Audiobook Lovers Month is celebrated throughout June and is an excellent time for book enthusiasts everywhere to immerse themselves in captivating stories through audio. So grab your headphones, find a cozy spot, and let the narrators transport you to magical worlds, thrilling mysteries, and heartfelt romances.
Types of Narration in Audiobooks
Dual Narration (or Dual POV):
In dual narration, two distinct narrators portray different characters' perspectives. For example, if a novel alternates between the male and female protagonists, each narrator embodies their respective viewpoints. This approach adds depth and authenticity to the storytelling.
Powerless by Lauren Roberts
She is the very thing he's spent his whole life hunting.
He is the very thing she's spent her whole life pretending to be.
Only the extraordinary belong in the kingdom of Ilya—the exceptional, the empowered, the Elites. The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not all were fortunate enough to both survive the sickness and reap the reward. Those born Ordinary are just that—ordinary. And when the king decreed that all Ordinaries be banished to preserve his Elite society, lacking an ability suddenly became a crime—making Paedyn Gray a felon by fate and a thief by necessity.
Surviving in the slums as an Ordinary is no simple task, and Paedyn knows this better than most. Having been trained by her father to be keenly observant since she was a child, Paedyn poses as a Psychic in the crowded city, blending in with the Elites as best she can to stay alive and out of trouble...easier said than done.
When Paeydn unsuspectingly saves one of Ilya's princes, she finds herself thrown into the Purging Trials. The brutal competition exists to showcase the Elites' powers—the very thing Paedyn lacks. If the Trials and the opponents within them don't kill her, the prince she's fighting feelings for certainly will if he discovers what she is...completely Ordinary.
Libby
The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest
Shy, bookish, and admittedly awkward, Lily Greene has always felt inadequate compared to the rest of her accomplished family, who strive for Black excellence. She dreams of becoming a children's books editor, but she's been frustratingly stuck in the nonfiction division for years without a promotion in sight. Lily finds escapism in her correspondences with her favorite fantasy author, and what begins as two lonely people connecting over email turns into a tentative friendship and possibly something else Lily won't let herself entertain—until he ghosts her without a word.
Months later, Lily is still crushed, but she's determined to get a hold of her life, starting with finding a date for her sister's wedding. And the perfect person to help her is Nick Brown, her charming, attractive new neighbor, who she feels drawn to for reasons she can't explain. But little does she know, Nick is an author—her favorite fantasy author.
Nick, who has his reasons for using a pen name and pushing people away, soon realizes that the beautiful, quiet girl from down the hall is the same Lily he fell in love with over email months ago. Unwilling to complicate things even more between them, he agrees to set her up with someone else, though this simple favor between two neighbors is anything but—not when he can't get her off his mind...
Duet Narration:
Duet narration combines the voices of two narrators in real-time dialogue scenes. Rather than alternating chapters, both narrators perform simultaneously during conversations, creating an engaging and dynamic experience. Duet narration is particularly popular in romance audiobooks.
Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday
The fake Canadian boyfriend. It's a thing. The get-out-of-jail-free card for all kinds of sticky social situations. "I can't go to prom; I'm going to be out of town visiting my boyfriend in Canada." It's all over pop culture. But Aurora Evans did it first. Once upon a time, she met a teenage hockey player at the Mall of America. He was from Canada. He was a boy. She may have fudged the "friend" part a little, but it wasn't like she would ever see him again. It wasn't like she hurt anyone until she did—years later—on both counts.
When pro hockey player and recent widower Mike Martin walks into the dance studio where Aurora Evans teaches, he feels overwhelmed by the fact that his wife may not have been who he thought she was and the logistics of returning to work. As one of the few people his angry, heartbroken daughter connects with, Aurora agrees to be a pseudo-nanny to help him navigate the upcoming school year and hockey season. To his surprise, she also turns out to be the perfect balm for him. Aurora gets him—the real him underneath his pro jersey. And yet, he still finds himself holding back, unable to fully trust again—especially when he finds out the secret Aurora's been hiding from him.
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Every serial killer needs a friend. Every game must have a winner.
When a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive—the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small-town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country.
But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than their newfound love.
Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves?
Or have they finally met their match?
Butcher & Blackbird is the first book in the Ruinous Love dark romance trilogy of interconnected stand-alone dark romantic comedies. This dual POV novel ends on a HEA.
Single Narration:
Single narration involves a single narrator performing the entire audiobook. This traditional approach allows the listener to connect with one consistent voice throughout the story. Skilled narrators adeptly switch between characters, infusing emotion, and personality into each role.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old. It doesn't help that she has Asperger's and that French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by a pilot fish. She decides that she needs lots of practice—with a professional—which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese-Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and he agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position... Before long, Stella learns to appreciate his kisses and crave all the other things he's making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the emerging pattern convinces Stella that love is the best kind of logic.
Only a Monster by Vanessa Len
It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother's eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place.
But she soon learns the truth. Her family aren't just eccentric: they're monsters with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn't just a cute boy: he's a legendary monster slayer who will do anything to bring them down.
As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She must embrace her own monstrousness to save herself and her family. Because in this story...
...she is not the hero.
Full Cast Narration:
Full-cast narration is akin to a theatrical production. Multiple actors voice different characters, complete with varying accents, tones, and styles. Sound effects and background music enhance the immersive experience. Full-cast audiobooks are prevalent in fantasy, science fiction, and epic sagas.
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
The year is 2575, and two rival mega-corporations are at war over a planet that's little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now, with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra — who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet's AI may be their enemy, and nobody in charge will say what's happening. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it's clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.
Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.
Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Kali Fajardo-Anstine's magnetic story collection breathes life into her Latina characters of indigenous ancestry and the land they inhabit. Set against the remarkable backdrop of Denver, Colorado–a place as fierce as it is exquisite–these women navigate the land the way they navigate their lives: with caution, grace, and quiet force.
In "Sugar Babies," ancestry and heritage are hidden inside the earth but tend to rise during land disputes. "Any Further West" follows a sex worker and her daughter as they leave their ancestral home in southern Colorado only to find a foreign and hostile land in California. In "Tomi," a woman leaves prison and finds herself in a gentrified city that is a shadow of the one she remembers from her childhood. In the title story, "Sabrina & Corina," a Denver family falls into a cycle of violence against women, coming together only through ritual.
Sabrina & Corina is a moving narrative of unrelenting feminine power and explores the universal experiences of abandonment, heritage, and an eternal sense of home.