Kelsey Jaffer and Ines del Castillo team up to deliver this touching epistolary novel featuring heartfelt narrations. The story begins when Frida, who is living in Paris, contacts the Seattle bookstore where Kate works in search of a book. Known for her friendly demeanor, Kate is chosen to correspond with Frida. As their friendship grows through a shared love of books and writing, they support each other in chasing dreams and discovering desires. Jaffer, portraying Kate, and del Castillo, portraying Frida, bring authenticity to the story with their unique vocal inflections and pacing. They artfully convey the excitement, curiosity, and introspection expressed in the women's letters. An author's note, narrated by Kim Fay, adds depth to this beautifully crafted story.
Pub Date: March 11, 2025
Duration: 6 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217011759
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ireland’s sensitive performance turns what could have been soap-opera melodrama into a poignant family drama.
Marin Ireland is quite wonderful delivering this audiobook that explores a selfish action taken in the ’70s and its consequences years later. Facing a joyless marriage with a husband who shies away from intimacy, Nina leaves him and her family for a more promising life with her next-door neighbor, Finn. The decision shocks their respective families and has an especially devastating effect on Nina’s teenage daughter, Clara. Ireland handles the many voices with professional skill, but her strongest work lies in conveying the inner thoughts and feelings of the people involved. She brings truth to Nina’s guilt, Finn’s sense of urgency, and the children’s pain and disbelief.
Ireland’s sensitive performance turns what could have been soap-opera melodrama into a poignant family drama.Pub Date: today
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063377707
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2026
Reflective and deeply touching, this open-hearted story may require having tissues close at hand.
Andrew Grace delivers a restrained yet deeply expressive performance in this tender tale, which chronicles events that shape the Hasegawa family as seen through the eyes of the middle son, Kaoru. At the novel’s center is Sakura, the loyal family dog whose steady presence embodies quiet resilience in the face of the family’s joys and tragedies. Grace’s subtle shifts in tone trace the passage of years, revealing the mother’s quiet suffering; the family’s admiration for Hajime, Kaoru’s older brother; and their adoration of his precocious sister, Miki. At each turning point, Sakura becomes both witness and teacher, steadfastly offering comfort as she absorbs the family’s memories.
Reflective and deeply touching, this open-hearted story may require having tissues close at hand.Pub Date: today
Duration: 7 hrs, 55 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063389977
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
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