If you ended up here, you probably love Hoopla as much as I do. Free audiobooks, yay! But Hoopla has so much to offer, it can be difficult to choose your next listen. So, let me share my recommendations with you. These are, in my opinion, 12 of the best audiobooks on Hoopla!
These are all truly gripping tales with excellent audio productions that will pull you right in. Just pick your favorite book genre – or be adventurous and try something new!
Romance
Out on a Limb
by Hannah Bonam-Young
read by Victoria Connolly
This very new release is a must for Romance fans! Out on a Limb is a truly beautiful Contemporary Romance about two people with limb differences who meet at a friend’s party and hit it off a bit too well.
Their one-night stand has unplanned consequences, and the two have to figure out what they want their future to look like.
Victoria Connolly truly did this beautiful and emotional love story justice in the audio version. For Romance listeners, this is one of the best audiobooks on Hoopla and a must-borrow!
Related article: How does Hoopla work?
10 Things That Never Happened
by Alexis Hall
read by Will Watt
Alexis Hall can write deeply emotional and outrageously funny Romantic Comedies like few others. 10 Things That Never Happened features a fake amnesia, a grumpy boss, and tons of shenanigans.
If you want to laugh and swoon, this M/M Romance is an excellent choice. Will Watt did a delightful narration that brings each person in this book’s cast to life.
Sing Anyway
by Anita Kelly
read by Aven Shore and Yvonne Roberts
Sing Anyway is a bit of a hidden gem but one of the Hoopla audiobooks that are not to be missed! This is a very tender queer love story with two “older” (in Romance terms) protagonists and centers around being at peace with your body and living your life on your own terms.
Voice actors Aven Shore and Yvonne Roberts were perfectly cast to bring Sam and Lily to life. Sing Anyway is book one in the Moonlighters series of stand-alone Contemporary Romance books, and all three audiobooks are available to borrow on Hoopla.
Related article: The Best Romance Audiobooks of all Time!
Thriller and Mystery
Take It Back
by Kia Abdullah
read by Sartaj Garewal, Sophie Bentinck, and Tania Rodrigues
If you like your Thriller books to really dig deep, Kia Abdullah is just the author for you!
Take It Back is uncomfortable and goes where it hurts, but it’s also extremely captivating and will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Sartaj Garewal, Sophie Bentinck, and Tania Rodrigues created an intense audio version that you won’t be able to turn off as you are trying to figure out who is lying: the girl with facial deformities or the group of boys from immigrant families who she accuses of having assaulted her!
The Obsession
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
read by Catherine Ho and David Lee Huynh
Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Young Adult Thriller The Obsession is incredibly captivating.
Delilah has an abusive stepfather, and then she also becomes the target of Logan, a handsome guy from her school who doesn’t seem quite right.
You absolutely need to find out how Delilah deals with all of this! Catherine Ho and David Lee Huynh perfectly bring out the atmosphere of this book as well as Delilah’s and Logan’s thoughts and feelings.
Against the Currant
by Olivia Matthews
read by Janina Edwards
This Cozy Mystery is a must-borrow Hoopla audiobook if you don’t feel like the intensity of a Thriller, but still want a mystery and something to figure out.
Set in a bakery, Against the Currant is fun and gripping. Janina Edwards reads the audiobook version and fills this great story with so much emotion!
Related article: Must-Listen Thriller Audiobooks
Science Fiction and Fantasy
The Darkness Outside Us
by Eliot Schrefer
read by James Fouhey
The Darkness Outside Us is an intense book that asks very deep, philosophical questions about the meaning of being alive and being “real”.
Ambrose and Kodiak are alone on a collaborative ship on a mission to save Ambrose’s sister. But nothing is as the two believe.
As this story plays out, you get dragged deep into the mystery of what excactly is going on on this weird spaceship with the creepy AI.
In the audio version, James Fouhey’s narration truly brings out the isolation and longing of the two main characters. For me, this is one of the best audiobooks on Hoopla for Sci-Fi readers!
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
by Shannon Chakraborty
read by Amin El Gamal and Lameece Issaq
Amina al-Sirafi is my new hero, and she can be yours, too! This Historical Fantasy is a wild ride as we accompany Amina on what’s supposed to be one last adventure to see her family settled financially.
Of course, things never go quite as smoothly. But this book digs much deeper as we don’t only have pirate shenanigans but also an intimate look into Amina’s concerns as a mother.
This is an extremely entertaining and fun book with emotional depth, and Amin El Gamal and Lameece Issaq perfectly embodied their characters in the audio version!
The Story of the Hundred Promises
by Neil Cochrane
read by Em Grosland
I don’t know why this book seems to be a bit of a hidden gem. It really shouldn’t be, and it is so worth your Hoopla borrow!
The Story of the Hundred Promises is a beautiful High Fantasy novel about a sailor who tries to find the enchanter who once helped him gain the life he wished for.
Em Grosland gently narrates what happens on this epic quest, and I cannot recommend this book enough to you!
Related article: Soft Sci-Fi Audiobooks worth Listening to
Fiction
Remarkably Bright Creatures
by Shelby Van Pelt
read by Marin Ireland and Michael Urie
This book is a huge bestseller, and for good reason. This story hasn’t quite let go of me ever since I listened to it.
Partly, that’s because I never listened to an audiobook narrated from the perspective of an octopus, which was a very fun and entertaining thing in and of itself. Michael Urie’s Marcellus cracked me up!
But this is also such a tender and sweet story about life and family and just being human (or octopus, as it were). So, if you haven’t treated yourself to Remarkably Bright Creatures yet, grab it now! It’s one of the best audiobooks on Hoopla.
Yellowface
by R. F. Kuang
read by Helen Laser
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang is an extremely captivating exploration of jealousy, deception, and the consequences of unchecked ambition. And it is, for good reason, on many a best-of list. Fortunately, this outstanding book is also on Hoopla!
Mid-list author Juniper uses a dramatic accident to publish the latest work in progress of her much more successful frenemy Athena Liu as her own. And racial bias, privilege, and opportunism open every door for her in the publishing world.
Helen Laser’s narration is absolutely compelling as she vividly brings out Juniper’s flaws, complexities, and self-justification.
Breathe and Count back from Ten
by Natalia Sylvester
read by Frankie Corzo
Few novels have moved me on such a personal level as Breathe and Count Back from Ten.
VerĂ³nica is a Peruvian-American teen with hip dysplasia. She doesn’t just love swimming, being in the water has always been a defining part of her health journey. Then she gets the chance to live her dream and audition to be one of the costumed swimmers in Mermaid Cove, an attraction that has enchanted her since she first visited it as a child.
If you want to learn more about mermaids and hip dysplasia – or if you simply want to listen to an excellent Young Adult Fiction novel – get this audiobook on Hoopla!
Related article: The Best Audiobooks of 2023
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.