Feel Good Fiction

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

Updated October 6, 2025
Rochester Public Library RPL Staff
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Feel Good Fiction

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

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Miss Eliza's English kitchen : a novel of Victorian cookery and friendship
Abbs, Annabel
Paper Book
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER Good Housekeeping Book Club Pick * A Country Living Best Book of Fall * A Washington Post Best Feel-Good Book of the Year * One of the New York Times's Best Historical Fiction Novels of Fall In a novel perfect for fans of Hazel Gaynor's A Memory of Violets...
Good material : a novel
Alderton, Dolly
Paper Book
INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER | A NEW YORK TIMES TOP 10 BEST BOOK OF 2024 | A VOGUE BEST BOOK OF 2024 | AN INDIGO BEST FICTION BOOK OF 2024 | TODAY SHOW #READWITHJENNA BOOK CLUB PICK From the New York Times best-selling author of Ghosts and...
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...
Summers at the Saint
Andrews, Mary Kay
Paper Book
"Andrews perfectly balances the second chance-romance with the twisty mystery against a beachy backdrop that will please any armchair traveler." --Publishers Weekly "A fun, heart-warming, and intriguing summer read. For readers who'd enjoy a blend of friendships (old and new),...
The Book Haters' Book Club
Anthony, Gretchen
Paper Book
"This sparkling novel starts with high energy and unique characters that move from one surprise to another." --Ann Garvin, USA TODAY bestselling author  All it takes is the right book to turn a Book Hater into a Book Lover... That was what Elliot--the beloved...
Legends & lattes : a novel of high fantasy and low stakes
Baldree, Travis
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller A Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2022 A Library Reads Pick An Indie Next Pick A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee The much-beloved BookTok sensation, Travis Baldree's novel of high...
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...
The collected regrets of Clover
Brammer, Mikki
Paper Book
USA Today Bestseller * 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...
The waters : a novel
Campbell, Bonnie Jo
Paper Book
On an island in the Great Massasauga Swamp--an area known as "The Waters" to the residents of nearby Whiteheart, Michigan--herbalist and eccentric Hermine "Herself" Zook has healed the local women of their ailments for generations. As stubborn as her tonics are powerful, Herself inspires...
Death by bubble tea
Chow, Jennifer J.
Paper Book
When Yale Yee discovers her cousin Celine is visiting from Hong Kong, she is obliged to play tour guide. Not only that, but her father thinks it's a wonderful idea for them to bond by running a food stall together at the Eastwood Village Night Market. Their bubble tea, in particular, is a huge hit....
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 mundane, the...
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...
This summer will be different
Fortune, Carley
Paper Book
" A glorious and tantalizing new escape from #1 New York Times bestselling author Carley Fortune. This summer they'll keep their promise. This summer they won't give into temptation. This summer will be different.
Family family : a novel
Frankel, Laurie
Paper Book
​"Not all stories of adoption are stories of pain and regret. Not even most of them. Why don't we ever get that movie?" India Allwood grew up wanting to be an actor. Armed with a stack of index cards (for research/line memorization/make-shift confetti), she goes...
Lessons in chemistry
Garmus, Bonnie
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A delight for readers of Where'd You Go, Bernadette, this blockbuster debut set in 1960s California features the singular voice of Elizabeth Zott, a scientist whose career takes a detour when she becomes the star of...
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 making of another major motion picture masterpiece
Hanks, Tom
Paper Book
From the Academy Award-winning 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-provoking, while also capturing the changes in America and...
The women
Hannah, Kristin
Paper Book
A #1 bestseller on The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times! From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women--at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a...
Really good, actually : a novel
Heisey, Monica
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER | A GLOBE AND MAIL 2023 BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR "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 Good Material An unabashedly honest and...
Funny story
Henry, Emily
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ∙ A shimmering, joyful novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry. A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2024 Named a Must-Read Book of 2024 by...
The five-star weekend
Hilderbrand, Elin
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hotel Nantucket: After tragedy strikes, food blogger Hollis Shaw gathers four friends from different stages in her life to spend an unforgettable weekend on Nantucket. Hollis Shaw's life seems...
Chorus : a novel
Kauffman, Rebecca
Paper Book
For readers of Alice Munro, Elizabeth Strout, and Claire Lombardo, Chorus shepherds seven siblings through two life-altering events--their mother's untimely death, and a shocking teenage pregnancy--that ultimately follow them through their lives as individuals and as a family
The burnout : a novel
Kinsella, Sophie
Paper Book
Sparks fly in this delightful novel about two burned out professionals who meet at a ramshackle resort on the British seaside--from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Party Crasher. "I devoured The Burnout in one greedy gulp. It's funny, sad,...
Tangled up in you
Lauren, Christina
Paper Book
A witty and deeply romantic modern reimagining of Disney's Tangled, by the New York Times bestselling author duo Christina Lauren, part of the acclaimed and bestselling Meant to Be collection. "I dare you to not fall wildly in love with Ren and Fitz! Christina Lauren as a...
Finding Dorothy
Letts, Elizabeth
Paper Book
This richly imagined novel tells the story behind The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the book that inspired the iconic film, through the eyes of author L. Frank Baum's intrepid wife, Maud. "A breathtaking read that will transport you over the rainbow and into the heart of one...
Same as it ever was
Lombardo, Claire
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * NAMED A BEST BOOK BY PEOPLE AND PARADE * The New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had ("wonderfully immersive...deliciously absorbing"--NPR) returns with another brilliantly observed family drama in which the...
The booklover's library : a novel
Martin, Madeline
Paper Book
"A must-read for booklovers." --Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of Next Year in Havana A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of books that bring them together, by the bestselling author of The...
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
McBride, James
Paper Book
In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the...
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
McCall Smith, Alexander
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series and its proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana's premier lady detective. In this charming series, Mma  Ramotswe--with help from her loyal associate, Grace Makutsi--navigates her...
Lula Dean's little library of banned books : a novel
Miller, Kirsten
Paper Book
"Kirsten Miller has that rare ability to take a serious subject and make it very, very funny. I enjoyed this novel and you will too."--James Patterson The provocative and hilarious summer read that will have book lovers cheering and everyone talking! Kirsten Miller, author of The Change,...
Summer romance
Monaghan, Annabel
Paper Book
Benefits of a summer romance: it's always fun, always brief, and no one gets their heart broken. There aren't enough labeled glass containers to contain the mess that is Ali Morris's life. Her mom died two years ago, then her husband left, and she hasn't worn pants with a zipper in longer than she...
Someone else's shoes
Moyes, Jojo
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! "Very few authors have the power to make you laugh on one page and cry on the next. Moyes is one of them." --The New York Times A story of mix-ups, mess-ups and making the most of second chances, this is the new...
Adam & Evie's matchmaking tour : a novel
Nguyen, Nora
Paper Book
A rollicking, unforgettable romance about two strangers finding love despite their best efforts as they embark on a sweeping matchmaking tour through Việt Nam, perfect for readers of Carley Fortune and Abby Jimenez. What's a few weeks to a lifetime of promise? Evie Lang's life...
You are here : a novel
Nicholls, David
Paper Book
THE INSTANT #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER A Good Housekeeping "Book We're Most Looking Forward To" * An Independent Today "Best Fiction Books to Read" * A GQ Magazine (UK) "Best Book of 2024" * A Harper's Bazaar (UK) "Best Novels to Read" * A ...
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...
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 Paris novel
Reichl, Ruth
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller NAMED A MUST-READ FOR SPRING 2024 BY EATER, OPRAH DAILY, CHATELAINE, BRIT+CO & Everything Zoomer! A dazzling, heartfelt adventure through the food, art, and fashion scenes of 1980s Paris--from the New York Times<...
The celebrants
Rowley, Steven
Paper Book
New York Times Bestseller A TODAY Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick A Big Chill for our times, celebrating decades-long friendships and promises--especially to ourselves--by the bestselling and beloved author of The Guncle. It's been a...
West with giraffes : a novel
Rutledge, Lynda
Paper Book
An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. "Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes..." Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But...
The Hazelbourne ladies motorcycle and flying club : a novel
Simonson, Helen
Paper Book
A young woman's life is forever changed in the summer after World War I when she befriends a group of independent, motorcycle-riding women in a seaside town on the English coast--a captivating novel from the bestselling author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand ...
Cassandra in reverse
Smale, Holly
Paper Book
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK from the author of the GEEK GIRL series, now on NETFLIX!  "Fascinating...witty...self-deprecating...We meet Cassandra on the worst day of her life. She's getting fired, her boyfriend dumps her, and her roommates hate her. On that same day, she...
Vera Wong's unsolicited advice for murderers
Sutanto, Jesse Q.
Paper Book
A USA Today bestseller Edgar Award Winner for Best Original Paperback Audie Award Winner for Mystery Libby Award Winner for Best Mystery A lonely shopkeeper takes it upon herself to solve a murder in the most peculiar way in this captivating mystery by...
Remarkably bright creatures : a novel
Van Pelt, Shelby
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Soon to be a Netflix Film 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...
The Quintland sisters : a novel
Wood, Shelley
Paper Book
"A historical novel that will enthrall you... I was utterly captivated..." -- Joanna Goodman, author of The Home for Unwanted Girls AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER For fans of Sold on a Monday or The Home for Unwanted Girls, Shelley Wood's novel tells the story...
The excitements : a novel
Wray, C. J.
Paper Book
"Irresistible...Filled with surprise, poignancy, and excitement, this is a surefire winner." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) A brilliant and witty drama about two brave female World War II veterans who survived the unthinkable without ever losing their killer instinct...or their joie...
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