Romance Audiobooks discussion

Post your general topics of conversation here!

This is interesting - along the lines of OMG you can't make this stuff up.

Faleena Hopkins, romance author known for trying to claim exclusive use of the word cocky, has been found safe. She disappeared after being released from jail in Wyoming where she was arrested for multiple traffic offenses. Allegedly she ditched her cell phone before fleeing to Hawaii where she was located last week.

If you search her name you can find stories about this all over the place from Deseret News to People.

I’d read about the “Cocky-gate” stuff, which was crazy by itself.

What is wrong with her? She’s giving romance writers a bad rep.

Here’s a good article about the whole mess.

https://people.com/crime/missing-roma...

Jonetta wrote: "I’d read about the “Cocky-gate” stuff, which was crazy by itself.

What is wrong with her? She’s giving romance writers a bad rep."

Well, at least she hasn't murdered anyone that we know of. Of course she's only 52 so she still has time.

Romantic thriller writer Nancy Crampton Brophy, 71, author of How to Murder Your Husband was sentenced to life in prison for murdering her husband.

Read about that one, too.

Jonetta wrote: "I’d read about the “Cocky-gate” stuff, which was crazy by itself.

What is wrong with her? She’s giving romance writers a bad rep."

I remember that.

For those of you with Audible memberships, today’s sale is incredible!

I’m pretty good about maintaining a wishlist so it’s kind of long. Everything in it was on sale and I ended up getting 14 audiobooks for under $4 each, many of them $3 or less. I got two for free.

Just saying…

Wow. That's a great sale!!!!

I’m rarely this surprised but was blown away.

Now I'm going to look.

Jonetta wrote: "I’m rarely this surprised but was blown away."

I forgot to mention that deal was awesome and I got quite a few books that I had been eyeing.

Yay!!!

I posted this in another audiobook group I'm in and thought I'd toss this out in this chat: 🕵️‍♂️ I'm curious if buddy reads are possible with audiobooks. Have others been successful at engagement, discussing plot points, etc.? Sure, it has to start with a common title, but with different reading speeds and time commitments, I'm probably wrong, but has anyone done a buddy read in audiobook land? Asking for a 😉friend😉 who often reads 350-400 pages books in 2, 3 days tops.

The GR 2025 Choice Awards nominations will be soon. These 4 romance books are currently top in sales and may be nominees. How many have you read? Who plans on reading all 4?


Along Came Amor: A Novel
Can't Get Enough
Deep End
Great Big Beautiful Life

How fun! Saw this article....10 shows adapted from books:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/10-...

Article shares what format, streaming service is greenlighting these shows. "In 2022, author Carley Fortune debuted with her romance novel Every Summer After, which quickly became a New York Times Bestseller. Two years later, Prime Video optioned the rights to the story to make a TV show with the new title Every Year After."

Audiophile Audrey wrote: "The GR 2025 Choice Awards nominations will be soon. These 4 romance books are currently top in sales and may be nominees. How many have you read? Who plans on reading all 4?"


well, 3 of the 4 made it into the first round. which one(s) makes it to the final round?

It's Thanksgiving week so let's have some fun with Romance Audiobooks Thanksgiving Potluck!

Comment below with what dish you're bringing to our virtual Thanksgiving lunch and share what book you read this year you are MOST THANKFUL for!

I'll start....

I'm bringing pumpkin pie with whipped topping and one (I've read a lot of awesome ones this year!) book I'm grateful I read this year is by Lynn Painter.

Grandmother's version of succotash which we called garden goulash - chopped red tomatoes, whole kernel yellow corn, okra green, caramelized onion brown - optional addition: great northern beans or chopped potatoes for something white.
Can't really name just one book but
I'm thankful for library books especially those from Libby.

* SPOTIFY'S * TOP * AUDIOBOOK * NARRATOR * 0F * 2025

Julia Whelan is Spotify's first crowned narrator
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/...

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...

SPOTIFY Releases 2025 Audiobook Listening Data By Ed Nawotka | Dec 03, 2025

"For the first time, Spotify has announced its year-end audiobook listening data for Premium subscribers, dubbed Wrapped, with Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing claiming the top spot as the most-listened-to title of 2025.

The streaming platform's data shows fantasy and romance titles dominated listening among Premium subscribers this year. Yarros claimed two spots in the top 10 with Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, while Sarah J. Maas captured three positions with titles from her A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Navessa Allen's dark romance Lights Out took second place—reviewers online heavily favor the audiobook—and Shari Franke's memoir The House of My Mother ranked sixth. Nearly all of 2025's top audiobooks were backlist titles.

Maas topped the author rankings, followed by Freida McFadden, Yarros, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Stephen King. Julia Whelan was named the top narrator for audiobooks released in 2025.

Katie del Rosario, Spotify's North America associate director for audiobooks editorial, said that this year's "biggest trends were definitely spicy romance and romantasy, which continue to dominate book culture." She also pointed to "a real surge in music memoirs, with readers loving these behind-the-scenes looks at creative lives," citing releases from Mark Ronson, Mark Hoppus, and Cher.

Roshni Radia, Spotify's European manager for audiobooks, described romantasy as "a major cultural phenomenon" driven by BookTok communities and authors like Maas and Yarros. While historically popular with women, men now account for roughly 15% of listening in steamier subgenres, according to Spotify.

Del Rosario noted increased interest in what Spotify's editorial team calls "dystopian anxiety," with spikes in classic titles like Fahrenheit 451 and 1984, as well as contemporary works exploring social unrest, climate change, and emerging technologies.

Spotify's data also highlights the impact of screen adaptations on audiobook listening. The platform reported a 600% increase in listening to May Cobb's The Hunting Wives and a 330% uptick for Ruth Ware's The Woman in Cabin 10 in the two weeks following the premieres of their respective TV and film adaptations. Del Rosario pcited The Summer I Turned Pretty and Stephen King's The Long Walk as driving renewed interest in backlist titles.

The company reported that 47% of listeners use Spotify to explore new genres and authors. Half of listeners said they use the platform to immerse themselves in stories, whether through music like fan-created playlists or podcast episodes analyzing the narratives.

Spotify is also launching its Wrapped for Authors program, which provides authors and publishers with data on global listener engagement. This year's edition includes information on top titles for first-time listeners, fastest-growing markets, and listeners' music and podcast preferences."

so how many of Spotify's "2025's most-listened books" have you read?

✅Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros
🟪 Lights Out, Navessa Allen
✅Iron Flame, Rebecca Yarros
✅A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas
✅A Court of Mist and Fury, Sarah J. Maas
✅The House of My Mother, Shari Franke
✅The Wedding People, Alison Espach
✅A Court of Wings and Ruin, Sarah J. Maas
🟪Quicksilver, Callie Hart
✅Great Big Beautiful Life, Emily Henry


looks like I've got 2...libby, you better get them moved up in TBR.