The best audiobooks of 2021
While in some ways it feels like 2021 has just gotten started, there sure have been some magical memoirs, novels, podcasts, thrillers, and more that deserve their time under an early spotlight. We’ve chosen 20 titles across all genres to present as the best of the year—so far. These are the stories that made us laugh, cry, cheer for, and shout about—the ones we immediately wanted to share with our fellow Audible listeners.
—The Audible Editors
Product List
    • Words + Music, Vol. 13
    • By: Yo-Yo Ma
    • Narrated by: Yo-Yo Ma
    • Series: Words + Music
    • Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
    • Release date: 04-08-21
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 7,766 ratings
    • "After a year of so much hardship—when I've personally felt so depleted, mentally and emotionally, and scared by the hate and vitriol that we aim at one another—Yo-Yo Ma's reverence for his fellow humans and his unshakable belief that we can do better, together, is a message I needed to hear." —Doug P., Audible Editor
    • A Novel
    • By: Kazuo Ishiguro
    • Narrated by: Sura Siu
    • Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
    • Release date: 03-02-21
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 10,132 ratings
    • "I didn't realize how much I'd been searching for that feeling Never Let Me Go gave me years ago, but I think I've found it once again in Ishiguro's latest. He takes on the very sci-fi themes of AI consciousness and free will. But these Big Ideas are ultimately couched within the story of a girl who just happens to be a robot named Klara." —Sam D., Audible Editor
    • By: Casey McQuiston
    • Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
    • Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
    • Release date: 06-01-21
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,614 ratings
    • "Filled with LGBTQIA+ history, an unexpected heist, and a multiverse time travel story wrapped into a rom-com, One Last Stop also delivers my new favorite cast of quirky characters. Paired with Natalie Naudus's incredible performance, it's my new repeat listen." —Michael C., Audible Editor
    • A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power
    • By: Rachel Rodgers
    • Narrated by: Rachel Rodgers
    • Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
    • Release date: 05-11-21
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 2,780 ratings
    • "Only 10% of millionaires are women. Rachel Rodgers, founder of Hello Seven, is on a mission to change that by empowering women to take control of their financial futures. She delivers concrete moneymaking advice to help you save and grow your income. My favorite part? Rodgers says we don't have to give up our morning coffee to get there." —Rachael X., Audible Editor
    • By: Andy Weir
    • Narrated by: Ray Porter
    • Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
    • Release date: 05-04-21
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 186,373 ratings
    • "Andy Weir's latest novel is every bit the spiritual successor to The Martian I'd hoped it would be: suspenseful, smart, heartwarming, hilarious, and chock-full of interstellar fun. Plus, it's much more than a smart sci-fi thriller; it's one of the most endearing depictions of friendship I've listened to recently. And narrated by Ray Porter!" —Sam D., Audible Editor
    • A Memoir
    • By: Michelle Zauner
    • Narrated by: Michelle Zauner
    • Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
    • Release date: 04-20-21
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 11,993 ratings
    • "Japanese Breakfast's Michelle Zauner crafts an exceptional debut memoir in this gorgeous and raw reflection on family, food, culture, identity, and grief. Candid and heartfelt, her storytelling and delivery will resonate with anyone who has lost someone they love." —Alanna M., Audible Editor
    • A Novella
    • By: Samantha Downing
    • Narrated by: Melanie Nicholls-King, Lindsey Dorcus
    • Series: Audible Original Stories
    • Length: 2 hrs and 8 mins
    • Release date: 04-01-21
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 12,460 ratings
    • "My Lovely Wife author Samantha Downing nailed the growing trend of bite-size thrillers with this perfectly paced and performed puzzler. When dog walker Shelby finds the owner of one of her canine charges dead, she gets swept into a twisty murder investigation that leaves listeners panting for the final reveal." —Kat J., Audible Editor
    • The Story of an Unexpected Friendship and a Beloved Restaurant
    • By: Mashama Bailey, John O. Morisano
    • Narrated by: Mashama Bailey, John O. Morisano
    • Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins
    • Release date: 01-12-21
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 366 ratings
    • "Part memoir, part business profile, and part cookbook, Black, White, and The Grey defies everything I have come to expect from traditional audio storytelling. You'll find yourself seated across a table from co-authors and restaurant business partners Mashama Bailey and John O. Morisano as they banter back and forth, sharing both light anecdotes and the painful, ugly moments they encountered as they forged their unlikely partnership against the backdrop of a still largely segregated Savannah, Georgia." —Emily C., Audible Editor
    • A Novel
    • By: Kristin Hannah
    • Narrated by: Julia Whelan
    • Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
    • Release date: 02-02-21
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 36,459 ratings
    • "A new Kristin Hannah novel is always big news for me, especially when Julia Whelan voices the heroine, in this case Elsa, in the Dust Bowl era. As I fully expected, but was nonetheless thankful for, this historical family saga completely swept me away." —Tricia F., Audible Editor
    • A Journey Through the Art and Craft of Humor With Keegan-Michael Key
    • 5 out of 5 stars 721 ratings
    • "Keegan-Michael Key takes listeners through the beginnings of sketch comedy all the way to today and speculates on what the future might hold for the art form. There's no shortage of jokes here, and what better way to learn a few new things than to do it while laughing?" —Aaron S., Audible Editor
    • By: Kaela Rivera
    • Narrated by: Almarie Guerra
    • Series: Cece Rios, Book 1
    • Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
    • Release date: 04-13-21
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 228 ratings
    • "Cece is a curious young girl with a stubborn streak. So when deadly criaturas (creatures) steal her sister, Cece masquerades as a bruja (witch) to enter Devil's Alley and save her sibling. With wonderfully creative depictions of Aztec mythology and characters that leap off the page, Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls is easily my favorite listen of the year so far; a month after finishing it, Almarie Guerra’s incredible voice work still rings in my ears." —Sean T., Audible Editor
    • A Novel
    • By: Torrey Peters
    • Narrated by: Renata Friedman
    • Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
    • Release date: 01-12-21
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,350 ratings
    • "Come for the intriguing title, literary accolades, and juicy premise (a man, who formerly lived as a trans woman before detransitioning, asks his trans ex-girlfriend to help parent the child of his cis, pregnant partner); stay for author Torrey Peters's exquisite wit and piercing insight into gender dynamics, read with captivating verve by Renata Friedman." —Kat J., Audible Editor
    • The Battle for North Hollywood
    • 5 out of 5 stars 910 ratings
    • "A gripping true crime podcast that's as cinematic as it is absolutely engrossing, this powerful account of the 1997 North Hollywood shootout—told from the perspectives of the everyday heroes who lived through it—is unforgettable." —Alanna M., Audible Editor
    • A Memoir
    • By: Cicely Tyson, Michelle Burford
    • Narrated by: Cicely Tyson, Viola Davis, Robin Miles
    • Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
    • Release date: 01-26-21
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 6,570 ratings
    • "Icon Cicely Tyson graces us with her hard-won wisdom and indefatigable spirit in her autobiography, almost a century in the making. Narrated by Viola Davis and Robin Miles, with the introduction provided by Tyson herself, their performances are elegant and illuminating. How lucky we are that this legend gave us a glimpse of her beautiful soul in this powerful account of a life so well lived." —Kelley S., Audible Editor
    • A Novel
    • By: Alexandra Andrews
    • Narrated by: Therese Plummer
    • Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
    • Release date: 03-02-21
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 2,624 ratings
    • "This buzzy debut, in which an aspiring young writer becomes an assistant to a mysterious pseudonymous writer (think Elena Ferrante), hits all the high notes of an unpausable psychological thriller: a naïve and unreliable first-person narrator, an enigmatic antagonist, and the best kind of slow-burn, something's-not-quite-right-here twisty plot that keeps you consistently unsettled. Therese Plummer's performance is astounding as she switches accents, affects, and tone to build a dynamic and unpredictable suspense story." —Sam D., Audible Editor
    • The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
    • By: Patrick Radden Keefe
    • Narrated by: Patrick Radden Keefe
    • Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins
    • Release date: 04-13-21
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 9,004 ratings
    • "The connection between America's opioid crisis and the self-styled philanthropic Sackler family is well documented, but damned if Patrick Radden Keefe doesn't imbue this devastating exposé of capitalist greed with plenty of suspense. A master class in both narrative nonfiction and author-performed narration." —Kat J., Audible Editor
    • By: Angeline Boulley
    • Narrated by: Isabella Star LaBlanc
    • Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
    • Release date: 03-16-21
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 6,928 ratings
    • "I picked up Firekeeper's Daughter because it seemed like the young adult community was losing its mind over how good this debut novel is, and now I see why. This is not a light story, and I cried multiple times listening to Isabella Star LaBlanc's narration, but that only made me love it more." —Melissa B., Audible Editor
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,020 ratings
    • "Keke Palmer and Pete Davidson star in a fiction podcast performed by the cast of this TV comedy fan's dreams—Max Greenfield, Mikey Day, Natasha Lyonne, and Brooke Shields, to name a few. Think: American Psycho meets your favorite workplace comedy. There's really no going wrong here for those of us who like our humor a little murder-y." —Aaron S., Audible Editor
    • Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience
    • By: Tarana Burke, Brené Brown
    • Narrated by: Tarana Burke, Brené Brown, the Contributors, Mirron Willis, Bahni Turpin, JD Jackson, L Morgan Lee
    • Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
    • Release date: 04-27-21
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 1,663 ratings
    • "Tarana Burke and Brené Brown's collaboration, You Are Your Best Thing, is a collection of essays on vulnerability and shame resilience in the Black experience. This heart-wrenching, multi-cast anthology includes some of my favorite talents, including Kiese Laymon, Imani Perry, and Laverne Cox. I only wished that I had cleared my schedule before listening—the emotional peaks and valleys left me unable to focus on much else." —Rachael X., Audible Editor