Spring brought some absolutely incredible audiobooks that had me completely captivated! These warmer months delivered everything from gripping thrillers to cozy fantasy gems, plus some seriously impressive voice acting that elevated already compelling stories into unforgettable listening experiences.
What I love about spring releases is how they seem to capture that sense of renewal and possibility. Authors are taking bigger risks. Publishers are experimenting with new formats. And narrators? They’re bringing their absolute A-game to stories that range from whimsical romance to intense pandemic-era horror.
The audiobooks below represent the cream of the crop from dozens I listened to during April, May, and June. Each one offers something special, whether it’s outstanding narration, innovative storytelling, or – most often – that perfect combination of both that creates audio magic!
April 2025: Spring Awakening Listens
Iron Tongue of Midnight
By Brittany N. Williams
Narrated by Savy Des-Etages
Length: 9 hours 28 minutes
This book is the conclusion to Brittany N. Williams’ gorgeous The Forge & Fracture Saga. I found it to be an amazing Historical Fantasy series that beautifully weaves together elements of the Middle Ages and Shakespeare with the lived realities of Black and queer people and then finishes it off with elves and other magical elements.
Now, a narrator change during a series is always an issue. The first two books are read by the wonderful Patricia Allison from Sex Education. But Savy Des-Etages taking over for the last book works well here as the character is a bit older, more battle-experienced, and this narrator’s voice fits this growth well. You might want to take a small break between books 2 and 3 so the narrator change is easier to handle. But trust me, it is so worth getting this series!
This audiobook isn’t available on Audible at the moment (maybe because it’s published by Spotify). But you can get it on Hoopla, LibroFM, or Everand.
Perfect for: Fantasy fans who love diverse representation and Shakespeare-inspired stories!
Grave Situation
By Louisa Masters
Narrated by Michael Lesley
Length: 17 hours 28 minutes
I can appreciate a really solid stand-alone Romantasy, and Grave Situation with its mix of whimsy elements and high stakes hit the spot!
We have a magical academy for dragon-riders and magic wielders that has some parallels to Fourth Wing, which I loved. We have a really cute M/M Romance between a mage and a healer. And we have a very dangerous conspiracy!
This book was so entertaining and fun, and I greatly enjoyed the narration by Michael Lesley whose voice and narration style never fails to deliver and who fits the character of Talon perfectly!
Perfect for: Romantasy fans who love magical academies and gay romance!
The Stand-In Dad
By Alex Summers
Narrated by Candida Gubbins
Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
The Stand-In Dad is such a beautiful found family novel! David, a gay man in his 50s, takes on the task of supporting Meg, who is preparing for her wedding to her girlfriend. She believed her parents would support her, but they pulled back.
This is such a warm and cozy story about finding community and people who love and accept you fully.
Perfect for: Readers who love found family stories and LGBTQ+ representation! The perfect audiobook for Pride Month in June.
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zang
By Kylie Lee Baker
Narrated by Natalia Naudus
Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
This book had me in a chokehold! Revisiting the scary early days of the COVID pandemic creates an all too familiar eerie atmosphere that’s the perfect backdrop for Cora trying to find out who killed her sister. Then Cora herself gets into the crosshairs of an extremely prolific serial killer.
Natalia Naudus brought out Cora’s despair so well and turned this into a truly captivating horror audiobook that I could not turn off!
Perfect for: Horror fans who appreciate atmospheric tension and stellar narration!
May 2025: Spring into these Audiobooks!
These Vengeful Gods
By Gabe Cole Novoa
Narrated by Milo Longenecker
Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
I was utterly captivated by this gripping stand-alone YA Fantasy! Our nonbinary main character Crow is a fighter and gets chosen for the Tournament of the Gods, a brutal fighting competition that allows them to leave the flooded area where the poor people live to visit the City of the Gods.
Milo Longenecker was a new-to-me voice and does such an amazing job at bringing Crow to life!
Perfect for: YA Fantasy fans looking for diverse representation and compelling tournament storylines!
Dying to Meet You
By Sarina Bowen
Narrated by Kathleen Early, Caitlin Kelly, Sarah Mollo-Christensen
Length, 12 hrs and 33 mins
You know I love a good Thriller audiobook, especially when I can not guess the killer until the big reveal! And Dying to Meet You offers exactly that. Sarina Bowen is such a great author, not only of wonderful Romance novels, but also of gripping Thrillers.
I was rooting so hard for Rowan, the single mom who was just broken up with in the worst way… only to find her ex brutally murdered, putting her at the center of the police investigation.
The book’s main characters are read by Kathleen Early, Caitlin Kelly, and Sarah Mollo-Christensen, who are all extremely skilled voice actors and bring out all the suspense and emotion of this novel. I could not put my headphones down!
Perfect for: Thriller fans who love complex female protagonists and expertly crafted mysteries!
Audre & Bash Are Just Friends
By Tia Williams
Narrated by Jordan Cobb, Torian Brackett
Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
Tia Williams writes breathtakingly good adult Romance. Her venture into YA Romance manages to feel much more light-hearted while still being just as amazingly well-crafted and emotionally sensitive.
Audre is the daughter of Eva from Seven Days in June, and she is… just friends with Bash. Audre is a bit of an elitist. She excels in school and has big plans for college. But she also wants to make sure she doesn’t miss out on anything. So she hires Bash to help her loosen up.
This is not directly a love coach kind of trope, but I’d call it the YA version of it. Jordan Cobb and Torian Brackett are perfectly cast to fill Audre and Bash with life and bring out all their teenage emotions!
Perfect for: Fans of Tia Williams and anyone who loves YA Romance and friends-to-lovers stories!
Time Loops & Meet Cutes
By Jackie Lau
Narrated by Cindy Kay, Raymond J. Lee
Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
Jackie Lau’s take on the Groundhog Day trope is simply wonderful! She brings in several elements that I haven’t seen before, including a friend going through the same thing as our heroine Noelle, and an explanation of how this weird thing even happened in the first place!
Noelle’s and Cam’s love story is so moving. I almost teared up when Cam kept remembering small things about Noelle that he shouldn’t have been able to recall. Soul mate connection! I loved the narration by Cindy Kay and Raymond J. Lee, who made this wild tale of the ever-repeating day so extremely real.
Perfect for: Romance fans who love unique takes on familiar tropes!
Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil
By Oliver Darkshire
Narrated by Oliver Darkshire
Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
Let me start by saying that this is not necessarily the best audiobook in the world. As much as I adore Oliver Darkshire, he’s not a professional voice actor, and it shows. But his cozy Fantasy is so utterly adorable and had me so hooked, that I can’t not include it here in my recommendations.
Isabella lives a pretty simple (and suffocating) life of taking care of the house and her husband when she accidentally gets her hands on a grimoire. That’s the start of her wild adventure into magic, while her husband goes on an entirely different journey chasing the very seductive, very dangerous goblin fruit.
This book has a lot of depth and social commentary, but it’s also just whimsical and good fun, as we have come to expect of cozy Fantasy.
Perfect for: Cozy fantasy lovers who appreciate whimsy and social commentary, even with imperfect narration!
June 2025: Late Spring Gems
It’s Not the End of the World
By Jonathan Parks-Ramage
Narrated by André Santana
Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
What might look and sound at first glance like a funny, satirical near-future novel is a heartbreaking, bleak, and bitingly angry look at the results of current political trends. Leaving aside the extremely gory horror moments (be warned!), this book moved me. It made me sad and angry. But it also impressed me with its depth and the way it looked at ideas, especially progressive concepts about building family, from different angles. I was entertained but also shaken up, and this book really made me think!
André Santana is one of my absolute favorite narrators, and with his beautiful voice, he managed to make even the despicable little man Mason almost likable.
Perfect for: Fans of unusual horror, and anyone looking for cli-fi books and books that make you think!
Kill Creatures
By Rory Power
Narrated by Valerie Rose Lohman
Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
Not every heroine needs to be plucky, right?! And Nan from Rory Power’s Kill Creatures… well, Nan is a killer. She killed three girls whom she thought of as her best friends and left them behind in the wilderness. But when one of her friends comes back a year later, a lot happens.
This book is dark and disturbing, and still wildly entertaining because Valerie Rose Lohman makes Nan sound so cute and innocent, and almost made me want to root for her even though Nan has some seriously scary thoughts. There is a lot going on here that will make you think, and that will put things in a different light from how Nan describes them. It’s a gripping book!
Perfect for: Fans of utterly captivating YA Thrillers!
The Next Chapter
By Camille Kellogg
Narrated by Mara Wilson
Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
The Next Chapter by Camille Kellogg is just so beautiful! I loved Jude so much! But mind you, this is not a fake dating romance. Jude is so into Kat and has no idea how concerned Kat is about her acting career, and in entirely different ways from what Jude believes.
Kat initially seems like a super likable character. But I hated that she wasn’t honest with Jude. While Jude worries about how coming out as queer and dating a butch lesbian would hurt Kat’s career, Kat is on a mission to revive her career by attracting new queer fans! Now, don’t get me wrong, Kat isn’t horrible, she isn’t calculating. But she also isn’t honest with Jude, and at times, it made me sad to think how hurt Jade would (rightly) be when finally finding out. I was very invested in this love story!
The fact that Mara Wilson narrates this book about a child star is just chef’s kiss. This is one of many books I have picked up specifically because she reads it.
Perfect for: LesFic readers and romance fans looking for something a bit different than the usual fake dating trope.
Devils Like Us
By L.T. Thompson
Narrated by Stephanie Cannon
Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
Who are the devils in this historical Young Adult Fantasy by L.T. Thompson? Society would probably have said Cas, Remy, and Finn. The three queer teens can’t quite make the expectations fit that are put upon them. And with dark forces meddling with them, the teens leave home and go on a journey.
It moved me so deeply when Cas found out that they are not the only trans person in the world. This book did such a beautiful job transporting those emotions. And these very tender and sweet moments are embedded in a wild adventure full of dark magic and intrigue! Stephanie Cannon did such a fantastic job making this an outstanding listen!
Perfect for: Fans of Our Flag Means Death! And anyone looking for fast-paced heist / mystery / magic Young Adult books!
Spring 2025 Listening Trends
What caught my attention during these blooming months, and how it connects to the bigger audiobook landscape:
- YA getting bolder and even more diverse! Books like These Vengeful Gods and Audre & Bash Are Just Friends show publishers are still investing in authentic voices for teen stories, and I’m so glad to see it. Also, nonbinary protagonists from traditional publishing houses, yay! The YA audiobook market is exploding because these stories actually reflect real teenage experiences. And the adult genres need to start catching up…
- Cross-genre authors dominating! Sarina Bowen jumping between romance and thriller? Smart move. Audiobook listeners are incredibly loyal and support and follow authors through different genres.
- Found family themes everywhere! From The Stand-In Dad to These Vengeful Gods, publishers clearly understand that chosen family resonates deeply with audiobook audiences. We’re craving stories about connection!
- Timey-wimey romance is having a moment! Time Loops & Meet Cutes is perfectly timed! Publishers are opening up to more paranormal and sci-fi elements in romance, just look at Audible Plus recently adding Cora Bastone’s Better Luck Next Time to their catalog, or the wild ride that is Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon. These aren’t just Groundhog Day retellings anymore. Authors are getting wildly creative with temporal and multiverse mechanics and publishers are eating it up because listeners can’t get enough of the “what if” possibilities.
- “Climate fiction” (cli-fi) exploding across all genres! It’s Not the End of the World is just one of the amazing new books tackling this topic.
Find out which audiobook subscription is the best fit for you based on your listening habits!
Looking for more audiobook recommendations? Check out my complete Best Audiobooks of 2025 guide for quarterly roundups throughout the year!
Eline Blackman (pronouns: she/they) fell in love with books as a child – with being read to and reading herself. 11 years ago, she bought her first Audible book. It was love at first listen! An average of 200 audiobooks per year has become the new normal, and you will rarely see Eline without a wireless earbud. Romance and Fantasy are the go-to genres for this audiobook fan.