Recommendations based on "Breathing Lessons"

"I cannot remember the last book I loved as much... a luminous, heart-achingly beautiful love letter to friendship. Knockout!" — Josie Silver, New York Times bestselling authorInternational bestseller Mhairi McFarlane explores lifelong friendships, long-buried secrets, and unexpected love in a heartfelt, emotional new novel, perfect for fans of Evvie Drake Starts Over, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, or In Five Years.Eve, Justin, Susie, and Ed have been friends since they were teenagers. Now in their thirties, the four are as close as ever, Thursday night bar trivia is sacred, and Eve is still secretly in love with Ed. Maybe she should have moved on by now, but she can’t stop thinking about what could have been. And she knows Ed still thinks about it, too.But then, in an instant, their lives are changed forever.In the aftermath, Eve’s world is upended. As stunning secrets are revealed, she begins to wonder if she really knew her friends as well as she thought. And when someone from the past comes back into her life, Eve’s future veers in a surprising new direction...They say every love story starts with a single moment. What if it was just last night?"[A] book I almost wish I’d written, except that would have robbed me of the intense joy of reading it... the kind of novel that will have you putting everything else on hold so you can keep turning pages until you reach its sparkling, brilliant end.” — Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation

Perfect for fans of Cecelia Ahern and Jojo Moyes, a beautiful and moving story about the unbreakable bond between a mother and daughterBrett's Life List1. Go to Paris2. Perform live, on a super big stage3. Have a baby, maybe two4. Fall in loveBrett Bohlinger seems to have it all: a plum job, a spacious loft, an irresistibly handsome boyfriend. All in all, a charmed life. That is, until her beloved mother passes away, leaving behind a will with one big stipulation: In order to receive her inheritance, Brett must first complete the life list of goals she’d written when she was a naïve girl of fourteen.Grief-stricken, Brett can barely make sense of her mother’s decision―her childhood dreams don’t resemble her ambitions at age thirty-four in the slightest. Some seem impossible. How can she possibly have a relationship with a father who died seven years ago? Other goals (Be an awesome teacher!) would require her to reinvent her entire future.As Brett reluctantly embarks on a perplexing journey in search of her adolescent dreams, one thing becomes clear. Sometimes life’s sweetest gifts can be found in the most unexpected places.

‘Feisty and fabulous. Love it. Love Tracy Bloom!’ Milly Johnson‘Pure Joy!’ Katie Fforde‘Love this – just the pick me up I needed!’ Jo Thomas'Guaranteed to put a smile on your face.' Debbie Johnson‘It's laugh out loud!’ Adele ParksCathy Collins is a mum on a mission – to change her life.When her husband drops a midlife-crisis bombshell,Cathy decides it’s time to take control.No more laundry, teenage tantrums or housework.After years of putting herself last, she’s going to be first for a change.Cathy Collins is carving a new path, and nothing is going to get in her way…From No.1 bestselling author Tracy Bloom, The Wife Who Got a Lifeperfectly captures the joyous chaos of family life.Readers love The Wife Who Got a Life!‘This is the literary equivalent of meeting your closest girlfriends for a coffee and a gossip… So, so, so funny, I genuinely laughed out loud for the majority of this blooming marvellous, inspirational diary’, Amazon reviewer, 5 stars‘I absolutely loved this book. No doubt about it… at least a 6 out of 5!’ Amazon reviewer, 5 stars‘Peppered with fantastically humorous episodes, as well as much more serious issues, The Wife Who Got a Life is a brilliant read, and the cast of characters are a joy too’ Amazon reviewer, 5 stars‘It wasn’t long before I was so engrossed in it that I couldn’t put it down… I loved this book’ Amazon reviewer, 5 stars‘This book is funny, totally relatable and made me laugh out loud, shed a tear in parts as well as the “yes I can identify with that” moments.’ Amazon reviewer, 5 stars‘A five star read that I absolutely loved.’‘Tracy Bloom has the lightest of touches with the deepest of understanding.’ Amazon reviewer, 5 stars‘Where has [Tracy Bloom] been all my life, another author to add to my growing list of authors to keep an eye out for.’ Amazon reviewer, 5 stars‘I really loved this book, so funny and life affirming.’ Amazon reviewer, 5 stars‘Very funny, with a few tears, thoroughly recommended.’ Amazon reviewer, 5 stars‘Hilarious, touching and really laugh out loud!!’ Amazon reviewer, 5 stars‘A fab read which you don't want to put down.’ Amazon reviewer, 5 stars‘Just like catching up with a good friend that you want to catch up with.’ Amazon reviewer, 5 stars‘What a fantastic story! I absolutely loved the characters but especially Cathy – I empathised and rooted for her all through the book.’ Amazon reviewer, 5 stars‘What is utterly brilliant about this book is that the story is real… the things that happen are the things that happen to all of us. Like arguing with siblings (in your head) and facing the reality of ageing parents.’ Amazon reviewer, 5 stars‘Great story not least because it made me realize I’m not alone.’ Amazon reviewer, 5 stars

A story of falling out of love from the winner of the Comedy Women in Print Award, for fans of Monica Heisey and Dolly Alderton

“A beautiful debut, funny, tender, and animated by a willingness to confront life’s obstacles and find a way to survive. . . . It celebrates friendship, finds meaning in difficulty and lets the reader explore dark places while always allowing for the possibility of light. Lenni and Margot are fine companions for all our springtime journeys.”—Harper’s Bazaar, UKA charming, fiercely alive and disarmingly funny debut novel in the vein of John Green, Rachel Joyce, and Jojo Moyes—a brave testament to the power of living each day to the fullest, a tribute to the stories that we live, and a reminder of our unlimited capacity for friendship and love.An extraordinary friendship. A lifetime of stories.Seventeen-year-old Lenni Pettersson lives on the Terminal Ward at the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital. Though the teenager has been told she’s dying, she still has plenty of living to do. Joining the hospital’s arts and crafts class, she meets the magnificent Margot, an 83-year-old, purple-pajama-wearing, fruitcake-eating rebel, who transforms Lenni in ways she never imagined.As their friendship blooms, a world of stories opens for these unlikely companions who, between them, have been alive for one hundred years. Though their days are dwindling, both are determined to leave their mark on the world. With the help of Lenni’s doting palliative care nurse and Father Arthur, the hospital’s patient chaplain, Lenni and Margot devise a plan to create one hundred paintings showcasing the stories of the century they have lived—stories of love and loss, of courage and kindness, of unexpected tenderness and pure joy.Though the end is near, life isn’t quite done with these unforgettable women just yet.Delightfully funny and bittersweet, heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot reminds us of the preciousness of life as it considers the legacy we choose to leave, how we influence the lives of others even after we’re gone, and the wonder of a friendship that transcends time.From the beautiful cover to the heart-warming story, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot is a book that will touch your soul and make you appreciate the beauty of life. This literary fiction novel is one of the best books of all time, and it's perfect for anyone who loves novels about love, grief, and friendship.

When Queenie Hennessy discovers that Harold Fry is walking the length of England to save her, and all she has to do is wait, she is shocked. Her note had explained she was dying. How can she wait?A new volunteer at the hospice suggests that Queenie should write again; only this time she must tell Harold everything. In confessing to secrets she has hidden for twenty years, she will find atonement for the past. As the volunteer points out, 'Even though you've done your travelling, you're starting a new journey too.'Queenie thought her first letter would be the end of the story. She was wrong. It was the beginning.

The author of the beloved international hit The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot returns with a funny, uplifting story about the power of friendship and finding love in unexpected places.Eddie Winston is 90 years old. He has lived and he has loved, but he has never been kissed.A true gentleman and incurable romantic, Eddie spends his days volunteering at a charity shop, where he sorts through the donations of the living and the dead, preserving letters and tokens of love along the way. And it is here that he meets Bella, a troubled young woman who, at 24 years old, has just lost the love of her life.When Bella learns that Eddie is yet to have his first kiss, she resolves to help Eddie Winston finally find love, sparking an adventure that will take them to unexpected places and, they hope, bring Eddie Winston to the moment he has waited for all his life.A tale of friendship and kindness that reminds us that those we love are never forgotten and it is never too late to try again.

Years of trying unsuccessfully to conceive a child have broken more than Angie DeSaria’s heart. Following a painful divorce, she moves back to her small Pacific Northwest hometown and takes over management of her family’s restaurant. In West End, where life rises and falls like the tides, Angie’s fortunes will drastically change yet again when she meets and befriends a troubled young woman.Angie hires Lauren Ribido because she sees something special in the seventeen-year-old. They quickly form a deep bond, and when Lauren is abandoned by her mother, Angie offers the girl a place to stay. But nothing could have prepared Angie for the far-reaching repercussions of this act of kindness. Together, these two women—one who longs for a child and the other who longs for a mother’s love—will be tested in ways that neither could have imagined.Praise for The Things We Do for Love“[Kristin] Hannah is superb at delving into her main characters’ psyches and delineating nuances of feeling.” —The Washington Post Book World“Wonderful . . . enormously touching . . . The warmth and complexities of these characters grab hold of the heartstrings.”—RT Book Reviews“Wrenching, convincing . . . bittersweet.”—Publishers Weekly

'A beautiful, hypnotic, emotional novel. I couldn’t stop turning the pages' CECELIA AHERN *** Can they find each other in every lifetime after...? Claudia is searching for her past. Suffocating in the glamour of Hollywood, A-list star Claudia Baxter is desperate for an escape. But when she arrives at the Yorkshire estate of Doverley for her next project – an epic romance set in the throes of war – Claudia is astonished to find herself slipping into the story, into the life of her heroine, into time... Iris can’t unsee her future. Radio operative Iris Winterton sits in the grounds of Doverley on a moonless night, watching planes depart for Europe. Her stare is fixed on one plane in particular – inside is the man she has loved since childhood. But Iris already knows that this time he’s not going to come back, and she will be the reason why. Together, can they complete their story? Pulled together by the past and the future, Claudia and Iris begin to unravel the threads of their connection. But in doing so, will they discover a secret bigger than they could ever imagine...? Pre-order this spellbinding time-slip romance, perfect for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Paige Toon. Readers are falling for Every Lifetime After: 'Rich, heartfelt, and completely unputdownable. I flipping LOVED it!' EMMA COOPER 'Beautiful and unique ... it drew me right in' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Incredible...manages to rip my heart out in the best way possible' LORNA COOK 'I was absolutely spellbound...beautifully written and emotionally resonant' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This is time slip at its very best – I was utterly swept up in the story and the parallel worlds created so skillfully by the author. Impeccably researched, cleverly plotted and completely evocative, I loved every single page and was very sorry to reach the end' LOUISE FEIN

'A wonderfully nostalgic tale' Choice Magazine It's 1942 and Annie Walker is the landlady of the Rovers Return on Coronation Street. With her husband, Jack, away fighting for King and Country, Annie must juggle lone motherhood with keeping the regulars happy. Gracie Ashton works behind the bar at the Rovers and thinks all the girls swooning at the American soldiers flooding into Weatherfield are plain daft. But when she meets the handsome GI, Chuck Dawson, Gracie wonders if she has her own head screwed on right. With rationing, air raids and blackouts, the wives and mothers of Coronation Street are determined to count their blessings, but when an unwelcome face from the past turns up at the Rovers it looks like Annie will have more to worry about than Hitler's bombs... Full of Coronation Street's trademark humour and warmth, it's the perfect gift for Mother's Day.