The Indie Next List

State Champ

By: Hilary Plum
Narrated by: Suzanne Elise Freeman
Length: 6 hours 6 minutes

Bloomsbury presents State Champ by Hilary Plum, read by Suzanne Elise Freeman.

"Ferocious, hilarious, slippery, and wise” (Leni Zumas)—the story of a woman risking her life and finding her own way to protest the end of abortion rights.

A high-school state champion runner turned college dropout, Angela is working as a receptionist at an abortion... Read more

The Sea Gives Up the Dead

By: Molly Olguín
Narrated by: Heather Kay Ling
Length: 6 hours 35 minutes

“As dark and bitter as the darkest of chocolates. Grim, morbid, and a bit death-obsessed. A great addition for the shelves of those who like their fairytales to have bite to them. This one will stick with me for a while. Read more

Tilt

A Novel

By: Emma Pattee
Narrated by: Ariel Blake
Length: 6 hours 53 minutes

“If you’ve even lived in Portland, you’ll recognize the places and types of people described in this story. Even the essence of the plot relies on something that it totally plausible. You will cheer for Annie as she struggles with traumatic events, her past and the exciting, but scary future. Read more

The Sirens

A Novel

By: Emilia Hart
Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
Length: 10 hours 56 minutes

“Oh. My. Gosh. I'm obsessed with the messaging in this book!!! Told through the use of magical realism (hello Sirens...), 4 female characters, and dual timelines, is a story about the reality of women facing domestic violence. It's a conversation about how women are often portrayed as the perpetrators, seemingly encouraging men to act in such... Read more

Wild and Wrangled

A Rebel Blue Ranch Novel

Rebel Blue Ranch

By: Lyla Sage
Narrated by: Connor Crais, Savannah Peachwood, Stella Hunter & Lyla Sage
Length: 9 hours 26 minutes

“The final chapter in the Rebel Blue series. It was charming, emotional, and so easy to fall in love with. Read more

Say You'll Remember Me

By: Abby Jimenez
Narrated by: Christine Lakin & Matt Lanter
Length: 9 hours 59 minutes

“Here it is — the funny, heartwarming, and meaningful romcom of Spring/Summer 2025. Say You’ll Remember Me has all the greatest hits of Jimenez: adorable and funky animals, fantastic banter, sparkling chemistry, and a male lead I will ask my daughter to read about when she is of age, so she knows she shouldn’t accept anything less. Read more

Heartwood (A Read with Jenna Pick)

By: Amity Gaige
Narrated by: Justine Lupe, Alma Cuervo, Rebecca Lowman, Ali Andre Ali, Cary Hite & Helen Laser
Length: 8 hours 44 minutes

“Wholly captivating and richly layered, Heartwood follows a missing hiker, a determined game warden, and a retired birdwatcher turned sleuth. A heartfelt story with a thriller twist, it explores motherhood, resilience, and the call of the wild. Read more

The Story She Left Behind

A Novel

By: Patti Callahan Henry
Narrated by: Julia Whelan & Theo Solomon
Length: 12 hours 31 minutes

“Patti Callahan Henry's enchanting historical mystery will sweep you away to 1950s London in this breathtaking story of the power of a mother and daughter's love! Told only in the lyrical beautiful way that Patti Callahan Henry can tell a tale, The Story She Left Behind is one for the ages… 🩷 Read more

I See You've Called in Dead

A Novel

By: John Kenney
Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins
Length: 7 hours 33 minutes

“I knew this book would have humor. I was not wrong. Kenney is SUCH a clever writer, I found the dry humor so perfect. But what I did not expect is how much heart, and tenderness, these pages hold. Such a good read- one of my favorites of 2025! You should read it with pencil in hand, ready to underline your favorite bits. I’m going to have to... Read more

Murder by Memory

Dorothy Gentleman: Book #1

By: Olivia Waite
Narrated by: Blair Baker
Length: 2 hours 21 minutes

“Detective in space - check; Dead body - check; Cozy novella - check; First in series - check; Must read - check; Loved it - oh yes Read more

Hot Air

A Novel

By: Marcy Dermansky
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 5 hours 24 minutes

A joyfully unhinged story of money, marriage, sex, and revenge unspools when a billionaire crashes his hot-air balloon into the middle of a post-pandemic first date.

Joannie hadn’t been on a date in seven years when Johnny invites Joannie and her daughter to dinner. His house is beautiful, his son is sweet, and their first kiss is, well, it’s not... Read more

Bad Nature

A Novel

By: Ariel Courage
Narrated by: Cia Court
Length: 9 hours 5 minutes

“An incredible debut - in one deftly crafted novel we have an unreliable narrator in the vein of Rachel Kushner and Emma Cline; a devastating narrative about grief, vengeance, trauma, and faith; and a stark reminder of the ecological catastrophe we all inhabit. Beautifully done, and incredibly compelling. Read more

The Paris Express

By: Emma Donoghue
Narrated by: Justin Avoth
Length: 7 hours 15 minutes

“The Paris Express is as exciting and fast-paced as the train itself! The steam powered "express" that carried passengers of all ranks between Normandy and Paris, faced incredible pressures on this fateful day in 1895. The story is loosely based on real events and features truly memorable characters as they experience a trip full of twists and... Read more

The Hymn to Dionysus

By: Natasha Pulley
Narrated by: Sid Sagar
Length: 16 hours 7 minutes

“With a lot of liberties, Pulley re-imagines the myth of Dionysus through the eyes of Phaidros, a Theban knight plagued with PTSD after fighting in the Trojan War. The detailed world-building, the authentic depiction of Phaidros' sentiments (of loneliness, of fear of hurting someone close to him) added to the quick humour of Pulley's writing... Read more

Sky Daddy

A Novel

By: Kate Folk
Narrated by: Kristen Sieh
Length: 9 hours 23 minutes

“Lovers of weird girl fiction, rejoice! This book was SO fun, SO weird, and SO well-written. I loved every awkward minute of it. Perfect for fans of Motherthing, The Crane Husband, Mona Awad, and Melissa Broder. Read more

Stop Me If You've Heard This One

A Novel

By: Kristen Arnett
Narrated by: Cameron Esposito
Length: 8 hours 19 minutes

“Cherry is a twenty-something lesbian whose job at an aquarium supply store is just a temporary arrangement while she pursues her REAL dream... professional clowning. This raunchy, Florida-based black comedy is pitch perfect Kristen Arnett: bizarre and a ton of fun, with a sense of doom never far beyond the horizon. Read more

O Sinners!

A Novel

By: Nicole Cuffy
Narrated by: JD Jackson & SEVAN
Length: 12 hours 47 minutes

In this “engrossing” (Los Angeles Times) novel that sweeps from present-day California to the Vietnam War and back, a grieving young man is drawn into the orbit of a charismatic cult leader who forces him to reconsider why people give up control—and what it takes, ultimately, to find one’s place in the world.

ONE OF THE SEASON’S MOST ANTICIPATED... Read more

The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne

By: Ron Currie
Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
Length: 10 hours 37 minutes

“Darkly funny, shocking, and unblinking, The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne is a tour de force”—C.J. Box, author of Battle Mountain

“An explosive thriller that leaps from the blocks and races to the finish…Babs Dionne herself is nothing short of a human keg of dynamite.” –Justin Cronin, author of The Ferryman

"A furious page-turner that kept... Read more

Sour Cherry

By: Natalia Theodoridou
Narrated by: Erifyli Gigante
Length: 9 hours

“A feminist Bluebeard-inspired novel centered around a dark plague of a man and the complicated women who champion, despise, adore, and ultimately depart from him. Beginning with his wet nurse, spanning his many wives, and highlighting his cursed progeny, this story reads like a dark fairytale—rife with forewarning lessons, mobs with pitchforks,... Read more

Killer Potential

A Novel

By: Hannah Deitch
Narrated by: Kristen Sieh & Daru Oda
Length: 9 hours 24 minutes

“Fierce, fun, wild, and enraging. A deeply accomplished debut.” —Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the DarkDarkly funny and provocative, this edge-of-your-seat thrill ride follows two unlikely fugitives—an SAT tutor who finds her rich employers brutally murdered and the bound woman she frees from their... Read more