Looking for the absolute best audiobooks of 2025? You’ve come to the right place! I spend countless hours listening to new releases throughout the year to bring you the most exceptional audiobooks, those magical combinations of brilliant storytelling and pitch-perfect narration that create unforgettable listening experiences.
Instead of one massive list that would take forever to scroll through, I’ve organized my 2025 favorites into quarterly roundups. Each season brings its own listening moods and discoveries, so you can jump straight to what you’re looking for or browse through the entire year of outstanding audiobooks as I’m creating and updating these lists.
This list is a work in progress (what with it only being June of 2025). Keep coming back as I share with you which bestsellers are really worth the hype and which hidden gems are not to be missed!
The Best Audiobooks 2025 by Season
Winter Gems: January-March Audiobook Discoveries
The year started strong with some absolutely delightful releases! From steamy contemporary romance to dark romantasy and cozy fantasy, the first quarter delivered audiobooks that had me completely hooked.
Featured audiobooks:
- Just Our Luck by Denise Williams, narrated by Emma Ladji & Teddy Hamilton
- Homegrown Magic by Jamie Pacton & Rebecca Podos, narrated by Jeremy Carlisle Parker & Dani Martineck
- Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor, narrated by Liz Femi, Anthony Oseyemi, Jason Culp & Chris Djuma
- Song of the Dark Wood by Sheila Masterson, narrated by Aoife McMahon & Dermot Magennis
- Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister, narrated by Emilia Fox
- Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill, narrated by Catrin Walker-Booth
- This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman, narrated by Jeff Hays
- Hungerstone by Kat Dunn, narrated by Perdita Weeks
- I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming, narrated by Hazel Addison
- The Favorites by Layne Fargo, narrated by Christine Lakin, Louisa Zhu, Amy Landon, Elena Rey, Valerie Rose Lohmane & more
- The Afterdark by E. Latimer, narrated by Amanda Cordner, Emily Nixon & Thom Nyhuus
- The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard, narrated by Anais Inara Chase & Ramiz Monsef
- Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan, narrated by Natalie Naudus
- The Note by Alafair Burke, narrated by Catherine Ho
- A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff, narrated by Will Malloy
Click through for full reviews and winter listening trends
Spring Favorites: April-June Audiobook Highlights
Spring brought some incredible new releases! From gripping YA fantasy with a nonbinary protagonist to “timey-wimey” romance that’s having a serious moment, these months showcased how authors get to be more creative.
Featured audiobooks:
- These Vengeful Gods by Gabe Cole Novoa, narrated by Milo Longenecker
- Dying to Meet You by Sarina Bowen, narrated by Kathleen Early, Caitlin Kelly & Sarah Mollo-Christensen
- Audre and Bash Are Just Friends by Tia Williams, narrated by Jordan Cobb & Torian Brackett
- Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil by Oliver Darkshire, narrated by Oliver Darkshire
- Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau, narrated by Cindy Kay & Raymond J. Lee
- Iron Tongue of Midnight by Brittany N. Williams, narrated by Savy Des-Etages
- Grave Situation by Louisa Masters, narrated by Michael Lesley
- The Stand-In Dad by Alex Summers, narrated by Candida Gubbins
- Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zang by Kylie Lee Baker, narrated by Natalia Naudus
- It’s Not the End of the World by Jonathan Parks-Ramage, narrated by André Santana
- Kill Creatures by Rory Power, narrated by Valerie Rose Lohman
- The Next Chapter by Camille Kellogg, narrated by Mara Wilson
- Devils Like Us by L.T. Thompson, narrated by Stephanie Cannon
Click through for full reviews and spring publishing trends
Summer Treasures: July-September Audiobook Finds
The warmer months deliver everything from heart-pounding thrillers to cozy fantasy escapes, plus some seriously powerful voice performances that turned already compelling stories into unforgettable listening experiences.
Featured audiobooks:
- Coded Justice by Stacey Abrams, narrated by Adenrele Ojo
- A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna, narrated by Samara MacLaren
- Hot Girls with Balls by Benedict Nguyen, narrated by Nicky Endres
- Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon & Critical Role, narrated by Teddy Hamilton & Brittany Pressley
- Crash Test by Amy James, narrated by Patrick Zeller & Gary Furlong
- Looking for Group by Alexis Hall, narrated by a full cast
- Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao, narrated by Nicky Endres & Natalie Naudus
- Zomromcom by Olivia Dade, narrated by Joy Nash
- Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher, narrated by Jennifer Pickens
- It Had to Be Him by Adib Khorram, narrated by Corvin King & Vikas Adam
- The (Most Unusual) Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy by Roan Parrish, narrated by Dani Martineck
Click through for full reviews and summer audiobook trends
Fall Champions: October-December Audiobook Winners
Coming soon – cozy season listening at its finest!
How I Choose My Recommendations
Every audiobook on this list has been personally listened to and loved by me. I don’t just skim through or rely on publisher descriptions, I experience each story from start to finish, paying attention to:
- How well the narrator fits the character and brings them to life
- Whether the story works especially well in audio format
- Production quality and listening experience
- Unique aspects that make an audiobook outstanding
No book makes it onto my quarterly lists unless it truly stands out from the dozens of releases I listen to each month. The books I listen to, I choose from hundreds of new releases I browse through regularly.
My book lists are not simply titles I was given by a publisher. These are books I chose, listened to, and truly enjoyed! They are a mix of bestsellers and hyped releases, as well as self-published hidden gems that caught my eye.
What Makes 2025 Special for Audiobooks
The audiobook market keeps growing at incredible rates, which is excellent news for us audio fans. Publishers are throwing serious money at audiobook productions like never before. We’re talking celebrity narrators crossing over from other industries, full orchestral soundtracks for fantasy epics, and production values that rival major podcasts.
Authors are crafting stories specifically for audio consumption, understanding how pacing works differently when someone’s listening during their commute versus reading on the couch. And we’re regularly seeing audio-first releases, not just from Audible anymore but also from the big publishing houses.
And what’s particularly exciting to me: Despite the current political climate, we are seeing many international voices and Own Voices narrations. Irish narrators for Celtic fantasy. Japanese voice actors for translated manga adaptations. Nigerian narrators bringing Afrofuturism and contemporary African stories to life with the authenticity they deserve. Publishers are realizing that authentic voices make stories infinitely better. About time!
Romance audiobooks have basically become their own entertainment category. Dual narration, also for same-sex couples, is standard now, and we’re seeing more duet and multi-cast productions as well. Romance is receiving much more respect! And given how well romance books and audiobooks sell, I’m glad to see this finally catching on.
Ready to find your next obsession? Dive into any of the quarterly guides above, or bookmark this page to follow along as I update it throughout the year!
Want to know where to find these audiobooks? Take a look at the three – in my humble opinion – best audiobook apps 2025, the ones I never uninstall!
Eline Blackman (pronouns: she/they) fell in love with books as a child – with being read to and reading herself. 10 years ago, she bought her first Audible book. It was love at first listen! An average of 250 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.