Recommendations based on "Taking Sides (English Edition)"

'These novels, in straddling immediacy and permanence, the personal as well as the scope of a world tilting toward disaster, are the ones we might well be looking back on years from now as the defining literature of an indefinable era. And the shape the telling takes is, if not salvation, brilliance itself' - The New York Times on the Seasonal quartet so far

A swoony, steamy, STEM romance in which two curators at a science museum—a handsome but grumpy astronomer and an anxious but sunshine-y entomologist—realize they are the perfect match. Equal parts nerdy banter and fiery tension, it’s perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood and Tessa Bailey. Now with exclusive bonus content!Millie was never one to take the expected path. She’s an entomologist who loves her job as a natural science curator, inspiring museum visitors every day. It’s her dream to take a larger role in the planning of her department, so when a director position opens, she is determined not to let anything distract her from her goals. Especially Finn, her grumpy coworker with his permanent scowl, electric blue eyes, and nerdy astronomy ties.. . . Not that she’s spent much time noticing any of those things.Finn doesn’t mean to glare at everyone, but he’s juggling his role at the museum, navigating the grief of losing his sister, attempting to make his nieces smile, and trying not to ruin dinner for the fifth night in a row. He can’t afford to let anything slip, and certainly doesn’t need anything more to deal with—especially not Millie literally stumbling into him, with her bright smile and sunny optimism.He bugs her. She’s too starry-eyed for him. They want nothing to do with each other. But with Finn on the interview committee, avoidance is impossible. And Millie soon realizes it’s one thing when a job is on the line. It’s quite another when it’s her heart.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Audrey Carlan comes a story of sisters, self-discovery and a little something sweet. Baking is Isabeau Collins’s life. Back from studying under the finest chefs in France and Italy, and with a newly minted culinary degree in hand, Izzy is ready to pursue her dream: whipping up creative confections in her own custom cake shop. But her perfect plans are waylaid when two women claiming to be her half sisters show up with a stack of letters addressed to Izzy from their late mother. Torn between launching her career and the need to learn more about her family history, Izzy makes the decision to go to Colorado to connect with the sisters she’s never known. Then Izzy stumbles across a run-down storefront in Pueblo’s funky downtown and instantly knows that with a bit of work it’s the perfect location for her dream bakery…which means her detour to Colorado will be a permanent reroute. And with an unexpected relationship growing between Izzy and her contractor, Kyson, she has yet another reason to stick around—even if there are secrets in Kyson’s past Izzy can’t quite figure out. Fighting homesickness and self-doubt, Izzy worries that she’s making a mistake. But with her sisters close and her dreams within reach, she can’t help but wonder if her riskiest move could be the most rewarding decision she’s ever made. The Wish Series Book 1: What the Heart Wants Book 2: To Catch a Dream Book 3: On the Sweet Side

.

Wonderfully warm and utterly compelling from the author of HENS REUNITEDMaddie's getting it from all sides. Her bitchy new boss at the radio station humiliates her live on air about her figure, her glamour-puss mum keeps dropping not-so-subtle hints that Maddie should lose weight and her kids are embarrassed to be seen with her after the disastrous Mums' race at their school sports day. Something's got to change... Maddie joins the local weight-watching group expecting more humiliation but instead finds two unlikely allies - bitter divorcee Lauren who, despite running a dating agency, has signed off romance for ever and shy Jess, the beautician, who's desperate to fit into a size 10 wedding dress for her Big Day.

In case you’re wondering, this is not a love story. Chapters 8-27 of the outstanding debut novel, Solitaire.

Skye wants to be her own person, but with an effortlessly cool twin, how can she? Will Skye ever step out of Summer's shadow and find her own chance to shine?

"A complex, beautiful coming-of-age novel...a love story unlike any I've ever read." --Ali Hazelwood "A soulful book about the politics of labor and submission." --Raven Leilani Normal People meets Fifty Shades of Grey in this sharp and provocative coming-of-age debut chronicling the turbulent romance between a brilliant economics grad student and a magnetic Wall Street banker two decades her senior. When Lili Marwan--seeking to escape the unrelenting pressures of her master's thesis, recent rejection from her foster family, and unresolved grief from the death of her parents--has an intense one-night stand with Aleksandr Petrov, her restless mind finally goes calm. At twenty-two, Lili is already opinionated beyond her years: whether it's astrology, democratic socialism, veganism, or the ravages of late-stage capitalism run rampant. But when a tall, dark stranger buys her a drink in a FiDi bar, she meets her match. Aleksandr is formidable, fiercely intelligent, and infuriatingly disarming. He's also two decades older than her, a Capricorn with a birth chart full of red flags, a neoliberal capitalist, and a strong believer in the power of free markets, having escaped the Soviet Union in its dying days. He's the opposite of Lili in nearly every way. He challenges her at every turn. And she can't stay away. Over the course of a heady New York City summer, Lili and Aleksandr reach across the divide of their differences and the decades of their lives, discovering startlingly shared experiences. Their casual arrangement--rough sex, hours where Lili does not need to make any decisions--gives way fast to an unexpected intimacy, by turns breathtaking, then devastating. As Lili struggles to understand herself and the complicated threads of her ambition, pain, and desire, she will have to decide: is she willing to risk great loss again, for the hope of profit that is finally within reach?

🌈 Don’t miss this feel-good, friends to lovers romance – perfect for fans of Alexis Hall & Alexandria Bellefleur, this 2026!🤰

Traces two eventful years in the life of teenage swimmer Alex, during which she trains for, and competes in the 1960 Rome Olympics, copes with love, loss and officialdom and decides on her future. Suggested level: secondary.