Spring books are here! Here are 25 of my favorites:
Because We All Need A Good Romance Right Now!
The Dating Plan by Sara Desai
…is a hilarious, heartfelt romance where even with a step-by-step plan, these fake fiancés might accidentally fall for each other. Sparks fly when Daisy and Liam go on a series of dates to legitimize their fake relationship. History and chemistry aren’t about to follow the rules of this engagement.
The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan
…is simply outstanding! Naomi and Ethan join forces to host a buzzy seminar series on Modern Intimacy, the perfect solution to their problems–until they discover a new one–their growing attraction to each other. They’ve built the syllabus for love’s latest experiment, but neither of them expected they’d be the ones putting it to the test.
Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez
…is another brilliant and touching romantic comedy by this amazing author. The last person Vanessa expects to show up offering help is the hot lawyer next door, Adrian Copeland. No one warned her that he was the Secret Baby Tamer or that she’d be spending a whole lot of time with him and his geriatric Chihuahua. Now she’s feeling things she’s vowed not to feel.
The Path To Sunshine Cove by RaeAnne Thayne
…touches all of us with this outstanding novel and this tagline “She knows what’s best for everyone but herself…” Thayne knows how to write the perfect romance. Against her judgment, Jess finds herself becoming attached—to her sister and her family, even to her client’s interfering son. Does she continue running from her painful past, or stay put and make room for the love and joy that come along with it?
The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
…is a witty and effervescent novel about what happens when two people with everything on the line are thrown together by science—or is it fate? Jess hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that’s predicted to change dating forever. Finding a soulmate through DNA? The Soulmate Equation proves that the delicate balance between fate and choice can never be calculated.
Because We Must Learn From History, here are historical fiction picks:
Half Life by Jillian Cantor
…reimagines the pioneering, passionate life of Marie Curie using a parallel structure to create two alternative timelines, one that mirrors her real life, one that explores the consequences for Marie and for science if she’d made a different choice. This book examines how the lives of one remarkable woman and the people she loved – as well as the world at large and course of science and history—might have been irrevocably changed.
The Last Night in London by Karen White
…weaves a captivating story of friendship, love, and betrayal that moves between war-torn London during the Blitz and the present day. London, 1939. Beautiful Eva Harlow and her American friend, Precious Dubose, are trying to make their way as fashion models. London, 2019. American journalist Maddie Warner, whose life has been marked by the tragic loss of her mother, travels to London to interview Precious about her life in pre-WWII London.
The Secret Stealers by Jane Healey
…tells the story of a female American spy in Nazi-occupied France finding purpose behind enemy lines in a novel of unparalleled danger, love, and daring. Whatever the risk, she’s willing to take it to help liberate France from the shadows of occupation and to free herself from the shadows of her former life. Healey’s amazing research shines.
The Social Graces by Renee Rosen
…throws back the curtain on one of the most remarkable feuds in history: Alva Vanderbilt and the Mrs. Astor’s notorious battle for control of New York society during the Gilded Age. Sweeping three decades and based on true events, this is the story of two fascinating women going head-to-head, behaving badly, and discovering what’s truly at stake.
The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray
…is an epic saga based on the true story of an extraordinary castle in the heart of France and the remarkable women bound by its legacy. Most castles are protected by men. This one by women. Intricately woven and powerfully told, The Women of Chateau Lafayette is a sweeping novel about duty and hope, love and courage, and the strength we take from those who came before us.
The Woman With The Blue Star by Pam Jenoff
…is an absolutely riveting tale of unfathomable sacrifice and unlikely friendship in the Krakow ghetto during World War II. You will hold your breath as you read this intensely amazing story. A tribute to female friendship and survival as Ella, an affluent Polish girl, begins to aid Sadie, a Jewish woman hiding in the sewer, and the two become close, but as the dangers of the war worsen, their lives are set on a collision course that will test them in the face of overwhelming odds.
The Last Green Valley by Mark Sullivan
…is a new historical novel inspired by one Ukrainian family’s incredible story of daring, survival, and triumph during World War II. Caught between two warring forces and overcoming horrific trials to pursue their hope of immigrating to the West, the Martels’ story is a brutal, complex, and ultimately triumphant tale that illuminates the extraordinary power of love, faith, and one family’s incredible will to survive and see their dreams realized.
Because Life is Important, here are some outstanding non-fiction picks:
Dear Black Girl: Letters from Your Sisters on Stepping into Your Power by Tamara Winfrey-Harris
…is the empowering, affirming love letter our girls need in order to thrive in a world that does not always protect, nurture, or celebrate us per Tarana Burke, Founder of the ‘Me Too’ Movement. Winfrey Harris organizes a selection of these letters, providing “a balm for the wounds of anti-black-girlness” and modeling how black women can nurture future generations.
The Heartbeat of Iran: Real Voices of a Country and Its People by Tara Kangarlou is an outstanding collection of stories of every day Iranians. This book takes us on a journey into everyday life in Iran, where we meet the diverse people who make up the country’s delicate socio-cultural, political, and religious mosaic. Through textured portraits of regular Iranians this book reveals a people whose dreams and fears mirror that of millions of others worldwide.
Because Your Book Club Will Love These Fabulous Fiction Titles:
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
A warm and deeply funny novel about a once-famous gay sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him with his niece and nephew for the summer. With the humor and heart we’ve come to expect from bestselling author Steven Rowley, The Guncle is a moving tribute to the power of love, patience, and family in even the most trying of times.
Little Pieces of Me by Alison Hammer
…offers a deeply moving story of family and identity. When Paige Meyer gets an email from a DNA testing website announcing that her father is a man she never met, she is convinced there must be a mistake. Told in dual timelines, Little Pieces of Me examines identity and how the way we define ourselves changes (or not) through our life experiences.
The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews
…is perfection!
In trouble and on the run…
With a trunkful of emotional baggage… The No Vacancy sign is flashing & the sharks are circling… Can Letty find romance as well as a room at the inn—or will Joe betray her secrets and put her behind bars? With danger closing in, it’s a race to find the truth and right the wrongs of the past. Mary Kay Andrews literally ups her game on every novel.
Last Summer at The Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland
…is the lovechild of Dirty Dancing and Mrs. Maisel. In its heyday, The Golden Hotel was the crown jewel of the hotter-than-hot Catskills vacation scene. Two family clans convene at their beloved hotel. Long-buried secrets emerge, new dramas and financial scandal erupt, and everyone from the traditional grandparents to the millennial grandchildren wants a say in the hotel’s future. Incredible!
That Summer by Jennifer Weiner
…is a fabulous timely and deliciously twisty novel of intrigue, secrets, and the transformative power of female friendship. From the manicured Main Line of Philadelphia to the wild landscape of the Outer Cape, written with Jennifer Weiner’s signature wit and sharp observations, That Summer is a story about surviving our pasts, confronting our futures, and the sustaining bonds of friendship.
The Summer of Lost and Found by Mary Alice Monroe
…is Book 7 of the Beach House series. (You can read it as a stand-alone, but the series is amazing so start at the beginning!) Monroe returns with this tender and compassionate novel following the Rutledge family as they face a summer of upheaval and change with perseverance, unity, and a dose of humor, discovering unexpected joys and lessons that will endure long past the season. No one writes family relationships and their nuances as well as Mary Alice Monroe.
Under the Southern Sky by Kristy Woodson Harvey
…is simply un-put-down-able! Amelia Buxton never expected that uncovering the biggest story of her career would be personal. She discovers that a cluster of embryos belonging to her childhood friend Parker and his late wife Greer have been deemed “abandoned,” so she must tell Parker—and dredging up old wounds in the process. An unforgettable exploration of love, friendship, and the unbreakable ties that bind.
Because We Need Spine Tingling Suspense:
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
…delivers a knock-out of a novel about the lies that bind two sisters. When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple. Fern’s mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself. Already a hit in Australia, The Good Sister is clever and compelling!
Just My Luck by Adele Parks
…is crazy great! It was supposed to be the lottery win they’d always dreamed of… For fifteen years, Lexi and Jake have played the same six numbers with their friends. But then the unthinkable happens. There’s a rift in the group. Someone is caught in a lie. And soon after, six numbers come up that change everything forever. Lexi and Jake have a ticket worth millions. And their friends are determined to claim a share.
The Next Wife by Kaira Rouda
…must be read in one sitting! Kate Nelson had it all. A flourishing company founded with her husband, John; a happy marriage; and a daughter, Ashlyn. The picture-perfect family. Until John left for another woman. Tish is half his age. Ambitious. She’s cultivated a friendship with Ashlyn. Tish believes she’s won. She’s wrong.
Six Weeks To Live by Catherine McKenzie
…is completely gripping! Jennifer Barnes never expected the shocking news that she has a terminal brain tumor—and only six weeks left to live. The forty-eight-year-old decides to spend what little time she has left with her family close by her side. But when she realizes she was possibly poisoned a year earlier, she’s determined to discover who might have tried to get rid of her before she’s gone for good.
