Six Emily Henry books checked so far, and all 6 are better heard.
Emily Henry was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1991 and lives in the Ohio River area of Northern Kentucky. She wrote young adult novels first, starting with The Love That Split the World (2016), then moved to adult romance with Beach Read in 2020.
Five of her novels have won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance, and the film of People We Meet on Vacation came out in January 2026.
Sources: Wikipedia, read 6 November 2026.
Scroll for every verdict so far.
Two rival writers in neighbouring Michigan lake houses bet each other they can write a book in the other’s genre over one summer.Why listen: Julia Whelan's reading was picked among AudioFile’s Earphones Award winners, with a deep, gruff voice for Gus.
Best friends Poppy and Alex took one vacation together every year for a decade, until something two summers ago ended the tradition.Close call: Listen for Julia Whelan, whose reading won an AudioFile Earphones Award, with distinct voices for Poppy and Alex. Read it if you like to see each jump, as print heads the chapters ‘This Summer’ and ‘Ten Summers Ago’.
A sharp New York literary agent spends a month in a small North Carolina town and keeps running into the book editor she cannot stand.Why listen: AudioFile says Julia Whelan delivers the rapid-fire insults and flirty banter perfectly, which is the heart of this book.
Harriet and Wyn broke up six months ago, but they pretend to still be a couple through one last week with their oldest friends in Maine.Close call: Kirkus praises Julia Whelan’s nuanced performance and says she gives a distinct voice to each person, and Harriet tells the whole story herself. The chapters switch between two timelines, which keeps it close.
Left by her fiancé for his best friend, children’s librarian Daphne moves in with that best friend’s ex, Miles, and the two start pretending to date.Why listen: Critics praise Julia Whelan's reading, from Daphne’s tears to the side characters’ voices, and nothing in the book needs the page.
Two writers, Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson, compete to write the biography of Margaret Ives, whose family story reaches back to the gold rush and early Hollywood.Why listen: Julia Whelan reads Alice's story and Margaret’s family history, told to her in conversation. Her reading won an AudioFile Earphones Award and was No. 1 in AudioFile’s Best Romance Audiobooks of 2025.
| # | Book | Year (UK) | Series | UK audiobook narrator | UK length | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beach Read | 2020 | Standalone | Julia Whelan (Penguin) | 10h 13m | Listen, 76% |
| 2 | People We Meet on Vacation | 2021 | Standalone | Julia Whelan (Penguin) | 10h 46m | Listen, 60% |
| 3 | Book Lovers | 2022 | Standalone | Julia Whelan (Penguin) | 11h 23m | Listen, 76% |
| 4 | Happy Place | 2023 | Standalone | Julia Whelan (Penguin) | 11h 3m | Listen, 60% |
| 5 | Funny Story | 2024 | Standalone | Julia Whelan (Viking) | 11h 28m | Listen, 76% |
| 6 | Great Big Beautiful Life | 2025 | Standalone | Julia Whelan (Penguin) | 12h 7m | Listen, 66% |
| Coming | Modern Classic | 2027 | Standalone | Not announced | Not announced | Out 8 April 2027 |
Publication order. Narrators and lengths are from Audible UK, checked 6 November 2026. Audible UK lists People We Meet on Vacation as You and Me on Vacation. Modern Classic is due on 8 April 2027 in the UK (Audible UK pre-order listing) and 6 April 2027 in the US; no narrator or length has been announced.
No. Each novel is a standalone romance with its own couple, so you can start with any of them. The table above is in publication order if you would like to read them as they came out.
Before Beach Read, Emily Henry wrote four young adult novels: The Love That Split the World (2016), A Million Junes (2017), When the Sky Fell on Splendor (2019) and Hello Girls (2019, co-written with Brittany Cavallaro) (Wikipedia). This page covers her adult novels only.
Beach Read is her first adult novel. People We Meet on Vacation is her most-searched title in the UK, with 2,400 searches a month (SE Ranking, 6 November 2026), and searches have risen since the Netflix film. On format, Beach Read leans Listen and People We Meet on Vacation is a close call that tips to Listen.
Julia Whelan reads all six adult novels on her own, for Penguin (Funny Story is listed under Viking). If you enjoy her reading of one, you will hear the same narrator in all of them. She also reads Into the Blue (Listen, 82%) and Malibu Rising (Read, 70%), and she is on most of the Taylor Jenkins Reid audiobooks.
| Book | Audiobook, UK | At 1.5x | At 2x |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beach Read | 10h 13m | 6h 49m | 5h 6m |
| People We Meet on Vacation | 10h 46m | 7h 11m | 5h 23m |
| Book Lovers | 11h 23m | 7h 35m | 5h 42m |
| Happy Place | 11h 3m | 7h 22m | 5h 32m |
| Funny Story | 11h 28m | 7h 39m | 5h 44m |
| Great Big Beautiful Life | 12h 7m | 8h 5m | 6h 4m |
| All six | 67h 0m | 44h 40m | 33h 30m |
Julia Whelan’s recordings on Audible UK, checked 6 November 2026. Totals and speed times are calculated. The shortest is Beach Read (10h 13m) and the longest is Great Big Beautiful Life (12h 7m).
| Book | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| People We Meet on Vacation | Netflix film, released 9 January 2026, with Emily Bader and Tom Blyth | Wikipedia; Netflix Tudum, 9 January 2026 |
| Beach Read | 20th Century Studios film, US release 7 May 2027, written and directed by Yulin Kuang, with Phoebe Dynevor and Patrick Schwarzenegger. No UK date listed | The Numbers |
| Funny Story | Netflix film in development, with Emily Henry writing the screenplay. No cast or date | Netflix Tudum, 9 January 2026 |
| Happy Place | Netflix film in development (Nuyorican Productions, Jennifer Lopez producing), with Emily Henry writing. No cast or date. Earlier reports called it a TV series; Netflix’s January 2026 announcement says film | Netflix Tudum, 9 January 2026 |
| Book Lovers | Film announced 28 March 2023 (Tango producing, Sarah Heyward writing). No later news found | TheWrap, 28 March 2023; Wikipedia |
| Great Big Beautiful Life | No adaptation found | Wikipedia |
As of 6 November 2026.
No. Each novel is a standalone romance with its own couple, so you can start with any of them.
Beach Read (2020), People We Meet on Vacation (2021), Book Lovers (2022), Happy Place (2023), Funny Story (2024) and Great Big Beautiful Life (2025). Modern Classic follows in April 2027.
Julia Whelan reads all six adult novels on her own.
Modern Classic, out on 8 April 2027 in the UK (Audible UK pre-order listing) and 6 April 2027 in the US.
Yes. Audible UK lists the audiobook as You and Me on Vacation, read by Julia Whelan (10h 46m). It is the same novel.
Between 10 hours 13 minutes (Beach Read) and 12 hours 7 minutes (Great Big Beautiful Life) on Audible UK.
Yes. 20th Century Studios has dated it for 7 May 2027 in the US, with Phoebe Dynevor and Patrick Schwarzenegger. No UK date has been listed.
People We Meet on Vacation came out as a Netflix film in January 2026. Netflix is also developing films of Funny Story and Happy Place.
Yes, four young adult novels before Beach Read, including A Million Junes and When the Sky Fell on Splendor. This page covers her adult novels.
Listen. Julia Whelan reads every book, and all six are Listen verdicts: the strongest are Beach Read, Book Lovers and Funny Story, at 76%, leaning Listen.
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