ROSIE AND THE DREAMBOAT

by Sally Thorne, for Brilliance Audio

For a hopeful and hopeless romantic, it’s love at first sight—in a hilarious short story about finding Mr. Right. Rosie Whittaker and her sister are up for some Galentine’s pampering at a day spa. Getting locked inside a flotation tank is so Rosie. Enter a firefighter hero determined to pry this luckless pearl out of her high-tech shell. All Rosie has to go on is a dreamy voice and a flirty sense of humor. Remain calm, Rosie. This could be what you’ve been waiting for. Is this the man she’s waited for her whole life?

“Bailey Carr's performance of Sally Thorne's story is a standout and includes muffled voices heard from inside a sensory-deprivation tank and the calming voice of a wellness center employee. These funny, tender, and romantic stories, full of promising beginnings and well-developed characters, are performed by talented narrators.”

-Audiofile Magazine

MADE FOR YOU

by Jenna Satterthwaite, for Harper Audio

Hi. My name is Julia. I’m a Synth. And I’m here to find love… Synthetic woman Julia Walden was designed for one reason: to compete on The Proposaland claim the heart of bachelor Josh LaSala. Fast-forward fifteen months, and Julia and Josh are married and raising their baby in small-town Indiana. But with haters around every corner, Julia’s life is a far cry from the domestic bliss she imagined. Then her splintering world shatters: Josh goes missing, and she becomes the prime suspect in his murder. This twist-filled debut deftly explores the exhilarating point where artificial intelligence, reality TV, and bone-chilling murder mystery meet.

PARTY FAVORS

by Sariah Wilson, for Brilliance Audio

For a party planner in awe of the royals, daydreams fit for a queen might come true in a captivating romantic comedy. For as long as she can remember, Everly Aprile has been obsessed with the Monterran royals, especially Queen Kat: elegant, self-possessed, and living a fairy-tale romance. As for Everly, her career as an event planner has stalled—and so has her love life. Then a wealthy new client wants a sweet-sixteen party that’s fit for an American princess. Call it intervento divino when she meets dizzyingly handsome and charismatic Max Colby, who’s relocated stateside from the Monterran kingdom of her dreams. If Everly promises to be his New York City guide, he’ll teach her the customs and culture of Monterra so her party gets a boost of authenticity. Deal. As their friendship grows, Everly starts falling—but for what? Another unattainable obsession? Max is such a dreamboat that surely he sees her as just a friend. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance for fate to bring Everly her happily ever after after all.

THE DIVORCEES

by Rowan Beaird, for Macmillan Audio

A delicious and deeply compelling debut novel set at a 1950s Reno "divorce ranch," about the complex friendship between two women who dare to imagine a different future. Lois Saunders thought that marrying the right man would finally cure her loneliness. But she is suffocating in their loveless marriage. In 1951, though, unhappiness is hardly grounds for divorce—except in Reno, Nevada. At the most respectable of Reno’s famous divorce ranches, Lois finds herself living with half a dozen other would-be divorcees, all in Reno for the six weeks’ residency that is the state’s only divorce requirement. But it isn’t until Greer Lang arrives that Lois’s world truly cracks open.

CASKET CASE

by Lauren Evans, for Penguin Audio

In this warm-hearted debut rom-com, a young woman returns home to run her family’s casket business and falls in love with a seemingly perfect stranger. But there’s just one problem . . . he works for Death. Casket Case is the heartfelt story of a small-town girl who feels surrounded by death—literally and figuratively. This clever, endearing, and romantic debut explores how love and loss are forever intertwined . . . but death might not be as scary as it seems.

NOT HOW I PICTURED IT

by Robin Lefler, for Recorded Books

A sharply hilarious and ultimately heartfelt novel about a former teen superstar who grudgingly agrees to a reboot of the show that made her (in)famous. No one is more surprised than its former star, Agnes “Ness” Larkin, that she’s agreed to step back into the role. En route to the deluxe Bahamas resort where they’re to start filming, the cast gets stranded by a storm. Stuck on a tiny island with a paltry cache of food and quite possibly the most useless survival group in history, Ness tries to reconcile her youthful dreams with where she’s ended up—figuratively and literally. The producers wanted drama on and off-screen, and they’re going to get it, but where will Ness be when it’s all over?