★Connolly, Lauren. PS: I Hate You. Books on Tape. Dec. 2024. 11:23 hrs. ISBN 9780593943762. $85.50. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Growing up, the only relative Maddie Sanderson could depend on was her brother Josh. The next closest thing was her relationship with the Perrys, the family of Josh’s best friend Dominic, whom Maddie had a crush on. However, that changed after a night of passion with Dominic turned to sour grapes the following day. Seven years later, Maddie meets the Perrys again at Josh’s funeral. To her horror, she discovers that Josh’s last request for her is to spread his ashes in eight different states—with Dominic. Karissa Vacker emotively narrates Connolly’s (Fall Back into Me) tale of lost and second chances. Her Maddie is a ball of insecurities and sarcastic humor with several pockets of grief. She compartmentalizes her life to avoid getting hurt but doesn’t realize how that affects others. Although the novel is told from Maddie’s perspective, Vacker expressively narrates the rest of the characters so well that listeners will feel they know their real thoughts. Dominic, especially, has blush-worthy lines that will have listeners swooning. VERDICT The cinematic locales and Maddie’s reestablished relationship with the Perrys are fleshed out this slow-burn romance beyond the enemies (in Maddie’s mind)-to-lovers trope. Great for all collections.—Anjelica Rufus-Barnes

★Khorram, Adib. I’ll Have What He’s Having. Hachette Audio. Aug. 2024. 10:04 hrs. ISBN 9781668643587. $27.99. LGBTQIA+ ROMANCE

When sommelier David mistakes Farzan for an important food critic, he treats him to amazing food and wine—and a healthy dose of flirting. This leads to a passionate night before they discover the error. Luckily, the attraction is real. Unfortunately, David is too driven to pause for a relationship, and Farzan doesn’t do casual. They’re drawn together again when Farzan asks for help taking over his family’s restaurant, but their friends-with-benefits arrangement seems destined to bloom into something more. Both Shezi Sardar and Brent Billings are charming narrators, though their approaches are different. Billings, narrating David, instills a sensuality to the dialogue, particularly when Farzan is at his most provocative. In contrast, Sardar’s Farzan is much less sure of his sexiness. Rather than creating dissonance, these differing approaches demonstrate that Farzan is often unaware of just how irresistible David finds him. VERDICTA scrumptious romance from YA author Khorram (The Breakup Lists). Billings and Sardar’s dual narration creates a cozy and intimate listening experience, with characters who are just as delectable as the food and wine.—Matthew Galloway

★Taylor, Heather & Hillary Nussbaum. Know Your Newlywed. S. & S. Audio. Dec. 2024. 4:54 hrs. ISBN 9781797170657. $19.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Cleo, a researcher and PhD hopeful, and Javi, a wannabe food truck owner, live in two separate cities but connect on a dating app over their mutual love of the old game show Know Your Newlywed. When a reboot is announced, they fake being married to have their chance on the show. They don’t expect to win—or to fall for each other—but they do. Nussbaum and Taylor’s debut is a delightful, full-cast audiobook featuring Tyler Posey from Teen Wolf as Javi and Mary Mouser from Cobra Kai as Cleo, along with several other acclaimed narrators, including Helen Laser and Graham Halstead. The result, produced by Elena Armas, is more like listening to a radio show than an audiobook. The narration sets the tone, from the game show’s announcer to the sound effects to the conversations between Cleo and Javi. VERDICT Listeners will fall head over heels for this quick, flirty, and fun audiobook in which dreams really do come true and love shows up when it’s least expected.—Elyssa Everling

★White, Kiersten. Lucy Undying: A Dracula Novel. Books on Tape. Sept. 2024. 18:11 hrs. ISBN 9780593948910. $88.50. PARANORMAL ROMANCE

Lucy Westenra, whose untimely death at the hands of Dracula was the defining moment of her life, has spent her vampiric afterlife searching for her beloved Mina and, ultimately, herself. Iris Goldaming is running to escape her family’s sinister multilevel marketing scheme. Neither woman expects to find love along the way. In this gorgeously layered novel about self-forgiveness and allowing oneself to be changed by love, White (Mister Magic) offers a refreshing take on a classic. Narrator Billie Fulford-Brown steals the show as Lucy, somehow making her every iteration—pre-vampire Lucy, lost vampire Lucy, and confident-in-love Lucy—all sound distinct, while Elizabeth Knowelden as Mina and Nicky Endres as Vanessa offer small but extraordinarily effective performances. Linda Jones narrates Dracula’s third-person passages with perfectly chilling flatness. Jeremy Carlisle Parker has incredible tone and delivery as Iris, ranging from snarky to tender and back in the span of a paragraph. The author reads the dedication and acknowledgments in a conversational, conspiratorial manner. VERDICT Mysterious and intoxicating, this is a delightful retelling that expands on one of horror’s classics. Even the biggest scaredy-cat will love it.—Zoey Colglazier