Romance Audiobook Recommendations

Let’s Get Listening with Haylee

Hi everyone! I’m Haylee! I’m a houseplant enthusiast, baseball lover, and LEGO builder from Kansas City! Audiobooks are my favorite way to read. You can always find me consuming an audiobook; whether I’m going on a walk, doing chores, building LEGOs, or just lounging around! I am able to listen on 2.4–2.5x speed, and I love doing a tandem read where I listen while following along with my physical copy! In this second installment of Let’s Get Listening!, I’ll be going over four of my absolute favorite romance audiobooks. Romance is a genre I have read more and more of over the last few years, and it’s slowly becoming one of my top genres. Whether you have chores to do, a long drive ahead of you, or want to cozy up with your favorite game, I hope there’s a recommendation here that you will enjoy!

BEFORE I LET GO by Kennedy Ryan (2022)

LENGTH: 13 hours, 45 minutes

READ BY: Wesleigh Siobhan and Jakobi Diem

Trigger Warnings: child death, miscarriage, grief, depression, suicidal thoughts, death, death of a parent, dementia, car accident, sexual content

Before I Let Go was my first ever Kennedy Ryan book, and it will definitely not be my last. I really appreciated the discussion on grief, loss, depression, and trauma. This book is so heavy and it hurt my heart multiple times. However, everything was handled with so much care and really showed how those things can affect not just ourselves but our relationships, too. On top of that, the incorporation of starting therapy and taking care of your mental health was so well done. Ryan did such a great job talking about how hard starting therapy can be, but how you owe it to yourself to take care of your mental well-being. Yasmen and Josiah were our main protagonists, and I loved the dual POV we got from them. They were incredibly well fleshed out characters, and their growth, both individually and together, was such a pleasure to read. Their chemistry was off the charts, and every scene they were in together had me giggling and kicking my feet. I also appreciated the mother-daughter relationship between Yasmen and Deja. It was incredibly complex, and I know so many people were able to relate to that. Another part I enjoyed about the book was Yasmen’s friendships with Soledad and Hendrix. I know the next two books are in their respective POVs, and I can’t wait to get to them. Wesleigh Siobhan and Jakobi Diem brought Yasmen and Josiah to life. I could feel every emotion in their voices and was brought to tears multiple times due to their performance.

If you need another opinion, fellow book lover Chelsea also loved Before I Let Go! 

“I love Yasmen and Josiah. This was such a raw and realistic look at the ways complicated grief, depression, and unprocessed trauma can affect us and our relationships. I loved the therapy aspect of it because it was handled with such care. It was such a genuine representation of how therapy works, how different people resist therapy, how sometimes it takes a couple of tries to find the right therapist, and how helpful the right therapist can be in providing tools to help navigate life. The pining and constant forced proximity had me completely engrossed; waiting for the moment the dam would finally break and BOY did it break in the most delicious way!!”

Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen (2023)

LENGTH: 10 hours, 32 minutes

READ BY: Raechel Wong

Trigger Warnings: death, grief, death of a family member, toxic relationship, infidelity

Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen was a rom-com that had me kicking my feet and giggling multiple times. Lunar Love follows Olivia (Liv), who has taken over her grandmother’s (Pó Po) Chinese zodiac-based matchmaking business, and Bennett, who created an app where people can find love based on Chinese zodiac signs. I loved the incorporation of the traditional Chinese matchmaking business and modern dating app and thought it provided some much-needed discourse on dating in the modern world and Chinese culture. While the story was a bit slow to start, I think Kung Jessen did an amazing job at amping up the stakes by making this a rivals-to-lovers story. Liv and Bennett were very relatable characters because they weren’t perfect. They made mistakes, dealt with the consequences of those mistakes, and learned how to work through them. I did really struggle with all of the lying that Liv did, even though it was understandable, it was still a little frustrating at times. I just wanted her to be honest with Bennett the whole time, but I did appreciate her vulnerability by the end. On top of Liv and Bennett’s relationship being really well fleshed out, Liv’s relationship with her Pó Po was my favorite thing about the book. I enjoyed their dynamic so much, though I don’t want to type out any spoilers. Raechel Wong’s narration brought each character to life and was filled with so much emotion. It was a delight to listen to.

If you need another opinion, fellow book lover Nickie also loved Lunar Love! 

“Lunar Love is a touching debut that highlights Chinese matchmaking traditions. I found it fascinating to learn about the different personality traits linked to each creature in the Chinese Zodiac. Liv, born in the Year of the Horse, contrasts with Bennett, the CEO of the rival family business, who was born in the Year of the Rat. This sets the stage for a rivals-to-lovers story with an opposites-attract dynamic. Additionally, I cherished Liv's bond with her Pó Po and appreciated Kung Jessen's vivid portrayals of the LA food scene.”

ANA MARÍA AND THE FOX by Liana De la Rosa (2023)

LENGTH: 10 hours, 43 minutes

READ BY: Ruby Hunt

Trigger Warnings: gun violence, kidnapping, violence against women, murder, toxic parental relationships, sexual content, racism, colonization, classism, xenophobia

Ana María and The Fox by Liana De la Rosa is a historical romance and a slow-burn to end all slow-burns. This book follows Ana María and her two sisters as they escape a French-occupied Mexico and flee to London. This book focuses on Ana María and her first chance at living life how she wants to live it, without the rules and expectations of her father. I really enjoyed Ana María learning to trust herself and getting to follow her own hopes and dreams instead of the ones that were chosen for her. Things get quickly tossed on their head when Ana María meets the charming Gideon Fox. Gideon’s character was very intriguing to me, and I think it helped add a lot of historical and societal commentary throughout the book, especially because his main focus in Parliament was abolishing the slave trade. Normally stoic and calm, watching him become completely undone by Ana María was so cute. Their chemistry was literally off the charts. I was smiling to myself and punching the air every time they interacted. The pining, yearning, and slow burn aspect of their romance was so incredibly well done that I was screaming “just kiss already!!!!” at one point. On top of a stellar romance, this book also tackles racism and colonialism in a way that is very thought-provoking and engaging. The politics woven throughout this book added a lot of depth to Ana María and Gideon’s story. Ruby Hunt did an amazing job with the narration. I felt like I was standing alongside Ana María and going through the story with her. I love a family saga, and I like how each book in this trilogy will have one of the three sisters as the main focus.

If you need another opinion, fellow book lover Joanna also loved Ana María and The Fox!

“Ana María and The Fox by Liana De la Rosa officially made me a historical romance fan! The love story between Ana and Gideon had me squealing and kicking my feet in the air. Ana is a fierce character who challenges the status quo in high-society London, boldly calling out colonialism and discrimination, while proudly embracing her Mexican identity. Beyond the romance, you’ll find sisterly love in this book. The three sisters have a complicated, yet wholesome, dynamic and made the story even more engaging. As a Latina reader, there’s nothing more special than seeing yourself in a swoony romance, because at the end of the day, Latina characters deserve all the romance, too! I feel like Liana De la Rosa wrote a love letter to her Mexican readers through this novel. The Spanglish in this novel is everything! Ruby Hunt seamlessly switches between languages, making the audiobook an even better experience.”

HONEY & SPICE  by Bolu Babalola (2022)

LENGTH: 12 hours, 0 minutes

READ BY: Weruche Opia

Trigger warnings: sexual harassment, sexual content, misogyny, racism, sexual assault, toxic relationship, cancer, infidelity, and toxic friendship

Honey & Spice has officially been solidified as one of my favorite romance novels ever! Kiki was such a strong female lead. She was smart, witty, and confident. I really appreciated her growth and how she learned to open up to others. Kiki’s friendships also stole the show for me. They felt so real and relatable. Malakai is the literal definition of “if he wanted to, he would”! That man read Kiki’s favorite book after she mentioned it once and went to a book convention with her! His tenderness had me swooning multiple times. To be honest, fake dating is not one of my favorite book tropes, but it worked so well here. The build-up to why they needed to pretend to date, the actual pretend dating, and the conflict and resolution felt so seamless and flowed so well. I loved the inclusion of Kiki’s radio show, Brown Sugar. I think it was the perfect way to add exposition to the story without feeling like there was a lot of info dumping. I was giggling and kicking my feet multiple times when reading this!!!! The writing was gorgeous. Babalola shines when it comes to prose, and I absolutely got swept away in this story. The audiobook was masterfully narrated by Weruche Opia. They brought Kiki, Malakai, and every single side character to life and truly encapsulated their personalities. 

If you need another opinion, fellow book lover Kylee also loved Honey & Spice!

“I give Honey & Spice all the credit for converting me into a romance reader. Kiki and Malakai share an incredibly intense connection, filled with love and honesty, which makes their relationship impossible not to root for. Bolu Babalola beautifully captures the complexities of university life in your early twenties while exploring family dynamics and personal challenges. This is my perfect blend of romance, sharp banter, and emotional depth, making it an all-time favorite read.”

Next Steps to Get Listening!

These four books have such a special place in my heart, and whether you’re a seasoned audiobook lover or just getting started, I think there is a recommendation in here for everyone! I always get my audiobooks through Libby or Libro.FM! With Libby you can utilize your local library and search through their catalog for audiobooks! Libro.FM is a subscription service where a portion of your subscription price goes towards a local indie bookstore of your choice! You can find me on Instagram @haylee.reads where I talk about all the audiobooks I am reading and loving!!