Ali Hazelwood's October Release Is Officially A True First

Ali Hazelwood, author of the bestselling and recently adapted novel The Love Hypothesis has a new story to tell—and this time she is asking readers to listen in.

Bad in Bed, the forthcoming title from Hazelwood is set to arrive Oct. 22 as an Audible Original exclusive audiobook, with the print edition arriving via Berkley June 1, 2027. Bad In Bed's arrival deviates from that of typical book rollouts, in which publishers release physical and audio versions of a book simultaneously or with a later audiobook release, encouraging readers to interact with Hazelwood's work in a new way.

Bad In Bed also marks Hazelwood's first Audible Original. Its release also signals a continued partnership between Amazon, of which Audible is a subsidiary, and Hazelwood. Amazon MGM Studios distributed the film adaptation of The Love Hypothesis, a fake dating academic romance starring Lilli Reinhart and Tom Bateman. The film was released on Sept. 23, 2026 to mostly positive reviews.

Bad In Bed's unconventional rollout positions the book not only as Hazelwood's latest exciting romance, but as an experiment in how readers may encounter new releases going forward.

Everything We Know About Bad In Bed

Bad In Bed, narrated by prolific romance audiobook voices Brooke Bloomingdale (Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood, A Very Good Bad Idea by Lauren Blakely) and Teddy Hamilton (Fourth Wing series by Rebecca Yarros, How To Troll A Guy In 10 Days by Pippa Grant), is leading Hazelwood's first audiobook with a full cast, and will be released in English on Oct. 22, 2026, and French, German, Italian, and Spanish on Dec. 10.

Bad In Bed is a (fr)enemies-to-lovers romance about sex, reputations, and chemistry. Billie van Buren's life is turned upside-down when after a humiliating breakup, her ex-fiance starts publicly disparaging her skills in the bedroom—leaving Billie utterly humiliated. A no-strings-attached relationships with charming medical fellow Dr. Maxwell Austin might be just what she needs to regain her confidence—and enjoy better sex. When what begins as a playful, uncomplicated romp develops into something deeper, Billie and Max are tasked with treading the unknown waters of real love.

Bad In Bed is yet another steamy addition to Hazelwood's collection of academia-set romances. Pre-order the audiobook from Audible and the print edition from retailers like Amazon.

A New Frontier for Romance

Hazelwood's decision to release her latest book audio-first follows closely in line with an emerging trend in romance. Considering the popularity of audio erotica platforms like Literotica and Quinn, it's no surprise that Audible—and Hazelwood—would want to tap into the success of spicy audio stories.

This isn't the first time an Ali Hazelwood project has taken on the world of audio storytelling head-first. During the press tour for The Love Hypothesis, stars Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman lent their narration talents to bring to life Olympus U, a fake dating modern retelling of the tale of Hades and Persephone written by Kate Goldbeck, on Quinn.

The audio-first release also gives Hazelwood the opportunity to write with the format itself in mind, rather than adapting an existing novel after publication. Hazelwood said the response to her previous audiobooks helped inspire the decision to build Bad in Bed specifically for listeners.

"I've been so lucky that listeners have embraced my books in audio, but creating something exclusively for the format from day one is a special thrill," Hazelwood said via pre

ss release. "Hearing a full cast bring Bad in Bed to life exceeded anything I imagined."

With Bad in Bed, Hazelwood is betting that romance readers are increasingly willing to experience a new release through their headphones first.

Source: Audible,