10 Escapist Psychological Thriller Audiobooks to Keep You AWAKE
10 Thrilling audiobooks to keep you awake and entertained during your newborn night feeings
Audiobooks are a fantastic way to pass night time feedings with a newborn. If you enjoy reading or listening to psychological thrillers and you’re looking for a way to stay awake and entertained during those late-night feeds, this list might be for you. Check out this article on the benefits of listening to audiobooks during newborn night feedings.
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This list might not be for you if:
If you’re suffering from postpartum depression or anxiety, or if you tend to stick to lighter, happier reads, this list might not be for you. These books are by no means a way to cope with depression or anxiety, and may even escalate those feelings.
In fact, if you’re looking to listen to some light, easy entertainment to ease your stress, you might check out these lists instead:
However, if you enjoy thrillers as a distraction and a form of pure, adrenaline-fueled entertainment, then buckle up–this one’s for you.
Escapist Psychological Thrillers
There’s a reason this genre has become so popular, and that is because these are PAGE-TURNERS. Talk about being on the edge of your seat! If you like a good thriller to keep your mind occupied and awake during those nighttime feedings, check out this list.
Note: I have personally listened to and enjoyed every single one of these. Each is based in an interesting setting, from Hawaii to luxury cruise lines and Mediterranean islands to retreats in the woods, making them “escapist” reads. Each is a stand-alone novel, rather than part of a series.
They are by no means light reads, and many could find them triggering in all kinds of ways.
However, I do not recall there being any focused on harm done to children, parental abuse, or other themes that would be obviously triggering to a new mother.
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1. Hokuloa Road by Elizabeth Hand
If you’re anything like me and you love the juxtaposition of paradise with a dark mystery lurking beneath the surface, this one’s for you.
This is a lush, atmospheric story about Grady, a newly hired caretaker on a remote Hawaiian island.
Shortly after Grady arrives on the island, a girl goes missing–the same girl Grady made friends with on his flight to the island. As it turns out, there have been people all over the island going missing lately.
Grady teams up with the girl’s best friend to find out what happened to her, and what secrets are lurking beneath the island’s beautiful exterior.
2. A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw
A man is hired to track down a missing children’s book author, and her tracks lead to Pastoral, a reclusive community set deep in the woods that is thought to be just a legend.
Years later, the man’s truck is discovered outside the community, where no one is allowed in or out.
Steeped in mystery and set deep in the woods, this is basically a beautiful fairytale for adults.
3. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
If you’re looking for a book that jumps right into the suspense and grabs you right from the get-go, look no further.
When Jess shows up at her brother’s ritzy Paris apartment as previously planned, he’s nowhere to be found. The longer he stays missing, the more questions Jess has, and the more suspicious his neighbors are beginning to seem.
This one will keep you guessing until the very end!
4. The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
A travel journalist is given the assignment of a lifetime–a paid week on an exclusive luxury cruise line sailing the picturesque North Sea.
Her stay is serene and seemingly perfect at first, but she soon witnesses a woman going overboard. The only problem is, no one seems to think this woman was ever on the ship to begin with.
While everything seems ritzy and glamorous on surface, something sinister is lurking beneath. I absolutely loved every minute of this one.
5. The Guide by Peter Heller
Jack is hired as a fishing guide at an elite fishing lodge located on a parcel of pristine, idyllic river known as Billionaire’s Mile.
The fishing lodge is surrounded by lush forest and sun-drenched streams, giving an air of remote, idyllic beauty only the richest of the rich can afford.
However, when Jack hears a scream in the middle of the night, he begins to wonder what sinister secrets the idyllic lodge might be hiding.
6. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
This one is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat! Jules is hired on as apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, an elite Manhattan apartment building.
The rules are simple: no visitors, no leaving the apartment over night, no disturbing the other residents. As Jules gets to know her neighbors, she befriends a fellow apartment sitter, a girl who reminds her of her missing sister.
Low and behold–this girl disappears–and she’s not the first.
7. This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel
If you like alternating perspectives/timelines and or cults, this one’s for you.
This is about Wisewood, a secluded health retreat on a remote island off the coast of Maine.
Natalie’s sister, Kit, has been living at Wisewood, but Natalie hasn’t heard from her in six months. After receiving a cryptic phone message from Kit, Natalie sets off for Wisewood to bring home her sister.
If you’re not a fan of shifting perspectives, skip this one.
8. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
Ahh, another menacing “health retreat!”
Welcome to Tranquillum House, a luxury resort aimed at mindfulness, meditation, and overall lifestyle improvement.
From the perspectives of nine different guests here for different reasons, you’ll be taken on a strange and unexpected journey that will challenge these people far more than they ever expected.
There is suspense and plenty of heaviness, but–*spoiler alert*–the characters do come out on the other side better versions of themselves.
Another perfect pick for those who enjoy a luxurious setting masking a dark secret.
9. I Found You by Lisa Jewell
Alice, a single mom living on the coast, discovers a man on her beach who has no recollection of who he is or how he got there.
Cut to newlywed Lily, who discovers her husband of three weeks is missing. When she contacts the police, she is told he never existed.
Who is this stranger that showed up on Alice’s beach and why is he there?
10. One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke
A bachelorette trip on a stunning Greek island goes wrong.
What was supposed to be the perfect getaway full of sunset swims and fancy cocktails takes a turn, as each is hiding a secret.
This is a fantastic and twisty suspense novel that examines the highs and lows of female friendship through the sunglass lens of a lovely Greek island getaway.
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