I am the OG audiobook listener. I listened to audiobooks as a teen back when they were broken up into multiple MP3 files. Files pirated by Russians. They would post you their entire collection on a couple of CDs, each voice stamped. A gravelly inflected recitation of ‘audiobooksforfree.com’ will always mean more to me than just intellectual property theft. So it feels very against type that I’m coming to the Romance audiobook world so late in the game. Obviously I tried over the years, but whether it was the terribly adult sounding person reading sex scenes or some internal censor that demanded I use my commute listens for more worthy titles, I never took to it.

My listening landscape changed when I got Libby, the public library app. Or rather, it changed when I couldn’t get Libby titles on either of my ereaders and so decided that audiobooks were my only option. Regardless, in 2023, I’m steaming my way through those popular romance titles that have claimed precious public library dollar/pounds of late. And what could be more popular in the pandemic-influenced publishing market than rom-coms? Literally nothing. I have feelings about this, but there’s no denying the strength of this market has allowed several sapphic rom-coms to shoot up the charts. Most notably two series set in the US’s rainy Northwest, starting with…

Alexandria Bellefleur, Written in the Stars (2020)

The debut juggernaut sapphic that launched the whole rom-com subcategory, Written in the Stars does not mess about. Do you want a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, the OG enemies-to-lovers romance? Meet Darcy and Elle, opposites who attract. Do you want the single most popular romance trope in circulation today? Yes, they will fake date and wonder the entire time if any of this is real. Do you want a rom-com that channels the city most associated with iconic cinematic rom-coms? Okay, it’s not set in New York. Seattle is a close second, right? Despite rolling my eyes at the ‘is this real?’ handwringing, our P&P stand-ins are pretty perfect. Darcy especially did all the right Type-A romantic lead things, from defending Elle against her judgey parents to pulling out a great Grovel & Gift at the end. I will never look at the potted culinary herbs in the produce aisle the same again.

Ashley Herring Blake, Delilah Green Doesn’t Care (2021)

First off, the big thing you need to know is that, not only does Delilah Green not care, but she is sexy as hell. Her whole black-on-black-on-black artist aesthetic mixed with curly bed hair and inked sleeves is a whole lot of yum. And her voice? Husky honey. (Shout out to Kristen DiMercurio, who slays narrating this series.) Hmmm, what else? There are other hot queer women in this book too, notably Claire, the curvy single-mom bookshop owner of Bright Falls, WA with whom Delilah starts a secret affair during a rare visit back to her hometown. Secret affair because Claire’s the bridesmaid bestie of Delilah’s estranged sister. Like all good small-town romances, Delilah Green traffics in homecomings and reckonings with our past – in this case during an over-elaborate pre wedding ritual. I can never get enough of that stuff.

Alexandria Bellefleur, Hang the Moon (2021)

An MF romance nestled with a sapphic series, I both loved this book and wanted to throw it across the room (which was, alas, not possible if I wanted a functioning phone.) For Book #2 in Bellefleur’s series, we’re still in rom-com central, aka Seattle, and the trope is another hot one – Best Friend’s Brother. Darcy’s bf Annie (such a great rom-com heroine name!) flies in for a surprise visit only to be landed with Darcy’s younger brother Brendan (why not Will? Or Fitz?) as her tour guide. Dating-app founder Brendan is evangelic about red-rose romance – and has been in love with Annie since he was a kid. The prospect of him trying to convince jaded Annie about The Power of Love through a series of rom-com style dates had me bouncing in my seat. Obviously, nothing would go to plan (comedy!) and slowly he’d learn that romance is not the same script for everyone (swoon!) In retrospect, I got overly invested in how I wanted the scenario to play out. That’s on me. But dammit, if you’re going to have a bf’s little bro be the love interest, I’m gonna need him to be more than two measly years younger, and I’m going to need to see a bit more pushback on adolescent fantasies versus reality. Still, I’m always here for the queer MF romance. And speaking of Team Bi…

Ashley Herring Blake, Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail (2022)

Spoiler, Delilah Green’s wedding photographer gig doesn’t come off. Estranged sis Astrid is single and… definitely not ready to mingle. Because it turns out that breaking up with your shitty dude isn’t always the fresh start you need. But don’t worry, Astrid, because here comes a soft butch carpenter called Jordan (another sexy voice) in her dungarees and vintage ford to help you blow your life up all the way. I couldn’t possibly list everything I loved about this novel. Type A character unravelling? Heartbroken carpenter? Bisexual awakening? Drastic reappraisal of life ambitions? All that and so so so much HGTV renovation porn? Yes please. The only thing that threw me was the scene where Astrid and Jordan are in a library and start reading… Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur. Authors, don’t do this to me! What, your characters are real but the other author’s characters are just in a book? This messes with my mind! Anyway, I absolutely goddamn loved this romance.

Next up:  What else but Written in the Stars #3, Count Your Lucky Stars, and Bright Falls #3, Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date? Sure, the Bellefleur book is already published, but I’m waiting for Libby to notify me. They have this cute little bell emoji.