Yes, No, Maybe | Audiobook Reviews

I really quite enjoy making Yes, No, Maybe reading wrap up recommendation videos on Booktok as well as watching them. I thought as a way to motivate myself to write up some overdue audiobook reviews I would try to put these up as Yes, No, Maybe recommendations. 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Narrator: Ray Porter
Length: 16 Hours 10 Minutes
Also by this author: The Martian
Published by Random House Publishing Group on May 4, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Science Fiction / Action & Adventure, Fiction / Science Fiction / Hard Science Fiction, Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Pages: 496
Format: Audiobook, Hardcover
Source: Purchased
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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Now a major motion picture starring Ryan Gosling, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, with a screenplay by Drew Goddard

A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this “propulsive” (Entertainment Weekly), cinematic thriller full of suspense, humor, and fascinating science—from the author of The Martian.

HUGO AWARD FINALIST • NEW YORK TIMES READER PICK: 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY • ONE OF THE YEAR’S BEST BOOKS: Parade, Newsweek, New York Public Library, Polygon, Shelf Awareness, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?

Hailed by USA Today as “an epic story of redemption, discovery, and cool speculative sci-fi,” Project Hail Mary is an irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could deliver.

Multiple fan edits from the Project Hail Mary movie on my FYP made me want to read this book. I had also come across multiple recommendations specifically for the audiobook. My husband bought the audiobook for us to listen to on our drive to Boston and back – which is ten hours. I then ended up so invested that I had to reactivate my Audible account and buy a copy for myself so I could finish listening. This story features Ryland Grace, a science teacher who wakes up in a rocket ship with no idea who he is or what is going on. As it turns out, he is a part of Project Hail Mary, a mission to save life on Earth as we know it. You see, the sun is dying because these things called astrophage are eating it. I found this story to be moving and miraculous. I especially loved the unlikely partnership and friendship within. One way this has been described is as hopecore and I must say that is so accurate. The audiobook is a YES from me. Ray Porter does a fantastic job imbuing the story with emotion and embodying the character of Ryland Grace. I don’t normally go in for science fiction but the 16+ hours I spent with this audiobook will be with me for a long time. And yes, I actually only listened to this at 1X speed, as my husband cannot do audiobooks sped up like I can. It still holds up at the intended, not sped up pace.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

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.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Narrator: Maggi-Meg Reed, Jane Oppenheimer, Carly Robins, Jeff Ebner, David Pittu, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Mark Bramhall, Petrea Burchard, Robert Petkoff, Kimberly Farr, Cerris Morgan-Moyer, Peter Ganim, Jade Wheeler
Length: 8 Hours 36 Minutes
Published by Random House on April 29, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Family Life / General, Fiction / Women
Pages: 304
Format: Audiobook, Hardcover
Source: Library, Publisher
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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Discover the word-of-mouth hit hailed by Ann Patchett as “A cause for celebration”—an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love.

“The Correspondent is this year’s breakout novel no one saw coming.”—The Wall Street Journal

“I cried more than once as I witnessed this brilliant woman come to understand herself more deeply.”—Florence Knapp, author of The Names

In development as a major motion picture starring Jane Fonda

LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE, THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL, AND THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Elle, Christian Science Monitor, She Reads

“Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle. . . . Isn’t there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one’s life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?”

Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.

Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.

Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.

Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be “a very small thing,” but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.

Sometimes I am also influenced to pick up a book from blogs. I know, I know, I still get recommendations in the year 2026 from blogs (considering I am also still writing into the void). I saw The Correspondent by Virginia Evans on Modern Mrs. Darcy and knew I had to pick it up. There was a 100 person hold list at my local library. So, I went with the audiobook — thanks to PRH Audio for the gifted copy. This book absolutely must be experienced on audio. It is an epistolary novel about Sybil Van Antwerp, a retired law clerk. Every day she writes letters and emails – to friends, to family, to customer service and to authors. We see the letters provide us with a pieced together portrait of who Sybil is. I know she rubbed some people the wrong way, but I liked her. She’s brash and forward. She can be demanding. However, she takes up space in her world and at her age and I respect that. Too often, it feels like when a woman reaches a certain age, she becomes invisible to society. Not Sybil. I enjoyed the revelations that life still had for her. We see so much of the human experience play out across Sybil’s letters, including the ones that go unsent. This is a full cast audiobook which really leant to the experience. It is 8 hours 36 minutes unabridged. I listened at 1.5x speed and followed along perfectly. This is a YES if you like audiobooks with imperfect main characters. 

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

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.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Not Quite Dead Yet: A GMA Book Club Pick by Holly Jackson
Narrator: Alex McKenna
Length: 14 Hours 26 Minutes
Also by this author: Camp
Published by Random House on May 5, 2026
Genres: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths, Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense, Fiction / Women
Pages: 400
Format: Audiobook, Hardcover
Source: Library, Publisher
Buy on Amazon
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GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder—now a hit Netflix series—returns with her first novel for adults: an “irresistible” (The Washington Post) thriller about a young woman trying to solve her own murder, “full of the writer’s signature twists and turns” (People).

**The first edition paperback of Not Quite Dead Yet features a new cover and stenciled edges!**

“This truly unique premise snowballs into a roller-coaster ride of page-turning suspense and knock-out twists!”—Freida McFadden, author of The Housemaid

In seven days, Jet Mason will be dead.

Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old and back home, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. I’ll do it later, she always says. She has time.

Until Halloween night, when she is violently attacked by an unseen intruder, suffering a catastrophic head injury. Doctors are certain that within a week, the injury will trigger a fatal aneurysm. To her parents’ dismay, Jet rejects an extremely risky operation in order to guarantee herself at least a few more days.

Jet never thought of herself as having enemies. But now, in the one week she has left, she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her former best friend turned sister-in-law, her ex-boyfriend.

As her condition deteriorates, she reconnects with her childhood friend Billy, the only one willing to help her. With Billy at her side, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something:

Jet is going to solve her own murder.

Holly Jackson is an author who has books that I prefer in audio format. Previously I had not been much of a thriller and mystery reader. However, that is changing as I am seeking out cozy mysteries in print and thrillers in audio. I found I was looking forward to listening to Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson. This story follows Jett who is going to die in approximately seven days due to a head injury she suffers after she is attacked at home. She does not know who her murderer is. As Jett has not really ever finished anything in her life, she feels it is her calling to solve her murder along with the help of her best friend Billy, who had initially found her. There are twists and red herrings. I did not predict who the killer was. I thought the pacing was excellent. I found the unraveling of Jett’s family history to be sad but also interesting. However, I was not at all a fan of the narration of this book. It was a little too hoarse for me. I guess I prefer a more melodic narration style. The narrator is Alex McKenna. The audiobook is 14 hours 26 minutes unabridged. I listened to this at various speeds between 1.5x and 2x. Going strictly for audiobook recommendations, this was a NO from me.

The Re-Do List by Denise Williams

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.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

The Re-Do List by Denise Williams
Narrator: January LaVoy, Teddy Hamilton
Length: 10 Hours 50 Minutes
Also by this author: How to Fail at Flirting, The Fastest Way to Fall
Published by Berkley Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Format: Audiobook, Paperback
Source: Library, Publisher
Buy on Amazon
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What would you do with a second chance at your first time? Following a bad breakup, Willow Lewis tackles a re-do list with the help of her brother’s best friend in this sweet and sexy new romance.

Willow experienced all her big firsts with her high school sweetheart. Now, reeling from their very public breakup, she wants to get a re-do on those important moments. While dog-sitting for her brother during his deployment, she has a chance to start over and spending time with his best friend gives her the confidence to start checking items off her “Re-Do list.”

Deacon promised his best friend two things when Cruz left for a deployment: that he’d look out for Willow, and that he’d keep his hands off Cruz’s baby sister. “Operation Re-Do” is innocent enough at first: Deacon likes Willow and he’s willing to help her out any way he can. But when the list of firsts turns from a first dance to first kisses and more, Deacon can’t deny the connection he feels to Willow.

As Deacon’s and Willow’s firsts turn to seconds, thirds, and fourths, this pair can’t get enough of each other—and they support each other through new challenges. But they are both aware there’s an end date to Willow’s time in town… and even if she were to stay, Deacon doesn’t know how to choose between his loyalty to his closest friend and the woman he’s fallen in love with. With no more romantic moments on her list for them to re-do, can these two still find a way to stay together?

I absolutely love to listen to books by Denise Williams. The Re-Do List is Williams’ latest book and was a delightful listen. This story is told in alternating points of view between Willow and Deacon. Willow has just had a very public breakup that went viral. So, she skips town and is house sitting for her brother who has been deployed. Her brother’s best friend, however, is around and helps Willa out. Deacon was told not to try anything with Willow because Deacon has a player reputation. However, Willow writes up this list of all her firsts with her ex that she wants to re-do. Deacon helps her out with some of the more innocent ones and then soon the list gets more spicy and he helps with those too – sparking a chemistry between the two. I found myself really rooting for Deacon and Willow both individually and as a couple. I liked the new friends Willow made. Also, liked how fun Deacon was. The audiobook is narrated to perfection by January LaVoy and Teddy Hamilton. It is 10 hours and 51 minutes. I listened to this at 1.5 and 2x speed. I would absolutely say The Re-Do List by Denise Williams is a YES.