10 audiobooks for fans of My Year of Rest and Relaxation
- 1
The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah
Narrated by Julia Whelan
Why this book?
Julia Whelan's intimate narration captures the psychological depth in both novels, drawing listeners into unreliable perspectives and morally complex characters navigating isolation. While *The Great Alone* expands the scope from urban introspection to survival thriller, both works share a brooding, atmospheric tension that rewards close attention to their layered narratives.
★ 4.79 ABR Score (1.3M ratings)★ 4.46 Goodreads (1.2M) ★ 4.7 Audible (58.5K)More about this pick
Julia Whelan captures both Alaska's brutal beauty and a family's desperate struggle when a volatile Vietnam vet moves them off-grid in 1974.
- 2
Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Narrated by Kristen DiMercurio, Julia Whelan, Taylor Jenkins Reid
★ 4.68 ABR Score (778.0K ratings)★ 4.33 Goodreads (758.2K) ★ 4.7 Audible (19.8K)More about this pick
Joan Goodwin abandons her quiet professor life to join NASA's first female astronaut program, chasing childhood dreams among the stars. The multi-narrator approach captures different perspectives in this space race drama.
- 3
The Long Shadow of Small Ghosts: Murder and Memory in an American City
by Laura Tillman
Narrated by Julia Whelan
★ 3.58 ABR Score (1.3K ratings)★ 3.34 Goodreads (1.2K) ★ 4.11 Audible (130)More about this pick
Laura Tillman investigates how Brownsville processed the brutal murder of three children by their parents. Personal journalism meets community trauma in this exploration of poverty, mental illness, and collective grief.
- 4
The Correspondent
by Virginia Evans
Narrated by Maggi-Meg Reed, Jane Oppenheimer, Carly Robins, Jeff Ebner, David Pittu, Chris Andrew Ciulla, Mark Bramhall, Petrea Burchard, Robert Petkoff, Kimberly Farr, Cerris Morgan-Moyer, Peter Ganim, Jade Wheeler, Various
★ 4.81 ABR Score (383.3K ratings)★ 4.53 Goodreads (364.9K) ★ 4.8 Audible (18.3K)More about this pick
Through discovered letters, the life story of a remarkable woman unfolds across decades of love, loss, war, and artistic passion. This epistolary novel examines how written words preserve and transform our understanding of both ordinary and extraordinary lives.
- 5
James
by Percival Everett
Narrated by Dominic Hoffman
★ 4.76 ABR Score (552.1K ratings)★ 4.42 Goodreads (533.5K) ★ 4.77 Audible (18.6K)More about this pick
Jim's perspective on the Huckleberry Finn story reveals the brutal realities of slavery through brilliant code-switching between dialects. Dominic Hoffman's performance captures every nuanced layer of survival and dignity.
- 6
I Must Betray You
by Ruta Sepetys
Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, Ruta Sepetys
★ 4.56 ABR Score (103.0K ratings)★ 4.4 Goodreads (101.3K) ★ 4.77 Audible (1.7K)More about this pick
Ballerini's dual narration captures the suffocating paranoia of Cold War Romania so viscerally you'll feel the weight of every impossible choice Cristian makes. A gripping true-stakes thriller about resistance that refuses easy heroics.
- 7
Carrie Soto Is Back
Reidverse
Narrated by Stacy Gonzalez, Mary Carillo, Patrick Mcenroe, Rob Simmelkjaer, Brendan Wayne, Max Meyers, Reynaldo Piniella, Vidish Athavale, Tom Bromhead, Heath Miller, Julia Whelan, Sara Arrington
★ 4.38 ABR Score (739.9K ratings)★ 4.2 Goodreads (731.6K) ★ 4.45 Audible (8.3K)More about this pick
Tennis legend Carrie Soto emerges from retirement to reclaim her Grand Slam record from a rising star, battling age and public hatred. The full cast includes real tennis commentators for authentic sports atmosphere.
- 8
Girl in Pieces
by Kathleen Glasgow
Narrated by Julia Whelan, Kathleen Glasgow
★ 4.30 ABR Score (276.0K ratings)★ 3.93 Goodreads (273.5K) ★ 4.59 Audible (2.5K)More about this pick
Julia Whelan's raw, unflinching performance transforms this into essential listening for anyone who's felt untethered—she captures Charlie's fragmentation so viscerally you'll feel each scar, not just hear about it.
- 9
Evidence of the Affair
Reidverse
Narrated by Julia Whelan, George Newbern, James Daniels, Dara Rosenberg
★ 4.19 ABR Score (249.2K ratings)★ 3.85 Goodreads (237.6K) ★ 4.4 Audible (11.7K)More about this pick
Two strangers discover their spouses are having an affair through a mistakenly delivered package in this epistolary short story. Four narrators handle the emotional correspondence between the betrayed partners.
- 10
These Summer Storms
by Sarah MacLean
Narrated by Julia Whelan
★ 4.12 ABR Score (109.3K ratings)★ 3.77 Goodreads (106.9K) ★ 4.47 Audible (2.5K)More about this pick
MacLean ventures into contemporary fiction with the wealthy Storm family's reckoning during one explosive week in New England. Julia Whelan captures the tension as Alice returns home to confront long-buried family secrets.
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How We Rank Audiobooks
Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.
Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.
We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.
Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.