Recommendations based on "The Best of Us"

From Pulitzer Prize–winning author Elizabeth Strout comes a hopeful, healing novel about new friendships, old loves, and the very human desire to leave a mark on the world.With her “extraordinary capacity for radical empathy” (The Boston Globe), remarkable insight into the human condition, and silences that contain multitudes, Elizabeth Strout returns to the town of Crosby, Maine, and to her beloved cast of characters—Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge, Bob Burgess, and more—as they deal with a shocking crime in their midst, fall in love and yet choose to be apart, and grapple with the question, as Lucy Barton puts it, “What does anyone’s life mean?”It’s autumn in Maine, and the town lawyer Bob Burgess has become enmeshed in an unfolding murder investigation, defending a lonely, isolated man accused of killing his mother. He has also fallen into a deep and abiding friendship with the acclaimed writer Lucy Barton, who lives down the road in a house by the sea with her ex-husband, William. Together, Lucy and Bob go on walks and talk about their lives, their fears and regrets, and what might have been. Lucy, meanwhile, is finally introduced to the iconic Olive Kitteridge, now living in a retirement community on the edge of town. They spend afternoons together in Olive’s apartment, telling each other stories. Stories about people they have known—“unrecorded lives,” Olive calls them—reanimating them, and, in the process, imbuing their lives with meaning.Brimming with empathy and pathos, Tell Me Everything is Elizabeth Strout operating at the height of her powers, illuminating the ways in which we our relationships keep us afloat. As Lucy says, “Love comes in so many different forms, but it is always love.”

Is living the life you’ve wished for really a dream come true?Lucy Young is twenty-six and tired. Tired of fetching coffees for senior TV producers, sick of going on disastrous dates, and done with living in a damp flat with roommates who never buy toilet paper. After another disappointing date, Lucy stumbles upon a wishing machine. Pushing a coin into the slot, Lucy closes her eyes and wishes with all her might: Please, let me skip to the good part of my life.When she wakes the next morning to a handsome man, a ring on her finger, a high-powered job, and two storybook-perfect children, Lucy can’t believe this is real—especially when she looks in the mirror, and staring back is her own fortysomething face. Has she really skipped ahead like she’s always wanted, or has she simply forgotten a huge chunk of her life? As Lucy begins to embrace new relationships and the perks of maturity, she’ll have to ask herself: Can she go back to her previous life, and if so, can she stand to leave the good part behind?

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

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars, discover the love story that captured over 20 million hearts in Me Before You, After You, and Still Me.Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life.As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue where she works and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you find the courage to follow your heart—wherever that may lead?Funny, romantic, and poignant, Still Me follows Lou as she discovers who she is and who she was always meant to be—and learns to live boldly in her brave new world.

An unmissable novel of love, disaster, heartbreak, and unexpected happy endings, by the bestselling British author of Maybe One Day. “When I was twenty-six years old my world was literally turned upside down and inside out, like a coat pocket being excavated for loose change. It was terrible, and frightening, and it taught me a lot of things I never wanted to know.” Elena Godwin has scrimped and saved for a relaxing dream holiday in Mexico with her handsome but laddish boyfriend Harry. Life has felt a bit less exciting than she’d imagined her twenties would be, and she's hoping the trip will add some sizzle. But on a gorgeous summer evening an earthquake strikes—shattering their peaceful vacation. The trauma changes Elena’s life forever. Ten years later, Elena still can't forget the face of the stranger she met that night—the man who may have saved her life. When they’re suddenly and unexpectedly thrown back together again, Elena starts to uncover the truth around that fateful night, and question whether she should have lived her life differently in the years afterwards. What if it’s not too late?

A new chapter is just beginning…*A finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards for Fiction 2021!*‘The story is an absolute joy . . . A captivating and exquisitely crafted debut’Sunday Times bestseller, HEIDI SWAIN‘A love letter to books, reading and the power of connection – absolutely gorgeous’ Sunday Times bestseller, RUTH WAREWhen Aleisha discovers a crumpled reading list tucked into a tattered library book, it sparks an extraordinary journey.From timeless stories of love and friendship to an epic journey across the Pacific Ocean with a boy and a tiger in a boat, the list opens a gateway to new and wonderful worlds – just when Aleisha needs an escape from her troubles at home.And when widower Mukesh arrives at the library, desperate to connect with his bookworm granddaughter, Aleisha introduces him to the magic of the reading list. An anxious teenager and a lonely grandfather forming an unlikely book club of two.Inspiring and heartwarming, The Reading List is a love letter to storytelling – its power to transport us, connect us, and remind us that a new beginning is only a page away…A real heart-lifter . . . . A joyful, uplifting read’ Good Housekeeping‘A gorgeous debut novel about the power reading has to bring people together, no matter the barriers of age, culture and class’ Red

Augusta Hope has never felt like she fits in.At six, she’s memorising the dictionary. At seven, she’s correcting her teachers. At eight, she spins the globe and picks her favourite country on the sound of its name: Burundi.And now that she's an adult, Augusta has no interest in the goings-on of the small town where she lives with her parents and her beloved twin sister, Julia.When an unspeakable tragedy upends everything in Augusta's life, she's propelled headfirst into the unknown. She's determined to find where she belongs – but what if her true home, and heart, are half a world away?

#1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel’s deeply moving novel is the story of a woman whose life is turned upside down while living temporarily in the French countryside.Oona Kelly Webster has much to be grateful for… A striking woman with red hair and green eyes, she has a loving family and a job she adores, editing a prestigious line of books. To celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, she and her husband Charles have planned a visit to France.But then Charles drops a bombshell. He has been living a lie--hiding an affair for a year—and he is leaving Oona for a younger male lover.Although devastated, Oona decides to travel to France without Charles. She arrives in a charming village an hour outside of Paris, and settles into the house she has rented, called La Belle Florence—named after the king’s mistress for whom it was built. But just as she’s catching her breath, she’s dealt another blow: her company’s merger will eliminate her job.In the space of a few months, everything she nurtured for decades has slipped through her fingers. The only silver lining is that she can remain in France, where the simple life in beautiful surroundings slowly begins to heal her-- as does the little white dog she rescues, and a friendly neighbor hailing from Trinidad, who delights her with his openness and warmth.Though she did not at first recognize him, her neighbor, she soon realizes, is a well-known actor. As their feelings begin to deepen, Oona wrestles with the risks of opening her heart again—especially with a younger, very famous man.Never Say Never is an inspiring novel about a woman who finds a second chance at happiness and love, all because she understands the importance of being brave enough to stay open to change.

Puffin Island - when the tides turn, true friends are never apart 'Full of warmth' #1 Sunday Times Bestseller Katie Fforde Verity Callaway is running away. From her job. From her quiet life in the Midlands. And most of all from her ex-fiancée...who has just become her newest neighbour. The plan is simple: hop in her reliable camper van and cross the Channel, headed for a rendezvous with her best friend in Amsterdam to kick off six months of travel. But when Verity stumbles across a decades-old postcard while preparing her cottage for its temporary tenants, her life takes an unexpected turn, and she finds herself on a ferry to Puffin Island instead. Verity's childhood was filled with tales of adventures set on the picturesque island, but she'd always thought her beloved granny had made it all up. Now, knowing the stories and the setting were real, Verity is determined to find the postcard's sender and uncover the secrets of her grandmother's past...even if it means setting off a sequence of events that will change not just her own life, but also that of the sleepy island's close-knit community... Readers have fallen in love with Puffin Island: 'The most wholesome, heartwarming, enchanting read ... would highly recommend' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Christie Barlow never fails to capture the characters and bring them to life' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Christie draws you in and you never want to leave!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Absolutely gorgeous! Love the setting, love the characters ... Highly recommended!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Christie Barlow you've done it again ... Brilliant!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Puffin Island has a community we all wish to be a part of. Can't wait for the next visit'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In the dead of night, Ayesha takes her daughter, Sabina, and slips quietly from her home, leaving behind a life full of pain. Boarding a coach to London, all Ayesha wants is a fresh start.Hayden, a former popstar, has kept himself hidden away for years. He's only opened up his home to two people - Crystal, a professional dancer with a heart of gold, and Joy, an ill-tempered retiree with a soft spot for waifs and strays. When Crystal asks Hayden if Ayesha and Sabina can stay with them, he reluctantly agrees and, as different as they may be, they quickly form an unlikely bond. So when enemies threaten their peaceful home, they will do all they can to save it and each other.Uplifting and emotional, this is a novel of new beginnings, of discovering love and of finding A Place to Call Home.