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A new series casts an impressive spell
I know, I know. It feels like romantasy is everywhere. The latest book-world buzzword. But trust me when I tell you that this romantasy is worthy of your listening time. BookTok sensation Stacey McEwan has crafted a genre-bending, slow-burn tale (think Hunger Games plus magic plus Peaky Blinders) that uniquely taps into all the themes that make this type of story so addictive. Nina Harrow and Patrick Colson are 12 when they first meet in Belavere City to have their magical potential evaluated. Both are from mining towns, but both hope for very different outcomes from their tests. Together, they discover that people aren’t born with magic—they’re chosen by those in power. In the years that follow, a resistance takes shape, and they find themselves on different sides until fate forces them back together. Billie Fulford-Brown and Joshua Riley as Nina and Patrick deftly capture the grit, high stakes and compelling world-building that’s thrusting McEwan onto a global stage.
An unputdownable listen to devour seaside
Fans of bingeable reality TV and speculative fiction alike will find themselves gripped by the premise of Aisling Rawle's debut. Our beautiful heroine Lily wakes inside "the compound"—the remote desert set of a blockbuster reality show—where she must compete against 18 other contestants to earn prizes and the right to stay. Amidst the romance and machinations, there's also this mysterious, niggling sense that just maybe beyond the borders of their titular home, there's an apocalyptic event on the horizon. Beyond that unnerving mystery, the combustion engine at the heart of this stylish story is Rawle's nuanced understanding of the motivations at play when beautiful people rank themselves against one another. She renders them far more human and tangible than the show producers ever would. It was enough to make this listener wonder if the author herself had ever enjoyed a stint of temporary fame; but it's more likely that—as a secondary school teacher by trade—Rawle knows better than most the feeling of sharks swarming.
One very rich summer
Lily Chu knows how to build chemistry, and Rich Girl Summer delivers just that. Valerie is in way over her head, posing as an heiress in a world of private estates, family feuds and secret agendas. Enter Nico, the organised, meticulous, impossible-to-read man who’s about to make Valerie’s summer very complicated—and, of course, is the only person who might actually have her back. Performed by real-life couple Phillipa Soo and Steven Pasquale, Rich Girl Summer has all the sparkle and delectable sizzling tension to make me feel like I’m really in the Hamptons.
A history that’s, like, really long overdue
Perhaps it stems from all the times I was discouraged from using “like” in my own speech, but I was immediately drawn to this analysis of one of the most widely used words of our time. With Like, author Megan C. Reynolds explores the history, linguistic significance and sheer versatility of the word, while shining a light on the misogynistic origins of people’s hatred for it. Performed by Reynolds herself, Like blends research, humour and personal anecdotes to incredible effect—and even makes the argument that filler words such as “like” may help to facilitate more nuanced, vulnerable and emotional conversations. Personally, I’d recommend it to every single teacher who tried to get me to stop using “like,” but I actually think it’s an audiobook that we could all benefit from hearing.
A puzzle worth solving
Lisa Jewell’s Don’t Let Him In ensnared me from the beginning. From the character interactions that made me want to pull out my hair in frustration to the genuine aha moments when things began to click, I was hooked. Following recent widow Nina, mourning daughter Ash and neglected wife and mom Martha, Don’t Let Him In explores the complexities of these women's relationship with a man that turns out very wrong. Not only do they learn they shouldn't have let him in, it might be too late to avoid what may come crashing down on them. I had almost visceral reactions to the lies told, stories believed, actions ignored. And to put a cherry on top of these well-developed characters, Don't Let Him In is a multicast listen performed by top-notch talents like Richard Armitage, Joanne Froggatt, Tamaryn Payne, Gemma Whelan, Louise Brealey and Patience Tomlinson.
The house always wins
It’s easy to imagine any writer feeling inferior to Joan Didion, but in Vegas: A Memoir of a Dark Season, her husband, John Gregory Dunne, trades life in her literary shadow for the bright lights of Sin City. What follows isn’t just a mid-life crisis disguised as a memoir; it’s a razor-sharp, self-aware descent into distraction that blurs the line between fiction and fact, offering a rare glimpse at one of publishing’s most iconic marriages. Narrated by his nephew Griffin Dunne, with his signature world-weariness and wry introspection, Vegas feels like a friend telling you a sordid tale over a stiff drink. It’s the story of a man who sets out to chronicle the Vegas Strip and its shady characters—chrome-slick sharks, back-alley lenders and saddle-worn gamblers—only to become entangled in its dazzling darkness. —Anthony C.
Check in, if you dare
Lo Blacklock is back—a decade after the disturbing events of The Woman in Cabin 10. This time, she’s trading cruise ships for a stunning Swiss hotel to cover a mysterious billionaire’s grand opening. But we all know things don’t stay glamourous for long when Lo’s around. Someone’s in trouble, Lo’s in too deep and you’re about to lose a whole night’s sleep (like I did) with this listen. Lo is older, wiser and juggling motherhood, making her sharp instincts and lingering anxiety feel all the more real. Narrated once again by Imogen Church, who continues to shine as Lo—the relatable hot mess we love. This is right up your alley if you enjoy locked-room mysteries, unreliable narrators and thrillers with a dash of jet lag. Listen, and then cancel your next hotel booking, just to be safe
To be continued…
As a long-time fan of The Best Man, I was ecstatic to learn that filmmaker Malcolm D. Lee was continuing his beloved franchise in a new book series. The Best Man: Unfinished Business picks up where the 2022 Peacock series, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, left off. Delving deeper into Harper, Jordan and Robyn's lives, Lee and co-author Jayne Allen masterfully navigate each character's personal growth and complexities, while maintaining the friend group's tight-knit dynamic. Stretching from Brooklyn to Malibu to Ghana, this multi-POV novel performed by Jakobi Diem, January LaVoy and Zenzi Williams weaves together the perfect balance of humour, heart and hope. With a jaw-dropping cliffhanger that left me desperate for the next instalment, I’ve fallen in love with these characters all over again
Unlocking the secrets of the world’s weirdest drug
I’ve been DMT-curious ever since my octogenarian father made psychedelics his pandemic hobby, culminating with a life-changing trip on “toad medicine.” Whether harvested from a frog or brewed in ayahuasca, DMT is complex to activate, which is one reason neurobiologist Andrew R. Gallimore thinks it’s far more mysterious than your average drug. Also? DMT accounts often involve elaborately detailed visions of busy insectoid aliens, xapiri and elves, which Gallimore distinguishes from mere hallucinations and even psychic archetypes. What he speculates they are is the real trip. Populated by counterculture icons such as Terence McKenna, who inspired the title, and with a foreword by Graham Hancock, Death by Astonishment is a science-stuffed history for psychonauts—and anyone who suspects the secrets of the universe are even stranger than we think.
A slow burn with sharp edges
Rose in Chains starts with high stakes and only gets more intense (listen to the trigger warnings). Briony is captured in the aftermath of war and forced into a world where power is taken, not given. What follows is a careful unravelling—of systems, of trust, of Briony herself. The tension between her and Toven builds slowly, threaded with silence, restraint and so much longing. Ella Lynch delivers a captivating performance that leans into the intensity of the story, letting all the emotion build and settle in all the right places. And that final moment? It cracks everything wide open, setting the stage for what’s next—and leaving you right on the edge waiting for the rest of the trilogy.
