
The Best We Could Hope For
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Helen Laser
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By:
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Nicola Kraus
About this listen
From a #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a powerful novel about family, the weight of secrets, the choices we make, and the repercussions of the decisions made for us.
When Bunny Linden abandons her three children with her older sister, Jayne, in 1972, she knows Jayne will be the perfect mother. The mother Bunny, a teen runaway, could never be.
As months turn into years without word, Jayne and her husband, Rodger, a rising journalism star, strive to give the children the opportunity to flourish and feel loved. When Jayne and Rodger finally have a child of their own, a seemingly stable home is built. But then, after nearly a decade, Bunny resurfaces and sets a chain of events in motion that detonates all their lives.
As adults, their children try to reassemble the pieces and solve the mystery that has always haunted them. Who were their parents? What really happened between them? And who is ultimately to blame for the destruction? But will the answers they seek set them free—or lead to something far more damaging than anyone imagined?
©2025 by Nicola Kraus. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“An anguished investigation of the way memories can warp lives.”—Kirkus Reviews
“The touchstones the book shares with Dylan Farrow’s life are bound to provoke conversation around this powerful, tragic tale.”—Booklist
“Writing with grace and intelligence, Kraus explores the complex intersection of memory and loyalty in a sweeping story about a broken family and the women who knit together the remains. Perfect for book clubs.”—Sarah Pekkanen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Glass
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The president of the United States has terminal cancer. Chief of Staff Eli James, his faithful consigliere and best friend, is one of the few who know. But just as the president’s condition mysteriously improves, Eli’s hit with another blow: his daughter has cancer too. Hell-bent on helping her, Eli turns to Big Pharma’s top lobbyist for advice, but their encounter yields more questions than answers. As he races along a twisted trail to the truth, he stumbles upon a devastating cover-up worth billions of dollars—and millions of lives.
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Great theory plot
- By Chad W. on 05-10-25
By: Robert Bailey
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The One That Got Away
- A Short Story
- By: Mike Gayle
- Narrated by: David Ijiti
- Length: 2 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Reuben thought he’d spend the rest of his life with Beth, until she broke his heart six months ago. He’s not even remotely over her, so he’s devastated to hear she’s getting married—this weekend. Now he’s faced with the ultimate question: what should he do on the day of the wedding? Grieve? Disrupt the ceremony? Or do everything in his power to pretend it’s not happening? Enlisting the help of his friends, Reuben is all set to mark the occasion with distraction on a grand scale: Ferraris, champagne, and a VIP box at the races.
By: Mike Gayle
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The Undoing of Alejandro Velasco
- By: Diego Boneta
- Narrated by: Diego Boneta
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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A handsome young man named Julian Villareal arrives at the opulent Velasco estate to pay his respects after the unexpected death of Alejandro Velasco, his close friend and tennis rival. But he soon becomes entwined in the Velasco family’s glamourous lifestyle—and their daughter Sofia’s mysterious allure. Mercurial and quick-witted, Sofia seems determined to give Julian a run for his money. And he’s prepared to play along—both on and off the tennis courts.
By: Diego Boneta
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Between the Waves
- By: Hilary Tailor
- Narrated by: Bronwen Price
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
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Twenty years ago, during a family holiday on the savage and remote island of Little Auger, eleven-year-old Hazel left her bed and was never seen again. The unanswered questions surrounding Hazel’s disappearance tore three families apart and the girls left behind all experience their own terrible guilt. Roz, because she broke a promise; Catrin, because it was her idea; and Nina, who slept through it all. Their friendship never recovers and all three women go on to lead vastly different lives.
By: Hilary Tailor
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If Two Are Dead
- By: Rick Mofina
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Driving alone at night in a wild rainstorm, Luke Conway strikes something—or someone. He and his wife, Carrie, recently moved back to Clear River to help take care of her ailing father, and after a tragedy at his previous job, this move is their last chance at a new life. Now, standing in the downpour on this Texas road, Luke, an off-duty cop, has a decision to make—and he has to make it fast. No one else is around. No witnesses. And he can’t find a body.
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Couldn’t Stop Listening
- By DM Salazar on 05-06-25
By: Rick Mofina
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The California Dreamers
- By: Amy Mason Doan
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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It’s 1980s California, and everyone’s dreaming of the endless summer: sun-drenched beaches, infinite waves, and most of all, beautiful, beautiful freedom. For the Merrick siblings, this idyllic vision is their reality, as they travel up and down the coast with their parents in a van year-round, surfing and swimming their days away. But when a photographer secretly snaps a stunning photo of the family with their boards in the sand, and the image ripples across the country, the only life they’ve ever known is put at risk.
By: Amy Mason Doan
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Such a Good Mom
- A Novel
- By: Julia Spiro
- Narrated by: Abigail Reno
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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With a newborn baby, a husband, a successful career, and a busy life on Martha’s Vineyard, Brynn Nelson should be the happiest she’s ever been. But Brynn is struggling. Her husband grows more distant by the day, and the challenges and exhaustion of postpartum make Brynn feel like she’s slowly losing pieces of herself to motherhood. Pieces that she might never get back. But it’s summer on the Vineyard, a beacon for wealthy visitors, and a place so beautiful that it seems immune to tragedy and crime. Except for locals, like Brynn, who know all too well that tragedy can strike at any point.
By: Julia Spiro
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Hello, Juliet
- By: Samantha M. Bailey
- Narrated by: Kira Fixx
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
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Ivy Westcott fled LA as her acting career imploded. In a flash, she lost her first love and chosen family—her Hello, Juliet castmates. But she never discovered who turned her closest friends against her. Now the whole world knows her as #PoisonIvy. A decade later, Ivy is horrified when a celebrity exposé thrusts the Hello, Juliet cast back into the limelight, dredging up the old scandals she hoped to escape. Desperate for a fresh start and some financial stability for her mother and manager, Ivy agrees to participate in a top-secret reunion episode.
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So Dumb
- By T on 05-01-25
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Just Want You Here
- A Novel
- By: Meredith Turits
- Narrated by: Megan Tusing, Steve West, Sara Sheckells, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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The only love Ari has known is Morgan. Engaged and planning a life with him in New York, Ari is shocked when Morgan sits her down one rainy afternoon and tells her their decade-long relationship is over. They’ve been over for a long time now, he says—and Ari knows he’s right.
By: Meredith Turits
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American Housewife
- A Novel
- By: Anita Abriel
- Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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New York City, 1950. Dreams come true for radio personality Maggie Lane when she gets her big break in the exciting new world of television. The Maggie Lane Baking Show is on the air. All she has to do is act like the ideal housewife, create sumptuous desserts, charm the show’s sponsors, and sign a morality clause to ensure that her girl-next-door image remains untarnished. Although newlywed Maggie has never baked so much as a cookie, and knows even less about maintaining a home, keeping up appearances is a necessary ingredient for success. Easy.
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Enjoyed it
- By bookgirlbrown_reviews on 04-24-25
By: Anita Abriel
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Family & Other Calamities
- A Novel
- By: Leslie Gray Streeter
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Entertainment journalist Dawn Roberts has a lot to work through: a widow’s grief, betrayals of family and friends, and scandals that almost tanked her reputation. Not that Dawn dwells on the past. Well, hardly. When she returns to Baltimore with her husband’s ashes, she can’t avoid it. In fact, she’s diving into decades of backstabbing and treachery for her first trip home in years. She’s looking at you, Joe Perkins. Her former mentor, whose explosive exposé about big-city corruption is being turned into a slanderous movie, is also back in town.
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Maine Characters
- A Novel
- By: Hannah Orenstein
- Narrated by: Mara Wilson
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Every summer, Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster spend a month with their father at his lake house—separately. Raised in New York City, Vivian is an ambitious sommelier with a secret that could derail her future. Lucy grew up in a tiny Maine town, where she now teaches high school English while watching her marriage unravel. They’ve never met. While Lucy envied her half-sister from afar, their father kept Vivian in the dark. When Vivian arrives at the lake to spread his ashes and sell his cabin, she's shocked to find Lucy there, awaiting his return.
By: Hannah Orenstein
What listeners say about The Best We Could Hope For
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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- NMwritergal
- 05-07-25
Disjointed and depressing
The novel covers over 50 years with numerous POVs, too much for less than 8 hours. I feel like this was one of those novels that was more concerned with language than telling a cohesive story. So it was well written, I wasn't bored, but I also really didn't care much what happened to any of the characters because time was quickly advancing and POVs were always switching.
Also the audio wasn't great. It seemed like it was constantly fading in and out just enough to notice and to be annoying.
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