Do Narrators Make or Break the Audiobook?

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I don’t know about you guys, but for me, the narrator is one of the most important factors in the quality and enjoyment of an audiobook. If the narrator is boring or hard to understand, I find myself daydreaming and not listening to the book and having to go back over and over and over again; usually, I end up not finishing/deleting said book.

Some audiobooks I have loved are pretty much any Debbie Macomber book – her narrators are absolutely phenomenal. They truly know how to portray different roles in a story and have wonderful inflection and tone that make it easy and interesting to listen to. Some of my favorites by Macomber that I’ve listened to on Audible are An Engagement in Seattle, A Walk Along the Beach, Cottage By the Sea, and the entire Rose Harbor series. I’ve read the hard copies of some as well, but the audiobooks just make you feel like you’re right there with the characters, experiencing everything with them.

Other audiobooks I have enjoyed are the books in the Sweet Magnolias series by Sherryl Woods. If any of you have seen the Sweet Magnolias series on Netflix, you should definitely read or listen to the book series. It’s spot on with the show and it’s just an amazing story of growth, change, love, and more. Check out the first book Stealing Home and let me know what you think!

Now, some audiobooks I did not enjoy and just couldn’t finish due to the narration are Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell and My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni. I found both narrators to be extremely hard to listen to as they kind of droned on and had no intention or enthusiasm to what they were reading. UGH. I ended up reading Then She Was Gone the paperback and it was amazing. Seriously, the narrators make a whole world of difference.

Does anyone agree with me?! Disagree?? Share your opinions and some of your favorite audiobooks!