Contemporary Women Audiobooks | Fiction

"Brought to you by Penguin. A sweeping and heart-rending 19th-century saga about found family, romance and triumph over adversity, perfect for fans of Val Wood, Dilly Court and Gracie Hart. 1876. Life is happy for ten-year-old Rebecca Wheeler in the small fishing village of St. Leonard's Cove. Until one day a violent storm strikes and her father and older brothers are lost at sea. Destitute, Rebecca and her mother Lydia make their way to Dartmouth. Lydia is relieved when a man named Mickey Fox seemingly takes pity on them and offers her work and lodgings… but is horrified to discover that the work is in a brothel, and there’s no way to back out now. While conditions in the brothel are harsh, Rebecca and Lydia soon find a sort of family among the women who work there. But when things turn violent, it falls on Lydia’s new friends to devise a plan to help Rebecca escape… Alone and hunted by Mickey, Rebecca must make her own way in the world. With her family gone, will she ever find a place she truly belongs? © Lily Fielding 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Lily Fielding (Author), Katherine Press (Narrator)

Audiobook

Our Last Vineyard Summer

"From the "great storyteller" (Natalie Jenner, author of The Jane Austen Society) Brooke Lea Foster, a captivating new novel set in 1965 and 1978 about a graduate student who returns with her sisters to their family's summer home on Martha's Vineyard and begins to unravel old family secrets. After suffering through her first year of graduate school at Columbia following her senator father's death, Betsy Whiting is hoping to spend the summer with her boyfriend…and hopefully end the summer as his fiancée. Instead, her mother—a longtime feminist and leader in the women's movement—calls Betsy and her sisters back home to Martha's Vineyard, announcing that they need to sell their beloved summer house to pay off their father's debts. When Betsy arrives on the island a week later, she must reckon with her strained familial relationships, a long-ago forbidden romance, and the complicated legacy of her parents, who divided the family even as they did good for the world. Following a dual timeline between 1965 and 1978, and filled with the vibrant, sunlit nostalgia of the cherished New England vacation setting, Our Last Vineyard Summer poignantly captures two generations of women navigating love, loss, and womanhood while trying to find the courage to stand up for what they believe in—and the strength to decide if the home they once loved is worth saving."

Brooke Lea Foster (Author), Cassandra Campbell, Mia Barron (Narrator)

Audiobook

Reunion in Lavender Valley

"Six Women. Four Decades. One long, unexpected reunion. Georgia Moore is still grieving from the loss of her dear husband, Lee, when she discovers she can't remain in their home. With nowhere to turn, she accepts the invitation to return to Lavender Valley in the hopes that she can once again find a purpose. Lavender Valley Farm needs her, and Georgia soon finds her place managing the household, using her skill with a needle, and assuming a motherly role to her sisters of the heart. Something still feels missing but as the harvest approaches, an unexpected guest visits the farm and might hold the key to changing Georgia's life. Will Georgia be brave enough to embrace the chance of a new future? Contains mature themes."

Tammy L. Grace (Author), Janet Metzger (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Life Experiment

"A poignant, life-affirming love story about two people whose lives are turned upside down when they enter an experiment that predicts when they will die. For fans of Beth O'Leary, David Nicholls and Matt Haig. When OPM Discoveries puts out an ad seeking participants for The Life Experiment, a study that claims to help people searching for meaning, Layla and Angus are among those who apply. Little do they know they're about to be told when they will die. Layla, a corporate lawyer, has foregone all relationships for her career. Growing up on the poverty line, Layla fought tirelessly to better her circumstances, but stuck in the monotony of long hours, impossible deadlines and the London rat race, she wonders if happiness can be found behind a desk after all. Angus, an esteemed Fairview-Whitley, is struggling with his family's expectations after the death of his brother and a failed investment. Unsure what to do with his life, Angus is frozen in a cycle of late nights and lazy days, watching time pass him by. Unaware that they are participating in the same experiment, Layla and Angus meet by chance the day they get their results. Their attraction is instant, but can they open their hearts to more when their time might be brief?"

Jess Kitching (Author), Sam Stafford, Victoria Fox (Narrator)

Audiobook

They Never Learn

"Brought to you by Penguin. He wasn’t afraid of me. That was his first mistake. Scarlett Clark is an exceptional English professor and an even better serial killer. She’s made it her mission in life to track down predatory men on campus and kill them and she’s preparing for her biggest murder yet. Carly Schiller is just trying to survive her freshman year at college – keeping her head down and focussing on work. But when her roommate Allison is assaulted at a party Carly becomes obsessed with making the attacker pay. When police start investigating the spate of local deaths, Scarlett starts to realise it’s only a matter of time before her secret life is exposed and everything she’s built comes crashing down with it… ‘Deliciously satisfying… The feminist revenge thriller we need and deserve’ Megan Collins ‘A gorgeously-written ragestorm of a thriller…will shock readers as much as it satisfies them’ Wendy Heard ‘Grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go’ Samantha Downing © Layne Fargo 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Layne Fargo (Author), Eileen Stevens, Lameece Issaq (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Best Man: Unfinished Business

"The beloved characters from The Best Man movies and hit television series reunite for a sexy and soulful, heartbreaking and hilarious reckoning of love. Recently divorced and fresh off a Pulitzer Prize win, Harper Stewart is in a new era. He’s working on a movie and living the ultimate bachelor life in his Brooklyn penthouse. But still, something is missing. What else explains the stubborn creative block? The carousel of women? And seventh-wheel status with his friends? Jordan Armstrong had to flee New York. First, to give herself distance from Harper and, second, to escape the corporate grind. In her beachfront Malibu property, the façade of a “healed” Jordan flourishes. Yet she finds herself unmoored. Despite the physical distance, she still feels Harper’s magnetic pull. Meanwhile, in Ghana, Robyn has gone full bohemian restaurateur. She has finally found peace and won’t let another man ruin it—that is, until a handsome local entrepreneur commands her attention. But it’s all too much change for her daughter, Mia, and when she secretly calls Harper with an emergency Robyn would rather hide, their world is shaken and relationships are tested once more. Book one of The Best Man trilogy follows Harper, Jordan, and Robyn as they try to establish lives away from the hurts of the past and come to realize that some love is impossible to break. With support from their close-knit crew of chosen family—Quentin, Shelby, Lance, Murch, and Candace—they fight for a future that proves one’s second act can be the extended chapter worth it all."

Malcolm D. Lee (Author), Jakobi Diem, January LaVoy, Zenzi Williams (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Sands of Sea Blue Beach

"Can anything rekindle the summer love between former sweethearts facing old wounds and a divided town? Emery Quinn finds herself at a crossroads between her career and complex family dynamics. Struggling to connect with her blended family and ready for a fresh start, Emery accepts the position of editor-in-chief at the Sea Blue Beach Gazette. Upon her return to the Sands Motor Motel, she is flooded with bittersweet memories of her late mother and past regrets from a long-ago summer. Architect Caleb Ransom has returned home to Sea Blue Beach, a place filled with cherished memories and potential opportunities. He means to make a difference for his family and his hometown by caring for his troubled sister's son and preserving the history of the town as the leader of the new Main Street initiative. He certainly never expected to run into Emery Quinn, the girl who captured his heart sixteen summers ago. As Emery and Caleb revive their friendship, they find themselves facing a bitterly divided town. Together, they navigate family challenges, professional setbacks, and a high-stakes royal visit to discover how forgiveness and love can reshape their hearts and their destiny. 'This book is truly a breath of fresh air, all wrapped within a sweet and swoony love story!'—Liz Isaacson, USA Today bestselling author"

Rachel Hauck (Author), Gregory Abbey, Kelli Tager (Narrator)

Audiobook

This Funny Life: A Novel

"An infant is left on the doorstep of Saint Michael's Orphanage in the winter of 1936 with only an engraved medallion to mark his identity. Marvin Saint Michael grows up under the watchful gaze of the nuns and priests, yet his upbringing is anything but loving. Marvin learns from an early age to keep his mouth shut, to obey, and to refrain from questioning the authority figures that surround him. For when one disobeys, severe repercussions are handed out . . . When Marvin is fourteen years old, a girl enters Saint Michael's after a tragic accident took the lives of her parents. Eva Murphy captivates him. She isn't like any other girl that Marvin has ever met. He is irrevocably drawn to her, and after mere moments with her at his side, Marvin knows his life is about to change. Then, chaos breaks out at Saint Michael's, and Eva is thrust into the middle of it. Marvin knows he and Eva must escape the confines of the orphanage before it's too late. But where have the nuns taken Eva? How will he find her? And if they succeed in breaking free, can they possibly make their way in the world with only the clothes on their backs . . . and each other?"

Amy Fillion (Author), Coleen Marlo (Narrator)

Audiobook

Birding

"LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION In the nineties, Lydia was one half of a teen pop group. Their image was sexy, edgy, girly yet 'in control'. The reality was very different. Now, thirty years later, with #MeToo revelations a daily reality, a famous ex-lover resurfaces with a slick, self-serving apology, demanding forgiveness. Suddenly, Lydia is overwhelmed with memories of a harmful time in her life that refuses to leave her in peace. Meanwhile, Joyce has never left home and the suffocating grip of her mother, Betty. For decades their lives have intertwined, even wearing matching dresses and make-up, as they follow a rigid daily routine. A single misstep can send Betty spiralling, so Joyce stays inside the tracks. But something unfamiliar is rising inside Joyce - a whispered what if . . . Against the faded backdrop of a once-grand seaside resort, Lydia and Joyce are trapped in worlds of their own making. But as they both confront their pasts - the toxic men, the forgotten dreams, the twisted expectations - fate is about to throw them together, as they wrestle with the question: Can we ever truly take flight on broken wings? 'A surprisingly moving and uplifting book that asks what it means to fully become ourselves' Irish Times"

Rose Ruane (Author), Antonia Beamish (Narrator)

Audiobook

Welcome Home to Ivy Falls: Ivy Falls, Book 3

"Doesn’t everyone deserve their happy-ever-after? Piper Townsend is working hard to build her new life in Ivy Falls but fears she will never escape her past reputation. When Dr Crawford ‘Ford’ Foster breezes into town they recognise each other from a dark time in Piper’s life and she resolves to avoid him. But Ivy Falls is a small town, and with Ford covering for the local doctor for the whole summer, their paths keep crossing. Despite herself, PIper feels a chemistry she has never known before. Perhaps she could take a chance, just for the summer? But can Ford find his way into Piper’s heart and is she ready to trust in love?"

Amy True (Author), Kathryn Lynhurst, Wyeth Watts (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Einmal Crêpes mit Liebe, bitte!: Roman

"Ein Crêpe, ein Kuss, ein Neuanfang. Und der Traum vom Glück in der Bretagne! So hat sich Isabell ihren Urlaub in der Bretagne eigentlich nicht vorgestellt. Denn nachdem ihr Freund Robert sie kurz vor der Abreise hat sitzen lassen, findet sie sich im schnuckeligen französischen Ferienhäuschen nun allein wieder. Sie will das Beste daraus machen, um im wunderschönen Norden Frankreichs wieder zur Ruhe zu kommen und im besten Fall auch eine neue berufliche Perspektive zu finden. Als sich ihre Träume langsam zu erfüllen beginnen und sie dann auch noch den ebenso charmanten wie gutaussehenden Crêperie-Besitzer Olivier kennenlernt, scheint das Glück wieder auf ihrer Seite zu sein. Doch als Olivier nach und nach immer zurückhaltender wird, steht für Isabell plötzlich wieder alles auf dem Spiel. Gibt es in der Bretagne wirklich eine Zukunft für Isabell und die Liebe?"

Hanna Holmgren (Author), Christine Garbe (Narrator)

Audiobook

One Summer in Provence

"A season of surprises... Celia Grey appears to have the perfect life: married to Dominic, the man of her dreams, and living on a glorious, thriving vineyard in the south of France. To celebrate their good fortune, she decides to throw a huge party. When she is contacted by a stranger who claims to be her long-lost son, David, the newborn she gave up at twenty and has never spoken of since, Celia impulsively invites him for the weekend of celebrations - without mentioning it to her husband. Despite his surprise, Dominic graciously welcomes David and his unexpected companion - but secretly he harbours doubts. Is David really Celia's son? And who is the mysterious young woman travelling with him? Only Celia can decide how far she will go to hold everything together, to keep her perfect life from unravelling... One Summer in Provence is a story of betrayal and belonging, and of discovering love in unexpected places. 'A SUPERB READ - I LOVED IT!' MIRIAM MARGOLYES"

Carol Drinkwater (Author), Carol Drinkwater (Narrator)

Audiobook

Contemporary Women Audiobooks in Fiction