#1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds transports us back to the early 2000s in Soundtrack, an audiobook original about New York City teens whose talent and love of music lift them to unexpected heights.

Stuy wanted to play the drums just like his mom, a founding member of the punk band The Bed-Stuy Magic Dusters. With his mother as his teacher, Stuy starts busking in the subway with his friends Dunks, Alexis, Keith, and Frankie under the name Soundtrack. To everyone’s surprise, including their own, they become an underground sensation, and their success changes the course of their lives.

Read by a full cast and with an original score by Grammy-winning composer Justin Ellington, award-winning author Jason Reynolds shows us a found family coming of age in a wonderfully complex city.

Cast
Nile Bullock as Stuy
Mekhi Hewling as Dunks
Jade Williams as Keith
Brandon Miles as Alexis
Ryan Vincent Anderson as Uncle Lucky
Amir Royale as Frankie
Jasmin Richardson as Stuy’s Mom
Christopher Grant as Dom
Khaya Fraites as Ashley
Nadine Simmons as Mrs. Dyson
Robb Moreira as Mr. Garcia
Wé Ani as Lisa
Rocky Anicette as Dylan
Brandiss Seward as Frankie’s Mom
with Siho Ellsmore, Tyrell Buckner, Gina Daniels, Karen Murray, Jonathan Beville, and Karla Moore

I received a promo box from Penguin Random House Audio with a free copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I popped it on one weekend without knowing much about it. What I got was one of the most immersive audiobook experiences I’ve had in a while. What I got was one of the most immersive audiobook experiences I’ve had in a while.

This is not just someone reading a book aloud. It’s a full-on production. We’re talking a full cast of narrators, music woven into the story, and sound design that really brings the city and the characters’ lives to life. I put on my headphones, stretched out on the couch, and felt like I was right there with Stuy and his crew as they busked in the subway and tried to make sense of life and all the curveballs it throws at us.

The story follows Stuy, a teenage drummer learning from his mom, who was once part of a legendary punk band. He and his friends—Dunks, Alexis, Keith, and Frankie—form a group called Soundtrack and start performing in New York subways. What starts as a way to express themselves quickly becomes something bigger. Their music begins to resonate in unexpected ways, drawing attention and forcing each of them to confront their pasts, dreams, and the reality of the world they’re growing up in.

The author doesn’t shy away from weightier themes. It’s about friendship and found family, but also poverty, domestic violence, police brutality, and what it means to grow up in a world where systems are designed to work against you. Despite the heavy topics, there’s also warmth and humor, and the characters feel like people you’d know, or want to know.

It’s under five hours, but it packs a punch. If you’re into fully produced audio experiences (think more audio drama than traditional audiobook), this one’s a must-listen. This one is gritty, hopeful, and brimming with heart, but delivered in a way that feels fresh and unforgettable.