Hitting the open road this summer? Break up the monotony of a long drive with these incredible road trip audiobooks. Whether you’re taking a quick day trip to another city or traveling all the way across the country, we’ve got the perfect YA audiobooks for your vacation playlist.

10 YA Audiobooks For The Open Road

YA Audiobooks for Short Road Trips

1. Barely Missing Everything by Matt Mendez | Read by Ramón de Ocampo, Cynthia Farrell, and Timothy Andrés Pabon

If you’re looking for an audiobook about road trips to listen to on your next long drive, Matt Mendez’s debut YA novel is a perfect choice. In it, best friends Juan and JD embark on a journey from El Paso to visit a man on death row who might be the father Juan believed was dead. Told from the alternating perspectives of Juan, JD, and Fabi—Juan’s mom—this audiobook will provide the perfect meta listening experience on the road. It will also make you want to hug your travel buddies and/or the people you’re meeting at your destination.

  • Running time: 7 hours, 42 minutes

 

2. Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch | Read by Lisa Flanagan

While visiting Ireland for her aunt’s wedding, Addie finds herself on a whirlwind road trip across the country with her brother, Ian, and his Irish friend, Rowan. What ensues is a frenetic journey involving both young love and sibling rivalry. This delightful romance is a stand-alone companion to Love & Gelato, which follows Addie’s friend Lina on a road trip around Tuscany.

  • Running time: 7 hours, 47 minutes (fun fact: this is longer it would take you to drive from north to south on the Emerald Isle)

 

3. Feral Youth edited by Shaun David Hutchinson | Read by Candace Thaxton and Jacques Roy

A group of so-called “troubled” teenagers are left to fend for themselves in the middle of the woods during a wilderness survival program. In the spirit of The Canterbury Tales—the original road trip novel—the characters take turns telling stories as they struggle to make their way back to camp. Each point-of-view was written by a different powerhouse YA author, including Shaun David Hutchinson, Suzanne Young, and Justina Ireland, ensuring this audiobook has a little something for everyone.

  • Running time: 7 hours, 49 minutes

 

YA Audiobooks for Mid-length Road Trips 

4. A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti | Read by Julia Whelan

In the aftermath of trauma, Annabelle decides to run all the way from Seattle to Washington, D.C. This powerful audiobook explores themes of guilt, loss, forgiveness, and hope, giving you plenty to think about if you’re listening on a cross-country road trip of your own. (Though if you’re driving along Annabelle’s path, you’ll have time to listen almost 3x through.)

  • Running time: 8 hours, 39 minutes

 

5. Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali | Read by Priya Ayyar, Tim Chiou, and S. K. Ali

After getting suspended for standing up to her Islamaphobic teacher, 18-year-old Zayneb travels from Indiana to Qatar to spend spring break with her aunt. On the way there she meets Adam, a fellow Muslim who was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and an unforgettable romance ensues. Whether you’re on your way to reinvent yourself, connect with extended family, or fall in love, this is a perfect road trip audiobook.

  • Running time: 9 hours, 10 minutes

 

6. Autoboyography by Christina Lauren | Read by Deacon Lee and Kyle Mason

When bisexual teen Tanner moves from progressive California to a conservative Utah town, he also moves back into the closet. After surviving three years of this, he’s on the brink of graduation and freedom at an out-of-state-college. But then he meets Sebastian in his final-semester writing seminar, a boy who makes him question his plans to delay coming out a second time. This contemporary love story is brimming with literal and emotional journeys that make it the perfect soundtrack to your summer travels.

  • Running time: 9 hours, 19 minutes

 

7. Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman | Read by the authors with Jenni Barber, Noah Galvin, Michael Crouch, and Kivlighan De Montebello

When a drought in California reaches apocalyptic levels, quiet suburbs turn into war zones, and Alyssa must do whatever it takes to help her family survive. This stand-alone dystopian audiobook is sure to make you appreciate every well-stocked gas station you pass on your trip, though the story feels so plausible, you may prefer to pack the cooler before you hit the road.

  • Running time: 11 hours, 6 minutes

 

YA Audiobooks for Long Trips 

8. Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Kelly Link, and Robin Wasserman | Read by a full cast

If you don’t have the attention span to listen to a whole novel but still need something to break up a long drive, Ghosts of the Shadow Market is a perfect road trip audiobook. The novellas in this anthology all explore the dark underbelly of the Shadow Market, and the stories are brought to life by an ensemble of celebrity narrators like Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn 99) and Emily Bett Rickards (Arrow). Whether you’re a diehard Cassandra Clare fan or just want to dip your toes into the Shadowhunter world, this YA audiobook is perfect for summer road trippin’.

  • Running time: 17 hours, 24 minutes

 

9. Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell | Read by Vikas Adam, Joy Osmanski, and Emily Woo Zeller


The best way to forget about the monotony of highway driving is to get swept up in an epic fantasy. An interstellar retelling of Les Miserables set in space, Sky Without Stars will transport you to the French planet of Laterre, its citizens on the brink of revolution.

  • Running time: 18 hours, 32 minutes

 

10. Burn for Burn trilogy by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian | Read by Joy Osmanski, Madeleine Maby and Rebekkah Ross

You know and love Jenny Han for her To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy, but did you know she also co-wrote a revenge-fantasy trilogy with Siobhan Vivian? Well now you do (you’re welcome). The books follow Kat, Lillia, and Mary as they join forces to take revenge on the people who’ve wronged them. Got a super long drive ahead of you? These three audiobooks will last you for over a full day on the road, and the suspense is sure to help you stay awake if you’re driving through the night.

  • Running time: 26 hours, 5 minutes

 

None of These Long Enough for Your Summer Road Trip?

Maybe you find yourself are running across the country, or maybe you’re going on one of those epic road trips where you try to hit all of the lower 48 states, and you just need a freakishly long audiobook playlist to make it through the trip. For this we recommend the complete audio works of Cassandra Clare, which will provide you with over 271 hours of non-stop listening (that’s over 11 full days!). To organize your playlist, check out the recommended Shadowhunters reading order here.

 

Also be sure to check out these 7 Captivating Must-Listens for Audiobook Month!