My Favorite YA Audiobooks

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo & Melania-Luisa Marte

At A Glance: novel in verse, sisterhood, grief, plane crash, Dominican Republic, family secrets

Even if you don’t enjoy novels in verse, I am BEGGING you to listen to this one. 1) it works so well in this audiobook format and 2) Elizabeth Acevedo narrating her own books is a TREAT and this one was the best yet for me personally and 3) it’s one of my top audiobook recommendations!

It’s about two sisters who find out that the other one exists when their father dies in a plane crash on his way to the Dominican Republic to spend the summers with his daughter there. As the girls grapple the loss of their father and this secret of his double life that kept them apart, they begin to get to know one another in the aftermath.

It is one of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching books ever and just one of my favorite YA books in general. The audiobook experience enhances it all with the melodic delivery and wonderful narrators.

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
Narrated by Emily Shaffer

At A Glance: YA dystopian/speculative fiction, thriller, feminist

Emily Shaffer, one of my favorite narrators, brought EVERYTHING to this performance. It is dynamic, memorable and wholly engaging.

The way she brings every character to life is incredible and she elevates the intensity and stakes of the story as we watch our main character try to navigate her grace year — a year that all 16 year olds in her village must take to the wilderness to purify themselves from magic and return home to be good wives.

The Grace Year is gritty, brutal and will keep you on the edge of your seat — especially with Shaffer’s performance. The conversation between author and the narrator at the end of the performance was also a treat!

The Diviners by Libba Bray
Narrated by January LaVoy

At A Glance: historical mystery/thriller, supernatural, 1920’s, New York City

If you haven’t gotten a chance to dive into this series yet, I highly recommend it on audiobook with January LaVoy doing the narration for the series. Her accents and nuances for each character really makes them come to life.

These books are THICK so if you are looking for a long audiobook — perhaps an audiobook for a roadtrip or just trying to get your money’s worth from a membership credit — these are the perfect picks!

Set in the 1920’s NYC, it’s about a young girl who has been sent to to live with her occult-obsessed Uncle in the city and ends up trying to help find a serial killer with a secret supernatural power she has that has only seemed to bring her trouble so far.

Her path to find the murderer unfolds more happenings in the city and illuminates the fact there is something dark and evil awakened.

It’s atmospheric and absolutely thrilling — absolutely one of the best YA audiobooks to listen to!

A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson
Narrated by Full Cast

At A Glance: YA mystery/thriller, true crime, murder, full cast

One of the best full cast audiobook narrations I’ve ever experienced. I blew through this audiobook because the narration was so engaging — especially with the way it brought all the interviews, case notes and other logs to life. Definitely enhanced the story!

If you like true crime-y type stuff you have to check out this story about a teen who, for her senior project, decides to reexamine the closed case that rocked her community when a popular high school student was murdered by her boyfriend.

As she digs in, she starts to have doubts on the conclusion that was made when she stumbles upon some dark secrets — so much so that this class project could become deadly to someone who might want to protect what really happened.

Far From The Tree by Robin Benway
Narrated by Julia Whelan

At A Glance: YA contemporary, emotional, adoption, family, foster care, teen pregnancy, siblings

As much as this is a good audiobook for teens, this is a book I also recommend as a good YA book for adults to read (especially those who think YA isn’t good). It’s a National Book Award winner AND narrated by one of the best audiobook narrators ever!

It’s about an adopted teen girl who, after giving birth and putting the child up for adoption, she decides to look for her own biological mother — a search that yields that she actually has two siblings who she begins to get to know after living her whole life as an only child.

Expect to cry while listen to this audiobook (and fall in love with these three siblings) — I sure did!

Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling by Elise Bryant
Narrated by Preston Butler III & Shayna Small

At A Glance: YA romcom, meet cute adjacent, Black romance, music & nerd culture

This is a new favorite but listening to this was just such a delight. I think it would have been a delightful read but the two narrators really sold me as their respective characters and channeling the energy of the character.

Over the course of a year, two teens keep accidentally bumping into each other and slowly start to fall for one another (and who they want to embrace and become themselves) one random interaction at a time (all serendipitously seeming to happen on holidays).

It would make a great teen book club read as it does, in addition to the romance, delve into some really interesting topics.

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
Narrated by Dan Bittner and Emily Shaffer

At A Glance: YA romcom, ya enemies to lovers, lighthearted, You’ve Got Mail vibes

I could have put any Emma Lord books on this list because they are all great books for teens (and I’ve listened to all of the on audio specifically because she has some great narrators who are amongst my favorites) but the narration powers of Dan Bittner and Emily Shaffer puts this one at the top for me!

It’s about two teens who get into a viral Twitter war on the company accounts for their family’s restaurants — all the while not realizing they actually know one another and have been communicating even more than they realize off of Twitter.

Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle
Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt & JaQuan J. Kelly

At A Glance: YA romance, dating, books & music lovers

I actually listened to this one because it was an Audies finalist recently and they weren’t wrong for nominating it — fantastic narration to a really joy-filled book that really captures the very voice-y characters.

Hang with me on the concept (because I was skeptical at first — a teen Hitch-like love expert??) because it was a lot better than I thought.

It’s about a teen, a love expert with a popular segment on his Uncle’s radio show, who gets the chance with the girl he’s crushed on if he can convince her, a girl who hates all things romance, to fall in love with him only in three dates.

It’s just such a good book, a heartwarming romance and I loved how both of their passions for music and books came through too.

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
Narrated by Deepti Gupta, Kamran R. Khan, Kausar Mohammed

At A Glance: YA contemporary, family, friendship, fitting in, trauma, immigrant family, “home”, loss, love

One of my favorite books of last year and I feel like the audiobook version made the whole experience even more visceral for me. The three narrators really nailed it.

It’s a multi-generational story and follows two teens named Noor and Salahudin, former best friends and outcasts in their small town, as well as the story of Sal’s parents and their immigration to the U.S. after a tragedy.

After a fight that crumbles their friendship, the two are on their own to deal with their respective family hardships until Sal’s mom’s health takes a turn for the worst and they slowly come back together to make it through the rest of the high school together.

Heartbreaking to the bone at times but ultimately a battle-worn hopefulness to cling to with this one.

How Moon Fuentez Fell In Love With The Universe
Narrated by Kyla Garcia

At A Glance: YA contemporary, realistic fiction, romance, sisters, family, road trip

A delight of a book and an even better read on audiobook!

I was initially pulled in because of the fact it boasted a rivals to lovers romance and a road trip but this book is just EVERYTHING and so much more.

It’s about sisters, family, culture, chasing dreams, recognizing and loving your true self, AND a grumpy-sunshine romance which is one of my more recent favorites.

I could go on and on about it but just trust me — listen to this YA book on audio and meet Moon and Santiago and her summer as merch girl on a tour bus (with her influencer sister and other influencers) traveling cross country.

I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson
Narrated by Julia Whelen & Jesse Bernstein

At A Glance: YA contemporary, twins/siblings, art, coming of age, emotional, character driven

One of my all-time favorite books narrated by my favorite audiobook narrator? Of course I listened to this one when I was craving a revisit of this book!

An emotional performance to an already incredible emotional story about once inseparable twins, told in the past and present, as we watch their own side of the story of how their relationship has come apart at the seams and the longing for their former closeness as they both come of age.

You can read my thoughts on I’ll Give You The Sun. Jude and Noah have stayed so deeply in my heart for all these years.

Sadie by Courtney Summers
Narrated by Dan Bittner, Fred Berman, Gabra Zackman & Rebecca Soler & Full Cast

At A Glance: YA mystery, true crime podcast, for fans of Serial, sisters, revenge

Another great full cast audiobook (30+ people) with a book that truly is enhanced by listening to it as an audiobook because of the way this book is set up.

After her sister is found murdered and the investigation was botched, Sadie disappears and hits the road to find clues about her sister’s murder and bring whoever did it to justice — all the while a radio host has heard and been unable to forget Sadie’s story and starts a podcast to chronicle his own journey trying to track her down.

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Narrated by Isabella Star Lablanc

At A Glance: YA thriller, Indigenous, drug epidemic, community

This is definitely one of those cases where I think I would have really still given this book high marks but listening to the audiobook definitely brought something more to my experience with the story.

The new-to-me narrator was fantastic (really great at capturing the mood!) and I loved hearing the Ojibwe language spoken rather than me reading it.

Daunis, a biracial & unenrolled tribal member, has never felt like she fits in anywhere — neither in her hometown and on the Ojibwe reservation. After tragedy strikes yet again (with Daunis witnessing it firsthand), she reluctantly gets involved in helping the FBI with a criminal investigation by going undercover to hopefully help her community and stop it from being further torn apart.

Highly encourage checking out trigger/content warnings for this book there are a lot of things including overdose, suicide, rape/assault and drug use.

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
Narrated by Jeannette Illidge

At A Glance: YA fantasy, dark fantasy, series, romance

I initially read this book physically but then decided to re-read it via audiobook to get ready for the new installment — fantastic choice as Jeannette Illidge is a narrator I’ve added to my list to keep an eye on.

I love this series so much and book 1 introduces you to our main character Kiva who has spent the last 10 years in a death prison, as a healer, trying to survive and that goal gets even more difficult once a new prisoner gets brought in.

The Rebel Queen has been captured (but is very sick) and she now must keep the woman alive after receiving a coded message from her family to do just that — an impossible task considering the Rebel Queen’s state and the Trial by Ordeal she is supposed to face.

So Kiva volunteers in her place and must try to survive this series of elemental challenges assigned to only the most dangerous criminals and that nobody has survived. If she completes it? She secures both of their freedom.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Narrated by Full Cast

At A Glance: YA sci-fi, space opera thriller, plague/virus, AI, romance, series, mixed media

This recommendation is so hard because this book also makes a great physical reading experience because of the way this book is — files, logs, all sorts of mixed media embedded. It’s visually SO interesting that it’s hard to tell you NOT to at least grab the book out and look through it.

But the audiobook? It’s a PRODUCTION. It’s full cast (and amazingly done), there are sound effects and they do a good job including the mixed media in a way you don’t feel like you totally lose out on if you don’t physically look at the book. They make it feel like it was meant as an audio production.

Even if you don’t love space opera/sci-fi books (it’s not my go-to genre), I beg you to pick this one up and get sucked into the adventure (set in 2575) of two exes who must work together to find out the truth of what is really happening when their planet is invaded and, after evacuating, are being pursued by a hostile warship and they realize their survival is also threatened by a mutating virus and out-of-control AI.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Narrated by Bahni Turpin

At A Glance: West African inspired YA fantasy, high fantasy, magic, adventure, romance

Bahni Turpin is a narrator I always turn too but this might be one of her best performances. I am normally really picky about what fantasy I listen to versus read but this one I decided to listen to the choir of people praising it. Bahni Turpin has RANGE — every character felt unique, the incantations, the way she captured the emotions or the stakes or the moment just perfectly.

Highly recommend getting lost into this story about the fight to restore magic in a land where magic stolen away and those who have descended from those with magic have been persecuted or killed.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Narrated by Rebecca Soler

At A Glance: YA fantasy, romance, magic, competition/game

I actually started this book and put it down initially but tried it again when I saw Rebecca Soler, who I knew from her performance on a lot of Sarah Dessen’s books, was narrator. Her narration really brought the book to life for me!

This one is about two sisters who manage to escape their cruel father to go see the once-a-year Caraval (a game/performance with audience participation) as it has been their dream to see it together and it might be their last chance thanks to an arranged marriage.

Except as things get underway, one sister is kidnapped by the gamemaster and it’s revealed this new season revolves around her and now the audience must find her.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Narrated by Will Patton

At A Glance: YA fantasy, supernatural, found family, magic

The only reason I ended up listening to this series was to finish the last book in the series (one of the best YA book series!) that I hadn’t gotten to and get ready for the spinoff book (Call Down The Hawk).

I’m so glad my memory is crap and I needed the re-read or else I would have missed out on one of my most favorite and one of THE BEST YA audiobook experiences ever. Also one of my favorite celebrity narrated audiobooks!

Will Patton brings to life this beloved crew, sets the tone and atmosphere perfectly and just was an absolute compelling listen.

You’ll be even more immersed into this story about a girl from a psychic family (with a power of her own) and the boys she reluctantly befriends on their quest to find a vanished Welsh sleeping king who they have reason to believe is in a sleepy Virginia town and will grant a wish to the first person who finds it.