, The Bad Summer People had me saying 'WHAT?!' out loud more than once. Perfect literary escape full of rich people problems, scorned lovers gone wild and summer escapades of the upper class. So much fun on audio - cue this up for your next road trip! Read more

Happy Place

By: Emily Henry
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 11 hours 2 minutes

“Another great beach read from Emily Henry! I found myself unable to stop listening to this book. Henry just knows how to write a love story that makes you go noooo then yeeees then whaaaat then yeeees! The story of Wyn and Harriet will make your heart throb. And Harriet's journey to find herself and keep her friends will prove that self-love is... Read more

The Celebrants

By: Steven Rowley
Narrated by: Steven Rowley
Length: 9 hours 43 minutes

New York Times Bestseller
A TODAY Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick

A Big Chill for our times, celebrating decades-long friendships and promises—especially to ourselves—by the bestselling and beloved author of The Guncle.

It’s been a minute—or five years—since Jordan Vargas last saw his college friends, and twenty-eight years since their... Read more

The Unhoneymooners

By: Christina Lauren
Narrated by: Cynthia Farrell
Length: 9 hours 14 minutes

“This is a delightful rom-com story with an enemies-to-lovers plotline and the requisite off-the-wall situation that forces the bickering lead characters into close quarters. With its Maui resort setting, charismatic characters, swoon-worthy romance, and sense of humor, this story pulled me in and took me along for a thoroughly enjoyable escape. Read more

Bad Vibes Only

(and Other Things I Bring to the Table)

By: Nora McInerny
Narrated by: Nora McInerny
Length: 5 hours 21 minutes

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

From the host of the podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking—called “a gift” by The New York Times—a raw and humorous essay collection in the spirit of Jenny Lawson and Samantha Irby.

Nora McInerny does not dance like no one is watching. In fact, she dances like everyone is watching, which is to say, she does not dance at all. A... Read more

Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club

A Novel

By: J. Ryan Stradal
Narrated by: Aspen Vincent
Length: 9 hours 20 minutes

“Stradal serves up another saga of food and family, hurt and healing, pitched between cliff-hanger moments. . . that make the pages fly.” —People

From the New York Times bestselling author J. Ryan Stradal, a story of a couple from two very different restaurant families in rustic Minnesota, and the legacy of love and tragedy, of hardship and hope,... Read more

This Bird Has Flown

A Novel

By: Susanna Hoffs
Narrated by: Susanna Hoffs & Juliet Stevenson
Length: 12 hours 35 minutes

A delightfully funny and steamy debut novel about music, fate, redemption, and love from beloved songwriter and Bangles co-founder Susanna Hoffs that is "part British romcom, part Jane Eyre, and one hundred percent enjoyable" (Tom Perrotta).

"A total knockout . . . The smart, ferocious rock-star redemption romance you didn’t know you... Read more

The Unsinkable Greta James

A Novel

By: Jennifer E. Smith
Narrated by: Mae Whitman
Length: 8 hours 15 minutes

“For readers of Taylor J. Reid. This is a story of overcoming grief and past struggles. Rock star Greta and her father are reluctant companions on an Alaskan cruise. Joined by friends and a charming college historian they navigate their fragile relationship and steer towards a new tomorrow. Warm and funny at times, this is a journey to healing. Read more

The Daydreams

By: Laura Hankin
Narrated by: Laura Hankin, Tyla Collier, Elena Rey, Briggon Snow, James Fouhey & Stephanie Sheh
Length: 10 hours 14 minutes

A deliciously entertaining novel about the stars of a popular teen show from the early 2000s—and the reunion special, thirteen years after their scandalous flameout, that will either be their last chance at redemption, or destroy them all for good.

Back in 2004, The Daydreams had it all: a cast of innocent-seeming teenagers acting and singing... Read more

Lessons in Chemistry

A Novel

By: Bonnie Garmus
Narrated by: Miranda Raison, Bonnie Garmus & Pandora Sykes
Length: 11 hours 55 minutes

“Lessons in Chemistry is a nearly-subversive feminist story wrapped in a delightful package of unlikely love, heart-rending loss, and how to make one’s way through life as a round peg that doesn’t even try to fit in to a square hole. This novel had me thinking hard about the women of my mother’s 1950s and 60s generation, women who often were... Read more

The Bandit Queens

A Novel

By: Parini Shroff
Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
Length: 13 hours 14 minutes

“Parini Shroff uses humor to lighten the complex topics in this novel. Because murder, domestic violence and women's rights in India are real and heavy topics for a book. But she creates the right balance and highlights the strength of friendship among women in this part mystery, part historical fiction, and part social commentary. Read more

The Guest

A Novel

By: Emma Cline
Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan
Length: 8 hours 36 minutes

“In what is becoming Emma Cline’s signature fashion, The Guest is grating and disturbing but just gripping enough that once you start you won’t be able to press pause. The novel follows the tumbling days of Alex after she flirts with the wrong person for too long and her thinly held-together life crumbles. The reader is left to watch in... Read more

Meet Me at the Lake

By: Carley Fortune
Narrated by: A.J. Bridel & Carley Fortune
Length: 9 hours 56 minutes

THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

A Most Anticipated Book by Today ∙ Oprah Daily ∙ Katie Couric Media ∙ BuzzFeed ∙ SheReads ∙ Zibby Mag ∙ PopSugar ∙ BookRiot ∙ Culturess ∙ Her Campus ∙ The Everygirl ∙ and more!

A random connection sends two strangers on a daylong adventure where they make a promise one keeps and the other breaks, with... Read more

Quietly Hostile

Essays

By: Samantha Irby
Narrated by: Samantha Irby
Length: 9 hours 31 minutes

“I'm obsessed with Samantha Irby (in a cute way, not a dangerous way). Her books are hilarious, endearing, and a little gross. Walking around the neighborhood listening to this audiobook got me a lot of weird looks as I gasped, gagged, talked back to her (she narrates all of her audiobooks!), and laughed with wild abandon. Read more

Nora Goes Off Script

By: Annabel Monaghan
Narrated by: Hillary Huber
Length: 6 hours 56 minutes

“I ABSOLUTELY loved this book! Nora writes scripts for movies on the romance channel-until her life blows up, her self-centered husband walks out leaving her with a mountain of debt and two kids to raise. She then writes a script about her life and it becomes a big budget film starring two of Hollywood's best. When they arrive for a two day shoot... Read more