Feel Good Fiction

New and recommended books with an uplifting message or an upbeat tone.

Updated February 8, 2024
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
The language of food
Abbs, Annabel
Paper Book
'A sensual feast of a novel, written with elegance, beauty, charm and skill in a voice that is both lyrical and unique. The Language of Food is an intriguing story with characters that leap off the page and live, but what sets it apart from it's contemporaries is Abbs' outstanding prose' ...
Other birds
Allen, Sarah Addison
Paper Book
The New York Times Bestseller From the acclaimed author of Garden Spells comes an enchanting tale of lost souls, lonely strangers, secrets that shape us, and how the right flock can guide you home. Down a narrow alley in the small coastal town of...
Sunset Beach
Andrews, Mary Kay
Paper Book
Pull up a lounge chair and have a cocktail at Sunset Beach - it comes with a twist. Drue Campbell's life is adrift. Out of a job and down on her luck, life doesn't seem to be getting any better when her estranged father, Brice Campbell, a flamboyant personal injury...
The travelling cat chronicles
Arikawa, Hiro
Paper Book
A life-affirming anthem to kindness and self-sacrifice, The Travelling Cat Chronicles shows how the smallest things can provide the greatest joy. We take journeys to explore exotic new places and to return to the comforts of home, to visit old acquaintances and to make new...
Legends & lattes
Baldree, Travis
Paper Book
High fantasy, low stakes - with a double-shot of coffee.After decades of raising hell, Viv the orc barbarian is finally hanging up her sword for good. Now she sets her sights on a new dream - one that involves pulling more shots than punches. Armed with hope and a hard-earned secret, she plans to...
No two persons
Bauermeister, Erica
Paper Book
One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister's No Two Persons is "a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives."* That was the beauty of books, wasn't it? They took you...
Peg and Rose solve a murder
Berenson, Laurien
Paper Book
Rose Donovan looks for the good in everyone. With her sister-in-law, Peg, that sometimes requires a lot of searching. Even a sixty-something former nun like Rose has her limits, and gruff Peg Turnbull sure knows how to push them. But after forty years of bickering, they're attempting to start over,...
Yinka, where is your huzband?
Blackburn, Lizzie Damilola
Paper Book
Yinka wants to find love. Her mum wants to find it for her. She also has too many aunties who frequently pray for her delivery from singledom, a preference for chicken and chips over traditional Nigerian food, and a bum she's sure is far too small as a result. Oh, and the fact...
The collected regrets of Clover
Brammer, Mikki
Paper Book
Named a Best Book of 2023 by NPR "This weird, lovely and sweetly satisfying novel [is] engaging and accessible...Clover's emergence from a shuttered life is moving enough to elicit tears, and Brammer's take on death and grieving is profound enough to feel genuinely...
Mastering the art of French murder
Cambridge, Colleen
Paper Book
Fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Marie Benedict, Nita Prose, and of course, Julia Child, will adore this magnifique new mystery set in Paris and starring Julia Child's (fictional) best friend, confidante, and fellow American. From the acclaimed author of Murder at Mallowan Hall, this...
A tidy ending : a novel
Cannon, Joanna (Psychiatrist)
Paper Book
"A darkly funny tale with a gloriously sinister twist." --The Observer (London) The bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep delivers a "compellingly creepy" (The Guardian, UK) novel filled with unexpected twists about mysterious murders in a...
What you wish for
Center, Katherine
Paper Book
"The story's message, that people should choose joy even (and especially) in difficult and painful times, seems tailor-made for this moment. A timely, uplifting read about finding joy in the midst of tragedy, filled with quirky characters and comforting warmth."--Kirkus (starred review)...
The Paris library
Skeslien Charles, Janet
Paper Book
Based on the true World War II story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris, this is an unforgettable story of romance, friendship, family, and the power of literature to bring us together, perfect for fans of The Lilac Girls and The Paris Wife. Paris,...
Community board
Conklin, Tara
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romantics delivers a wise, timely, big-hearted novel of unplanned isolation and newly forged community. Where does one go, you might ask, when the world falls apart When the immutable facts of your life--the...
The paper palace
Cowley Heller, Miranda.
Paper Book
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OVER 2 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE THE PAPER PALACE IS: "Filled with secrets, love, lies and a summer beach house. What more could you ask?"--Parade "A...
Well matched
DeLuca, Jen
Ebook
A pretend relationship gives two friends more than they bargained for in a Renaissance Faire rom com filled with flower crowns, kilts, corsets, and sword fights. Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of...
The setup
Dent, Lizzy
Paper Book
There are two men in my life. But this is not a love triangle. Mara Williams reads her horoscope every day - but she wasn't expecting to be in a whole other country when destiny finally found her. Just as a fortune teller reveals that her true love is about to arrive, a...
Moorewood family rules : a novel
Dimon, HelenKay
Paper Book
Knives Out and Ocean's 8 meets The Nest in this hilariously twisty novel by award-winning author HelenKay Dimon, about a woman who returns home from prison to her dysfunctional con artist family and tries to get them to go legit. One day...
L.A. weather
Escando?n, Mari?a Amparo
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * 2022 INTERNATIONAL LATINO BOOK AWARD WINNER FOR FICTION FORECAST: Storm clouds are on the horizon in L.A. Weather, a fun, fast-paced novel of a Mexican American family from the author of the #1...
Curious minds : a Knight and moon novel
Evanovich, Janet
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Janet Evanovich, bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, teams up with Emmy-winning writer Phoef Sutton for a brand-new series of mysteries featuring Emerson Knight and Riley Moon, a dynamic duo with instant and undeniable chemistry.   ...
Emily Wilde's encyclopaedia of faeries
Fawcett, Heather
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north in this "incredibly fun journey through fae lands and dark magic" (NPR), the start of a heartwarming and enchanting new fantasy series. "A darkly gorgeous...
Death and daisies
Flower, Amanda
Ebook
National bestselling author: Florist Fiona Knox left behind her gloomy life for a magical garden in Scotland, but a murder on her shop's opening day spells doom Fiona Knox thought she was pulling her life back together when she inherited her godfather's cottage in Duncreigan,...
Every summer after
Fortune, Carley
Paper Book
The blockbuster bestseller now available as a gorgeous new hardcover! "A radiant debut."--Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers THE NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER! Six...
One two three
Frankel, Laurie
Paper Book
From Laurie Frankel, the New York Times bestselling author of This Is How It Always Is, a Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine Book Pick, comes One Two Three, a timely, topical novel about love and family that will make you laugh and cry...and laugh again. ...
Last summer at the Golden Hotel
Friedland, Elyssa
Paper Book
In its heyday, The Golden Hotel was the crown jewel of the hotter-than-hot Catskills vacation scene. For more than sixty years, the Goldman and Weingold families presided over this glamorous resort which served as a second home for well-heeled guests and celebrities. But the Catskills are not what...
Lessons in chemistry
Garmus, Bonnie
Paper Book
#1 GLOBAL BESTSELLER WITH MORE THAN 8 MILLION COPIES SOLD * Meet Elizabeth Zott: "a gifted research chemist, absurdly self-assured and immune to social convention" (The Washington Post) in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a ...
The music of bees : a novel
Garvin, Eileen
Paper Book
A NATIONAL BESTSELLER! A Good Morning America BUZZ PICK | A Good Housekeeping Book Club Pick | IndieNext Pick | LibraryReads Pick | Recommended by People ∙ The Washington Post ∙ Woman's World ∙ NY Post<...
The last lifeboat
Gaynor, Hazel
Paper Book
'Heart-wrenching . . . a story that needs to be remembered' FERN BRITTON'Enthrallingly told . . . it's extraordinary how despite everything hope for the future shines out' RACHEL HORE Liverpool 1940. Alice King stands on the deck of SS Carlisle, waiting to escort a group of children...
Maame
George, Jessica
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! * A Today Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick * A February 2023 Indie Next Pick "Sparkling." --The New York Times "An utterly charming and deeply moving portrait of the joys<...
The Blackout Book Club : a novel
Green, Amy Lynn
Paper Book
In 1942, an impulsive promise to her brother before he goes off to the European front puts Avis Montgomery in the unlikely position of head librarian in small-town Maine. Though she has never been much of a reader, when wartime needs threaten to close the library, she invents a book club to keep its...
The making of another major motion picture masterpiece
Hanks, Tom
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER * AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * From the legendary actor and best-selling author: a novel about the making of a star-studded, multimillion-dollar superhero action film...and the humble comic books that inspired it. Funny, touching, and wonderfully thought...
Cackle
Harrison, Rachel
Paper Book
After being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Annie accepts a teaching position in a small pictoresque village. Then Annie meets beautiful, charming, magnetic Sophie, who wants to be her friend. More importantly, she wants Annie to stop apologising and start living for herself. Annie...
Love on the brain
Hazelwood, Ali
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller A #1 LibraryReads and Indie Next Pick! From the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new STEMinist rom-com in which a scientist is forced to work on a project with her nemesis--with...
Really good, actually : a novel
Heisey, Monica
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER "Every sentence of Monica Heisey's writing is a treat. No one makes me laugh like she does." --Dolly Alderton, New York Times bestselling author of Everything I Know About Love Recommended by Los Angeles Times * Washington Post * GQ * Elle * Good Morning America...
Happy place
Henry, Emily
Paper Book
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! "The beach-read master hooks us again."--People Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by BuzzFeed ∙ Paste Magazine ∙ Elle ∙ Southern Living ∙ SheReads ∙ Culturess ∙...
The five-star weekend
Hilderbrand, Elin
Paper Book
This bird has flown : a novel
Hoffs, Susanna
Paper Book
This delightfully funny and steamy novel about music, fate, and love from beloved songwriter and Bangles co-founder Susanna Hoffs is "a total knockout" and "the smart, ferocious rock-star redemption romance you didn't know you needed" (New York Times Book Review).
Flying solo : a novel
Holmes, Linda (Radio talk show host)
Paper Book
Smarting from her recently cancelled wedding and about to turn forty, Laurie Sassalyn returns to her Maine hometown of Calcasset to handle the estate of her great-aunt Dot, a spirited adventurer who lived to be ninety-three. Alongside boxes of Polaroids and pottery, a mysterious wooden duck shows up...
The fortunes of jaded women : a novel
Huynh, Carolyn
Paper Book
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK A WASHINGTON POST BEST FEEL-GOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR For fans of Amy Tan, KJ Dell'Antonia, and Kevin Kwan, this "sharp, smart, and gloriously extra" (Nancy Jooyoun Kim, author of The Last Story of Mina Lee)...
Mika in real life : a novel
Jean, Emiko
Paper Book
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA and READ WITH MARIE CLAIRE BOOK CLUB PICK! Named a best book by Glamour, Marie Claire, TIME, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, and more! From New York Times bestselling Emiko Jean, a whip-smart, laugh-out-loud funny, and utterly heartwarming novel...
The Jane Austen society
Jenner, Natalie
Paper Book
* INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER * "This novel delivers sweet, smart escapism." --People "Fans of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will adore The Jane Austen Society... A charming and...
Miss Benson's beetle
Joyce, Rachel
Paper Book
WOMAN & HOME BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR and A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Shortlisted for the 2021 WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE | BEST PUBLISHED NOVEL. 'The perfect escape novel for our troubled times.' PATRICK GALE It is 1950. In a...
Something wild & wonderful
Kelly, Anita (Romance author)
Paper Book
From the author of Love & Other Disasters comes a sparkling sullen-meets-sunshine romance featuring two men's sweeping journey across the Western wilderness.  Alexei Lebedev's journey on the Pacific Crest Trail begins with a single snake. And it is...
The golden doves : a novel
Kelly, Martha Hall
Paper Book
Two female spies risk everything to hunt down an infamous Nazi in this sweeping, profound tale of bravery from the bestselling author of Lilac Girls. "A riveting story of two brave and amazing women who work in the French resistance during World War II . . . a triumph!"...
Love your life
Kinsella, Sophie
Paper Book
'As close to perfect as romantic comedies get' Jenny Colgan The irresistible new standalone novel from No. 1 bestselling author Sophie Kinsella. I love you . . . but what if I can't love your life? Ava is sick of online dating....
The true love experiment
Lauren, Christina
Paper Book
Sparks fly when a romance writer and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the ultimate Hollywood love story--but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script--from the "divine" (Jodi Picoult) New York Times bestselling authors of The...
Homicide and halo-halo
Manansala, Mia P.
Paper Book
Lila's little town of Shady Palms has resurrected the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which she won many years ago - a fact that serves as a wedge between Lila and her cousin slash rival, Bernadette. But when the head judge of the pageant is murdered and Bernadette becomes the main suspect,...
The god of good looks : a novel
Mc Ivor, Breanne
Paper Book
An NPR best book of the year and recommended by Oprah Daily, Good Housekeeping, Zibby Mag, Lit Hub, Electric Lit, and Katie Couric Media! "A summer read with bite."--NPR Disgraced model-writer Bianca Bridge can't stand hotshot makeup maven Obadiah Cortland. And he lets her know the...
The islanders : a novel
Moore, Meg Mitchell.
Ebook
"One of my own favorite writers." -Elin Hilderbrand Named a Best Beach Read of Summer by Vulture, PureWow, She Reads and Women.com J. Courtney Sullivan's Maine meets the works of Elin Hilderbrand in this delicious summer read involving three strangers, one island, and a season...
The mostly true story of Tanner & Louise
Oakley, Colleen
Paper Book
Twenty-one-year-old Tanner Quimby needs a place to live. Preferably one where she can continue sitting around in sweatpants and playing video games nineteen hours a day. Since she has no credit or money to speak of, her options are limited, so when an opportunity to work as a live-in caregiver for...
The Thursday Murder Club
Osman, Richard
Paper Book
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce,...
The love wager
Painter, Lynn
Paper Book
Two people make a wager on who can find love first, not realizing what they should be betting on is each other, in this new romantic comedy by Lynn Painter, New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Wrong Number. Hallie Piper is turning over a new leaf. After belly...
Yours cheerfully : a novel
Pearce, A. J.
Paper Book
From the author of the "jaunty, heartbreaking winner" (People) and international bestseller Dear Mrs. Bird comes a charming and uplifting novel set in London during World War II about a plucky young journalist and her adventures as wartime advice columnist. ...
Killers of a certain age
Raybourn, Deanna
Paper Book
They've spent their lives as assassins in a clandestine international organization, but at 60 years old, four women find they can't just retire - it's kill or be killed in this book by New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn. Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie...
The guncle : a novel
Rowley, Steven
Paper Book
Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits. However, tragedy strikes and Patrick suddenly finds himself taking on the role of primary guardian....
The kitchen front : a novel
Ryan, Jennifer
Paper Book
From the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir comes an unforgettable novel of a BBC-sponsored wartime cooking competition and the four women who enter for a chance to better their lives. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *...
The wishing game : a novel
Shaffer, Meg
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children's author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner's life in this absorbing and whimsical novel....
Murder at the castle
Shaw, M. B
Paper Book
Iris Grey arrives at Pitfeldy Castle in the Highlands, at the request of the Baron, Jock MacKinnon. Jock has commissioned Iris to paint a portrait of his fiancé, an American socialite Kathy Miller, ahead of their New Year wedding. Kathy invites Iris into her confidence, she's received a...
Romantic comedy : a novel
Sittenfeld, Curtis
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * A comedy writer thinks she's sworn off love, until a dreamy pop star flips the script on all her assumptions--a "smart, sophisticated, and fun" (Oprah Daily) novel from the author of Eligible, Rodham, and Prep....
Never too late : a novel
Steel, Danielle
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From Danielle Steel, a stirring novel about a woman striking out on her own after loss as her adult daughters try to find their own independent paths in life. Kezia Cooper Hobson, recently widowed, arrives in New York from San Francisco....
Once more with feeling
Sussman, Elissa
Paper Book
'A pitch-perfect second chance romance with off-the-charts tension and chemistry' Carley Fortune, New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After A former pop star finds herself back in the spotlight - along with an old flame from her past - in this...
Dial A for aunties
Sutanto, Jesse Q
Paper Book
Winner of the Comedy Women In Print Prize 2021 'Whip-smart, original and so funny. I found it impossible to put down and lost count of the number of times I laughed out loud' Beth O'Leary, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Road Trip Your...
Remarkably bright creatures : a novel
Van Pelt, Shelby
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER by: Chicago Tribune * The View * Southern Living * USA Today "Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately feel-good but deceptively...
The breakaway : a novel
Weiner, Jennifer
Paper Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes a warmhearted and empowering new novel about love, family, friendship, secrets, and a life-changing journey. Thirty-three-year-old Abby Stern has made it to a happy place. True, she still has gig jobs instead...
Welcome to beach town : a novel
Wiggs, Susan
Paper Book
Beloved New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs returns with a compulsively readable tale of an idyllic California beach town forced to reckon with scandal when a high school valedictorian's speech reveals secrets that shake the town to its core. "Readers will savor sunny...
All the ways we said goodbye : a novel of the Ritz Paris
Williams, Beatriz
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling authors of The Glass Ocean and The Forgotten Room return with a glorious historical adventure that moves from the dark days of two World Wars to the turbulent years of the 1960s, in which three women with bruised hearts find refuge at Paris' legendary...
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop : a novel
Yagisawa, Satoshi
Paper Book
The wise and charming international bestseller and hit Japanese movie--about a young woman who loses everything but finds herself--a tale of new beginnings, romantic and family relationships, and the comfort that can be found in books.  Twenty-five-year-old Takako has enjoyed a...
Small world : a novel
Zigman, Laura
Paper Book
"[A] brave and heartfelt book of truths."--New York Times Book Review (A Group Text Pick and Editors' Choice) From bestselling author Laura Zigman comes a heartfelt novel about two offbeat and newly divorced sisters who move in together as adults--and finally reckon with their childhood<...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.