The best fiction audiobooks for beginners: where to start

If you've never finished a fiction audiobook, start with one that already won. Every title below took the Audie Award in the fiction category — broadly loved, superbly narrated, the audiobook industry's own pick for the best fiction production of its year. They are the safest first credits: hard to switch off, and hard to regret. The most recent winner is Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2026).

Last verified 2026-06-10 · 32 award-winning fiction audiobooks, every entry sourced from the Audie Award record — nothing invented · Sources: APA + Wikipedia

Audiobook	Author	Narrator(s)	Award
Atmosphere	Taylor Jenkins Reid	Kristen DiMercurio, Julia Whelan, Taylor Jenkins Reid	Audie Fiction (2026)
Rednecks	Taylor Brown	Ramiz Monsef	Audie Fiction (2025)
Tom Lake	Ann Patchett	Meryl Streep	Audie Fiction (2024)
Mad Honey	Jodi Picoult; Jennifer Finney Boylan	Carrie Coon, Key Taw, Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan	Audie Fiction (2023)
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev	Dawnie Walton	Multiple narrators	Audie Fiction (2022)
Such a Fun Age	Kiley Reid	Nicole Lewis	Audie Fiction (2021)
City of Girls	Elizabeth Gilbert	Blair Brown	Audie Fiction (2020)
The Tattooist of Auschwitz	Heather Morris	Richard Armitage	Audie Fiction (2019)
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine	Gail Honeyman	Cathleen McCarron	Audie Fiction (2018)
Sister of Mine	Sabra Waldfogel	Bahni Turpin	Audie Fiction (2017)
The Nightingale	Kristin Hannah	Polly Stone	Audie Fiction (2016)
All the Light We Cannot See	Anthony Doerr	Zach Appelman	Audie Fiction (2015)
Doctor Sleep	Stephen King	Will Patton	Audie Fiction (2014)
The Handmaid's Tale	Margaret Atwood	Claire Danes	Audie Fiction (2013)
Alas, Babylon	Pat Frank	Will Patton	Audie Fiction (2012)
Winter's Bone	Daniel Woodrell	Emma Galvin	Audie Fiction (2011)
The Help	Kathryn Stockett	Cassandra Campbell, Jenna Lamia, Octavia Spencer, Bahni Turpin	Audie Fiction (2010)
Duma Key	Stephen King	John Slattery	Audie Fiction (2009)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society	Mary Ann Shaffer	Paul Boehmer, Susan Duerdan, full cast	Audie Fiction (2009)
Tallgrass	Sandra Dallas	Lorelei King	Audie Fiction (2008)
Rise and Shine	Anna Quindlen	Carol Monda	Audie Fiction (2007)
A Slight Trick of the Mind	Mitch Cullin	Simon Jones	Audie Fiction (2006)
The Darling	Russell Banks	Mary Beth Hurt	Audie Fiction (2005)
All Over Creation	Ruth Ozeki	Anna Fields	Audie Fiction (2004)
Middlesex	Jeffrey Eugenides	Kristoffer Tabori	Audie Fiction (2003)
The Talisman	Stephen King; Peter Straub	Frank Muller	Audie Fiction (2002)
Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates	Tom Robbins	Keith Szarabajka	Audie Fiction (2001)
I Know This Much Is True	Wally Lamb	George Guidall	Audie Fiction (2000)
A Widow for One Year	John Irving	George Guidall	Audie Fiction (1999)
The Breaker	Kit Denton	Terence Donovan	Audie Fiction (1998)
The Green Mile	Stephen King	Frank Muller	Audie Fiction (1997)
The Homecoming	Earl Hamner, Jr.	Richard Thomas	Audie Fiction (1996)

Frequently asked questions

Which fiction audiobook should I start with?

Start with a recent Audie Fiction winner such as "Atmosphere" by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2026). Award winners are the safest first listens because they are judged on narration as much as story, so the performance carries you through.

Are these good for someone new to audiobooks?

Yes. Every audiobook here won the Audie Award, the audiobook industry's own award — they are broadly loved and exceptionally well narrated, which is exactly what makes a first audiobook easy to finish.

How do I listen for free?

A free 30-day Audible Premium Plus trial includes one credit. You can use it on any fiction audiobook on this page and keep it permanently, even if you cancel before the trial ends.

More fiction guides: every Audie-winning fiction audiobook · all listening guides · best audiobooks by award.