The Best AudioBooks of 2021 (A Year-End List Aggregation)
“What are the best Audiobooks released in 2021?” We looked at 200 of the top Audiobooks , aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!
The top 30 books, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Audiobooks” book lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 150+ titles, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page.
Our other Best Of 2021 Articles:
- The Best Art, Photography, And Coffee Table Books
- The Best AudioBooks
- The Best Biography And Memoir Books
- The Best Graphic Novels And Comics
- The Best Cookbooks
- The Best Fiction Books
- The Best Books (All Catergories)
- The Best History Books
- The Best Kids, Children, and Youth Books
- The Best Mystery, Horror, and Thriller Books
- The Best Nonfiction Books
- The Best Poetry Books
- The Best Science And Nature Books
- The Best Science Fiction And Fantasy Books
- The Best Young Adult Books
Previous Years: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015
Happy Scrolling!
Top 30 Best Audiobooks From 2021
30.) Beautiful World, Where Are You written by Sally Rooney and read by Aoife McMahon
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Cosmopolitan
29.) Eartha & Kitt written by Kitt Shapiro, Patricia Weiss Levy and read by Karen Chilton
Lists It Appears On:
- Audiofile
- Five Books 2
28.) Empire of Pain written by Patrick Radden Keefe and read by Patrick Radden Keefe
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- The Washington Post
27.) Facing The Mountain written byDaniel James Brown and read by Louis Ozawa
Lists It Appears On:
- Audiofile
- Five Books 2
26.) Feeding the Soul written by Tabitha Brown and read by Tabitha Brown
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Cosmopolitan
25.) Fuzz written by Mary Roach and read by Mary Roach
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
24.) Great Circle written by Maggie Shipstead and read by Cassandra Campbell and Alex McKenna
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Slate
23.) My Broken Language written byQuiara Alegría Hudes and read by Quiara Alegría Hudes
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
22.) One Last Stop written by Casey McQuiston and read by Natalie Naudus
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Marie Claire
21.) Project Hail Mary written by Andy Weir and read by Ray Porter
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
20.) Somebody’s Daughter written by Ashley C Ford and read by Ashley C Ford
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
19.) The Four Winds written byKristin Hannah and read by Julia Whelan
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Marie Claire
18.) The Lincoln Highway written by Amor Towles and read by Edoardo Ballerini, Marin Ireland, and Dion Graham
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Slate
17.) The Maidens written by Alex Michaelides and read by Louise Brealey, Kobna Holdbrick-Smith
Lists It Appears On:
- Audiofile
- Slate
16.) The Night Gate written by Peter May and read by Peter Forbes
Lists It Appears On:
- Audiofile
- Five Books 2
15.) Unbound written byKasia Urbaniak and read by Kasia Urbaniak
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Cosmopolitan
14.) Velvet Was The Night written bySilvia Moreno-Garcia and read by Gisela Chípe
Lists It Appears On:
- Audiofile
- Slate
13.) Apples Never Fall written byLiane Moriarty and read by Caroline Lee
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
- Cosmopolitan
12.) Concrete Rose written byAngie Thomas and read by Dion Graham
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
- Marie Claire
11.) Crying in H Mart written byMichelle Zauner and read by Michelle Zauner
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Cosmopolitan
- Marie Claire
10.) Firekeeper’s Daughter written byAngeline Boulley and read by Isabella Star LaBlanc
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
- Booklist 2
9.) Harlem Shuffle written byColson Whitehead and read by Dion Graham
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
- Financial Times
8.) Just As I Am written byCicely Tyson, Michelle Burford and read by Viola Davis, Cicely Tyson, Robin Miles
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
- Marie Claire
7.) Matrix written byLauren Groff and read by Adjoa Andoh
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
- Slate
6.) People We Meet on Vacation written byEmily Henry and read by Julia Whelan
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
- Cosmopolitan
5.) Seven Days in June written byTia Williams and read by Mela Lee
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
- Cosmopolitan
4.) The Love Songs of W E B Du Bois written byHonorée Fanonne Jeffers and read by Adenrele Ojo, Karen Chilton, and Prentice Onayemi
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
- The Washington Post
3.) The Sandman: Act II written byNeil Gaiman and read by James McAvoy, Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, David Tennant, and more
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
- Slate
2.) You Got Anything Stronger? written byGabrielle Union and read by Gabrielle Union
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Cosmopolitan
- Marie Claire
1.) Four Hundred Souls written byIbram X Kendi, Keisha N Blain [Eds] and read by JD Jackson, Kevin R Free, January LaVoy, Robin Miles, Dion Graham, Angela Y Davis, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and a Full Cast
Lists It Appears On:
- Audible
- Audiofile
- Five Books 2
- Marie Claire
The 150+ Additional Best Audiobooks Released In 2021
31) A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Book 1 – List: Booklist
32) A Lady’s Formula for Love – List: Booklist 2
33) A Master of Djinn – List: Booklist 2
34) A Rage in Harlem – Chester Himes List: Penguin
35) A Swim in a Pond in the Rain – George Saunders List: Marie Claire
36) Aftershocks – Nadia Owusu List: Cosmopolitan
37) Always – Morris Gleitzman List: Audiofile
38) American Republics: A Continental History of the United States, 1783-1850 – List: The Washington Post
39) Any Way The Wind Blows – Rainbow Rowell List: Audiofile
40) Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World – Benjamin Alire-Sáenz List: Audible
41) Arsenic and Adobo – List: Booklist 2
42) Atlas of the Heart – Brené Brown List: Penguin
43) Back in the Burbs – Avery Flynn and Tracy Wolff List: Audible
44) Balthazar – Lawrence Durrell List: Audiofile
45) Bamboozled by Jesus – Yvonne Orji List: Audible
46) Bath Haus – P J Vernon List: Audible
47) Be Well – Jessica Clemons, MD List: Audible
48) Beasts of Prey – List: Booklist 2
49) Beautiful Country – Qian Julie Wang List: Audible
50) Bewilderment – Richard Powers List: Audible
51) Billy Summers – Stephen King List: Audible
52) Black Boy Joy – Kwame Mbalia [Ed] List: Audiofile
53) Black Water Sister – Zen Cho List: Audiofile
54) Black, White, and The Grey – Mashama Bailey and John O Morisano List: Audible
55) Blood Grove – Walter Mosley List: Audiofile
56) Broken Horses – Brandi Carlile List: Audible
57) Call Us What We Carry – Amanda Gorman List: Audible
58) Caul Baby – Morgan Jerkins List: Cosmopolitan
59) Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls – Kaela Rivera List: Audible
60) Cemetery Boys – List: Booklist
61) China Room – List: The Washington Post
62) Clap When You Land – List: Booklist
63) Class Act – Jerry Craft List: Audible
64) Clea – Lawrence Durrell List: Audiofile
65) Cloud Cuckoo Land – Anthony Doerr List: Audiofile
66) Death by Unknown Event – Danielle Elliot and Eliza Smith List: Audible
67) Detransition, Baby – Torrey Peters List: Audible
68) Don’t Laugh, It’ll Only Encourage Her – Daisy May Cooper List: Penguin
69) Double Blind – Edward St Aubyn List: Penguin
70) E-Day – Nicholas Sansbury Smith List: Audible
71) Exit – List: The Washington Post
72) Faye, Faraway – List: Booklist 2
73) Founding Fubu – Daymond John List: Audible
74) Four Thousand Weeks – Oliver Burkeman List: Audible
75) Get Good with Money – Tiffany Aliche List: Cosmopolitan
76) Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone – Diana Gabaldon List: Audible
77) He Who Fights With Monsters – Shirtaloon List: Audible
78) Hot White Heist – Adam Goldman List: Audible
79) How Beautiful We Were – Imbolo Mbue List: Slate
80) How the Word Is Passed – Clint Smith List: Audible
81) How to Save a Life – Lynette Rice List: Cosmopolitan
82) Infinite Country – Patricia Engel List: Marie Claire
83) Iron Widow – Xiran Jay Zhao List: Audible
84) Justine – Lawrence Durrell List: Audiofile
85) Kaleidoscope – Brian Selznick List: Audiofile
86) Keisha The Sket – Jade LB List: Penguin
87) Kent State – List: Booklist
88) Klara and the Sun – Kazuo Ishiguro List: Audible
89) Legendborn – List: Booklist
90) Lieutenant Dangerous: A Vietnam War Memoir – List: The Washington Post
91) Lola Chick – Maria Escobedo List: Audible
92) Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid List: Marie Claire
93) Marigold – Sara Gran List: Slate
94) Men’s Health – Daniel Goldfarb List: Audible
95) Milk Blood Heat – Dantiel W Moniz List: Audible
96) Mind Body Zone – Deepak Chopra List: Audible
97) Miracle and Wonder – Malcolm Gladwell and Bruce Headlam List: Audible
98) More Myself: A Journey – Alicia Keys List: Five Books
99) Mountolive – Lawrence Durrell List: Audiofile
100) My Body, My Podcast – Elizabeth Banks List: Audible
101) My Heart Is a Chainsaw – Stephen Graham Jones List: Audible
102) Ness – Robert Macfarlane List: Penguin
103) No Gods, No Monsters – Cadwell Turnbull List: Audible
104) No One Goes Alone – List: Booklist 2
105) Ocean Prey – John Sandford List: Audiofile
106) Of Women and Salt – Gabriela Garcia List: Cosmopolitan
107) On Juneteenth – Annette Gordon-Reed List: Audible
108) Once upon a Time in Hollywood – List: Booklist 2
109) Oracle – Andrew Pyper List: Audible
110) Peaces – Helen Oyeyemi List: Marie Claire
111) Piranesi – Susanna Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor (narrator) List: Five Books
112) Playing Burton – Mark Jenkins List: Audible
113) Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes – Phoebe Robinson List: Audible
114) Raybearer – List: Booklist
115) Razorblade Tears – S A Cosby List: Audible
116) Redemptor – Jordan Ifueko List: Audiofile
117) Reel – Kennedy Ryan List: Audiofile
118) Remote Control – Nnedi Okorafor List: Audiofile
119) Rule Of Cool – Matthew Siege List: Audiofile
120) Rutherford and Fry’s Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything – Hannah Fry List: Penguin
121) Sankofa – Chibundu Onuzo List: Audible
122) Say You’re Sorry – Lux Alptraum List: Audible
123) Six Crimson Cranes – Elizabeth Lim List: Audiofile
124) Sleeping Dogs Lie – Samantha Downing List: Audible
125) Somersett – Phillip Goodrich List: Audiofile
126) Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You – List: Booklist
127) Streets, Rhymes & Sugar – Michael Elliot List: Audible
128) Stuntboy, In The Meantime – Jason Reynolds List: Audiofile
129) Such a Fun Age – Kiley Reid & Nicole Lewis (narrator) List: Five Books
130) Tears of Amber – Sofía Segovia List: Audible
131) The 1619 Project – Nikole Hannah-Jones List: Audible
132) The Alexandria Quartet – Lawrence Durrell List: Five Books 2
133) The Angel of Rome – Jess Walter List: Audible
134) The Anthropocene Reviewed – John Green List: Audible
135) The Audacity – Katherine Ryan List: Financial Times
136) The Autobiography of Malcolm X – Malcolm X and assisted by Alex Haley, Laurence Fishburne (narrator) List: Five Books
137) The Beatryce Prophecy – Kate DiCamillo List: Audible
138) The Boys – Ron Howard, Clint Howard List: Audiofile
139) The Christmas Pig – JK Rowling List: Audible
140) The Cinnamon Bear – Eric Gilliland List: Audible
141) The City We Became: A Novel (The Great Cities Trilogy) – NK Jemisin & Robin Miles (narrator) List: Five Books
142) The Code Breaker – Walter Isaacson List: Audible
143) The Coldest Case – James Patterson, Aaron Tracy, and Ryan Silbert List: Audible
144) The Death of the Heart – List: The Washington Post
145) The Final Revival of Opal & Nev – Dawnie Walton List: Audible
146) The Heart Principle – Helen Hoang List: Audiofile
147) The High 5 Habit – Mel Robbins List: Audible
148) The Housewives – Brian Moylan List: Cosmopolitan
149) The Lost Apothecary – Sarah Penner List: Marie Claire
150) The Love Hypothesis – Ali Hazelwood List: Audible
151) The Man Who Died Twice: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery – List: The Washington Post
152) The Murder of Robert Wone – AYR Media List: Audible
153) The Murder On The Links – Agatha Christie, Kate McAll [Adapt] List: Audiofile
154) The Orchard – Mike Jones and Mike Cowap List: Audible
155) The Passenger: How a Travel Writer Learned to Love Cruises & Other Lies from a Sinking Ship – List: The Washington Post
156) The Perks Of Loving A Wallflower – Erica Ridley List: Audiofile
157) The Promise – Damon Galgut List: Financial Times
158) The Prophets – Robert Jones, Jr List: Audible
159) The Push – Ashley Audrain List: Marie Claire
160) The Riddle of Emmon Bodfish – Paul Holes, Peter McDonnell, and Josh Sanbur List: Audible
161) The Science of Love – Wind Goodfriend, The Great Courses List: Audible
162) The Secret Of Life – Howard Markel List: Audiofile
163) The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA’s Double Helix – List: The Washington Post
164) The Seed Keeper – List: Booklist 2
165) The Segonian – Dianne Duvall List: Audiofile
166) The Sleeping Beauties – Suzanne O’Sullivan List: Financial Times
167) The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep: Voices from the Donner Party – List: Booklist
168) The Soulmate Equation – Christina Lauren List: Audible
169) The Stand-In – Lily Chu List: Audible
170) The Storyteller – Dave Grohl List: Audible
171) The Sweetness of Water – Nathan Harris List: Audible
172) The Upper World – Femi Fadugba List: Penguin
173) The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle List: Audiofile
174) The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels – List: Booklist 2
175) This Is Your Mind on Plants – Michael Pollan List: Audible
176) Tokyo Ever After – Emiko Jean List: Audible
177) Tom Stoppard – Hermione Lee List: Audiofile
178) Tony Hillerman – James Morris McGrath List: Audiofile
179) Treacle Walker – Alan Garner List: Financial Times
180) Trejo – Danny Trejo List: Audible
181) Under A White Sky – Elizabeth Kolbert List: Audiofile
182) Unfinished: A Memoir – Priyanka Chopra Jonas List: Marie Claire
183) Unprotected – Billy Porter List: Audible
184) Vagrant Queen 1 – Magdalene Visaggio, Jason Smith List: Audiofile
185) Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty – List: Cosmopolitan
186) We Are Not Free – List: Booklist
187) We Are Not Like Them – Christine Pride and Jo Piazza List: Audible
188) We Are Still Here! – Traci Sorell List: Audiofile
189) We Should All Be Millionaires – Rachel Rodgers List: Audible
190) What Happened to You? – Bruce D Perry and Oprah Winfrey List: Audible
191) What’s Mine and Yours – Naima Coster List: Marie Claire
192) When Stars Are Scattered – List: Booklist
193) When We Make It – Elisabet Velasquez List: Audiofile
194) Yearbook – Seth Rogen List: Audible
195) Yes We Mustard – Ginny Hogan List: Audible
196) You Are What You Risk – Michele Wucker List: Audiofile
197) You Are Your Best Thing – Tarana Burke and Brené Brown List: Audible
198) You Can’t Be Serious – Kal Penn List: Audible
199) You Don’T Belong Here – Elizabeth Becker List: Audiofile
200) Yours Cruelly, Elvira – Cassandra Peterson List: Audible
12 Best Audiobooks Sources/Lists
| Source | Article |
| Five Books | The Best Audiobooks: the 2021 Audie Awards |
| Booklist | Top 10 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults: 2021 |
| Booklist 2 | Top 10 First Novels on Audio: 2021 |
| Financial Times | Best books of 2021: Audio books |
| Five Books 2 | The Best Audiobooks of 2021 |
| The Washington Post | Best audiobooks of 2021 |
| Audible | The Best of the Year |
| Slate | The Best Audiobooks of 2021 |
| Cosmopolitan | The 15 Best Audiobooks of 2021 to Download Now |
| Audiofile | AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of 2021 |
| Marie Claire | The 15 Best Audiobooks of 2021 |
| Penguin | The best audiobooks of 2021 |
