Updated May 2024

Life hack: Whatever you're doing this summer, audiobooks are the easiest way to read more. It’s also a free (thanks, public libraries and Libby app!) way to get through all the books on your list, not to mention all the added benefits of audiobooks, like increased comprehension, better concentration, improved time management, and much more. Plus, you can clean, drive, craft, exercise, cook, mow, garden, play video games, do puzzles — even fall asleep — all while "reading" (audiobooks totally count as reading, by the way).

To help while you do all the things this summer, here's a few of the season's standouts you'll want to hear. Love romantasy? Ready to get lost in a good series? We’ve got lots of new releases — from fiction to nonfiction to can’t-miss memoirs, fantasy, thrillers, and more, so you can branch out or stick to what you know and love.

📧 Don't forget to subscribe to the free Libby Life email newsletter to get more audiobook picks, updates on new book releases, and recommendations on what to read or listen to next — delivered to your inbox every week.

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
ROMANCE

A Hall of Fame LibraryReads Pick!

A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science.

Children of Anguish and Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi
FANTASY

Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winner Cynthia Erivo narrates Tomi Adeyemi’s long-awaited conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Legacy of Orïsha series.

The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
ROMANCE/THRILLER

Get ready for a new series that brings listeners deeper into the lush, romantic, and puzzle-filled world of the Inheritance Games series, set a year after we last saw Avery and the Hawthornes. Fan-favorite and new characters collide in a game you’ll never forget.

Reckless by Lauren Roberts
ROMANTASY

Paedyn and Kai battle with duty and desire in this highly anticipated second installment in the sizzling and epic romantic fantasy trilogy that’s packed with spicy tension and edge-of-your-seat betrayal.

Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse
FANTASY

The interwoven destinies of the people of Meridian will finally be determined in this stunning conclusion to the Between Earth and Sky trilogy.

Nominated for the Nebula, Lambda, Locus, and Hugo Awards, winner of the Alex Award and the Ignyte Award from Fiyah magazine, the Between Earth and Sky trilogy is amongst the most lauded modern fantasy series from bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse.

The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey
ROMANCE/HUMOR

Bailey returns with an all-new sports rom-com about a burly, surly, single dad who falls head-over-hockey-stick for his quirky live-in nanny.

Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter
MYSTERY/THRILLER

What happens when one of the first child stars of the social media age grows up… and goes missing?

Internet fame, the allure of parasocial relationships, and some of our deepest cultural obsessions collide in this electric thriller by a debut writer to watch.

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
ROMANCE

In McQuiston's latest romantic comedy, two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour and challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they’re over each other — except they’re definitely not.

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
ROMANCE

This is the story of two kids who fell in love before they knew enough about love to recognize it. Two friends who lost everything. Two adults who just feel lost.

It’s the story of Shiloh and Cary, who everyone thought would end up together, trying to find their way back to the start.

Rowell delivers a bright, beaming power ballad of a novel about a love so true it refuses to be forgotten.

Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver
ROMANCE/THRILLER

“I don’t just want to hear her laugh, I need to earn it. Every time I gain a little ground, I want more. I want to break out of the shade and back into her light. Without even realizing it, I’ve become addicted to it. To her.”

From the author of the genre-breaking international TikTok sensation Butcher & Blackbird comes the second book in the Ruinous Love trilogy — a hate-to-love dark romantic comedy packed with danger, chaos, and heat.

*Title availability may vary by library & region.

Pool goers, road trippers, and hammock loungers, grab your headphones and get ready to enjoy in your downtime — or anytime — with Libby, the reading (and listening) app from your library.

Check out more anticipated audiobooks of summer: