The Best Audiobook Narrators Who Bring Novels to Life
A great audiobook can transport you to another world, but it’s the narrator who makes the experience truly unforgettable. The best audiobook narrators don’t just read the story; they perform it, bringing the characters to life. In this post, we’re spotlighting 16 of our favorite voices in the business.

Whether you’re a longtime audiobook listener or just starting out, we highly recommend you explore these skilled narrators through the titles we’ve detailed below. Of course, not everyone enjoys the same narrators, so we always suggest listening to a sample before purchasing an audiobook. Samples are available for every book on both Audible and Libro.
At the end of the post, you’ll find some helpful tips for downloading and listening to audiobooks.
Our Three Favorite Audiobook Narrators
Julia Whelan
There’s no question about which narrator tops our list – it’s Julia Whelan, hands down. With a background as a professional actress and degrees in English and Creative Writing, Whelan has built an impressive career as one of the most prolific audiobook narrators. She has narrated over 600 books across a wide range of genres, so even if you’ve only listened to a few highly rated audiobooks, the odds are good you’ve heard her voice.
Her list of awards and accolades as a narrator seems to stretch on endlessly, but on top of that, she’s also an accomplished author. Her 2022 novel, Thank You For Listening, is our top recommendation.
Whether you’re looking for your very first audiobook listen or simply interested in learning more about the world of book narration, there’s no better place to start than an audiobook about an audiobook narrator who takes you behind the scenes in the world of audiobook narration.
There’s really no way we could narrow it down to just a couple of other audiobooks narrated by Julia Whelan to call the “best,” so instead we decided to highlight two 2025 releases that top our own TBRs.
More Julia Whelan-Narrated Audiobooks to Consider: The Women by Kristin Hannah; The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry; Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez; Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid; The Measure by Nikki Erlick; and The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes.
Marin Ireland
We first discovered the narration of Marin Ireland when listening to the audiobook of Beartown by Fredrik Backman, and since that time she’s become one of our favorites. With a long list of Broadway and Off-Broadway acting credits to her name, as well as numerous on-screen roles, it’s no wonder she excels at bring books to life.
We’re highlighting two new Ireland-narrated novels that are on our TBR, as well as a highly-rated backlist title, but you can’t go wrong with any audiobook featuring her voice. And of course, we’d be remiss not to note that she is one of two voices that make Remarkably Bright Creatures one of our favorite audiobooks.
More Marin Ireland-Narrated Audiobooks to Consider: Beartown Series by Fredrik Backman; Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr; The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles; Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt; and Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult.
Patti Murin
Patti Murin is well known for her theatrical work on stage and screen, including originating the role of Princess Anna in Disney’s Frozen on Broadway. When theatrical productions shut down during the pandemic in 2020, Murin took to her in-home recording studio and began to build what has become an impressive resume of audiobook narration credits.
Since then, Murin has narrated many excellent audiobooks, including titles by Christina Lauren and Katherine Center. However, our top narration recommendation to get acquainted with her work is Family Family by Laurie Frankel, which includes a fascinating interview at the end in which Laurie Frankel and Patti Murin discuss the process of book narration.
More Patti Murin-Narrated Audiobooks to Consider: The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren; Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston; The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins; Far and Away by Amy Poeppel; and The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult. Cozy mystery fans will also want to check out the Cape Cod Foodie Mystery Series written by Amy Pershing and narrated by Patti Murin.
More Excellent Audiobook Narrators
Dominic Hoffman
More Dominic Hoffman-Narrated Audiobooks to Consider: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride; The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern; The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate.
Caroline Lee
More Caroline Lee-Narrated Audiobooks to Consider: The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth; The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline; Tilda is Visible by Jane Tara; Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty; The Lake House by Kate Morton; and Searching for Sylvia Lee by Jean Kwok.
January LaVoy
More January LaVoy-Narrated Audiobooks to Consider: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera; The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger; The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow; Booth by Karen Joy Fowler; Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum; and Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward.
Simon Vance
Simon Vance is also one the narrators on several highly rated full cast audiobooks, including By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult and North Woods by Daniel Mason.
Erin Bennett
More Erin Bennett-Narrated Audiobooks to Consider: Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis; Code Girls by Liza Mundy; The Next Mrs. Parish by Liv Constantine; and The Hunting Wives by May Cobb.
Adjoa Andoh
More Adjoa Andoh-Narrated Audiobooks to Consider: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Island Queen by Vanessa Riley.
Barrie Kreinik
More Barrie Kreinik-Narrated Audiobooks to Consider: Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy; Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon; We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange; Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins; and No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister.
Lynette R. Freeman
Among other novels she’s read, our other favorite Lynette Freeman-Narrated audiobook is Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson.
Jim Dale
Families who enjoy Jim Dale’s narration may want to check out the many other family-friendly books he has narrated.
Isabella Star LaBlanc
Isabella Star LaBlanc also narrated A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Powers, among others.
Robert Ian Mackenzie
Robert Ian Mackenzie has also narrated many of the books in Alexander McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Street series.
Authors Who Narrate Their Own Novels
We could create an entire list featuring the audiobooks narrated by their authors that we’ve enjoyed. In fact, we probably will in the future. But for now, we couldn’t create a list of our favorite audiobook narrators without including the following two author-narrated novels:
Tips For Downloading Audiobooks
If you’re new to audiobooks, two good options – all of which offer subscription services – are Audible and Libro. You can read all about the pros and cons of an Audible subscription here. If you prefer to support independent bookstores, definitely check out Libro.fm.
Of course, libraries are also an excellent resource for free audiobooks, and most libraries use the Libby or Hoopla apps. We also recently discovered some libraries using an app called Boundless. If you’re not familiar with downloading audiobooks from the library, the librarian at your local branch can walk you through it!
If you are planning to use the library to borrow an audiobook, it’s best to plan ahead, as new releases can often have longer waits.
Audiobook Length Versus Speed
To help you select the perfect length book for your drive, we’ve listed the recorded length of each book right below the name of the narrator(s). These times are accurate if the book is played at 1x speed.
However, when starting each book, try different listening speeds to find the right balance for everyone. Often, books sound more natural and conversational when played at a higher speed (typically around 1.25), which reduces listening time. Angela and her husband typically prefer to listen to audiobooks at 1.5 speed. We recommend that you test out a few options to find what is best for everyone in your car.
Sign Up for the Book Lover’s Reading Challenge
Sign up for our email list below to receive a free printable tracker for the Book Lovers Reading Challenge. Our weekly email newsletter helps you stay on track with friendly reminders while still allowing you the flexibility to read at your own pace.
Printable Version of This Book List
Readers who support The Book Girls’ Guide through our Buy Me a Coffee (BMAC) membership site can access printable versions of the reading challenge book lists. As we update each book list throughout the year – following the monthly reading challenge schedule – each list will be available in a single-page printable format for our BMAC members.
We offer two membership levels. While both levels have access to the printable book lists for this challenge, our Inner Circle members also receive the Book Lover’s Challenge book lists a week earlier than other readers each month (on the 2nd Friday of the prior month instead of the 3rd Friday).

Visit our Buy Me a Coffee membership page for a full list of benefits for each level. Our BMAC members help cover the cost of running the challenges so we can keep them free for everyone!

