Captivating audiobooks make everything better — especially when performed by an award-winning voice actor. Enter Julia Whelan: narrator of around 500 audiobooks across genres like romance, literary fiction, psychological thriller, and more. Her talent for bringing distinction and depth to a variety of characters makes Whelan a favorite among audiobook lovers.
So if you want to be moved, inspired, or entertained, look no further than this list of Julia Whelan audiobooks. Unsure where to start? We recommend two of her most popular titles, Thank You For Listening and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but as you can see, there’s plenty to pick from. (Honestly, we’ll listen to anything narrated by Whelan.)
1. Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan
As the author and narrator of Thank You For Listening, Whelan’s talents shine with this slightly meta story that gives a glimpse into Whelan’s world.
Sewanee Chester, a former actress-turned-audiobook-narrator, has sworn off romance (in her work and personal life), but she agrees to voice one final love story — with the industry’s most mysterious male narrator. Funny, steamy, and beautifully plotted, this audiobook won the AudioFile Earphones Award for Best Romance in 2022.
2. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A reclusive Hollywood actress who rose to fame in the 1950s chooses an unknown journalist to divulge all her secrets. Fun fact: Author Reid called in a special favor to get Whelan, who was booked solid, in the recording booth to make this audiobook. It seems Whelan and Reid are a dynamic duo — tune into One True Loves or Maybe in Another Life after devouring this one to hear for yourself.
3. Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
Divorced before 30 and still in grad school, Maggie is riding millennial wit for all it’s worth as she joins online dating apps and takes up new hobbies like ax throwing to figure out what, exactly, went wrong in her relationship.
AudioFile calls Whelan “the perfect narrator for this emotional story,” and we have to agree. Ranging from furious to funny to heartfelt (this applies to the book and Whelan’s vocal talents), Really Good, Actually is actually really, really good.
4. The Angel of Rome: And Other Stories by Jess Walter
Whelan teams up with Edoardo Ballerini, a fellow Golden Voice-winning narrator, to bring the myriad characters in this collection to life. The vignettes found here offer moments of laughter, contemplation, sadness, and tenderness.
Stories include a gay son grappling with his aging father’s memory loss, a meet-cute between a young student and his favorite actress, and a woman looking for support after a cancer diagnosis. The Angel of Rome won an AudioFile Award for Fiction in 2022.
5. The Measure by Nikki Erlick
What would you do if you knew how long you were going to live? That’s exactly what the protagonists must answer in The Measure. Mysterious boxes reveal the fates of everyone on Earth, and the book’s interconnected characters must reckon with life-changing knowledge. Their reactions cover a wide range of emotion, and Whelan infuses a nuanced and intimate quality into each.
6. My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
Studying at Oxford was always Ella’s dream, but falling for her professor wasn’t part of the plan. A shocking revelation intensifies their connection and places Ella at a crossroads. At the end of the year, will she pursue a promising job opportunity in Washington D.C., or follow a new, unforeseen path?
Whelan’s debut — another self-narrated title that’s inspired by her own time at Oxford — is a story of love, literature, and heart-wrenching choices.
7. The People We Keep by Allison Larkin
April Sawicki flees her dead-end town and neglectful parents in search of a new life and family, but she soon realizes having a place to call home requires courage and trust. Whelan’s performance highlights April’s vulnerability as a character, drawing listeners into this emotional story of overcoming one’s past.
8. Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala
Iweala pinpoints the intersections of homophobia, racial relations, generational divides, and cultural differences in this devastating novel, which follows a gay Nigerian American teenager and his white best friend.
Speak No Evil was named among BookRiot’s “best audiobooks under 8 hours” in 2020, with the publication saying narrators Whelan and Prentice Onayemi “are both on fire in their voicing of these two characters.”
9. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks
A spurned and disgruntled wife hits the bottle hard and starts stalking her ex-husband’s new fiancé, hell-bent on derailing the upcoming wedding. Sure, you might think you know what’s going to happen, but The Wife Between Us doesn’t settle for predictable plots and cheap thrills. BookPage calls Whelan’s performance “tautly paced” in this psychological thriller perfect for those who love being blindsided by twists.
10. Far from the Tree by Robin Benway
A National Book Award finalist, this YA family saga explores identity, belonging, and the traumas often associated with adoption through the eyes of three biological siblings who reconnect as teens. The audiobook version of Benway’s book, narrated by Whelan, is an Audie Award finalist and an AudioFile Earphones Award winner.
11. Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane
Author of bestsellers-turned-blockbusters like Shutter Island and Mystic River, Lehane spins a web of psychological thrills and betrayals in Since We Fell. And who better to voice his very first woman protagonist than Whelan?
After a humiliating on-air breakdown, ex-reporter Rachel Childs becomes reclusive and anxious. Only her friend and eventual husband, Brian, can keep Rachel from withdrawing permanently. But Brian may not be as trustworthy as Rachel thinks.
12. The Witches of New York by Ami McKay
Adelaide, Eleanor, and Beatrice defy the conventions of late 19th-century New York to live life on their own terms — with wit, charm, and witchcraft. As the three women manage their shop that specializes in potions and cures, Beatrice mysteriously disappears and Adelaide and Eleanor find themselves caught up in a terrifying mystery. Whelan’s narration makes this historical fantasy all the more magical.
13. The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
After serving in the Iraq war, Hayley’s father suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, a struggle that seeps into the lives of everyone around him. “Julia Whelan’s expert performance brings out the complexity of Hayley’s character, picking up on her vulnerability and defensive toughness, mixing both with a good dose of teen attitude,” says AudioFile Magazine.
14. The Witness by Nora Roberts
Narrating The Witness was Whelan’s “big break,” according to The New York Times, and she went on to voice several other titles by the prolific Roberts.
An Audie Award-winner, the story follows Abigail Lowery, who lives in hiding in the Ozarks after witnessing a mafia murder in her teens. The local police chief falls for the enigmatic Abby, but their future together will remain complicated unless they can bring a certain Russian crime family to justice.
15. How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
Whether she’s a solo performer or part of a talented ensemble cast (as with How High We Go in the Dark), Whelan always brings unique qualities to her characterizations.
In the near future, archeologists uncover the remains of an ancient girl, inadvertently unleashing the dormant virus that killed her into the modern world. The following stories, independent but subtly connected, reveal the fallout and the end of mankind as we know it.
