Top 20 most recommended fiction audiobooks of all time

A Deadly Education

A Novel

The Scholomance: Book #1

By: Naomi Novik
Narrated by: Anisha Dadia
Length: 10 hours 58 minutes

“A school for wizards! The Chosen One! But imagine if the Chosen One was just a sweet, dumb jock with a penchant for slaying monsters who had a hard time saying ‘no.’ And if the bright, often-relegated Lady Sidekick was just as intelligent, rude, and ruthless as she wanted to be. If she was the so-called hero of the story. And one more small... Read more

Daisy Jones & The Six (TV Tie-in Edition)

A Novel

By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Narrated by: Jennifer Beals, Benjamin Bratt, Judy Greer & Pablo Schreiber
Length: 9 hours 3 minutes

“Judy Greer and Benjamin Bratt as narrators should be enough of a reason to listen, however, I think this is how the book was supposed to be taken in our minds. Hearing the 'interviews,' spins you into a bliss of a great fictional music documentary. Read more

Mexican Gothic

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
Length: 10 hours 39 minutes

“If what you loved about "Northanger Abbey" was its sly twist on the gothic romance, you're going to love this new setting for an old gem. Set in 1950's Mexico, it follows a capable but callous young woman who agrees to check on a cousin in exchange for tuition for a master's degree, then begins to discover what inspired the cousin's apparent... Read more

The Dutch House

A Novel

By: Ann Patchett
Narrated by: Tom Hanks
Length: 9 hours 52 minutes

“Listening to Tom Hanks makes this one of the most soothing books I've listened to. The storyline keeps moving and the story of the house is as fascinating as the family who loves it. Read more

Nothing to See Here

By: Kevin Wilson
Narrated by: Marin Ireland
Length: 6 hours 40 minutes

“Lillian will melt your heart. Well, maybe "melt" is a bit too descriptive for the brilliant but down-on-her-luck protagonist who agrees to care for twins Roland and Bessie, who, through no fault of their own, sometimes spontaneously combust. Kevin Wilson (The Family Fang) has a talent for weird but wonderful plots, and in his telling the trio --... Read more

How High We Go in the Dark

A Novel

By: Sequoia Nagamatsu
Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Brian Nishii, Keisuke Hoashi, MacLeod Andrews, Jeanne Sakata, Greg Watanabe, Kurt Kanazawa, Matthew Bridges, Kotaro Watanabe, Brianna Ishibashi, Joe Knezevich, Micky Shiloah, Stephanie Komure & Jason Culp
Length: 9 hours 20 minutes

“My *goodness*, this book. Set aside any misgivings you might have about reading a pandemic novel during a pandemic. These gracefully interconnected narratives have their roots in familiar territory, but their branches arc and sprawl beyond the world we know into the far reaches of Sequoia Nagamatsu’s imagination. The result is an immersive,... Read more

The Vanishing Half

A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)

By: Brit Bennett
Narrated by: Shayna Small
Length: 11 hours 33 minutes

“Within the first few pages of The Vanishing Half, I knew I was reading something special. In this slow-burn novel, twins Desiree and Stella grow up in Mallard, a small black community in segregated Louisiana that prides itself on the lightness of its people’s skin. At sixteen, the twins flee from Mallard after their mother pulls them out of... Read more

The House in the Cerulean Sea

Cerulean Chronicles: Book #1

By: TJ Klune
Narrated by: Daniel Henning
Length: 12 hours 12 minutes

“So good! A wonderful whimsical feel good! Read more

Act Your Age, Eve Brown

A Novel

The Brown Sisters: Book #3

By: Talia Hibbert
Narrated by: Ione Butler
Length: 10 hours 51 minutes

“Talia Hibbert writes fantastic steamy romance novels. Her characters have depth, and I always become so invested in their stories. Eve Brown is a loveable, chaotic mess. She flees to the Lake District and ends up working at a Bed and Breakfast. The owner is the exact opposite of Eve - orderly, stern and definitely not a ray of sunshine. Think... Read more

Cloud Cuckoo Land

A Novel

By: Anthony Doerr
Narrated by: Marin Ireland & Simon Jones
Length: 14 hours 51 minutes

“This book is the best thing I’ve read - and the most complex and sophisticated - since Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. Three story lines tied together by the mythical quest of a man named Aethon: 1400’s Constantinople, present day Idaho, and a futuristic voyage of a ship called The Argos! Suspense and adventure! With all the beautiful... Read more

Clap When You Land

By: Elizabeth Acevedo
Narrated by: Elizabeth Acevedo & Melania-Luisa Marte
Length: 5 hours 32 minutes

“Lyrically written with precise clarity and beautiful turn of phrase, National Book Award-winner Elizabeth Acevedo shares a poignant story of loss, identity, and family. I highly recommend the audio version because of the poetic cadence that begs to be read aloud and the voice of two women (including the author) who narrate the two points of view... Read more

Leave the World Behind

A Novel

By: Rumaan Alam
Narrated by: Marin Ireland
Length: 7 hours 26 minutes

“Eerie and timely, Leave the World Behind will be the next book to talk about. Rumaan Alam is now solidified as a must-read author for me. He lures the reader in with excellent character development as well as family drama when the book takes a sudden turn. Slowly and masterfully, he starts building tension and suspense while teasing the reader... Read more

A Thousand Ships

A Novel

By: Natalie Haynes
Narrated by: Natalie Haynes
Length: 8 hours 33 minutes

“With A Thousand Ships, Natalie Haynes has secured herself a seat at the table with Madeline Miller as a great contemporary-classical novelist. I'm so glad that I listened to this one on audio, as Haynes is able to lend her literal voice to these characters and do them a great service. On a related note, I'll wait in line for stand-alone works... Read more

Beach Read

By: Emily Henry
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 10 hours 12 minutes

“This title says it all - Beach Read is the perfect romantic beach read book and not just because of the romance. Emily Henry has given us complex characters in a solid story line while keeping the sexual tension at a perfect, steamy temperature. Beach Read IS the perfect beach read; but it is also the perfect vacation read, staycation read,... Read more

Luster

A Novel

By: Raven Leilani
Narrated by: Ariel Blake
Length: 6 hours 39 minutes

“Twenty-something Edie is struggling to find her place in the world. She's flailing, moving between jobs and out of her apartment, into her lover's home. But, she is the mistress, faced with the reality that the open relationship she entered isn't everything she thought - but it's the best she can find. As Edie's loyalties to her lover subside... Read more

One Two Three

A Novel

By: Laurie Frankel
Narrated by: Emma Galvin, Jesse Vilinsky & Rebecca Soler
Length: 15 hours 5 minutes

“With notes of Erin Brockovich and Flint Michigan, this rich evocative tale of triplets strikes the perfect balance between family, purpose, cause, passion, and justice. A small, poor, urban town is exploited by a rich and powerful chemical company that leaves cancer, disorder, and death in its wake. Some want justice, some want to be left... Read more

Circe

By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
Length: 12 hours 8 minutes

“A bold retelling of the Circe episode from Homer's Odyssey that not only captures the interlocking pieces of Greek mythology, but also gives each god, titan, and Grecian a pulsing complexity. Both Circe the book and the character are quiet, sensual and--at times--freewheeling, adventurous, and devastating. Perdita Week's performance here is... Read more

Black Sun

Between Earth and Sky: Book #1

By: Rebecca Roanhorse
Narrated by: Cara Gee, Nicole Lewis, Kaipo Schwab & Shaun Taylor-Corbett
Length: 12 hours 46 minutes

“AHHHH!! READ THIS BOOK!! This is wonderfully written and epic with world building. From a swashbuckling sea woman to a harbinger of death (and crows) and a glorified sun priestess—this book has it all! I want to get lost in this book. More importantly, I want Serapio and Xiala to have a happy ending... Where is book two?? Read more

The City We Became

A Novel

The Great Cities: Book #1

By: N. K. Jemisin
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 16 hours 12 minutes

“I love N.K. Jemisin’s books, I love New York City, and I love this book about the soul and personification of New York. The City We Became might just be my favorite book to be published in 2020. This story is filled with tension, humor, and great characters, with a guest appearance near and dear to me. While this book is the beginning of a... Read more

Legendborn

The Legendborn Cycle

By: Tracy Deonn
Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
Length: 18 hours 54 minutes

“I listened to this audiobook almost entirely it one sitting. It was utterly enthralling. Read more