Tough Topics Audiobooks

Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir

"A searing debut YA poetry and essay collection about a Black cancer patient who faces medical racism after being diagnosed with leukemia in their early twenties, for fans of Audre Lorde's The Cancer Journals and Laurie Halse Anderson's Shout. When Walela is diagnosed at twenty-three with advanced stage blood cancer, they're suddenly thrust into the unsympathetic world of tubes and pills, doctors who don't use their correct pronouns, and hordes of 'well-meaning' but patronizing people offering unsolicited advice as they navigate rocky personal relationships and share their story online. But this experience also deepens their relationship to their ancestors, providing added support from another realm. Walela's diagnosis becomes a catalyst for their self-realization. As they fill out forms in the insurance office in downtown Los Angeles or travel to therapy in wealthier neighborhoods, they begin to understand that cancer is where all forms of their oppression intersect: Disabled. Fat. Black. Queer. Nonbinary. In Bless the Blood: A Cancer Memoir, the author details a galvanizing account of their survival despite the U.S. medical system, and of the struggle to face death unafraid."

Walela Nehanda (Author), Walela Nehanda (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Someday Daughter

"Perfect for fans of Rachel Lynn Solomon, Mary H. K. Choi, and Alex Light! From the critically acclaimed author of Seven Percent of Ro Devereux comes another heartrending and nuanced novel about family, love, and the cost of ambition. “A compelling, beautifully drawn exploration into complicated family and personal relationships and the frailty and fortitude of a girl simply trying to succeed, love, and thrive. I’m proud to live in a book world where Ellen O’Clover is writing contemporary young adult fiction. The Someday Daughter is a forever treasure.” —Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times bestselling author of A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow  Audrey St. Vrain has grown up in the shadow of someone who doesn’t actually exist. Before she was born, her mother, Camilla St. Vrain, wrote the bestselling book Letters to My Someday Daughter, a guide to self-love that advises treating yourself like you would your own hypothetical future daughter. The book made Audrey’s mother a household name, and she built an empire around it. While the world considers Audrey lucky to have Camilla for a mother, the truth is that Audrey knows a different side of being the someday daughter. Shipped off to boarding school when she was eleven, she feels more like a promotional tool than a member of Camilla’s family. Audrey is determined to create her own identity aside from being Camilla’s daughter, and she’s looking forward to a prestigious summer premed program with her boyfriend before heading to college and finally breaking free from her mother’s world.   But when Camilla asks Audrey to go on tour with her to promote the book’s anniversary, Audrey can’t help but think that this is the last, best chance to figure out how they fit into each other’s lives—not as the someday daughter and someday mother but as themselves, just as they are. What Audrey doesn’t know is that spending the summer with Camilla and her tour staff—including the disarmingly honest, distressingly cute video intern, Silas—will upset everything she’s so carefully planned for her life."

Ellen O'clover (Author), Taylor Meskimen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Dead Girls Don't Say Sorry

"What does it mean when your best friend is dead and your instinct is relief? A stunningly immersive debut about toxic friendships, grief, romance, and new beginnings. Friendship, at least for me, has never been anything but complicated. Before: One year ago, best friends Nora and Julia were starting their senior year of high school, with plans to apply to the same university so they wouldn't be separated. When Dillan Fletcher comes back to town, life as Nora knows it begins to unravel. And then, the unthinkable happens. After: Months after surviving the accident that killed her best friend, Nora Radford is stagnating. Dillan has remained by her side, but he and other friends are starting university, while Nora is still trying to unravel the lies that Julia told, lies disguised as friendship. DEAD GIRLS DON'T SAY SORRY is an absorbing page-tuner told in two timelines about how friendships evolve, how growing up can reveal the dark side of those you trust most. And it's about how even in the face of tragedy, we can find our way out of the dark and have the courage to step into something better."

Alex Ritany (Author), Victoria Villarreal (Narrator)

Audiobook

Kindling

"From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a stand-alone fantasy set against a war-ravaged world where kindling warfare—the use of elite, magic-wielding teenage soldiers—has been outlawed. In this rich and evocative novel, seven kindlings search for purpose and identity as they prepare for one final battle. For fans of the classic films Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven. A Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist A Kirkus Best Book of the 21st Century (So Far) An ALA Rainbow Round Table Top Ten Title for Teens An SLJ Best Book A Booklist Editor’s Choice Four starred reviews! Once, the war was fought with kindlings—elite, magic-wielding warriors whose devastating power comes at the cost of their own young lives. Now the war is over, and kindlings have been cast adrift. Violence still plagues the countryside, though, and memories haunt those who remain. When a village comes under threat of siege, it offers an opportunity for seven kindlings to fight one last time. But war changed these warriors. And to reclaim who they once were, they will have to battle their pasts, their trauma, and their grim fates to come together again—or none of them will make it out alive. Traci Chee brilliantly crafts a gut-wrenching, introspective fantasy about seven lost soldiers searching for the peace they once fought for and the future in which they’re finally daring to believe."

Traci Chee (Author), Allison Hiroto, Amielynn Abellera, Catherine Ho, Erika Ishii, Ferdelle Capistrano, Jeanne Syquia, Joy Osmanski (Narrator)

Audiobook

Tender Beasts

"After her private school is rocked by a gruesome murder, a teen tries to find the real killer and clear her brother's name in this "creepily potent story of a family legacy that gives terrifying shape to monsters real and imagined" (Kirkus Reviews) perfect for fans of The Taking of Jake Livingston and Ace of Spades. Sunny Behre has four siblings, but only one is a murderer. With the death of Sunny's mother, matriarch of the wealthy Behre family, Sunny's once picture-perfect life is thrown into turmoil. Her mother had groomed her to be the family's next leader, so Sunny is confused when the only instructions her mother leaves is a mysterious note: "Take care of Dom." The problem is, her youngest brother, Dom, has always been a near-stranger to Sunny…and seemingly a dangerous one, if found guilty of his second-degree murder charge. Still, Sunny is determined to fulfill her mother's dying wish. But when a classmate is gruesomely murdered, and Sunny finds her brother with blood on his hands, her mother's simple request becomes a lot more complicated. Dom swears he's innocent, and although Sunny isn't sure she believes him, she takes it upon herself to look into the murder—made all the more urgent by the discovery of another body. And another. As Sunny and Dom work together to track down the culprit, Sunny realizes her other siblings have their own dark secrets. Soon she may have to choose: preserve the family she's always loved or protect the brother she barely knows—and risk losing everything her mother worked so hard to build."

Liselle Sambury (Author), Kimberly Woods (Narrator)

Audiobook

For the Stolen Fates

"In this heart-pumping sci-fi sequel to In the City of Time, two people have to work together to prevent the cataclysm that will soon break the laws of physics and render Earth uninhabitable. Now in possession of the most dangerous book ever scribed, Willa and Saudade settle into the nineteenth century and start planning how to avert the cataclysm that will soon break the laws of physics and render Earth uninhabitable. Faraz only wants his best friend, Leo, to have the time to come to terms with the death of his father—even if his father was a power-hungry villain who had to be stopped. But someone has stolen the editbook again, and now Faraz and his friends must track down Willa and challenge her for control of the editbook. Meanwhile, Leo's older brother Aris contemplates a path toward redemption after using the editbook to destroy the city of Napoli. Can he salvage his remaining relationships, after a lifetime of following their father? But as far as Willa and Saudade are concerned, all these people are suspects in a crime that hasn't happened yet."

Gwendolyn Clare (Author), Rachel Leblang (Narrator)

Audiobook

10 Hours to Go

"Lily wants to get home. Her friends want to get even. Lily needs a ride—a fire warning in Oregon has cancelled her train home to California. Her ex-best friend, Natasha, has offered to pick Lily up on her way back from Portland, though they're barely on speaking terms. As it turns out, Natasha's also giving a ride to Elke Azizi, the girl Lily got expelled from their school four years ago. Elke hasn't forgotten, and neither has Natasha. It's getting tense in the car, and it's not just about the past. There's smoke in the air, and with the wildfires nearby, staying on the road is becoming riskier by the hour. When Natasha and Elke decide to take a detour, Lily hopes it'll get them out of danger. She has no idea, though, what her former friends have planned for her. But as night comes, the plans change again when it becomes all too clear that leaving the main road was a mistake. Now the three of them are trapped in the woods under a burning sky, with no easy way out. To survive, Lily must depend on Elke and Natasha—but after all that's happened, can she trust them with her life?"

Keely Parrack (Author), Gina Rogers (Narrator)

Audiobook

Disappearing Act: A True Story

"It was the summer before high school, the beginning of everything. But also an end. Jiordan's family was never quite like everyone else's, with her father's mood swings, her mother's attempts at normalcy, and her two older sisters with a different last name. But on the surface, they fit in. Until the day the FBI came knocking on the door. After that, her father's mood plunged to a dangerous new low. After that, there was an investigation into his business and a sentencing in court. Soon Jiordan's father would have to leave home, and her family would change forever. Reckoning with the aftershocks of her father's incarceration, Jiordan had to navigate friends who couldn't quite understand what she was going through, along with the highs and lows of first love. Under it all was the question: If Jiordan's father was gone, why did she feel like the one who was disappearing? Recounting her own experiences as a teenager, poet Jiordan Castle has created a searing and evocative young adult true-story-in-verse about the challenge to be free when a parent is behind bars."

Jiordan Castle (Author), Jiordan Castle (Narrator)

Audiobook

Wench

"“Tanya was good at many things, but her most useful gift was breaking up bar fights.” Tanya has been working at her tavern, the Smiling Snake, since she was able to see above the bar. She broke up her first fight at age eight. By the time she was a teenager, she could run the place with her eyes closed. And now, at seventeen, she’s confident enough that she’d never let anyone take advantage of her—whether it be a drunkard or captain of the Queen’s guard. But when her guardian dies, she might lose it all: the bar, her home, and her purpose in life. Even though she doesn’t see herself as a hero, she sets off on a quest to petition the queen and save her tavern. Along the way, she’ll have to navigate corrupt guards, swashbuckling thieves, a city of fire, and an enchanted feather that seems to be calling to her … Fast-paced, action-packed, and totally magical, Wench is epic fantasy like you’ve never seen it before. “A fierce, feminist romp through the adventures of a tavern wench. Like an old classic fairy tale, with bands of thieves and magical feathers, but with more badass female characters.”—Shea Ernshaw, New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep"

Maxine Kaplan (Author), Justis Bolding (Narrator)

Audiobook

Rick Riordan Presents: A Drop of Venom

"All monsters and heroes have beginnings. This is mine. Sixteen-year-old Manisha is no stranger to monsters—she’s been running from them for years, from beasts who roam the jungle to the King’s army, who forced her people, the naga, to scatter to the ends of the earth. You might think that the kingdom’s famed holy temples atop the floating mountains, where Manisha is now a priestess, would be safe—but you would be wrong. Seventeen-year-old Pratyush is a famed slayer of monsters, one of the King’s most prized warriors and a frequent visitor to the floating temples. For every monster the slayer kills, years are added to his life. You might think such a powerful warrior could do whatever he wants, but true power lies with the King. Tired after years of fighting, Pratyush wants nothing more than a peaceful, respectable life. When Pratyush and Manisha meet, each sees in the other the possibility to chart a new path. Unfortunately, the kingdom’s powerful have other plans. A temple visitor sexually assaults Manisha and pushes her off the mountain into a pit of vipers. A month later, the King sends Pratyush off to kill one last monster (a powerful nagin who has been turning men to stone) before he’ll consider granting the slayer his freedom. Except Manisha doesn’t die, despite the hundreds of snake bites covering her body and the venom running through her veins. She rises from the pit more powerful than ever before, with heightened senses, armor-like skin, and blood that can turn people to stone. And Pratyush doesn’t know it, but the “monster” he’s been sent to kill is none other than the girl he wants to marry. Alternating between Manisha’s and Pratyush’s perspectives, Sajni Patel weaves together lush language, high stakes, and page-turning suspense, demanding an answer to the question “What does it truly mean to be a monster?”"

Sajni Patel (Author), Soneela Nankani (Narrator)

Audiobook

Curvy Girls Can't Date Point Guards

"There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who live in the limelight, and those allergic to attention. And somehow, they always find each other. TERRELL Terrell had his last basketball season at Emerson Academy all planned out. Step one, win the state championship. Step two, get recruited by the best colleges in the nation. Step three, play in college and then go pro. But life had other plans. When all the other starters on the team are kicked off for being caught at a party, he’s left playing with freshmen who've never seen varsity playing time. If he wants a to get attention from recruiters now, he has to buckle down. That means focusing on the team and the team alone. SADIE Sadie would be the picture next to “introvert” in the dictionary. And Sadie was fine with that... until the college counselor says her being a loner is keeping her from the sterling recommendation letter she needs to get into her dream marine biology program. So when the basketball team comes to her family’s art studio for lessons designed to help them bond, Sadie volunteers to lead them, in exchange for a letter from the basketball coach. But when she gets to know Terrell more, she finds she prefers his company to being alone. Can she handle being the popular guy’s girlfriend? Will he be okay with a relationship in the shadows? Find out in Curvy Girls Can’t Date Point Guards."

Kelsie Stelting (Author), Courtney Encheff, Patrick Jean-Jacques (Narrator)

Audiobook

Thirty to Sixty Days

"Hattie Larken doesn't know if she's ever been real in her life. A compulsive liar with a quick-witted response to everything, she's willing to skate through high school until she can graduate and escape it all: the monotony of this town, the guilt of everything that happened with her dad, and the debt that her mom's dealing with that she feels responsible for. But then Hattie finds out she's dying. Apparently, she was exposed to a parasite because of a mistake her mom's company made. And she's not the only one. Two other kids have been exposed to the parasite: Carmen, who seems to be totally perfect; and Albie, a quiet kid who survived childhood cancer. Hattie, Albie, and Carmen are told they have thirty to sixty days to live. Instead of just sitting around a hospital and waiting to die, the three kids form an unlikely alliance to live the last days of their lives out to the fullest. And if Hattie just happens to find a way to raise some money for her mom through filming all their misadventures—well, she's not going to not do that then. Thirty to Sixty Days examines the ways that three teens grapple with the thread of imminent death—and how each ultimately discovers what life ought to be."

Alikay Wood (Author), Sarah Welborn (Narrator)

Audiobook