Road Trip with a Vampire

Narrator Amanda Stribling is the secret weapon of this audiobook, delivering a performance that’s equal parts delightful and exhausting—just like Zelda herself. Stribling nails the protagonist’s rapid-fire sarcasm, her exasperated sighs practically audible through the headphones, but the real magic happens in her portrayal of Lucian. His voice drips with that insufferable, smoldering arrogance of a vampire who’s been around the block a few times (and somehow still hasn’t learned how to use a GPS). The pacing never drags, thanks to Stribling’s energy, which keeps even the most absurd moments grounded in humor rather than farce. My only critique? The ghost hitchhiker’s backstory felt underdeveloped—it deserved more screentime to really land its emotional beats. The production quality is top-notch, with no distracting audio quirks, though the chapter breaks could be smoother to avoid jarring shifts in tone. What truly sold me, though, was how Stribling balanced the romance and comedy without letting either overshadow the other. She made me laugh out loud in traffic, groan at the puns, and, at one point, shout ‘Nooo!’ at the road ahead—all while stuck in a grocery store parking lot. If you’re the kind of listener who wants rom-com energy with a side of supernatural sabotage, this is a must-play.