Optimists Die First
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Optimists Die First
Buy for $16.20
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Julia Whelan
-
By:
-
Susin Nielsen
About this listen
Award-winning author Susin Nielsen has written a laugh-out-loud and heartrending novel for fans of Robyn Schneider's Extraordinary Means and Cammie McGovern's Say What You Will.
Beware: Life ahead.
Sixteen-year-old Petula de Wilde is anything but wild. A former crafting fiend with a happy life, Petula shut herself off from the world after a family tragedy. She sees danger in all the ordinary things, like crossing the street, a bug bite, or a germy handshake. She knows: Life is out to get you.
The worst part of her week is her comically lame mandatory art therapy class with a small group of fellow misfits. Then a new boy, Jacob, appears at school and in her therapy group. He seems so normal and confident, though he has a prosthetic arm; and soon he teams up with Petula on a hilarious project, gradually inspiring her to let go of some of her fears. But as the two grow closer, a hidden truth behind why he's in the group could derail them, unless Petula takes a huge risk....
©2017 Susin Nielsen (P)2017 Listening LibraryListeners also enjoyed...
-
We Are All Made of Molecules
- By: Susin Nielsen
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Jesse Bernstein
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 79
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 77
Thirteen-year-old Stewart is academically brilliant but socially clueless. Fourteen-year-old Ashley is the undisputed "it" girl in her class, but her grades stink. Their worlds are about to collide when Stewart and his dad move in with Ashley and her mom. Stewart is trying to be 89.9 percent happy about it, but Ashley is 110 percent horrified. She already has to hide the real reason her dad moved out; "Spewart" could further threaten her position at the top of the social ladder.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Beautiful story of belonging
- By RUTH LOPEZ on 08-28-23
By: Susin Nielsen
-
No Fixed Address
- By: Susin Nielsen
- Narrated by: Nissae Isen
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 56
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 50
Felix Knuttson, 12, is an endearing kid with an incredible brain for trivia. His mom Astrid is loving but unreliable; she can't hold onto a job, or a home. When they lose their apartment in Vancouver, they move into a camper van, just for August, till Astrid finds a job. September comes, they're still in the van; Felix must keep "home" a secret and give a fake address in order to enroll in school. Luckily, he finds true friends. As the weeks pass and life becomes grim, he struggles not to let anyone know how precarious his situation is.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
For an older teen and up
- By eastnashmom on 08-24-20
By: Susin Nielsen
-
Why Can't I Be You
- By: Allie Larkin
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 275
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 256
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 256
When Jenny Shaw hears someone shout "Jessie!" across a hotel lobby, she impulsively answers. All her life, Jenny has toed the line, but something propels her to seize the opportunity to become Jessie Morgan, a woman to whom she bears an uncanny resemblance. Lonely in her own life, Jenny is embraced by Jessie’s warm circle of friends - and finds unexpected romance. But when she delves into Jessie’s past, Jenny discovers a secret that spurs her to take another leap into the unknown.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Silly
- By Hilary on 05-20-15
By: Allie Larkin
-
The Last Time We Say Goodbye
- By: Cynthia Hand
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 519
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 468
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 471
The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment. Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be. As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone--a text Tyler sent that could have changed everything.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Such sweet sorrow
- By Lesaly on 04-26-15
By: Cynthia Hand
-
Far from the Tree
- By: Robin Benway
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,829
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,551
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,544
Being the middle child has its ups and downs. But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including: Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
SO MOVED BY THIS STORY! GREAT FICTION!
- By Ann on 02-28-18
By: Robin Benway
-
Flat-Out Love
- Flat-Out Love, Book 1
- By: Jessica Park
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,899
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,716
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,723
He was tall, at least six feet, with dirty blond hair that hung over his eyes. His T-shirt read Nietzsche Is My Homeboy. So, that was Matt. Who Julie Seagles likes. A lot. But there is also Finn. Who she flat out loves. Complicated? Awkward? Completely. But really, how was this freshly-minted Boston transplant and newbie college freshman supposed to know that she would end up living with the family of an old friend of her mother’s? This was all supposed to be temporary.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Nerdtastic! Best Narration!
- By Marie M on 03-01-13
By: Jessica Park
-
We Are All Made of Molecules
- By: Susin Nielsen
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Jesse Bernstein
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 79
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 77
Thirteen-year-old Stewart is academically brilliant but socially clueless. Fourteen-year-old Ashley is the undisputed "it" girl in her class, but her grades stink. Their worlds are about to collide when Stewart and his dad move in with Ashley and her mom. Stewart is trying to be 89.9 percent happy about it, but Ashley is 110 percent horrified. She already has to hide the real reason her dad moved out; "Spewart" could further threaten her position at the top of the social ladder.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Beautiful story of belonging
- By RUTH LOPEZ on 08-28-23
By: Susin Nielsen
-
No Fixed Address
- By: Susin Nielsen
- Narrated by: Nissae Isen
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 56
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 50
Felix Knuttson, 12, is an endearing kid with an incredible brain for trivia. His mom Astrid is loving but unreliable; she can't hold onto a job, or a home. When they lose their apartment in Vancouver, they move into a camper van, just for August, till Astrid finds a job. September comes, they're still in the van; Felix must keep "home" a secret and give a fake address in order to enroll in school. Luckily, he finds true friends. As the weeks pass and life becomes grim, he struggles not to let anyone know how precarious his situation is.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
For an older teen and up
- By eastnashmom on 08-24-20
By: Susin Nielsen
-
Why Can't I Be You
- By: Allie Larkin
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 275
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 256
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 256
When Jenny Shaw hears someone shout "Jessie!" across a hotel lobby, she impulsively answers. All her life, Jenny has toed the line, but something propels her to seize the opportunity to become Jessie Morgan, a woman to whom she bears an uncanny resemblance. Lonely in her own life, Jenny is embraced by Jessie’s warm circle of friends - and finds unexpected romance. But when she delves into Jessie’s past, Jenny discovers a secret that spurs her to take another leap into the unknown.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Silly
- By Hilary on 05-20-15
By: Allie Larkin
-
The Last Time We Say Goodbye
- By: Cynthia Hand
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 519
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 468
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 471
The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment. Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be. As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone--a text Tyler sent that could have changed everything.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Such sweet sorrow
- By Lesaly on 04-26-15
By: Cynthia Hand
-
Far from the Tree
- By: Robin Benway
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,829
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,551
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,544
Being the middle child has its ups and downs. But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including: Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
SO MOVED BY THIS STORY! GREAT FICTION!
- By Ann on 02-28-18
By: Robin Benway
-
Flat-Out Love
- Flat-Out Love, Book 1
- By: Jessica Park
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,899
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,716
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,723
He was tall, at least six feet, with dirty blond hair that hung over his eyes. His T-shirt read Nietzsche Is My Homeboy. So, that was Matt. Who Julie Seagles likes. A lot. But there is also Finn. Who she flat out loves. Complicated? Awkward? Completely. But really, how was this freshly-minted Boston transplant and newbie college freshman supposed to know that she would end up living with the family of an old friend of her mother’s? This was all supposed to be temporary.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Nerdtastic! Best Narration!
- By Marie M on 03-01-13
By: Jessica Park
-
The Great Believers
- By: Rebecca Makkai
- Narrated by: Michael Crouch
- Length: 18 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,925
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,491
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,477
In 1985, Yale Tishman, the development director for an art gallery in Chicago, is about to pull off an amazing coup, bringing in an extraordinary collection of 1920s paintings as a gift to the gallery. Yet as his career begins to flourish, the carnage of the AIDS epidemic grows around him. One by one, his friends are dying and after his friend Nico's funeral, the virus circles closer and closer to Yale himself. Soon the only person he has left is Fiona, Nico's little sister.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A story for all time
- By Carla jo Thompson on 08-06-18
By: Rebecca Makkai
-
The Good Goodbye
- By: Carla Buckley
- Narrated by: Ali Ahn, Suzy Jackson, Eva Kaminsky
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,307
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,090
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,084
Two cousins, Rory and Arden, lie unconscious in a hospital burn unit. The fire, which broke out in their shared college dorm room, killed another student, and the police want answers. Tension between Rory and Arden's parents was already at an all-time high before the fire, owing to a recent financial crisis and the decline of the family business. As the parents huddle anxiously in the waiting room, carefully avoiding the subject of their own unraveling relationships, disturbing truths come to light.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I could not stop listening.
- By Amy Davis on 05-29-16
By: Carla Buckley
-
Goodbye Stranger
- By: Rebecca Stead
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr, Meera Simhan, Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 129
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 107
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 108
Bridge is an accident survivor who's wondering why she's still alive. Emily has new curves and an almost-boyfriend who wants a certain kind of picture. Tabitha sees through everybody's games - or so she tells the world. The three girls are best friends with one rule: no fighting. Can it get them through seventh grade?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Awesome!
- By Noreen on 12-07-15
By: Rebecca Stead
-
Saints and Misfits
- By: S. K. Ali
- Narrated by: Ariana Delawari
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 56
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 51
Saints and Misfits is an unforgettable debut novel that feels like a modern-day My So-Called Life...starring a Muslim teen.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
The worst narration
- By steppingonlegos on 06-06-24
By: S. K. Ali
-
Emergency Contact
- By: Mary H. K. Choi
- Narrated by: Joy Osmanski, Jacques Roy
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 337
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 294
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 293
For Penny Lee high school was a total nonevent. Her friends were okay, her grades were fine, and while she somehow managed to land a boyfriend, he doesn't actually know anything about her. When Penny heads to college in Austin, Texas, to learn how to become a writer, it's 79 miles and a zillion light-years away from everything she can't wait to leave behind.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Messy Book With Really Bad Narration
- By Doha on 04-23-18
By: Mary H. K. Choi
-
Lies My Girlfriend Told Me
- By: Julie Anne Peters
- Narrated by: Christine Lakin
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 217
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 194
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 195
When Alix's charismatic girlfriend, Swanee, dies from sudden cardiac arrest, Alix is overcome with despair. As she searches Swanee's room for mementos of their relationship, she finds Swanee's cell phone, pinging with dozens of texts sent from a mysterious contact, L.T. The most recent text reads: "Please tell me what I did. Please, Swan. Te amo. I love you." Shocked and betrayed, Alix learns that Swanee has been leading a double life - secretly dating a girl named Liana the entire time she's been with Alix.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
I liked it
- By Amazon Customer on 06-10-15
-
The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things (15th Anniversary Edition)
- By: Carolyn Mackler
- Narrated by: Laura Knight Keating
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 33
Carolyn Mackler's Printz Honor book - starring the unforgettably funny, body-conscious Virginia Shreves - returns in this 15th anniversary edition featuring text updates and never-before-heard material from the author. Fifteen-year-old Virginia feels like a plus-sized black sheep in her family, especially next to her perfect big brother Byron. Not to mention her best friend has moved, leaving Virginia to navigate an awkward relationship with a boy alone. In order to survive, Virginia decides to follow a "Fat Girl Code of Conduct", which works, until the unthinkable causes her family's facade to crumble.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
LOVE this
- By carrie sanabria on 11-26-18
By: Carolyn Mackler
-
Anna and the French Kiss
- By: Stephanie Perkins
- Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 824
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 726
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 724
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: Perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A top-notch romance
- By The Reading Date on 10-30-11
-
180 Seconds
- By: Jessica Park
- Narrated by: Arielle DeLisle
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 967
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 879
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 878
Some people live their entire lives without changing their perspective. For Allison Dennis, all it takes is 180 seconds...After a life spent bouncing from one foster home to the next, Allison is determined to keep others at arm's length. Adopted at 16, she knows better than to believe in the permanence of anything. But as she begins her third year in college, she finds it increasingly difficult to disappear into the white noise pouring from her earbuds.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
It just wouldn't end!!
- By Jacqueline on 07-13-17
By: Jessica Park
-
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass
- By: Meg Medina
- Narrated by: Roxanne Hernandez
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 117
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 102
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 99
"Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass." That’s what some girl tells Piddy Sanchez one morning before school. Too bad Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui Delgado is, let alone what she’s done to piss her off. All Piddy knows is that Yaqui hates her - and she better watch her back because Yaqui isn’t kidding. At first Piddy just focuses on trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui starts to take over Piddy’s life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I loved this book so, much I couldn't put it down
- By sam on 04-23-19
By: Meg Medina
-
Beast
- By: Brie Spangler
- Narrated by: Andrew Eiden
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 507
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 459
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 460
Tall, meaty, muscle-bound, and hairier than most throw rugs, Dylan doesn't look like your average 15-year-old, so naturally, high school has not been kind to him. To make matters worse, on the day his school bans hats (his preferred camouflage), Dylan goes up on his roof only to fall and wake up in the hospital with a broken leg - and a mandate to attend group therapy for self-harmers. Dylan vows to say nothing and zones out at therapy - until he meets Jamie. She's funny, smart, and so stunning, even his womanizing best friend, JP, would be jealous.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Painful to listen to
- By River on 11-18-20
By: Brie Spangler
-
Life After
- A Novel
- By: Katie Ganshert
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel, Stacey Glemboski
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 122
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 109
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 110
Snow whirls around an elevated train platform in Chicago. A distracted woman boards the train, takes her seat, and moments later, a fiery explosion rips through the frigid air, tearing the car apart in a horrific attack on the city’s transit system. One life is spared. Twenty-two are lost. A year later, Autumn Manning can’t remember the day of the bombing, and she is tormented by grief - by guilt. Twelve months of the question constantly echoing. Why? Why? Why? Searching for answers, she haunts the lives of the victims, unable to rest.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Raw, Humorous, And Thought-Provoking
- By Brian on 03-06-18
By: Katie Ganshert
A story of hope and despair
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.