This YA romance will convince listeners that living life offline is much better than going viral.
When Love goes viral after a mishap at her high school graduation, her dream of becoming a famous musician is finally within reach. One year later, Love is dealing with a major PR crisis in the wake of her boyfriend’s bad behavior. To win back online followers, Love’s manager suggests staging a drama-free relationship with Austin, an acquaintance from Love’s past. Narrators Elena Rey and Michael Crouch capture the raw emotion of teenage love when the couple unexpectedly falls for one another. Rey’s narration is slow, but she clearly conveys Love’s anxiety about technology and fame. Crouch expresses Austin’s sadness and hesitant optimism as he falls for Love while mourning his father’s death.
This YA romance will convince listeners that living life offline is much better than going viral. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668162118
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: March 10, 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.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
