1. "Enlightenment" by Sarah Perry
This Gothic novel, by the same author as “The Essex Serpent,”
follows Thomas and Grace — thirty years apart, but close friends. After Thomas
begins to obsess over a 19th-century astronomer, their friendship
is put to the test, but the two find themselves back in the same orbit over the years.
2. "One Last Summer" by Kate Spencer
Claire needs some time off from her nightmare job, and a trip
with her friends to their childhood sleepover camp seems like just the thing.
There, she reconnects with her childhood nemesis, handsome Mack, and their attraction
is hard to deny. What happens when her new romance gets in the way of her
chance at a dream job, though?
3. "Bear" by Julia Phillips
Two sisters, Sam and Elena, make their living on a
Washington island, serving the tourists flocking from the mainland. Sam spots a
bear, seeing it as a sign it’s time they leave the island, while Elena makes a
dangerous decision in this haunting novel.
4. "Margo's Got Money Troubles" by Rufi Thorpe
When 20-year-old Margo gets
pregnant after an affair with her married professor, she decides to keep the
baby, despite her financial struggles. Then her ex-pro wrestler father, Jinx, moves in to help. To make money quickly, she starts an OnlyFans account and uses
some of her father’s wrestling wisdom to grow her following. It works — but is
it worth the price?
5. "Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books" by Kirsten Miller
When Lula Dean starts a little library in her front yard
full of wholesome books, not like the books she thinks should be banned at the
local library, Beverly decides it's time to mess with her archenemy. She
replaces Lula’s library with banned books, slipping on the dust jackets of
Lulu’s approved reading. Soon the local readers have their lives changed and
the grudge between Beverly and Lula comes to a head.
6. "Fire Exit" by Morgan Talty
Charles has been watching
his neighbor, Elizabeth, grow from his porch on the reservation for the last 20
years, but little does she know the secret that he keeps that connects them together. If
the secret is revealed, it will rock the community to the core. Still, Charles
wonders, is it a secret worth telling?
7. "Same As It Ever Was" by Claire Lombardo
Just as Julia has settled into mid-life, she is shaken
by news from her son, separation from her daughter and the rocky past she
thought she had left behind. Will Julia lose the grip on life that she had?
8. "The Rom-Commers" by Katherine Center
When Emma lands the screenwriting gig of her dreams with a legend,
Charlie, she moves to L.A. for six weeks. She and Charlie clash though, as
Charlie is jaded about love and rom-coms. Emma needs to make him believe in love
again — by starting a relationship with him.
9. "A Novel Love Story" by Ashley Poston
Eileen loves a good romance novel and when her car breaks
down on the way to her book club retreat, she finds herself trapped in a small
town, the same as her favorite book series. It is the late author’s unfinished
novel and Eileen realizes she’s there to help write a happy ending — even if
the sexy, grumpy bookstore owner might become part of her own story.