The Most Anticipated Audiobooks of 2026
With each passing year, more and more people discover the joy of audiobooks.
Since Edison Research started tracking listening habits ten years ago, the number of U.S. readers who listen to audiobooks has increased by 167 percent. And publishers are responding to that growing interest with more—and more diverse—audiobooks at our disposal. Now, we have countless highly anticipated titles, from returning faves to exciting debuts.
This year has already delivered some bangers (check out some of our most-recommended new releases) and we’re just barely a quarter of the way through. Here are some of the still-to-come 2026 audiobooks that Libro.fm customers and our expert bookseller partners are most excited about.
Literary fiction
Land
“I know many readers are already fans of Maggie O’Farrell, but Land is the first book I’ve read by her. Bring on the others because this book was amazing. Set in Ireland in the mid 1800’s, the novel is about a mapmaker and his family trying to survive the forces of nature and man. Aptly named, the book is as much about the landscape of the country as the characters. Mystical and lush, this is a must-read for those who loved North Woods by Daniel Mason (raising my hand).”
— Mamie • Quail Ridge Books
American Fantasy
“Pack your bags, grab your bestie, and set sail on a four-day cruise with your favorite boy band. American Fantasy portrays middle age at it’s best, packed with our inner screaming teen self, late night parties you can’t miss, and second chances you never expected. This one’s for the fans and the magical feeling of music from our youth. All aboard!”
— Jenny • E. Shaver, bookseller
Last Night in Brooklyn
“A love letter to Brooklyn and her people in the early 2000s, this is a heartbreaking and heartwarming story of love, friendship, found family, loss, and hope. Gonzalez captures the soul of a New York borough with deep cultural roots and ferocious fidelity and pride. Her characters are richly developed and wonderfully nuanced, and her story soars.”
— Nancy • Raven Book Store
Seasons of Glass and Iron: Stories
“My words do not have the breadth or depth they need to convey my deep and enduring love for Amal El-Mohtar’s work. Poignant, enchanting, like slivers of glass to the heart – none of it adequate to describe how deeply connected I feel to these stories. Pulling from a varied tapestry of myth, folklore, and lived experience, these stories weave a web to hold your heart close. I cannot wait to see what comes from Amal next!”
— Rebecca • Fireside Books
Etna
“Paul Yoon’s new book is a first for me: a novel told from the viewpoint of a dog! Etna is a former military dog, journeying to find ‘home.’ Along the way, he deals with his trauma from the war, cohorts with other seekers, and ruminates about what it means to recover one’s sense of place. This is not a sappy book, but with the state of the world today, it did give me hope that perseverance and community will accompany me on my path to a better future.”
— Mamie • Quail Ridge Books
Whistler
Nobody probes and captures familial relationships quite like multiple award-winning (and beloved bookshop owner!) Ann Patchett. In Whistler she explores the meaningful ways a person can impact another, regardless of how long they’re in each other’s lives. When 53-year-old Daphne Fuller who unexpectedly runs into the man who was once, very briefly, her stepfather, the two make up for lost time, rekindling the profound connection they once shared.
Fantasy
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
“This fresh and entertaining take on the classic ‘waking up in a fantasy world’ trope had me hooked from page one. It’s full of action, with a funny and likeable main character and a lot of banter. You could easily mistake this for a light romantasy—and it can be that—but it’s also a hilariously pointed send-up of a certain unfinished epic fantasy series (naming no names) and a richly imagined, well-constructed world in its own right. This book is for anyone who has obsessed over a fictional world, and anyone who has wished they could just get in there and fix things for the characters they love.”
— Zoe, Russell Books
The Secret World of Briar Rose
Cindy Pham has amassed over half a million followers on her booktube channel, Read With Cindy, but with her debut novel she proves her bona fides as an author, too. The Secret World of Briar Rose creates a queer version of Sleeping Beauty, bringing us 100 years into princess Briar’s slumber, where a cynic and her little sister unintentionally fall into the lush—and dangerous—world of Briar’s subconscious.
We Burned So Bright
“A book that will leave you speechless. As morbid as it sounds we have all thought about the things we would do if our days were numbered and we knew when the end was coming. Well in this book an older Gay couple go on one last adventure looking for absolution in there last days. Everyone knows that the world is ending and that soon the earth is swallowed by a black hole. And in their last days they journey across the US to Washington State to fulfil a promise they made long ago. This book is heartbreaking and heartwarming all in one. It will truly make you wonder what would you do if you knew how many days you had left. “
— Brittany, The Burrow Bookstore
Year of the Mer
We’re blessed with another fairy tale reimagining this year, this one building a dark epic fantasy version of The Little Mermaid, two generations after Arielle’s happy ending. At the center is Arielle’s granddaughter, Yemi, heir to the throne of an unhappy kingdom—whose people soon stage a coup and exile Arielle. There, furious and motivated by revenge, she has to decide if she’ll make the decision her grandmother made all those years ago: whether or not she’ll turn to Ursla for help.
Science fiction
The Subtle Art of Folding Space
John Chu has already nabbed a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award (among others) for his science fiction short stories, so to say his debut novel is one of the most anticipated is to put it mildly. (If you have forty minutes to spare, you can listen to the fantastic short story that earned Chu the Hugo, The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere). The Subtle Art of Folding Space “channels unhinged quantum physics”—which, for those of us intimidated by quantum anything, sounds more fun than scary—and follows a young woman trying to stay afloat while dealing with generational trauma, an estranged sister, a comatose mother, and a potential attack on the machinery that keeps the laws of physics intact across all universes. Max Gladstone (mentioned above!) calls it “a work of crystalline vision and meticulous humanity.”
The Last Contract of Isako
When her client unexpectedly retires, legendary samurai-for-hire Isako is ready to put down her sword, and, as expected on her planet, retreat to her death in a frozen wasteland. But her plans change when she gets the opportunity for a final mission—one that she’s especially drawn to because it involves her former, and worst, apprentice who has skyrocketed to the top suspiciously quickly. Soon, she’s in a high-stakes world of secrets and corporate espionage.
Radiant Star
Ann Leckie is one of the most iconic modern science fiction writers, but Radiant Star is also spicy enough to already be on in our top 10 erotica preorder bestsellers. Radiant Star takes readers back to the universe of her Hugo and Nebula award-winning Imperial Radch series, but this time in a standalone story. It takes place on Aaa, a frigid planet covered in ice because of its lack of a star. The citizens are zealots in a religion built on faith in a mythical Radiant Star that once circled Aaa and will again, but their sects are in constant conflict. While the members of these sects argue over interpretations of their faith, the tyrannical Radche empire is taking advantage of the conflict in their plan to annex the planet.
Thriller & mystery
The Keeper
Iconic crime writer Tana French has been publishing reliably captivating page-turners for years, and her Cal Hooper series—about a retired Chicago cop solving crime in the small Irish village he now calls home—is especially beloved. The Keeper is the third installment, but you don’t need to read the others to get sucked into this story about the mysterious death of a young woman, who happened to be planning a marriage with the son of one of the town’s most powerful men.
Wolf Worm
“Upon arriving in North Carolina, Sonia is met with tales of blood thieves and the devil, and warnings to avoid the woods. Then come murder, a missing woman, and parasitic larvae. Visceral and mesmerizing, Wolf Worm will burrow under your skin and haunt you.”
— Nancy, Raven Book Store
Japanese Gothic
“Japanese mythology, time travel, and house as a character – sign me up! Japanese Gothic had me on the edge of my seat for the entire journey through the gore, mess, and heartbreak. Kylie Lee Baker’s writing structure is a slow burn that challenges the character’s memory and the stories that haunt us.”
— Jenny; E. Shaver, bookseller
The Intrigue
Bestselling and wildly prolific author Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest has been included on multiple “Most Anticipated” lists this year—and for good reason. In The Intrigue, she takes us to 1940s Mexico, where handsome con artist Ulises is surprised to find out that his new victim, Perla, has a niece who hasn’t only figured out his scam; she also wants in on it. What they both don’t realize, of course, is that Perla know more than she lets on, and she’s hiding her own secrets, too.
Check out our interview with Silvia Moreno-Garcia about finding inspiration in history.
Romance
The Night We Met
“I haven’t felt this way about a romance book in a while, and it was so refreshing to see characters yearn for each other from afar and care for one another no matter what. The small acts of love between the two main characters were so bittersweet. It was impossible not to fall in love with them. Abby also tackled friendship dynamics and challenges in a way that felt so real and complex. I cried more over the friendships amongst the characters than the romance. And I cried over the romance A LOT. Yearning is back, baby!”
— Kate, Canvasback Books
Speak Now
Beloved social media star Ash Perez enters the romance world with her debut, Speak Now. It follows Alex Perez, a young culinary prodigy who’s too busy working toward a head chef position at a famous hotel to care about personal relationships. Then her ex-girlfriend Genevieve shows up at the restaurant with her boyfriend—and gets engaged during the meal. And Genevieve’s fiance has a proposition: he’ll make a huge investment in the hotel if they host and cater the wedding. Can Alex put aside her complicated feelings about her first (and only) love for the sake of her career?
The Romance Revival
“The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren feels like the movie While You Were Sleeping with a True Lies twist. At its core, this is a second-chance story, but the setup feels fresh in a way that sneaks up on you, soft at first and then all at once. The emotions hit hard and true, giving the type of heart pangs that make you pause, making it impossible not to cheer for Luca and Em. Christina Lauren’s writing feels familiar, allowing me to simply feel everything and trust them to get me to the HEA. The Romance Revival is tender, swoony, and emotionally damaging in the most satisfying way. “
— Michelle, Mysterious Galaxy Books
Score
When Monk and Verity broke up in college, it was a brutal, life-changing blow. Now, more than a decade later, they find themselves working together on a Harlem Renaissance movie that’s already getting a ton of buzz—Monk as the score composer, Verity as the screenwriter. The tension is obvious, and if they can’t put aside their history long enough to finish the movie, their careers could be ruined. But if they can, it might lead to something more. As Lark & Owl bookseller Meghan said about Reel, another book in Ryan’s Hollywood Renaissance series: “Kennedy Ryan continuously blows me away.”
Check out our interview with Kennedy Ryan about her Skyland series and the power of romance.
Nonfiction
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth
The author of multiple bestselling, deep-diving books about crime, history, and systemic injustices, award-winning journalist Patrick Radden Keefe is consistently able to follow a story into all of its dark corners and deliver it in such a compelling way that it reads like a thriller. In London Falling he investigates the story of a 19-year-old Londoner’s sudden death—and how his death revealed the secret life he was living in London’s criminal underworld.
How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
Award-winning and hilarious writer and disability activist Jenny Lawson has published multiple beloved memoirs, but in How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay she ventures into advice, sharing time-tested tips and tools that have helped her manage life—and even enjoy it—while dealing with anxiety, ADHD, and treatment-resistant depression. See Watermark Books bookseller Melissa’s recommendation of Lawson’s 2021 memoir Broken (In the Best Possible Way): “I do love reading Jenny Lawson’s books, but I have to admit: I love listening to them more. It’s like having her sit with me, telling me stories, making me crack up and squirt water through my nose.”
The Edge of Space-Time: Particles, Poetry, and the Cosmic Dream Boogie
Award-winning physicist and astronomer Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an expert when it comes to exploring the cosmos and our society alongside each other, and making some of the most overwhelming theories more accessible. In The Edge of Space-Time, she connects the wonders of the universe to the beauty of humanity’s creativity, drawing on literature, music, and film to help readers better understand even the most challenging theoretical concepts.
Labor: One Woman’s Work
“Beautiful, inspiring stories from an ob-gyn pre-overturn and post-overturn of Roe. Stories of experiences woven between family discoveries paint a heart-aching but beautiful picture of how Dr. Afsari’s perspectives develop and shift with each day.”
— Ava • Pearl Street Books & Gifts
Nasty Work: Resist Systems, Explore Desire, and Liberate Yourself
Currently #5 in our list of bestselling LGBTQIA* nonfiction, Nasty Work is an exploration of sexuality and pleasure through anti-colonialist and anti-racist lenses. Award-winning sexuality educator Ericka Hart walks us through history to show how our society has been socialized over hundreds of years to see sexuality as something that needs to be repressed—especially through our coming-of-age periods—and makes an argument for sex ed as a tool for liberation.
Want even more inspiration for the year?
Check out our 2026 audiobook listening challenge!
