Tough Topics Audiobooks

Beyond the Red

"Alien queen Kora has a problem as vast as the endless crimson deserts. She’s the first female ruler of her territory in generations, but her people are rioting and call for her violent younger twin brother to take the throne. Despite assassination attempts, a mounting uprising of nomadic human rebels, and pressure to find a mate to help her rule, she’s determined to protect her people from her brother’s would-be tyrannical rule.Eros is a rebel soldier hated by aliens and human alike for being a half-blood. Yet that doesn’t stop him from defending his people, at least until Kora’s soldiers raze his camp and take him captive. He’s given an ultimatum: be an enslaved bodyguard to Kora, or be executed for his true identity—a secret kept even from him.When Kora and Eros are framed for the attempted assassination of her betrothed, they flee. Their only chance of survival is to turn themselves in to the high court, where revealing Eros’s secret could mean a swift public execution. But when they uncover a violent plot to end the human insurgency, they must find a way to work together to prevent genocide."

Ava Jae (Author), Caitlin Davies, Will Damron (Narrator)

Audiobook

Little & Lion

"A stunning novel on love, identity, loss, and redemption. When Suzette comes home to Los Angeles from her boarding school in New England, she's isn't sure if she'll ever want to go back. L.A. is where her friends and family are (as well as her crush, Emil). And her stepbrother, Lionel, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, needs her emotional support. But as she settles into her old life, Suzette finds herself falling for someone new...the same girl her brother is in love with. When Lionel's disorder spirals out of control, Suzette is forced to confront her past mistakes and find a way to help her brother before he hurts himself--or worse. 'Little and Lion is beautifully insightful, honest, and compassionate. Brandy's ability to find larger meaning in small moments is nothing short of dazzling.' -- Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything"

Brandy Colbert (Author), Alisha Wainwright (Narrator)

Audiobook

After the Game

"The third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Field Party series—a southern soap opera with football, cute boys, and pick-up trucks—from USA TODAY bestselling author Abbi Glines. Two years ago, Riley Young fled from Lawton, Alabama. After accusing the oldest Lawton son, Rhett, of rape, everyone called her a liar and she had no option but to leave. Now she's back, but she's not at Lawton High finishing up her senior year. She's at home raising the little girl that no one believed was Rhett's. Rhett is off at college living the life he was afraid he'd lose with Riley's accusation, so Riley agrees to move back to Lawton so she and her parents could take care of her grandmother, who is suffering from Alzheimer's. But the town still hasn't forgotten their hate for her, and she hasn't forgotten the way they turned on her when she needed them most. When town golden boy Brady Higgens finds Riley and her daughter, Bryony, stranded on the side of the road in a storm, he pulls over and gives them a ride. Not because he cares about Riley, of course, but because of the kid. But after the simple car ride, he begins to question everything he thought he knew. Could Brady believe Riley and risk losing everything?"

Abbi Glines (Author), Charlotte Penfield, Jason Carpenter (Narrator)

Audiobook

All Rights Reserved

"In a world where every word and gesture is copyrighted, patented or trademarked, one girl elects to remain silent rather than pay to speak, and her defiant and unexpected silence threatens to unravel the very fabric of society. Speth Jime is anxious to deliver her Last Day speech and celebrate her transition into adulthood. The moment she turns fifteen, Speth must pay for every word she speaks ("Sorry" is a flat ten dollars and a legal admission of guilt), for every nod ($0.99/sec), for every scream ($0.99/sec) and even every gesture of affection. She's been raised to know the consequences of falling into debt, and can't begin to imagine the pain of having her eyes shocked for speaking words that she's unable to afford. But when Speth's friend Beecher commits suicide rather than work off his family's crippling debt, she can't express her shock and dismay without breaking her Last Day contract and sending her family into Collection. Backed into a corner, Speth finds a loophole: rather than read her speech—rather than say anything at all—she closes her mouth and vows never to speak again. Speth's unexpected defiance of tradition sparks a media frenzy, inspiring others to follow in her footsteps, and threatens to destroy her, her family and the entire city around them."

Gregory Scott Katsoulis (Author), Frankie Corzo (Narrator)

Audiobook

Editing Emma: Online you can choose who you want to be. If only real life were so easy...

"‘I am so glad I read this book. It’s like an old friend who will cheer you up and make you feel a bit better about all those times you’ve made a twit of yourself.’ Alex Bell, author of Frozen Charlotte ‘Great for fans of Holly Bourne’ Katy Birchall, author of The It Girl ‘According to Netflix, this is NOT how my teenage life is supposed to look.’ When Emma Nash is ghosted by love of her life Leon Naylor, she does what any girl would do – spends the summer avoiding all human contact, surrounded by the Chewit wrappers he left behind. Seeing Leon suddenly ‘in a relationship’ on Facebook, however, spurs Emma into action. She vows to use the internet for good (instead of stalking Leon’s social media),chronicling her adventures on her new Editing Emma blog. But life online doesn’t always run smoothly. From finding her mum’s Tinder profile, to getting catfished and accidentally telling the entire world why Leon Naylor is worth no girl’s virginity… Surely nothing else could go wrong?!"

Chloe Seager (Author), Charlie Sanderson (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Wicked King: A Story of Rebellion and Racism

"A government switch, a rebellion, a corrupt king...a transformation. The blacks and whites have been living amongst each other for an entire century, but as the racist movements and officials have become more intense, the mindset of the populace has shifted. Auridius is a family man, a patriot, and a fighter for peace. He has been watching all the political developments in horror, dreading the day that everything will go wrong. When an evil dictator takes over and enforces absurd laws, it is up to this courageous man to keep his family from harm and lead the way to a new way of thinking among the general population."

Jeff Child (Author), John H. Fehskens (Narrator)

Audiobook

Unraveling

"What happens when happily ever after starts to unravel? Eliyana Ember doesn't believe in true love. Not anymore. After defeating her grandfather and saving the Second Reflection, El only trusts what's right in front of her. The tangible. The real. Not some unexplained Kiss of Infinity she once shared with the ghost of a boy she's trying to forget. She has more important things to worry about--like becoming queen of the Second Reflection, a role she is so not prepared to fill. Now that the Verity is intertwined with her soul and Joshua's finally by her side, El is ready to learn more about her mysterious birth land, the land she now rules. So why does she feel like something--or someone--is missing? When the thresholds begin to drain and the Callings, those powerful magical gifts, begin to fail, El wonders if her link to Ky Rhyen may have something to do with it. For light and darkness cannot coexist. She needs answers before the Callings disappear altogether. Can El find a way to sever her connection to Ky and save the Reflections--and keep herself from falling for him in the process? 'A sequel that outshines its already brilliant predecessor.' --Nadine Brandes, award-winning author of Romanov and Fawkes - The second in the low-spice, YA romantasy trilogy - Books best read in order: - Book 1: Unblemished - Book 2: Unraveling - Book 3: Unbreakable - Full-length book"

Sara Ella (Author), Hayley Cresswell (Narrator)

Audiobook

Coming Up for Air

"All of Maggie's focus and free time is spent swimming. She's not only striving to earn scholarships - she's training to qualify for the Olympics. It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team and that he cheers her on, but he's already earned his Olympic tryout, so sometimes his presence creates more pressure. If that wasn't stressful enough, life becomes even more complicated once Maggie goes on a college visit. There, she realizes how much of the typical high-school experience she's missed out on by being in the pool. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to try to squeeze the most out of her senior year while still training. First up? Making out with a guy. Maggie figures that Levi could be the perfect candidate - after all, they already spend a lot of time together. But as Maggie starts to discover her own feelings for Levi, she must decide how much she's willing to sacrifice in the water to win at love."

Miranda Kenneally (Author), Carly Robins (Narrator)

Audiobook

Little Monsters

"For fans of Pretty Little Liars, Little Monsters is a new psychological thriller, from the author of The Darkest Corners, about appearances versus reality and the power of manipulation amongst teenage girls.    Kacey is the new girl in Broken Falls. When she moved in with her father, she stepped into a brand-new life. A life with a stepbrother, a stepmother, and strangest of all, an adoring younger half sister.    Kacey's new life is eerily charming compared with the wild highs and lows of the old one she lived with her volatile mother. And everyone is so nice in Broken Falls-she's even been welcomed into a tight new circle of friends. Bailey and Jade invite her to do everything with them.    Which is why it's so odd when they start acting distant. And when they don't invite her to the biggest party of the year, it doesn't exactly feel like an accident.     But Kacey will never be able to ask, because Bailey never makes it home from that party. Suddenly, Broken Falls doesn't seem so welcoming after all-especially once everyone starts looking to the new girl for answers.     Kacey is about to learn some very important lessons: Sometimes appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes when you're the new girl, you shouldn't trust anyone. Praise for Little Monsters: 'Thomas creates a disturbing portrait of how bad news and gossip can curdle when mixed together.'-Oprah.com 'An eerie and masterly psychological thriller...[that] culminates in a shocking and disturbing ending. Thomas expertly captures the pointed nuances and the fickle, manipulative bonds of adolescent girls' friendships.'-SLJ 'Taut and suspenseful...this gritty page-turner will easily hook a broad range of readers'-Booklist 'An intense psychological thriller that all but ensures the lights will be left on between dusk and dawn.'-Publishers Weekly 'Gritty and realistic...this mystery will leave readers in awe.'-VOYA 'A twisted story of obsession and manipulation, Little Monsters captivated me right up to its surprising conclusion-and left me wondering how well I really know my friends.'-Chelsea Sedoti, author of The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett"

Kara Thomas (Author), Brittany Pressley, Phoebe Strole (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Roommate Rulebook: A Hachette Audiobook powered by Wattpad Production

"The Roommate Rulebook is a new release from Hachette Audiobooks: Powered by Wattpad -- an innovative collaboration between Hachette Book Group, a leading publisher, and Wattpad, a passionate storytelling community of over 45 million people. Your favorite online stories, now available in your headphones! Alex Simmons moves into her cousin Dev's flat by the agreement of her parents that she will attend the local business college. However, with Alex's passion for art and desire to make her own way in the world, this becomes an impossibility. After gaining the approval of her cousin, she skips her college clashes and gets a bartending job at her local pub. Through her cousin, she meets his best friend and local biking legend Asher Toms. With his irritating idiosyncrasies making her life difficult, she decides to formulate her own rulebook, filled with rules that aim to contain Ash's unruly behavior. Breaking these rules soon become Ash's goal, which result in endless pranks, petty squabbles and eventually a budding romance. Ash's aim is to win the local biking championships. At one of his races, his bike is sabotaged, followed by a warning not to continue his biking career. Ash, Dev and Alex set out to uncover the culprit before the date of the championships. At work, Alex becomes closer with her colleagues and eventually becomes suspicious of their behavior. When she has satisfied her curiosity, Ash discovers that somebody took his bike to the garage while masquerading as him. Alex decides to try and come to the bottom of it, but doesn't come to any conclusions. The championships draw closer and Asher becomes increasingly threatened, but refuses to give up riding in the race. Alex discovers that his father was in a biking accident and resides in the hospital's life support ward, which is the true reason that Asher will not halt his career. After a horror crash at the championships, Ash is taken into the hospital, where the identity of his stalker (one of Alex's colleagues) is unveiled. Asher's father wakes up from his coma, the stalker is arrested and Ash survives his surgery."

Katie Hart (Author), Charlotte Wright (Narrator)

Audiobook

Saints and Misfits

"Saints and Misfits is an unforgettable debut novel that feels like a modern day My So-Called Life…starring a Muslim teen. There are three kinds of people in my world: 1. Saints, those special people moving the world forward. Sometimes you glaze over them. Or, at least, I do. They're in your face so much, you can't see them, like how you can't see your nose. 2. Misfits, people who don't belong. Like me-the way I don't fit into Dad's brand-new family or in the leftover one composed of Mom and my older brother, Mama's-Boy-Muhammad. Also, there's Jeremy and me. Misfits. Because although, alliteratively speaking, Janna and Jeremy sound good together, we don't go together. Same planet, different worlds. But sometimes worlds collide and beautiful things happen, right? 3. Monsters. Well, monsters wearing saint masks, like in Flannery O'Connor's stories. Like the monster at my mosque. People think he's holy, untouchable, but nobody has seen under the mask. Except me."

S. K. Ali (Author), Ariana Delawari (Narrator)

Audiobook

Blind Attraction: A Hachette Audiobook powered by Wattpad Production

"Blind Attractionis a new release from Hachette Audiobooks: Powered by Wattpad -- an innovative collaboration between Hachette Book Group, a leading publisher, and Wattpad, a passionate storytelling community of over 45 million people. Your favorite online stories, now available in your headphones! Challenged to extraordinary feats because of her temporary blindness, the last thing Marley expects is to have a hospital roommate for companionship. As she navigates her sudden new world, Marley finds herself growing in the presence of Blair's outgoing personality. Meanwhile, the mysterious Blair has forgotten what it was like to befriend someone 'normally', to have a chat or just take a walk together. Though he appears to indulge in this novelty at first, he can feel himself change in Marley's presence and go beyond the limits to get to know her. He constantly teases himself with the option of telling her the truth about his life, and is baffled when she doesn't at least take a guess at who he is -- but believes it's the elephant in the room that nobody wants to confront yet. Within their stories are their friends and family who are pivotal to their growth but no matter the character, you see a form of dedication, commitment, and sacrifice. is really just girl meets boy and despite their situations, it's a relationship built on the basics of just getting to know each other without exterior factors."

Steffanie Tan (Author), Jeannie Tirado (Narrator)

Audiobook