14 Audiobooks For The YA Superfan

I feel as though we are in a golden age of audiobooks and friends, I am LIVING for it. As a resident young adult book super fan, I have listened to a TON of YA audiobooks and thought maybe this would be a great time to tell you all about them. As you saw in my previous round up post, there’s a lot of YA audiobooks to wade through out there and well, hopefully this helps you find a few more great books to add to your listening TBR.

I received this book for free from Library, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

"[A] fantasy romance in the vein of books by Sabaa Tahir, Renee Ahdieh." - School Library Journal on Reign the Earth

The sweeping Elementae series continues with a heroine so powerful she can command the sky . . .

Stolen from her family as a child, Aspasia has clawed her way up the ranks of Cyrus's black market empire to captain her own trading vessel--and she risks it all every time she uses her powerful magic to free as many women, children, and Elementae from slavery as she can.

But Cyrus is close to uncovering her secrets--not only that Aspasia is a wind Elementa with the ability to sail her ship through the sky, but that she is also searching for her lost family. And if Aspasia can't find her younger siblings before Cyrus does, she will never be able to break free.

Armed with her loyal crew full of Elementae and a new recruit who controls an intriguing power, Aspasia finds herself in the center of a brewing war that spans every inch of the ocean, and her power alone may not be enough to save her friends, family, and freedom.

What Did I Think Of Imprison The Sky by AC Gaughen?

Imprison The Sky by AC Gaughen takes readers right to the seas among other places in the world of the Elementae. This is the kind of book that I think could standalone. However, you’ll enjoy your time with it so much more if you read Reign The Earth first. This book mostly features a new cast of characters. We have Asp (short for Aspasia) who is the new lead character instead of continuing with Shalia.

Asp captains a ship. She’s sort of under the employ of a Slaver named Cyrus. Only, Asp subverts her “job” by freeing women, children, and Elementae. Her ship is crewed by those that she has freed (they have a choice in this job, by the way). So, anyways, Asp is on a mission to find her missing siblings. She hopes to find them before Cyrus. Meanwhile, she’s crossed paths with this guy who has an Elementae power that is completely new to her. Oh, and Asp has an Elementae power that helps her to control the sky.

The plotting behind this book is legitimate. I think it moves quickly. I found myself genuinely caring about the characters too – especially Asp and Kairos. However, I would say I did not retain 100% of what I had listened to.

How’s The Narration?

For some reason, this audiobook did not entirely gel with me. It just was not as good as Reign The Earth on audiobook merits. The narration felt slow and I did tune in and out. Even sped up to 2x, I still kind of felt like it was slow. The audiobook is narrated by Maya Saroya who was new to me as a narrator. Maybe it was that I was not used to her voice. I think at this point I am going to try to read Imprison The Sky via physical or ebook in the future just to try and retain more information.

What Did I Think Of Get Even by Gretchen McNeil?

Get Even by Gretchen McNeil really solidifies just how much I enjoy McNeil’s books. I mean are they my absolute favorite ever, no. However, I know that I can read her books and get a thrill out of them. I will always associate her books as YA thrillers (or horror for a few). So, this audiobook was 100% what I had expected and hoped for.

Get Even is a story of revenge. It’s about this group of four girls who go to a private school and right wrongs. The girls are not at all in the same social circle and you would not expect them to be friends. That works perfectly for their revenge group called Don’t Get Mad, as it is like a cell where no one is going to associate them with each other. And so, they do small things to get revenge on bullies and school administrators. It is all well and fine until one of their targets ends up dead with a DGM card. This means someone has figured what DGM is and well is using their name for evil. Someone is going to get caught and the stakes are high.

So, it’s been a year and a half since I listened to this book, Get Even. Here’s what I can say — I very much enjoy revenge stories. I also like YA thrillers as it turns out. So, for me, this book worked very well. I think that people who enjoy revenge books will enjoy this one, plus there’s a pretty good sequel to check out, which I ended up listening to immediately next and also enjoying.

How’s The Narration?

The audiobook of Get Even is narrated by Tavia Gilbert. It’s nine hours and fifty five minutes long. I listened to this initially via Hoopla, and can’t guarantee it is still on there (especially if your library went for the plan with no Harper audios like mine did). Gilbert does an admirable job bringing McNeil’s story to life. I remember not feeling bored and having a wandering mind while reading. I’d definitely recommend if you want a thrilling listen.

What Did I Think Of The Summer Of Jordi Perez (And The Best Burger In Los Angeles)?

Basically any book written by Amy Spalding is A-Okay in my estimation. The Summer Of Jordi Perez (And The Best Burger In Los Angeles) is the second Amy Spalding book I’ve read this year. It’s different from her other books in that the main character is a lesbian (which is great). Abby is a character who is easy to care about and root for. She’s really into fashion and runs her own blog for plus size fashion. This summer she is working an internship that she hopes to turn into a job. However, she’s competing with another girl for that job, Jordi Perez.

Yet, Jordi is really cool with a little bit of a reputation. Anyways, Abby ends up crushing on Jordi. Meanwhile, she has this friend that she’s going around rating burgers with to find the best burger in LA. What results is a fun story of summer and first love. The chemistry between Abby and Jordi is excellent. The pace is quite quick too. On the whole, this is the kind of book that’s great for your beach bag.

How’s The Narration?

The audiobook of The Summer Of Jordi Perez (And The Best Burger In Los Angeles) is narrated by Cassandra Morris. It is six hours and thirty minutes long. Talk about a FAST listen. Of course, I listened via Hoopla and if your library has the paired down version of Hoopla, this one is still on there. It’s worth a Hoopla borrow. I think Morris’s narration skews a little young, but on the whole it does work for this book. I’d recommend if you want to try an audiobook but do not want to commit for a long time.

What Did I Think Of The Music Of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg?

I genuinely think that The Music Of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg is CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED. This book was incredible. It is wild to me that I have not seen more people talking about it. Readers who liked Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe would probably enjoy this book. But beyond the comparison, I think the dual narrators were an excellent choice. This book is all about vulnerability and love and difficult situations.

The Music Of What Happens is about Max and Jordan. Max is essentially a dudebro who happens to be gay, which totally isn’t a big deal for him. He lives with his mother while his father lives elsewhere because his parents are divorced. Max is on the baseball team and has a pretty core group of guy friends. Jordan also lives with his mother as his father died. Jordan’s best friends are two girls that he was in a play or musical with, that he refers to as his wives. Anyways, Jordan’s dad had bought a food truck, and so because his mom is so far behind on the mortgage, they decide to take the food truck on the road again. Max ends up applying to work at and is hired on the food truck. From there, Max and Jordan really get to know each other and develop a friendship possibly into something more.

I know I am being vague. However, this book really is just genuinely excellent. I am very much a character driven reader (as long as the plot also back it up — I can’t do slow or boring). Personally, The Music Of What Happens was satisfying on that front. It details these traumas that Jordan and Max have been through along with addressing toxic masculinity among other things. And well, there’s some hope and learning and growth. Just believe you me, when I say you should pick this quiet book up, I mean it with all my heart.

How’s The Narration?

I keep going on about this book and excellence. I will continue that by saying the audiobook is one I highly recommend. Hoopla has The Music Of What Happens via audio, and there’s a possibility you can get it on Overdrive or via Audible. The audiobook has two narrators – Anthony Ray Perez and Joel Froomkin. Perez narrates the chapters from Max’s point of view and Froomkin narrates the chapters from Jordan’s point of view. Both really inhabit their characters and I think are a key piece to why I loved this book so much. FYI, the audiobook is 9 hours and 17 minutes long, I listened to it sped up and completely do not hesitate to recommend this via audio.

What Did I Think Of There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon?

At this point in my life I am basically obsessed with the books by Sandhya Menon. There’s Something About Sweetie is the third book I’ve read by Menon and oh my goodness. THEY KEEP GETTING BETTER AND BETTER. It almost isn’t fair, because other contemporary YA books will be compared and these books are a hard act to follow. Can I just say that I love that teens of color are getting fun contemporary books that hopefully can act as mirrors for them? I know YA still has such a long way to go, but compared to the early 2000s when all there was out there was Born Confused, what a time to be alive and a reader.

So, if you haven’t read When Dimple Met Rishi, you will be at a tiny bit of a disadvantage going into this book. You see, There’s Something About Sweetie stars Rishi’s brother Ashish as the love interest and there’s a brief appearance of both Rishi and Dimple. FYI I love seeing what cherished characters are up to in future books. This book is about Sweetie who is a track star who happens to be fat. Sweetie is okay with it, but her mother is not. Anyways, she ends up meeting Ashish’s mom who then is like oh Sweetie is so nice, let me set her up with Ashish. Only Sweetie’s mom is all, NO. But somehow there ends up being this dating contract and it’s super adorable.

I love these books. I love that the drama is low stakes. What Menon does so well is characterization. By the end I was so thrilled and happy for Sweetie and Ashish. Also, they have really excellent friend groups too which helped with my enjoyment of this book. Readers in need of a happy book should ABSOLUTELY pick up There’s Something About Sweetie.

How’s The Narration?

This is the first book of Menon’s that I listened to via audio and I have no regrets. Turns out her stories are excellent no matter what for them they take. The audiobook of There’s Something About Sweetie is 11 Hours 36 Minutes long. It has dual narration with Soneela Nankani and Vikas Adam. Nankani is an amazing narrator and I will be genuinely thrilled no matter what audiobook I listen to with her at the narration helm. Adam is alright. On the whole, a decent audiobook and one I’d say to get your hands on.

What Did I Think Of Tess Of The Road by Rachel Hartman?

I am so glad that I did not immediately read Tess Of The Road by Rachel Hartman when I was approved for it. You see, that was right around the time that my son was under one years old and there’s no way I would have been able to make it through this book. Also, Hartman’s books are so special that I want to be sure that I am reading them at exactly the right time. I loved Seraphina and Shadow Scale, so it makes sense that I would want to love Tess Of The Road. Friends, I absolutely loved this book.

Tess Of The Road is all about Seraphina’s sister, Tess. Tess is one of those girls who is prickly around the edges and she genuinely believes she’s bad and not good enough. However, we see that she’s been through some real trauma. So, this is a book about hitting the road and healing. It’s a book that says your trauma is a part of you, but it does not define you.

I’ll be completely frank with you all and say there was a part where I had to re-read what happened and was like about to cry but then realized I am in the office and this is not the greatest environment for that. Straight up, I will say that there’s infant death in this book and as a part of a young child, that was so hard to read and had me feeling some things. However, if you can handle that, this book, while slow is excellent and has a true character development payoff.

How’s The Narration?

The audiobook of Tess Of The Road is narrated by Katharine McEwan. It is 16 hours and 15 minutes long. I’ll be honest, that is a LONG audiobook, at least for me these days. Yet, McEwan does a wonderful job moving the story along and with pronouncing the dragon words. I don’t entirely hesitate to recommend this one via audio – except that if you don’t have the attention span. In that case, pick up the physical book. This is one superb story and just, really great if you’re here for character development, which I, as a reader, am on board for.

What Did I Think Of Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater?

So, Sinner is basically a spin off from the Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater. It’s the story of Cole St. Clair who basically is this rock star. It also is the story of Isabel Culpepper. Instead of being set in Mercy Falls, it is set in LA. Cole’s about to be on TV. Isabel is living there with her family. The two had previously ended not on a great note, and so Cole is there to get Isabel back. Meanwhile, he’s also dealing with the whole shape shifting into a wolf thing and the fall out of Isabel’s brother dying.

You might be wondering if you have to have read the three Mercy Falls books (Shiver, Linger, Forever) to understand and enjoy this book. My answer is no, probably not. I say that because I have not read Forever yet. However, I found myself really able to follow along. Ultimately, I rooted for both Isabel and Cole. I found Cole’s story to be quite sad. However, there’s a true redemption arc. And true to Stiefvater form, it is beautifully written. I’d certainly recommend especially if you’re the sort who feels you must read everything Stiefvater has ever written (guilty as charged).

How’s The Narration?

I listened to Sinner via the Hoopla app at my library. The cool thing is that the audiobook has two narrators – Emma Galvin and Dan Bittner. I LOVED Galvin’s narration as always. As for Bittner, normally I can take or leave, however, his narration in Sinner was fantastic. I’d definitely say give this one a listen. The audiobook is 9 hours and 24 minutes but goes by quickly and is so easy to follow and not get confused on. Plus listening gave me a real appreciation for Stiefvater’s writing style.

What Did I Think Of Again, But Better?

I really genuinely came into Again, But Better by Christine Riccio without any preconceived notions. It is a book that I really, really wanted to like. Alas, I am just incompatible with this book. Possibly it is an age and life experience thing, but after listening to this, I just really did not care for it. That’s not to diminish people who loved Again, But Better. Props to those people. Twelve year old me probably would have loved it. But I am not at all the target audience and I don’t think this was one of those books that transcends all that.

Again, But Better is about this girl named Shane Primaveri (I kept calling her Primavera as in pasta primavera in my head) who goes on study abroad in London for a writing program instead of pre-med and meets a boy. The boy is Pilot Penn, only, he has a girlfriend. So, you’d think Anna And The French Kiss vibes. Not quite. Anyways, there’s a little bit of a twist. But yeah, the book is set in 2011, but then goes to 2017, and then back to 2011. For a college student, Shane is really immature. Like, there’s quirky and then there’s socially awkward. Not that there’s anything wrong with not being socially graceful. Just, personally, I am a little old for that. Anyways, she’s going to a college that is $50k per year which I remember clearly from the audiobook and her parents get mad at her for lying and wasting their money.

How do you know you are OLD? Relating to the parents who are kind of the bad guys in a YA book. Oh my god, if I was spending $50k per year on my kid’s education, yes, I would want them to be in a field of study that has gainful employment prospects so that they are not living in my house forever. I would be pissed if I thought my hard earned money was going toward a medical career when actually my child is screwing around in Europe taking a writing class. And ok, I can empathize and say yes, it sucks to be in a major you hate. If that’s the case, go to a cheaper state school, major in what you want, and pay for your education yourself, not on mom and dad’s dime. Again, maybe this all just hits me because of that level of selfishness and privilege.

Beyond that, I just found all the outfit descriptions laughable. I thought it was funny how this girl had to wait until Pilot went to bed to take her make up off and then get up super early to put it on before he got up. And then when she loses her purse, instead of leaving immediately to go to the restaurant where she thinks she lost it, SHE STOPS TO DO HER MAKEUP. Like, talk about no common sense and weird priorities. And yes, there’s like a million and one pop culture references and it is just TOO much. It just felt like it was trying way, way too hard. I think there was potential with this book, but honestly, if it was tightened up and all that junk edited out, it probably would have been at least 3.5 or 4 stars, but as it stands, it just felt so amateur.

How’s The Narration?

One redeeming light with my experience reading Again, But Better was the audiobook. It was VERY well narrated. Brittany Pressley is the narrator and she’s superb with her voicing of Shane, Pilot and side character Babe. Everyone has a weird name in this book. The audiobook somewhat goes by quick when you listen at 2x speed. It’s 12 hours without being sped up. And the acknowledgements are read by Riccio. On the whole, if you are insistent about reading this, get the audiobook, Pressley’s narration makes it seem less grating.

What Did I Think Of Field Notes On Love?

I have yet to meet a Jennifer E. Smith book that I do not love with everything. Field Notes On Love just continues that trend. And thank goodness. I don’t know what I would have felt had this book been a dud — considering the last audiobook that I listened to was a dud. Smith’s Field Notes On Love features a unique setting and a sweet love story. It was exactly what I needed to listen to during a stressful sort of week.

Field Notes On Love is an alternating narration book – the main characters are Hugo and Mae. Hugo is from England and is one of a sextuplet. His girlfriend booked a cross country train trip in America. Only, before they can go, she breaks up with him. Unfortunately, the tickets are in her name and are non refundable and non transferable. Hugo then looks for another person with her name (Margaret Campbell) to take over the trip. That’s where Mae comes in (short for Margaret Campbell). Mae takes over for Margaret and Hugo gets his trip. Along the way, Mae makes a film interviewing people about love and well, Mae and Hugo fall for each other.

All in all, this is a lovely sweet story. Of course, Hugo and Mae fall for each other quickly because that’s how Smith’s books tend to work. But you know, it all just feels so whirlwind but kind of believable. One of the best side characters is Mae’s grandmother who is a real pistol. Also, Mae’s dads and Hugo’s siblings. I loved how the book touches on family. I think that this is really a solid read for the summer.

How’s The Narration?

The audiobook has a dual narration with Karissa Vacker narrating Mae’s chapters and Anthony Mark Barrow narrating Hugo’s chapters. Of course Barrow has a wonderful accent for Hugo and again, feels authentic with his narration. Vacker also feels quite authentic in her narration and likeable as well. I definitely would recommend the audiobook if you’ve got the chance to listen to it. It’s well narrated and is a quick listen at 8 hours and 23 minutes.

What Did I Think Of Dark Of The West by Joanna Hathaway?

Dark Of The West by Joanna Hathaway has a spectacular cover. I mean, I saw this cover and knew I had to read this book. Apparently, everyone else felt that way too, because I waited MONTHS on the waitlist on Libby to listen to the audiobook. I liked that this book was different from the types of fantasy books that I typically read.

So, Dark Of The West is told in alternating chapters between Aurelia who is a princess and Athan who is the son of a general. Athan’s mother is shot and killed and for some reason, his father believes it has something to do with Aurelia’s mother who is queen of Etania. And so, Athan goes to Etania to do some spying. Along the way, he ends up falling for Aurelia. Now, what is cool and unique about this book is that there’s technology. It’s not quite medieval based. There are airplanes! Which Athan flies. Anyways, so the book opens with a prologue where war is happening. Then the book takes us to before that point.

Admittedly, it is not initially super exciting to get to that war point. However, I did like learning about the characters. The backgrounds and motivations are interesting – particularly Aurelia’s dad – who is dead. It is fascinating seeing these kids learn that not everything is black and white and that there’s shades of gray and their reactions to that.

How’s The Narration?

The audiobook of Dark Of The West is 14 hours and 56 minutes unabridged. It is kind of a long audiobook. I felt like speeding it up to 2x made me lose out on details, so I listened to it at 1.5x and 1.75x at various intervals. The narrators are Barrie Kreinik and Dan Bittner. Considering I’ve recently listened to Bittner, hearing him again was nice. I also liked Kreinik’s narration – she does imperial quite well. I would certainly recommend checking out this audiobook.

What Did I Think Of Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee?

Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee is different from other books I’ve read by Jeff Zentner (I have read them all up to this point and Goodbye Days is my favorite). I just didn’t think this book hit me quite as hard as his other ones. Still, the concept is an interesting one. This book features Josie and Delia two teens who are best friends and run a show on local cable access featuring horror movies and their commentary. The horror movies come from a VHS collection that Delia’s dad had left behind when he walked out on the family. Josie has to make some choices about her internship and college and leaving the show behind. Delia doesn’t exactly have the same choices as Josie. Anyways, the two think they have an option to take their show to the next level and that opportunity comes via a Horror Con in Florida. I found I was much more into Delia’s parts.

How’s The Narration?

The audiobook of Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee is narrated by Sophie Amoss and Phoebe Stroll. It is 10 hours and 20 minutes. I liked that it had two narrators for the two characters. It’s a relatively quick feeling listen. Like, I didn’t feel bored or like the audiobook is going on forever and ever. I did gel much more with Stroll’s narration because she reminds me of Emma Galvin. This is a pretty solid listen and worth your time.

What Did I Think Of Twelve Steps To Normal?

Twelve Steps To Normal is Farrah Penn’s debut novel and after finishing, I immediately went to look up if she had anything else coming out or in the works. Maybe I am a bad googler, but I didn’t find anything. I’d say that Twelve Steps To Normal is a charming coming of age story dealing with the heavy topic of recovery from addiction and how it affects the family. I found this to be standard YA contemporary fare and there’s absolutely nothing wrong or bad about that.

Penn’s book is told from the point of view of Kira who moves away while her dad is in rehab and then comes back with hopes that her life will be exactly the way it was before. Spoiler: it is not. So, she comes up with a twelve step plan to get things back to normal. Along the way, she learns that maybe change is a good thing. Also, she goes back and her home has fellow guests in recovery staying. It’s interesting how Kira deals with this change (not well). I think that you could easily judge Kira, but if you also have any experience or understanding of teenagers, you would realize that Kira is completely acting normal in reaction to the stress and changes.

How’s The Narration?

The audiobook of Twelve Steps To Normal is narrated by Christie Moreau. It is nine hours and forty three minutes long. I am glad I listened to this book via audio. I thought that Moreau’s narration added an extra bit of authenticity to this book. It also was really easy to follow and on the whole is a compelling listen. I think this would be a decent audiobook for first time listeners.

What Did I Think Of The King Slayer by Virginia Boecker?

I do not know how often I mention loving duologies on here, but friends, I love them. It makes me so happy when I can finish up a story in just two books rather than one that stretches on and on for a very long time. Speaking of which, The King Slayer by Virginia Boecker is the conclusion to The Witch Hunter and basically wraps everything right up. I read The Witch Hunter back in Spring 2015 and now it is Summer 2019 and I am finally reading The King Slayer during my summer of Netgalley queue clearing. Life pro tip: don’t wait forever between sequels to read or go in without a refresh of the previous book.

I was a little bit lost during my listen to the audiobook of The King Slayer. I remembered literally nothing from the previous book and was not smart enough to just re-read the previous book or synopsis. So, I would say that had a big impact on how I felt about this book. On the whole though, the main character of The King Slayer, Elizabeth is excellent. She’s basically switched sides and is staying in a town populated by witches and wizards. She then really gets into the war against Lord Blackwell. There’s a bit of romance too. And coming of age and learning. It’s a pretty good book I think, but for me personally, would have been better if I had just taken the time to re-read The Witch Hunter. I might also have liked it better if I had physically read it instead of listened to it.

How’s The Narration?

The audiobook of The King Slayer is narrated by Nicola Barber, who I just love as a narrator. I say that I would have liked this better if I physically read because I think maybe I might have processed the book a little slower and retained a little bit more. Granted, the audiobook is very well narrated. So maybe on the other hand, I’d feel differently if I had re-read by listening to the first book and maybe have been a little more invested. Regardless, the audiobook is 10 hours and 33 minutes long and a decent way to experience this story.

What Did I Think Of Lost Crow Conspiracy?

Lost Crow Conspiracy is the second of Rosalyn Eves’ Blood Rose Rebellion trilogy. On the whole it escapes second book in a trilogy slump and is a wildly interesting sequel. Lost Crow Conspiracy deals with what happens after Anna Arden has broken the Binding and the fall out from all of that. Also, we see what has happened to Matyas who we all thought was dead but is actually alive. And well, the motions are set for book three.

Friends, after listening to this book I actually am super excited to listen to the audiobook of the third and closing book of the series — even though I am actually not at all obligated to read it  (I don’t have a review copy nor is it on my shelves in physical form). That’s actually some solid praise from me, because I don’t care to deviate from my obligations until I finish them. But, I want to know what happens to Anna, Gabor, Matyas and Noemi. Like, I actually feel invested and care.

Plus, I thought it was cool how this is fantasy but there’s some very real characters in here from the Hapsburg Empire. The world building is superb and we have my favorite thing which is politics. I know some of you hate politics, but for me I love fantasy congressional meetings much more than like a battle with swords and magic powers. Give me intrigue any day and PLOTTING. I’d for sure recommend you listen to this historical fantasy trilogy.

How’s The Narration?

The audiobook of Lost Crow Conspiracy is narrated by Fiona Hardingham and Steve West. The two are absolute audiobook narrator professionals. So, as a product, this is a top notch listen. It’s well narrated, it is easy to follow. None of the narration feels off or weird. Plus, it actually makes me want even more and makes me so excited for the final book of the trilogy.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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