Looking for Your Next Great Audiobook? We Have 27 New Ones to Add to Your List

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I read more than 100 books a year, and a big way I meet that goal is by listening to audiobooks. While there's definitely nothing quite like holding a hardback in your hands, audiobooks can be a great way to read when you're not sitting still. If I'm doing laundry, walking my dog, or driving my car, chances are I'm listening to a book. Depending on the narrator, I will often listen to books at 1.5 speed so I can fit more listening time into the day.

If you're looking for a new audiobook for your next road trip or to help pass the time in the laundry room, we found 27 brand-new for 2023 books for you to read. There's something here no matter whether you prefer fantasy, romance, beach reads, suspense, or memoirs. Looking for books to listen to with your kids? Check out our best audiobooks for children.

We love listening to books on Audible and, for an audiobook source that supports independent bookstores, Libro.fm. But your local library is a great source for books to listen to too. Some of these books are due out later this year, so go ahead and preorder them or get on the library waitlist now.

The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece: A Novel

Hollywood legend (and best-selling author) Tom Hanks lends his talents to this new novel about the making of a blockbuster action film. The story spans from World War II to the present day as a filmmaker adapts a 1970s comic book into a new movie. The book includes three comic books, available as a downloadable PDF.

Queen Charlotte

This new novel is a must-read for the Julia Quinn's Bridgerton novels and the Netflix series. Unlike Quinn's other books, she wrote this edition with showrunner Shonda Rhimes as a companion to the Queen Charlotte spin-off. Charlotte and George's love story will help you pass the time until season 3 comes out.

Hello Beautiful

Napolitano's follow-up to Dear Edward follows the tight-knit Padavano sisters as they navigate life, love, and loss at their Chicago home. When eldest sister Julia meets basketball player William, their lives are forever changed. The story is both heart-wrenching and uplifting. The audiobook is narrated by actress Maura Tierney of NewsRadio, ER, and The Affair.

Happy Place

A group of friends reunite for their annual week at a summer house in Maine, only this time, everything has changed. The group finds out it's the end of an era, as the house will be sold after their trip. And Harriet and Wyn, the golden couple, broke up five months ago, but they pretend to be together for their final summer hurrah. Will they find a second chance at love or ruin the vacation for everyone? Extra points for narration by audiobook queen Julia Whelan.

In the Lives of Puppets

The author of House of the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door is back with a new fantasy novel. This time, he tells the story of a family of robots assembled from spare parts. When another robot is repaired, the family is suddenly in danger and must embark on a harrowing journey to rescue one of their own.

The True Love Experiment

This new novel by romance duo Christina Lauren is the sequel to The Soulmate Equation, but it certainly stands alone. The authors' fans demanded a novel about Fizzy, the best friend/scene stealer in The Soulmate Equation, and Christina Lauren delivered. This rom-com finds Fizzy, a romance novelist with a bad case of writer's block, cast on a reality dating show. There, she encounters filmmaker Conner, who complicates her mission to find love in front of the camera.

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

When a man is found dead in Vera Wong's teashop, she takes murder-solving matters into her own hands. Suddenly, everyone in Vera's life becomes a suspect. But she finds herself forming new friendships with her list of suspects as she tries to solve the crime.

The Covenant of Water

It's been more than 14 years since Cutting for Stone made Verghese a best-selling author. Now he's back with an epic South India-based novel spanning three generations of a family with an unusual history: a member of each generation dies by drowning. The story begins with a 12-year-old girl on a journey to meet her husband and spans almost 80 years. This audiobook, narrated by the author, comes it at more than 31 hours.

Yellowface

Kuang's Babel made waves last year, and now the author is back with a very different novel. The darkly comedic Yellowface tells the story of Juniper Song, a best-selling author who changes her identity and steals the manuscript of a dead writer to find her own fame.

Meet Me at the Lake

Every Summer After was a runaway hit last summer, and now the author is back with a brand-new romance. Will and Fern met by chance one one perfect day in college, with a promise to meet in a year. That reunion doesn't happen, until the two reconnect a decade later when they join forces to save Fern's family resort.

Gone Tonight

Actress Kate Mara (Fantastic Four, House of Cards) lends her voice to this thriller by the co-author of The Wife Between Us. Gone Tonight finds Catherine Sterling ready to move on with her life, but her mother will do anything to stop her.

(Available August 1)

Tom Lake

The year is not yet half over, but I'm already calling Tom Lake one of my favorite reads of the year. Ann Patchett (The Dutch House, Commonwealth) tells the story of Lara and her three grown daughters who return to the family berry farm in Michigan during the pandemic. Lara entertains the daughters (they can't bear to turn on the news) as they work on the farm with stories from her youth, particularly of her career as an actress and her romance with a movie star. The audio version is read by none other than Meryl Streep.

(Available August 1)

Quietly Hostile: Essays

Irby returns with a highly anticipated collection of essays that are at once laugh-out-loud funny, cringe-worthy, and relatable. This new collection tackles red carpet mishaps, QVC, and her new pandemic dog. The author herself reads the audio version.

The Celebrants

In his follow-up to the beloved 2021 novel The Guncle, Steven Rowley tells the poignant story of a group friends over several decades as they encounter the highs and lows of life. After the death of their college classmate, they all decide to have their own funerals while they're still alive. They reunite for each one, whether it's after the death of a parent, a divorce, or another of life's curveballs. It's heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once. The audio version is narrated by the author.

The Only One Left

Riley Sager fans can count on the author to deliver page-turning thrillers like The House Across the Lake and Lock Every Door, and The Only One Left is no exception. The Hope family massacre rocked a coastal Maine town in 1929, and many believed teenager Lenora Hope to be the murderer. Decades later, Lenora has not left her home or spoken about the event. Now confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak, Lenora communicates to her home health care aid that she's ready to tell the truth about that night.

(Available June 20)

Romantic Comedy

Sally is a writer on a Saturday Night Live-type show and has an unexpected spark with the show's musical guest, Noah. Things don't work out at the time, but the two reconnect years later as pen pals during the pandemic. The result is a refreshing and real look at modern-day love.

Coronation Year

This aptly-timed novel by the author of The Gown is sure to capture the attention of royal watchers. The Blue Lion hotel prepares for Queen Elizabeth's coronation. The procession will pass by the historic building, which just might save the struggling property.

Holly

One of King's iconic characters, Holly Gibney (Mr. Mercedes, Finders Keepers, The Outsider) takes center stage in this new novel. Holly takes on Professors Rodney and Emily Harris to uncover the truth behind several disappearances in a quiet midwestern town.

The Farewell Tour

Fans of Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton will want to read the story of Lillian Waters, a country star setting out on her farewell tour. The singer revisits her complicated childhood as she combats serious vocal problems and searches for one last moment in the spotlight.

Zero Days

Ruth Ware is the must-read author of page-turning thrillers like The It Girl and The Woman in Cabin 10. Zero Days follows suit with the edge-of-your-seat story of Jack, who teams up with her husband, Gabe, to try to break into buildings and hack security systems at the request of their clients. When Gabe is brutally murdered, Jack is the suspect, and she must try to clear her name while evading the police.

(Available June 20)

Same Time Next Summer

Sam and her fiancé return to her family's beach house to plan their wedding. Those plans are thrown off track when Sam encounters musician Wyatt, her neighbor and teenage love. Sam's funny and endearing family provides the perfect backdrop for this read.

(Available June 6)

Once More with Feeling

Teenage pop star Katee Rose has a life in the spotlight as she dates Ryan LaNeve, member of boy band CrushZone. They have a messy (and very public) breakup, and Katee fades from public life. Many years later, another member of CrushZone, Cal, hires Katee to be the lead in a Broadway musical, reignitng her career and possibly an old flame.

Family Lore

National Book Award winner Acevedo has become a must-read author for me, after her stunning novels-in-verse Poet X and Clap When You Land. In her first novel for adults, she delves into a Dominican American family through the eyes of its women, each of whom have a special gift. Flor's gift is to forsee a person's death. And after a particular dream, she decides to hold her own living wake, causing speculation among her family. The generations come together to celebrate her life.

(Available August 1)

I Have Some Questions for You

This new novel by the author of The Great Believers is a must-read for true crime fans. Professor and podcaster Bodie Kane returns to her boarding school and reopens the long-debated case surrounding her roommate's murder.

The Golden Spoon

This novel, read by a full cast, is a Great British Baking Show meets murder mystery. Famous baker Betsy Martin hosts Bake Week, and when the contestants start being sabotaged, everyone is a suspect. Things take an even darker turn when a body is discovered and no one is safe.

Breaking In

Schwanke pays homage to Hollywood's heist movie genre. Student filmmaker Millie's dreams are thwarted when her film academy is shut down, ending her plan to make a heist movie in honor of her father. She's later surprised when a famous director releases her movie without giving her credit, and she gathers her friends to try to pull off a heist of their own.

Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots

Reba is a woman of countless talents, and before she takes on coaching duties on The Voice, she lends her own voice to tell her story. A PDF download includes 200 photos and 60 recipes from the country music superstar. Reba's friend Garth Brooks reads his forward.

(Available October 10)

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