This post was originally posted on Audible.com.
Get out your waterproof speakers because one thing is crystal-clear among us audiobook aficionados: The summer of the swimming pool is upon us. From splashy debuts to steamy romances between rescue swimmers, pools have been popping up on book covers all year long, inspiring our audio itinerary for the season. Whether basking by the pool is a daydream or reality, these refreshing listens will transport you to a splashy summer day (and never give you swimmer’s ear). Check out our favorite poolside audio for every kind of listener.
For gallons of drama with a drop of apocalypse:
Fans of bingeable reality TV and speculative fiction alike will find themselves gripped by the premise of Aisling Rawle's debut. Twenty contestants are tucked away in "the Compound"—the remote desert set of a blockbuster reality show—but it's hard for them to shake the mysterious sense that, just beyond the borders of the novel's titular home, the end of the world might be making waves...
For girls who just want to have sun:
Pam, Nancy, Shalisa, and Marlene were dead set on soaking up their golden years poolside, but then their husbands sunk their retirement funds into a bad investment. However, they aren't about to let their dreams deflate so easily. Hear what happens next when the ladies veer off the deep end, hiring a hitman to ensure they can still dip their toes into their husbands' seven-figure life insurance policies before the summer ends.
For a romance hotter than a heated infinity pool:
Narrated by real-life husband and wife duo Steven Pasquale and Phillipa Soo, the chemistry between the characters in Lily Chu's latest is steamily palpable. Rich Girl Summer takes listeners for a dip into the extravagant world of eccentric matriarchs and private family feuds, plus it's perfect for anyone who thinks that manifesting their money era is at least worth a try.
For kicking back with friends:
Don't say we didn't warn you when the waterworks start. Author Fredrik Backman has a knack for holding the messy parts of being human up to the light in his novels, and Marin Ireland masterfully performs this touching dual-timeline story about four teenagers who find solace together on a forgotten pier.
For poolside family pride:
Lay back and sip something decadent as Steven Rowley narrates his bestselling novel about a gay former sitcom star who finds himself filling in as the primary caretaker of his young niece and nephew in the wake of a family tragedy. The best part about this Pride Month staple? Once you've finished basking in the glamorous Palm Springs setting of this series starter, a trip to Italy awaits with the destination wedding for the family's soon-to-be-launt (lesbian aunt).
For early aughts nostalgia:
Read by an all-queer cast, multihyphenate pop star Hayley Kiyoko’s debut YA novel, based on the hit song she penned of the same name, is an earworm of an audiobook. Covering grief, longing, and belonging with delicate nuance while submerging listeners in the early-aughts-inspired trends that are going nowhere this summer, this coming-of-age story about losing and finding yourself in formative relationships delivers.
For an unforgettable debut:
Vanessa Walters’s first novel—an edgy, unpauseable thriller down to the final twist—is more than a story about the missing wife of a Nigerian businessman and the aunt determined to find her. As a former “Lagos wife” herself (a foreign woman married to a Nigerian man), the author's keen insights into the loss of identity and cultural isolation endured by her main character, Nicole, layers this story with indelible grit.
For a deep dive into the psyche:
Author Lisa Wiliamson Rosenberg is a certified psychotherapist who specializes in trauma and racial identity, informing this twisty narrative of interracial adoptions and mental illness. Nimbly narrated by Torian Brackett, this novel, set in a psychiatric hospital, alternates between the multiple perspectives and personalities of Eddie Asher (who lives with dissociative identity disorder). As his treatment plan progresses, repressed memories soon bubble to the surface, shaping up into an absorbing exploration of the rippling effects of childhood trauma.
For a protagonist in over his head:
Starring and co-written by the talented Maulik Pancholy from 30 Rock, Murder at the Patel Motel follows a New York City event planner whose routine visit to his family's dingy motel in Montana plunges him into the middle of an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery. With a fantastic ensemble cast whose familiar voices you'll enjoy spotting throughout, this listen blends humor with heart to offer a touching story about a gay son who vowed never to reconnect with his small-town roots.
For an iconic pool scene:
A century after its publication, there is no better time to dive back into this great American classic. Jake Gyllenhaal’s understated, melancholic performance of an outsider’s observations on empty opulence adds another layer of depth to Fitzgerald's haunting exposé of the American Dream, which culminates in perhaps the most iconic swimming pool scene in literary history. (Just remember, Jay Gatsby never once used his swimming pool throughout that fatal summer—if only he’d taken the plunge when he could still enjoy it.)
For those who won't swim in the ocean:
Like The Great Gatsby, Peter Benchley’s Jaws makes this list of poolside listens despite not having a cover to match our qualifications. That’s because 50 summers ago, when Steven Spielberg released his breakout blockbuster adaptation, folks could hardly step foot in a kiddie pool without imagining a lurking great white. Containing all the shark-infested suspense of the classic film, this novel offers an all-consuming listen perfect for indulging in summer nostalgia.
For flirting with lifeguards:
This sweet, sharply funny romance is about filmmaker Katie, who takes on a last-chance assignment in Key West profiling a rescue swimmer who turns out to be more charming—and complicated—than she ever expected. With unforgettable side characters, emotional depth, and Center’s signature blend of humor and spice paired with a spot-on performance from Patti Murin, The Love Haters is a charming, feel-good listen about the unexpected places love can find you.
For epic historical fiction:
Impeccable performances from Helen Laser and Caroline Hewett elevate this dual narrative novel spanning from 1950s Cairo to current-day Cape Cod, about two women connected across decades by a mysterious family heirloom. A single mother’s desperate search for a viable kidney donor to help save her son who swallowed a toxic mushroom while away at summer camp propels the novel along, sweeping listeners up in the momentum of this multigenerational saga.
For resurfacing secrets:
When a body is discovered under the foster home that two girls grew up in, they are thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses (or perhaps even potential suspects) to a murder. While this mystery grapples with challenging themes such as child abuse and trauma, its plot is twistier than a pool noodle, making Darling Girls a nearly unpauseable audiobook.
For a dip into queer history:
With bathhouses all the rage, it's interesting to revisit Booker Prize-winning author Alan Hollinghurst’s debut, a queer classic set in the public bathing houses and swimming pools of early ’80s London. The novel is steamier than a sweat lodge in its graphic depictions of casual sex, and its fetishization of race has aged poorly, to put it mildly. But as a window into gay history and a literary icon's assured first effort, it’s worth testing the waters—and bathing in the liquid elegance of Samuel West’s narration.
For quenching your thirst:
Someone may need to douse you with ice water after listening to Ali Hazelwood’s latest. Following the steamy mutual attraction between two star swimmers, Deep End has all the brainy chemistry (physical and otherwise) that fans have come to love and expect from Hazelwood, with a healthy dose of BDSM tossed in.
And finally, for those who'd rather take naps than swim laps:
Get in bed with this soothing soundscape and drift off to the gentle rumbles of a herd of elephants lounging around a serene Sri Lankan lake, making space for their own mud bath meditations.
