Arya Shahi and Michael Crouch give emotional performances of this 130-year love story. Shahi voices Shams, whose life changes forever one day in 1895 when a wish he makes grants him immortality. Shahi captures all of Shams' passion, youthful stupidity, later remorse, and ongoing love of life. Crouch voices Oliver, whose life becomes inextricably linked with Shams' when they fall in love in 1920. Crouch depicts Oliver's quieter personality, often filling his voice with confusion, doubt, and anger. Both narrators bring to life these two very different characters and the worlds they move through, ranging from 1920s Boston to 1980s Brixton. An ambitious but satisfying tour-de-force journey through queer history and a celebration of all kinds of queer love.
(Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
Duration: 12 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063339712
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Soler's spellbinding voice turns a melancholic fable into an intimate experience listeners will feel long after it ends.
Rebecca Soler narrates this haunting audiobook with a lyrical quality that draws listeners deep into its magical realism and its many-layered story. Her emotional control serves the narrative well, allowing the story's quietest moments to land with weight. Soler voices Lexie and Chester, two teens with heavy pasts and dark secrets who are drawn to each other by an undeniable cosmic pull. On a freezing winter morning, five people, including Chester, go for a swim and wake the next day transformed into birds, their lives forever altered. Measured pacing and tender characterizations give each teen a distinct inner life.
Soler's spellbinding voice turns a melancholic fable into an intimate experience listeners will feel long after it ends. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 56 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217351152
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2026
Manley's performance is charming, making Sean's world sound complex and full of possibilities.
With a heartwarming narration, author Manley becomes aspiring teen comedian Sean O’Brien. Sean dreams of success performing comedy beyond his hometown. When he meets Elijah, a new classmate, he discovers that other aspects of his life have also been a performance. Manley's Sean is awkward but courageous; his voice is tinged with self-doubt, even when it’s the loudest one in the classroom. At times his confident tone verges on oblivious. But when life gets him down, Sean becomes pensive, self-scrutinizing, and—for better or for worse—overcome with laughter. Manley gives unique vocal characterizations to Sean’s friends: monotone for Andy, softly inspiring for Elijah, and flatly serious for Tony.
Manley's performance is charming, making Sean's world sound complex and full of possibilities. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 41 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217349760
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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