Recommendations based on "The last reunion"

“A complete knockout. Readers will be thinking of this story long after they finish the final page.” —Adalyn Grace, New York Times bestselling author of Belladonna“Utterly compelling and impossible to put down.” —Rachel Griffin, New York Times bestselling author of Bring Me Your Midnight“I’ve never read a book that felt so much like picking up pieces of a broken heart—powerful, poignant, and true.” —Axie Oh, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea and XOXOAtlas has lost her way.In a last-ditch effort to pull her life together, she’s working on a community service program rehabbing trails in the Western Sierras. The only plus is that the days are so exhausting that Atlas might just be tired enough to forget that this was one of her dad’s favorite places in the world. Before cancer stole him from her life, that is.Using real names is forbidden on the trail. So Atlas becomes Maps, and with her team—Books, Sugar, Junior, and King—she heads into the wilderness. As she sheds the lies she’s built up as walls to protect herself, she realizes that four strangers might know her better than anyone has before. And with the end of the trail racing to meet them, Maps is left counting down the days until she returns to her old life—without her new family, and without King, who’s become more than just a friend.

“A heartbreaking and bittersweet novel about the need for queer joy even in the midst of the horrors of war. The ending had me in tears.”—Malinda Lo, New York Times bestselling and National Book Award–winning author of Last Night at the Telegraph ClubFor fans of Ruta Sepetys and Malinda Lo, a heart-wrenching queer historical YA romance set in the Swing Youth movement of World War II BerlinCharlotte Kraus would follow Angelika Haas anywhere. Which is how she finds herself in an underground club one Friday night the summer before World War II, dancing to contraband American jazz and swing music, suddenly feeling that anything might be possible.Unable to resist the allure of sharing this secret with Geli, Charlie returns to the club again and again, despite the dangers of breaking the Nazi Party’s rules. Soon, terrified by the tightening vise of Hitler’s power, Charlie and the other Swingjugend are drawn to larger and larger acts of rebellion. But the war will test how much they are willing to risk—and to lose.From the critically acclaimed author of Who I Was with Her, this beautifully told story of hope, love, and resistance will captivate readers of Girl in the Blue Coat and Last Night at the Telegraph Club.

***A USA Today Bestseller.***The heart-wrenching and unforgettable tale of a world on the brink of war from the internationally bestselling author of The German Midwife.Berlin, 1938: It’s the height of summer, and Germany is on the brink of war. When fledgling reporter Georgie Young is posted to Berlin, alongside fellow Londoner Max Spender, she knows they are entering the eye of the storm.Arriving to a city swathed in red flags and crawling with Nazis, Georgie feels helpless, witnessing innocent people being torn from their homes. As tensions rise, she realises she and Max have to act – even if it means putting their lives on the line.But when she digs deeper, Georgie begins to uncover the unspeakable truth about Hitler’s Germany – and the pair are pulled into a world darker than she could ever have imagined…From the bestselling author of The German Midwife comes the heart-wrenching story of a country on the brink of war, a woman who puts herself in the line of fire, and a world about to be forever changed.Readers love The Berlin Girl:‘A gripping read, filled with tension and suspense’ Fiona Valpy, author of The Dressmaker’s Gift‘You'll gasp aloud and shed a few tears […] insightful, bold, fast-paced’ Kristin Harmel, author of The Book of Lost Names‘An absorbing and fascinating read’ Janet MacLeod Trotter, author of The Tea Planter’s Daughter‘Mandy has captured a chilling sense of tension and fear, knowing what was on the horizon’ Suzanne Goldring, author of My Name is Eva‘What a story! I couldn’t put this down.’ Real Reader Review‘Powerful, engaging and emotional.’ Real Reader Review‘Mandy Robotham never disappoints. Her best yet.’ Real Reader Review‘This book will stay with me for a long time.’ Real Reader Review‘This book is a beautifully done glimpse in to a changing Berlin, and is one of the best historic fictions set in this era that I've had the pleasure to read.’ Real Reader Review

Winner of the Carnegie Medal * Winner of the YA Book Prize * Winner of the Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year AwardTippi and Grace share everything—clothes, friends . . . even their body. Writing in free verse, Sarah Crossan tells the sensitive and moving story of conjoined twin sisters, which will find fans in readers of Gayle Forman, Jodi Picoult, and Jandy Nelson.Tippi and Grace. Grace and Tippi. For them, it's normal to step into the same skirt. To hook their arms around each other for balance. To fall asleep listening to the other breathing. To share. And to keep some things private. Each of the sixteen-year-old girls has her own head, heart, and two arms, but at the belly, they join. And they are happy, never wanting to risk the dangerous separation surgery.But the girls' body is beginning to fight against them. And Grace doesn't want to admit it. Not even to Tippi. How long can they hide from the truth—how long before they must face the most impossible choice of their lives?Carnegie Medal–winning author Sarah Crossan gives us a story about unbreakable bonds, hope, loss, and the lengths we will go to for the person we love most.

"A wonderful, heartwarming read." — Ruth Hogan, author of Keeper of Lost ThingsFrom the USA Today bestselling author of The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett comes a heartwarming story of found family, love, and making connections through books set against the bombing of London during WWII.London, 1938: The bookstore just doesn’t feel the same to Gertie Bingham ever since the death of her beloved husband Harry. Bingham Books was a dream they shared together, and without Harry, Gertie wonders if it’s time to take her faithful old lab, Hemingway, and retire to the seaside. But fate has other plans for Gertie.In Germany, Hitler is on the rise, and Jewish families are making the heart-wrenching decision to send their children away from the growing turmoil. After a nudge from her dear friend Charles, Gertie decides to take in one of these refugees, a headstrong teenage girl named Hedy. Willful and fearless, Hedy reminds Gertie of herself at the same age, and shows her that she can’t give up just yet. With the terrible threat of war on the horizon, the world needs people like Gertie Bingham and her bookshop.When the Blitz begins and bombs whistle overhead, Gertie and Hedy come up with the idea to start an air raid book club. Together with neighbors and bookstore customers, they hold lively discussions of everything from Winnie the Pooh to Wuthering Heights. After all, a good book can do wonders to bolster people’s spirits, even in the most trying times.But even the best book can only provide a temporary escape, and as the tragic reality of the war hits home, the book club faces unimaginable losses. They will need all the strength of their stories and the bonds they’ve formed to see them through to brighter days.

A “wickedly funny” (Newsweek) collection of ten short stories from Nobel Prize–winning author Alice Munro, “one of the most eloquent and gifted writers of contemporary fiction” (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times). “Each of her collections demonstrates such linguistic skill, delicacy of vision, and . . . moral strength and clarity.”—Chicago Tribune   A woman haunted by dreams of her dead mother. An adulterous couple stepping over the line where the initial excitement ends and the pain begins. A widow visiting a Scottish village in search of her husband’s past—and instead discovering unsetting truths about a total stranger.   The miraculously accomplished stories in this collection not only astonish and delight, but also convey the unspoken mysteries at the heart of all human experience. The mastery—the almost numinous ability to say the unsayable—makes Friend of My Youth a genuine literary event.

'One of those rarest of books: so beautiful I almost couldn't bear it, and so moving I was reading through tears' STACEY HALLS 'Uniquely witty, beautifully observed, intricately woven' MIRANDA HART 'A truly glorious life-affirming book, in which love, hope and friendship trump sorrow' DINAH JEFFERIES 'Had me absolutely sobbing - a beautiful, beautiful book' JO BROWNING WROE, bestselling author of A TERRIBLE KINDNESS 'Worth every tear' WOMAN & HOME 'Exquisitely tender, powerfully compelling' SARAH HAYWOOD 'One of my new all-time favourite books - an absolute joy' JULIETTA HENDERSON 'Thoughtful, warm and engaging' CHRISTINA SWEENEY-BAIRD 'Honest, heartfelt and hopeful' MARIANNE CRONIN 'A joy to read' ANNE YOUNGSON 'A love song to women everywhere' ERICKA WALLER MEET EVA MARTÍNEZ-GREEN, AN ONLY CHILD FULL OF QUESTIONS ABOUT HER BEGINNINGS. Between her emotionally absent mother and her physically absent father, there is nobody to answer them. Eva is convinced that all is not as it seems. Why are there no baby pictures of her? Why do her parents avoid all questions about her early years? When her parents' relationship crumbles, Eva begins a journey to find these answers for herself. Her desire to discover where she belongs leads Eva on a journey spanning decades and continents - and, along the way, she meets women who challenge her idea of what a mother should be, and who will change her life forever... 'A glorious journey into loving & longing' ANSTEY HARRIS 'Heartrending and heartwarming' CELIA ANDERSON 'Exquisite' JESSICA RYN 'A deep delight of a book that vibrates with love and longing' HELEN PARIS ________________________________________________________ Praise for Joanna Glen's debut novel, The Other Half of Augusta Hope: 'A therapeutic dose of high-strength emotion' GUARDIAN 'Entertains and moves in equal measure' DAILY MAIL 'Keep the tissues close' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'An irresistible message of redemption and belonging' RED magazine 'Heartening and hopeful' JESS KIDD 'Mesmerizingly beautiful' SARAH HAYWOOD 'An extraordinary masterpiece' ANSTEY HARRIS

THE INSTANT NO. 2 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER **Featured on Barack Obama's Summer Reading List 2022** **A Grazia Instagram 'IT' book to watch out for****Soon to be a major Hulu series by Oprah Winfrey, Aaron Kaplan and Marissa Jo Cerar** Everyone wants to discover what they're made of . . . The compelling and beautifully written story about the inheritance of the secrets, betrayal and memories that shape one family for generations 'A story as meaningful as it is delicious. At turns delightfully juicy and then stunningly wise, Black Cake is a winner' TAYLOR JENKINS REID 'A roiling soup of family secrets, big lies, great loves, bright colours and strong smells' NEW YORK TIMES 'The scenes are so well drawn I could almost taste the cake. My heart broke and was put back together. Bravo' NIKKI MAY, author of Wahala A PRIMA BOOK OF THE YEAR ________ Eleanor Bennett won't let her own death get in the way of the truth. So when her estranged children - Byron and Benny - reunite for her funeral in California, they discover a puzzling inheritance. First, a voice recording in which everything Byron and Benny ever knew about their family is upended. Their mother narrates a tumultuous story about a headstrong young woman who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder, a story which cuts right to the heart of the rift that's separated Byron and Benny. Second, a traditional Caribbean black cake made from a family recipe that Eleanor hopes will heal the wounds of the past. Can Byron and Benny fulfil their mother's final request to 'share the black cake when the time is right'? Or will Eleanor's revelations leave them feeling more lost than ever? ________ 'A testimony to how migration, memories and the life decisions of our elders can trickle down the generations and shape us . . . I couldn't get enough!' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, 'BOOKS OF THE YEAR' 'I loved the brilliant writing, the characters and the clever and beautiful way the story melded together. A stunning book' PRIMA, 'BOOK OF THE MONTH' 'A special, beautifully written novel that's as rich and intoxicating as the Jamaican rum cake of its title' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'I [. . .] was immediately drawn in' BONNIE GARMUS, bestselling author of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY 'A heartfelt story of loss, lies and reconciliation' DAILY MAIL 'A sparkling debut, which examines migration, estrangement and the stories we tell about ourselves' METRO 'An extremely assured debut which pulls in threads and echoes from across the Caribbean diaspora to deliver a rich, complex and really satisfying novel' ALISON FINCH, BBC Radio 4 'I was instantly taken in by this multi-generational tale of identity, family, and the lifelong push and pull of home. This novel has a tremendous heart at its centre, and I felt its beat on every page. What an extraordinary debut' MARY BETH KEANE, author of Ask Again, Yes

Like the winter, grief has a season. Life returns with the spring. A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built the life she dreamed of during her teen years in a trailer park. An unexpected interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa. Determined to pay her respects to her past while avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. But the unexpected inheritance of five hundred acres of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago forces Bethany to come up with a new plan. Handsome farmhand Evan Price has taken care of the Quinn farm for years. When Bethany is left the land, Evan must fight her decisions to realize his dreams. But even as he disagrees with Bethany's vision, Evan feels drawn to her and the pain she keeps so carefully locked away. For Bethany, making peace with her past and the God of her childhood doesn't seem like the path to freedom. Is letting go the only way to new life, love and a peace that she's not even sure exists?

The USA TODAY bestseller For fans of Soraya M. Lane, Heather Morris, Fiona Valpy and Pam Jenoff.Inspired by the brave women of WWII, this is a moving and powerful novel of friendship, love and resilience.A story of love not a story of a warA daring WWII pilot who grew up among the clouds, Juliet Caron's life was one of courage, adventure - and a love torn apart by war. Every nook of her Cornish cottage is alive with memories just waiting to be discovered.Katherine Henderson has escaped to Cornwall for Christmas, but she soon finds there is more to her holiday cottage than meets the eye. And on the eve of Juliet's 100th birthday, Katherine is enlisted to make an old lady's final Christmas wish come true...Me Before You meets The English Patient in this stunning romantic historical novel from award-winning author Melanie Hudson.Readers love The Last Letter from Juliet'OK.... I've finished the book. Holy ******...I had to keep taking breaks in the last 15% just so I didn't break down in a flood of tears' Zoe Hartgen'Read the first chapter and I. Was. HOOKED ' Skye's Mum'If you only read one book this year make it The Last Letter from Juliet' Tracey Shults'I just couldn't put it down until finished' Jeanette'Captures those stolen moments in dangerous and desperate times...beautiful, nostalgic and emotional' Cheryl M-M'Jam packed full of emotion...I don't usually read historical fiction but I'm so glad I read this' Jennie Scanlan'I can highly recommend this beautiful tale of love, sacrifice, friendship, courage and so much more' Nessa Stimpson