My first published novels were light-hearted romances for teenagers, so when I started writing for adults, I couldn’t help exploring the youthful origins of my characters’ grown-up relationships. Then, it dawned on me that most of my favorite novels include an element of this, too. I love reading about couples who didn’t quite make things work as young people but rekindled their relationship later in life or those who have been together a long time and maybe need a refresher to remember what they ever saw in each other. These kinds of stories leave me feeling uplifted, cheerful, and hopeful, and I hope you’ll enjoy them too. Happy reading!
I love all of Emily Henry's books–the characters feel so real, and the relationships develop beautifully. In this book, a couple who have broken up go on their usual annual stay with their group of friends in Maine, all the while pretending to be together for the sake of the others.
Everyone has viewed Harriet and Wyn as the perfect couple since they got together in college, so I couldn’t wait to discover what could possibly have gone wrong. It's also clear that their chemistry is still fizzing, and I was rooting for their reunion. It was full of passion and emotion. Gorgeous.
'At turns hilarious and wise, another knockout from the champ' Taylor Jenkins Reid, DAISY JONES AND THE SIX 'One of my favourite authors' Colleen Hoover, IT ENDS WITH US 'Smart, sunny, sexy and also a gorgeous story of female friendship' Beth O'Leary, THE FLATSHARE
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Two exes. One pact. Could this holiday change everything?
Harriet and Wyn are the perfect couple - they go together like bread and butter, gin and tonic, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.
Every year, they take a holiday from their lives to drink far too much wine with their favourite people in the world.
I'm a huge fan of contemporary romance, but I also love it when a little element of magical realism steps in to churn up the plot, and that's exactly what happens in this book.
Georgie and Neal love each other, but is that enough, or could their relationship be over? Then, through an old yellow landline telephone, Georgie connects to Neal in the past. Now she has a chance to change everything–or realize why she fell in love in the first place. I found this story memorable and moving, as well as loads of fun!
Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it's been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and he still loves her - but that almost seems besides the point now. Two days before they're supposed to visit Neal's family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells him that she can't go. She's a TV writer, and something's come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her - he is always a little upset with her - but she doesn't expect to him…
If there’s one thing I especially love about ‘now and then’ fiction, it’s how I get to read about the characters meeting as teenagers, developing a friendship, growing, changing, and understanding each other more as the years progress. In this book, a summertime relationship blooms between Percy and Sam. They’re only 13 when they meet, but they quickly develop a deep friendship that eventually, despite some terrible mistakes and complications over the years, leads to happiness.
The story switches between past and present, tempting me with snippets of the irresistible attraction between the characters. Swoon!
Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.
They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser that has felt too true for the last decade, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.
Mhairi McFarlane is one of my favorite authors. I always enjoy the cast of realistic characters she creates and how we're shown the complicated inner thoughts of a series of thoughtful and fascinating heroines. In this book, Georgina's life is falling apart when she grabs her chance at a new job and meets with the guy she loved in school.
The story is full of intrigue, twists, and turns, and it's wonderful to see the way Georgina's friends help her come to terms with her past and gain confidence for the future.
Preorder Mhairi's new novel YOU BELONG WITH ME - coming soon!
You always remember your first love. Don't you...?
'I loved it! So funny and warm. A delicious read' Marian Keyes
'Hilarious, warm and life affirming' Jenny Colgan
It began with four words.
'I love your laugh. x'
But that was twelve years ago. It really began the day Georgina was fired from The Worst Restaurant in Sheffield ( (c) Tripadvisor) and found The Worst Boyfriend in the World ( (c) Georgina's best friends) in bed with someone else.
So when her new boss, Lucas McCarthy, turns out to be…
I adore the premise of this book: a vitamin supplement you can take to plunge you right back into your actual youth. Talk about rejuvenating! In this story, Anna is a food blogger who discovers she can return in time to the year she turned 16.
Imagine being a teenager with the knowledge and experience of an adult. Who could resist tracking down their now-partner as a youngster? I'm glad Anna decided to go ahead, as I found the resulting storyline absolutely fascinating to read. This is the first in a series of '90s flashback' books set on Australia's east coast, and I loved every part of it.
A magical romantic comedy from bestselling author Kirsty McManus!
When food blogger Anna Matthews takes a vitamin supplement that thrusts her back in time to 1996—and into her sixteen year old body—she is naturally a little shocked. But after a hasty re-assimilation, she decides to take advantage of this amazing second chance to view her teenage years from a more mature perspective.
But with the effectiveness of each dose only lasting twelve hours, and any new actions initiated in the past having no effect on the future, Anna wonders whether taking it again would serve any purpose.
My book is a romantic comedy novel at heart, though it does have some sad parts. It’s the story of Ciara, who is enrolled at birth into a British study of happiness, together with a group of people born on the same day, including the mysterious Max. Meeting at the ages of 7, 14, and 21, Ciara forms increasingly intense relationships… until it all falls tragically apart. Now 28, in the year of the next reunion, can Ciara come to terms with the past and finally find happiness?
Kelly Simmons has been published in 12 countries by Simon & Schuster and Sourcebooks, and her widely praised novels are frequently compared to Big Little Lies.
Her new book, The Off Season, is set on the tranquil shores of the Chesapeake Bay, where headstrong thirteen-year-old Savannah bursts into the local police department, insisting her mother’s drowning was anything but an accident. She’s forced to tangle with the languid Bay police department as well as the year-rounder adults and teens who might be complicit not just in her mother’s death but a decades-old cold case.
For fans of Lisa Jewell and Liane Moriarty. Published in 12 countries by Simon & Schuster and Sourcebooks, Kelly's widely praised novels are frequently compared to BIG LITTLE LIES.
THE OFF SEASON explodes on the tranquil shores of the Chesapeake Bay. A headstrong thirteen-year-old girl insists her mother’s drowning was anything but an accident. She’s forced to tangle with the languid bay police department as well as the year-rounder adults and teens who might be complicit not just in her mother’s death, but a decades-old cold case. With echoes of GONE GIRL and STAND BY ME, it’s part crime, part…
