Narrator Julia Whelan animates the three characters in this engrossing 2017 YA National Book Award winner. Whelan shows teen Grace's torment when she puts her child up for adoption and the heartbreak that motivates her to find out about her own adoption. Soon Grace builds bonds with Maya and Joaquin, siblings who were given up by the same birth mother. Maya has been adopted by loving parents but is breaking up with her lover, Claire, as her adoptive parents separate. Whelan's portrait of Joaquin, who has spent most of his life in foster homes, is the most complex. He distrusts himself and questions positive relationships. Resolution for him is particularly heartfelt and joyful. Whelan poignantly animates the pain of each character and the comfort found in their reunion.
(Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: 2017
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780062852137
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Golden Voice Ramón de Ocampo, who narrated each of the author's memoirs, delivers this hard-hitting YA novel in verse. De Ocampo guides listeners on its emotional journey, using the genre's rhythms to illuminate the relationship between high school seniors Diego and his best friend, Lawson. De Ocampo's poignant delivery highlights the contrast between anxious, rule-following, academically driven Diego and Lawson, who is close to failing in school and turns to selling hard drugs to support his mother. De Ocampo captures the story's highs and lows--from the teenage bliss of riding in a car with a friend to the reality of confronting a violent drug dealer. De Ocampo's narration balances lyrical writing and a gritty story.
(Verse fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 3 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798896790570
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Brittany Pressley portrays a character who, at first, seems like an over-the-top heroine. Eleanor, a senior in high school, was abandoned by her father, Hugo, when she was born. Emotionally abused by her mother, she dreams of living with her father and his family. In response to a job ad, she does just that, hiding her identity and becoming a nanny for her toddler half-brother and a friend to her warm stepmother. She even experiences her first love. But Hugo, a rich tech bro whose most recent invention is a questionable AI product, is far different from what Eleanor imagined. Pressley's portrayals invite listeners into Eleanor's conflicted life. In particular, Pressley captures all of Hugo's ruthlessness in business and pleasure in his privileged lifestyle.
(Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 12 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217015061
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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