Book Clubbin’: 7 Discussion Questions for ‘It Starts with Us’ by Colleen Hoover

Our Book Clubbin’ blog feature is back and this time we’re diving into the super-hyped and highly anticipated sequel to It Ends with UsIt Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover.

In this latest listen from Hoover, we pick up where we left off in It Ends with Us where Lily runs into her childhood love, Atlas, as she settles into a co-parenting routine with Ryle. Even though Atlas and Lily think the timing could be right this time around, Ryle is still very much involved in her and her daughter’s lives. Switching between Lily and Atlas’ perspectives, It Starts with Us reveals more about Atlas’s past and follows Lily as she embraces a second chance at true love while navigating a jealous ex-husband.

Colleen Hoover is back with another emotional listen that is sure to have you reaching for the tissues, so if you’re on the CoHo train and have also picked up It Starts with Us for your book club this month, then keep reading for our discussion questions below. Beware— SPOILERS ahead.

—————CONTAINS SPOILERS!—————

1) What is your interpretation of the title It Starts with Us?

2) Do you think that this listen focused too much on new characters rather than Atlas and Lily’s relationship?

3) Lily wrote letters to Ellen in It Ends with Us. Do you think the letters to Ellen were necessary to highlight in this sequel?

4) Do you think Marshall made the right decision to stay with Allysa after she had cheated on him?

5) Did Ryle’s portrayal in It Starts with Us change your opinion of him at all?

6) How did It Starts with Us live up to what you expected for this highly anticipated sequel?

7) Do you think that Lily, Atlas, and Ryle could all make co-parenting together work in the future?


Looking for Book Recommendations?

• Here are the audiobooks our members have been loving, along with our staff picks that we’ve been championing.

• Looking to share your love of books? Our handy Book Clubbin’ questions make it super easy to start a book club. Or, Netflix n’ buddy-read with this year’s book-to-screen adaptations (just be prepared for the perennial debate: is the book better than the movie/show?).

• If you’re looking for something extra, we’ve got author and narrator interviews to give you a gleam inside their worlds.

• For the curious-minded, audiobooks can teach you a thing or two, from nature therapy to personal finance. It can even keep the little ones busy so you can steal some time back for yourself.


New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!

10 Diverse Romance Audiobooks to Listen to this Valentine’s Day

Love comes in all shapes and sizes, so it’s not unreasonable to expect the books we consume to reflect that. While there is still a lot of work to be done to increase diverse representations in romance literature—according to L.A.’s Ripped Bodice Bookstore’s annual report on The State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing, only 8.3% of books published by leading romance publishers in 2019 were written by people of color—that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the growing breadth of diverse romances that is sweeping the shelves.

This Valentine’s Day, we’re bringing attention to ten swoon-worthy audiobooks that tell love stories from a plethora of perspectives. Read on to find your match made in audiobook heaven! For even more diverse audiobooks to dive into, check out our full booklist.


You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria, narrated by Seraphine Valentine

After a messy public breakup, soap opera darling Jasmine Lin Rodriguez finds her face splashed across the tabloids. When she returns to her hometown of New York City to film the starring role in a bilingual romantic comedy for the number one streaming service in the country, Jasmine figures her new “Leading Lady Plan” should be easy enough to follow—until a casting shake-up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez. 

Read more and sample the audio →


The Bride Test by Helen Hoang, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller

Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny-but not important emotions, like love. His family knows better-that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.

Read more and sample the audio →


How to Catch a Queen: Runaway Royals by Alyssa Cole, narrated by Karen Chilton

When Shanti Mohapi weds the king of Njaza, her dream of becoming a queen finally comes true. But it’s nothing like she imagined. Shanti and her husband may share an immediate and powerful attraction, but her subjects see her as an outsider, and everything she was taught about being the perfect wife goes disastrously wrong.

Read more and sample the audio →


Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, narrated by Ramon De Ocampo

When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius-his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There’s only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.

Read more and sample the audio →


Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory, narrated by Janina Edwards

Dating is the last thing on Olivia Monroe’s mind when she moves to LA to start her own law firm. But when she meets a gorgeous man at a hotel bar and they spend the entire night flirting, she discovers too late that he is none other than hotshot junior senator Max Powell. Olivia has zero interest in dating a politician, but when a cake arrives at her office with the cutest message, she can’t resist—it is chocolate cake, after all.

Read more and sample the audio →


I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver, narrated by M. W. Cartozian Wilson

When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they’re thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents’ rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile in a new school. But Ben’s attempts to survive the last half of senior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan Allan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing.

Read more and sample the audio →


The Marriage Game by Sara Desai, narrated by Soneela Nankani

After her life falls apart, recruitment consultant Layla Patel returns home to her family in San Francisco. But in the eyes of her father, who runs a Michelin starred restaurant, she can do no wrong. He would do anything to see her smile again. With the best intentions in mind, he offers her the office upstairs to start her new business and creates a profile on an online dating site to find her a man. She doesn’t know he’s arranged a series of blind dates until the first one comes knocking on her door…

Read more and sample the audio →


In at the Deep End by Kate Davies, narrated by Nicola Barber

Julia hasn’t had sex in three years. Her roommate has a boyfriend—and their sex noises are audible through the walls, maybe even throughout the neighborhood. Not to mention, she’s treading water in a dead-end job, her know-it-all therapist gives her advice she doesn’t ask for, and the men she is surrounded by are, to be polite, subpar. Enough is enough.

Read more and sample the audio →


Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai, narrated by Summer MortonBrian Pallino

One minute, Katrina King’s enjoying an innocent conversation with a random guy at a coffee shop; the next, a stranger has live-tweeted the entire encounter with a romantic meet-cute spin and #CafeBae has the world swooning. Going viral isn’t easy for anyone, but Katrina has painstakingly built a private world for herself, far from her traumatic past. Besides, everyone has it all wrong…that #CafeBae bro? He isn’t the man she’s hungry for.

Read more and sample the audio →


Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur, narrated by Lauren Sweet

After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass.

Read more and sample the audio →


New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!


Staff Pick: Shipped by Angie Hockman

Title: Shipped

Author: Angie Hockman

Narrator: Inés Del Castillo

The only media I want to consume right now is escapist comedy – no explanation necessary – and this brand-new rom-com meets travelogue by debut author Angie Hockman absolutely fits the bill.

Shipped is a quick, easy read centered around Henley, an overworked marketing manager at an adventure travel company. She’s up for a big promotion, but so is her rival Graeme, the remote social media manager whom she’s never met.

When their boss tasks them with taking one of the company’s cruises through the Galápagos (best proposal on how to boost bookings in the Galápagos wins the promotion) Henley doesn’t expect to fall in love with the Galápagos – or with her hunky competition – but of course that’s exactly what happens.

I found comfort in that predictability and enjoyed the twists and turns the author added along the way. Shipped offers a great dose of armchair travel while we stay at home, and was sweet, smart and fun. Listening in audio made the armchair travel experience all the more immersive. Narrator Inés Del Castillo made me feel like I was really seeing the flamingoes on Floreana Island, feeling the sand on my toes during a wet Zodiac landing, or sighting wild tortoises in the highlands of Puerto Ayora.

Del Castillo also beautifully brought to life Hockman’s multi-dimensional characters – no one fit an overused archetype – and I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity in her cast. Hockman also brings an environmental angle to her plot, and gave me food for thought about the ecological problems and opportunities with the modern travel industry: not often the case with your typical rom-com!

With characters to root for, a romance to swoon for, and a setting to pine for, Hockman hits one out of the park in her first novel. Just be warned: you’re going to want to add the Galápagos to your travel bucket list after reading this book, so start saving now!

Publisher Summary:

The Unhoneymooners meets The Hating Game in this witty, clever, and swoonworthy novel following a workaholic marketing manager who is forced to go on a cruise with her arch-nemesis when they’re up for the same promotion.

Between taking night classes for her MBA and her demanding day job at a cruise line, marketing manager Henley Evans barely has time for herself, let alone family, friends, or dating. But when she’s shortlisted for the promotion of her dreams, all her sacrifices finally seem worth it.

The only problem? Graeme Crawford-Collins, the remote social media manager and the bane of her existence, is also up for the position. Although they’ve never met in person, their epic email battles are the stuff of office legend.

Their boss tasks each of them with drafting a proposal on how to boost bookings in the Galápagos—best proposal wins the promotion. There’s just one catch: they have to go on a company cruise to the Galápagos Islands…together. But when the two meet on the ship, Henley is shocked to discover that the real Graeme is nothing like she imagined. As they explore the Islands together, she soon finds the line between loathing and liking thinner than a postcard.

With her career dreams in her sights and a growing attraction to the competition, Henley begins questioning her life choices. Because what’s the point of working all the time if you never actually live?

Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Sally Thorne, Shipped is a fresh and engaging rom-com that celebrates the power of second chances and the magic of new beginnings.

Read more and sample the audio →


New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!

The Best Audiobooks for Less

Fall is creeping in, which means it’s time to bust out the sweaters and start doing cute autumnal activities. You know what I’m talking about: fall hikes, apple picking, baking cookies or pies (or anything pumpkin), and cozying up inside. “And how could we make those activities even better?” You ask. Simple, add an audiobook to the mix.

From now until September 21, 2020 we’re running our Fall Sale, which features tons of audiobooks for under $8 (£7 in the UK). On the hunt for something mysterious to listen to? Or are you in the mood to swoon over a new romance audiobook? Either way, we have something you’ll love.

We’ve rounded up a few of our fave picks from the sale below, but to browse the full sale list click the appropriate link below:

United States & Canada – click here

United Kingdom – click here


Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson, narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Now: $8.00 Was: $14.95

These days, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Neil deGrasse Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in digestible chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day. While waiting for your morning coffee to brew, or while you’re in the car commuting or on a road trip, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry will reveal just what you need to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe.

Read more and sample the audio →


Moral Compass by Danielle Steel, narrated by Dan John Miller
Now: $7.99 Was: $19.99

Saint Ambrose Prep is a place where the wealthy send their children for the best possible education. Traditionally a boys-only school, Saint Ambrose has just enrolled one hundred and forty female students for the first time. While most of the kids on the campus have all the privilege in the world, some are struggling. One day after the school’s annual Halloween event, a student lies in the hospital, her system poisoned by dangerous levels of alcohol. Everyone in this sheltered community—parents, teachers, students, police, and the media—are left trying to figure out what actually happened. Steel’s Moral Compass illuminates the dark side of one drunken night, with its tragic consequences, from every possible point of view. As the drama unfolds, the characters will reach a crossroads where they must choose between truth and lies, between what is easy and what is right…

Read more and sample the audio →


Naked in Death by J. D. Robb, narrated by Susan Ericksen
Now: $8.00 Was: $19.99

Go back to the beginning with the very first installment of the In Death series! Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In over ten years on the force, she’s seen it all. And she’s going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire—and a suspect in Eve’s murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it’s up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about.

Read more and sample the audio →


Paradise Valley by Robyn Carr, narrated by Therese Plummer
Now: $7.99 Was: $24.99

Wanting to read the books before watching the show? Jump into the Virgin River series. This entry in the series tells the heartwarming lesson of second chances, rekindled love, and new hope.

Paradise Valley follows Rick Scudder, who joined the Marine Corps with high hopes, but left with a broken spirit and a shattered body. He’s been pushing away everyone close to him, including his father, Jack, and his longtime girlfriend, Liz. Now, Rick must find the strength to let Liz back into his heart.

Read more and sample the audio →


The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown, narrated by Kirsten Potter
Now: $4.99 Was: $20.00

Three sisters have returned to their childhood home, reuniting the eccentric Andreas family. Here, books are a passion and TV is something other people watch. Their father—a professor of Shakespeare who speaks almost exclusively in verse—named them after the Bard’s heroines. It’s a lot to live up to.

These sisters have a hard time with communication and they are now finding that when confronted with their parents’ frailty and their collective disappointment of how their lives turned out, not even a good book can help them now.

Read more and sample the audio →


Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
Now: $7.00 Was: $19.99

To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars: one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces.

Read more and sample the audio →


Open Season by C. J. Box, narrated by David Chandler
Now: $7.99 Was: $19.99

This thrilling listen features Joe Pickett, a game warden in Wyoming who finds his life in danger after he looks into a murder investigation and discovers a conspiracy involving an oil pipeline and its threat to an endangered species.

Read more and sample the audio →


Where Good Girls Go To Die by Holly Renee, narrated by Kelly PrunerRex Anderson
Now: $6.00 Was: $15.99

If you’re on the hunt for a new romance series, why not start with Where Good Girls Go To Die. This listen follows Livy, who knows she shouldn’t get involved with Parker James, her brother’s best friend, but she can’t resist. After having her heart broken, she runs.

Four years later, she runs into him again and he’s still just as she remembered him. Guarding her heart from him is top priority because Parker James is where good girls go to die. Unfortunately for him, Livy wasn’t a good girl anymore.

Read more and sample the audio →


New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!

Staff Pick: Layoverland by Gabby Noone

Post by Erin O’Neill

TitleLayoverland
Author: Gabby Noone
Narrator: Sophie Amoss

When I first heard about Layoverland, I was told that it’s comparable to one of my favorite shows, The Good Place. For anyone who hasn’t watched the show, it follows a morally-unsound lady after her death and through her journey in the afterlife. She builds friendships with some memorable characters, gets herself in some cheeky trouble, and finds a little bit of romance. For me, The Good Place has it all. How could anything compare?

Let me tell you, Layoverland did not disappoint. It’s like a delicate nod to all of the things I loved about the show but with a different take on the afterlife. Though it may sound like a drama, the story maintains light-hearted humor throughout. And just like The Good Place, the audiobook brings lots of light to a dark situation.

Beatrice Fox, a bitter, mean, and hilarious high school student, wakes up in an airplane with no idea where she’s going. One minute she was driving home, the next flying through the air. At the airport, Bea finds out she died in a car crash and was taken to… neutral ground, a.k.a Layoverland. She is told that she will, one day, be sent to Heaven but must earn her spot by proving she has a good heart. Because of Bea’s natural sarcasm and extreme pessimism, she’ll have to work extra hard to make it to Heaven. Her task: help 5000 people on their way to Heaven say goodbye to the life they lived on Earth.

Like a real airport, people are constantly coming and going through this story, which is quite impressive of Gabby Noone. Her characters were all lovable and had their own distinctive personality. I especially loved Bea’s mentor in her airport job, a perky beauty queen named Sadie, who died during a pageant in the 80s – very memorable. Noone’s writing reminded me of what I loved about The Good Place but her witty style made the story all new and exciting.

I was equally impressed with narrator Sophie Amoss, who nailed how I’d expected Bea to speak: with a young but very jaded voice. And even with so many characters, I could always distinguish who was talking by the sound of their voice. I would definitely listen to her narrate another audiobook in the future.

Overall, Layoverland was a lot of fun to listen to. It was sharp, funny, and at times even really sweet. Just like The Good Place, this book surprised me with a thought-provoking and enticing story of the afterlife, a story that I didn’t want to end.

New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!