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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 organized, 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.
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.
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. Australian 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.
When paradise becomes peril
Perhaps due to an early fascination with the movie Castaway starring Tom Hanks, I’m an absolute sucker for a shipwreck story. So when I first discovered A Marriage at Sea, I knew I had found my next summer listen. This unpauseable tale is based on the harrowing true story of odd couple Maurice and Maralyn, who managed to survive in the Pacific Ocean with limited supplies on an inflatable raft after an encounter with a whale sunk the yacht they called home. It charts their journey from departing into the unknown, ironically seeking a life of seclusion, through the harrowing realization that they had been granted exactly that. A master class in being careful what you wish for and holding on to love, A Marriage at Sea will delight and devastate you until the last sentence.
Hold space for this new recording
I never expected to cry while watching Wicked in movie theatres, but seeing Cynthia Erivo bound through corn fields, belting out “The Wizard and I” actually sent me over the edge with tears of joy. It feels exhilarating to witness a talented performer fulfill a sentimental dream, and every ounce of her passion for this coming-of-age narrative comes across in this stunning recording of the novel that inspired it all. I have to admit, I never finished Gregory Maguire’s story before seeing the stage production years ago. With Cynthia by my side, I’m now flying through to check this audiobook off my bucket list—for good!
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.
Imagine inheriting an Italian villa
The Unraveling of Julia combines Lisa Scottoline's passion for Italy and her knack for writing female-centred crime fiction with astrology, grief, agoraphobia—and a little magic. When Julia Pritzker's husband is killed defending her from a mugger, her world falls apart. Then comes shocking news: A mysterious Italian woman named Emilia Rossi has left Julia millions and a gorgeous estate in Chianti. Julia's never heard of Emilia and has no clue why she's been chosen. Wondering if Emilia might be her biological grandmother, Julia heads to Italy to uncover the truth. But someone clearly doesn't want her digging into the past, and eerie nightmares start plaguing her sleep. It's a captivating story that’s beautifully narrated by Maria Marquis, whose Italian accent is perfetto.
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.
Consider my doors locked
Summer is made for thrillers, and Daphne Woolsoncroft’s debut is the perfect kick-off to the season. When she was a young child, Nola Straight witnessed a gruesome murder at the hands of a serial killer known as the Hiding Man. Now, as the host of the popular call-in paranormal podcast Night Watch, her world is rocked once more when a caller appears to describe the very man she saw that fateful night. Best known as one of the hosts of the true crime podcast Going West, Woolsoncroft clearly knows what makes a compulsive crime story, and it’s clear she’s injected her own expertise into this creeptastic, voyeuristic tale. Helen Laser perfectly portrays Nola’s dread and determination, and Will Collyer is pitch-perfect as he takes on the points of view of both the novel’s hard-boiled detective, Jack DeLacey, and the masked killer.
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 installment, 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 unraveling—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.
