Emily Henry's Favorite Romance Audiobooks Will Have You Captivated

If Emily Henry's iconic rom-com books have you back in your reading era, you're in good company. Reese Witherspoon is among the many admirers, having selected "Great Big Beautiful Life" as her Reese's Book Club pick for May 2025. The buzz around Henry's release prompted a "Lit Check" feature, where she spoke about the stories she listens to when she's off-duty. "These books will leave you feeling hopeful and optimistic and like life is beautiful," the queen of contemporary romance delighted.

First up was "A Love Song for Ricki Wilde," by Tia Williams — a sensuous, time-slipping romance that moves between present-day Harlem and the Harlem Renaissance. Henry called it a "sexy, electric, moving romance," and pointed, with a grin, to a particularly steamy piano scene as reason enough to listen. This cocktail of heat and heart runs through "Reel," by Kennedy Ryan — a story about a brilliant filmmaker falling for his muse that Henry lauded as "profoundly emotional and healing and joyful." The audiobook features dual narrators and original music — a rarity — and earned an Audie Award for romance in 2022 as a result.

What tied many of her picks together was a fondness for classic tropes handled with nuance. "The View Was Exhausting" by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta — a real-life couple — offers what Henry described as "the most grounded take" on the fake dating set-up she's ever encountered. That same realism drew her to "Between Friends and Lovers" by Shirlene Obuobi, where a doctor and medical influencer finds herself in a long-brewing love triangle. Henry was drawn to how "all of these...characters feel so real."

Emily Henry is a writer who knows romance inside out, so it's no surprise her audiobooks feature the genre in all its many moods. Wit and warmth take the lead in "The Bodyguard" by Katherine Center, a contemporary tale Henry compares to early-2000s rom-coms. "Hijinx, cute banter, and sweet moments" are juxtaposed with the friction of family dynamics, making it "the kind of book you want to eat with a spoon," Henry praised.

For fans of the best historical fiction picks from Reese's Book Club, Henry put us on to Sherry Thomas' "The Luckiest Lady in London." Two morally complicated characters make dubious decisions, but, as Henry lauded, "Sherry gets you so deep into these characters' heads and hearts that you understand exactly why they're doing what they're doing." It's a novel of layers and misdirection, and one that, according to Henry, turned her into a devotee of the form.

Unsurprisingly, there's room for a nod to Abby Jimenez — a kindred spirit, and one of the must-read authors to try if you love Emily Henry's books. "Life's Too Short," Henry said, "is really, really funny while also dealing with real life serious issues in a really lovely, empathetic, generous way." She also delights in books that marry form with function. Case in point: Julia Whelan's "Thank you for Listening," a romance about audiobook narrators performed by Whelan herself (who just happens to narrate all of Henry's own novels). Rounding out the list are "How to End a Love Story" by Yulin Kuang ("I think about this book all the time," Henry admitted), and "The Truth According to Ember" by Danica Nava — "a really, really fun rump of a romcom" with sharp workplace politics and an even sharper love story.