Coming of Age Bonanza

Sometimes, nothing cuts the mustard as well as a book that has you in your feels. You know the kind of listen we’re talking about; the kind where you watch the snow or rain fall softly in your favorite warm sweater as you clutch a cup of lukewarm tea to your chest. It’s lukewarm because even after you’ve listened to the final chapter, you can’t stop thinking about what you just heard.

A book that rips your heart out, does some Riverdance on top of it, throws it back in your chest, and dares you to ever get over it. A book that gets you feeling some type of way. We don’t know what sometimes, that morose pensiveness is tops, but iykyk. Enjoy…or cry poetically, we don’t care. 

Mad Honey – Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan

There’s a reason Jodi Piccoult is a staple in the coming-of-age AND suspense genres- because she writes compelling combinations of both. Here we meet two families, both broken, one returning to a sleepy hometown, the other relocating for a fresh start. But when young love is marred by violence, can a mother truly know her son? What are the costs of growing and changing? And should we always pay them?

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith

A classic known as a fan favorite about, well, nothing, this listen by Betty Smith is perfect for cozy winter afternoons. Bonus points if you actually live in New York, specifically Brooklyn. Follow Francie as she grows up in turn of the century New York. Her insightful, imaginative, and heartbreaking perspectives about growing up in poverty illustrate the repercussions of generational trauma and the cost of overcoming them and breaking free.

Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro

Sci-fi blends perfectly with this haunting account of children growing up amid mysterious circumstances- the kids who we meet at an idyllic country boarding school have never known their parents, nor do they know much of the world beyond the confines of their school. Given every educational opportunity and the chance at a carefree childhood, a love triangle is born just as the true knowledge of who (and what) they are comes to light. 

What the Fireflies Knew – Kai Harris

How perfect is the perfect family (hint: not very)? And what do you do when you realize your parents are flawed, and they make mistakes? When two sisters are sent to live with their reclusive grandfather after the overdose death of their father, they uncover these questions, but the real question is…will they find the answers? Also while gone their mom disappears so, drama aplenty. 

The Lincoln Highway – Amor Towles

Emmett Watson just wants to get his little brother and get out of town. To California, specifically. Newly released from prison, he’s not looking to make any trouble for himself, or the little family he’s got left. Too bad a few of his friends (and escapees) have other plans, plans that will push loyalty, family, and fate to the brink.

Thanks for reading! All these audiobooks and more are available now on AudiobookSTORE.com! They’ll give you all the angst and drama inherent in growing up to remind you that maybe middle age isn’t all that bad. And make sure to check out our FlexPass Membership for the ultimate roster of podcasts, savings on audiobooks, and more!