The stores are glitter bombed with holiday decorations, and it’s time to festoon your headphones with holiday romance audiobooks. Your only problem is going to be narrowing it down, since this year’s list of audiobooks is approaching epic status. But help is here—you choose your favorite holiday romance trope, and AudioFile will recommend a listen to match.
Complicated Family Holidays
Family expectations can send holiday celebrations sideways, so if chaos is your catnip, try ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY by Susan Mallery, read by Tanya Eby, or YOU MAKE IT FEEL LIKE CHRISTMAS by Toni Shiloh, read by Jasmin Walker, or A WINTER WISH by Emily Stone, read by Meg Travers. Eby rocks it with a May-December romance and a large cast of characters, while Walker impresses with dialogue and sibling rivalries. Narrator Meg Travers deals with family grief and inheritance and performs several UK accents in A WINTER WISH.
Fake Dating
Fake dating takes on new meaning during the pressures of the holiday season. In LOVE YOU A LATKE by Amanda Elliot, narrator Kelli Tager sails smoothly through Yiddish and Hebrew words as Abby trades Hanukkah festival help in return for pretending to date a well-connected customer. I'LL GET BACK TO YOU by Becca Grischow, read by Allison Grischow, centers around a disappointing Thanksgiving where high school alums Murphy and Ellie team up for the holidays. Murphy comes across as both sympathetic and dryly hilarious in the audio.
Dreams Come True
Santa’s magical journey suggests the possibility of holiday miracle, and the next few audiobooks jumpstart the joy of the season with various unexpected windfalls. ONLY SANTAS IN THE BUILDING by Alexis Daria, read by Ruby Corazon, as well as THE WEDDING WITCH by Erin Sterling, read by Mary Jane Wells, both play with the idea of a dream crush becoming a reality. Carly Phillips’s JUST ONE MORE MISTLETOE, read by Isabelle Turner and Sean Masters, offers a dual narration on the steamy side when an office party goes in an unexpected direction. Narrators Mia Hutchinson-Shaw and Pete Cross take on a queer remix of a holiday classic with IT’S A FABULOUS LIFE by Kelly Farmer. Listeners will appreciate their emotional range. A Yuletide wedding brings together dreamy Welsh witch Bowen and artifact collector Tamsyn in THE WEDDING WITCH by Erin Sterling. Mary Jane Wells's narration pairs their growing attraction with a time-travel spell and the ensuing adventure.
Meet Mr./Ms. Scrooge
These audiobooks chronicle characters getting into a seasonal mood. Melanie Mendez pokes fun at the differences between a pop-up baker and a grumpy apartment dweller in BAKING IT MERRY by Samantha Chase. Narrator Amy Hall helps Holly Cassidy’s downcast heroine regain the holiday spirit with a series of challenges in THE CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN . Santa’s heir apparent finds new interest in the holiday season when he discovers the identity of his holiday mystery man in THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE KISSMAS by Sara Raasch. Narrator Ellis Evans makes sure listeners are all in for their holiday romp. Charlotte’s small part in a Christmas film has soured her on the holiday but redemption is on the horizon in CHRISTMAS IS ALL AROUND by Martha Waters, read by Nikki Massoud.And for a feel-good favorite, I gleefully recommend KISS ME AT CHRISTMAS by Jenny Bayliss, read by Caroline Fantozzi. She captures a vast cast of characters with intimacy—and accents—and this audio will leave you wishing goodwill toward everyone you meet.
House Swaps
Listeners who can't stop browsing real estate listings will enjoy these audiobooks where characters swap (or borrow) houses for the holidays. Check out HOLIDAY HIDEAWAY by Mary Kay Andrews, read by Eva Kaminsky as well as I'LL BE GONE FOR CHRISTMAS by Georgia K. Boone, read by Angel Pean and Karen Malina White. Also try THE HOLIDAY HONEYMOON SWITCH by Julia McKay, read by Brittany Pressley, and for a steamier, sexy holiday set in Santa Claus, Indiana, don’t miss A NOVEL CHRISTMAS by Charity Shane', read by Tony Roberts and Charlie L. Wood.
Family-Friendly Listens
If you need a romance suitable for a family car trip or an afternoon of baking, we’ve got you! Try historical romance CHRISTMAS AT SUGAR PLUM MANOR by Roseanna M. White, which is made even more accessible by Liz Pierce's clear, crisp narration. Also try cozy Cape Cod contemporary THE CHRISTMAS INN by Pamela M. Kelley, read by Stephanie Németh-Parker. The lavish descriptions of food, wine, and Christmas festivities are a sensory feast.
Trapped by a Snowstorm
No holiday list would be complete without a weather emergency. Enjoy the humor, the annoyance, and the cozy vibe in ALL I WANT IS YOU by Falon Ballard, read by Sarah Naughton, Marwan Salama, and the author. And for an even higher-stakes situation, add in an investigation when the holiday host disappears in THE MOST WONDERFUL CRIME OF THE YEAR by Ally Carter, read by Saskia Maarleveld and Zachary Webber.
Happy holiday listening!
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