This familiar story of a teen pop star pushed to early stardom is given a haunting performance by Brittany Pressley. Amber has grown up pleasing her mother by attending audition after audition. Her success in landing a spot in the supergroup Cloud9 was only the beginning. Now exploring her solo pop career, Amber becomes an oversexualized idol who yearns for a normal childhood. Pressley excels in delivering a somber tone throughout depictions of the experiences of young idols: confusing relationships, the pressure to grow up quickly, and constant public scrutiny. At times, Amber sounds detached and at other times desperate for genuine connection. Narrators Max Meyers and Helen Laser provide short segments. This audiobook is dense and deep, and will challenge listeners.
Pub Date: June 25, 2024
Duration: 9 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250350275
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A resonant listening experience rich with biting social commentary.
Narrator Katharine Chin elevates this contemporary coming-of-age story featuring four Asian American friends. Diana, Justin, Errol, and Vivian all attended great schools and earned good grades, but in the aftermath of graduating into the Great Recession of 2008, they find themselves unemployed and living at home. Grace, a former classmate, makes a YouTube video about the group and their failure to meet expectations called “Bad Asians.” The video goes viral, upending their lives in the early days of the internet. Chin brings each character distinctly to life through subtle tonal shifts. Her reflective tone conveys the story’s thought-provoking exploration of identity, cultural expectations, and the meaning of success.
A resonant listening experience rich with biting social commentary.Pub Date: today
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250433244
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2026
Narrated by an ensemble cast, this audiobook explores the lives, successes, failures, and frailties of a half-dozen friends from the early 2000s to 2024. The novel's narrators are all talented and capture the millennial characters' struggles well. Jill Paice performs Mia, a writer who is the only single person in the group, with fine tempo and pacing while conveying her angsty tone. Santino Fontana is equally impressive as the brilliant Marco, and Christian Barillas nails the complex alcoholic Richie. The stories unfold during a series of parties, events, and celebrations (New Year's, wedding, birthday, Halloween, funeral) that reveal the characters' issues and relationships over their two decades since graduating from Penn. A meaningful look at millennial lifestyles and a worthwhile listen.
Pub Date: today
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797194356
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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