Recommendations based on "The Summer Guests"

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A USA TODAY BESTSELLER • A brilliantly funny novel about friends, lovers, Ireland in chaos, and a young woman desperately trying to manage all three • “O'Donoghue deepens the familiar coming-of-age premise with riveting moral complications." —People"If you’ve ever been unsure what to do with your degree in English; if you’ve ever wondered when the rug-buying part of your life will start...if you’ve ever loved the wrong person, or the right person at the wrong time…In short, if you’ve ever been young, you will love The Rachel Incident like I did.” —Gabrielle Zevin, New York Times best-selling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and TomorrowRachel is a student working at a bookstore when she meets James, and it’s love at first sight. Effervescent and insistently heterosexual, James soon invites Rachel to be his roommate and the two begin a friendship that changes the course of both their lives forever. Together, they run riot through the streets of Cork city, trying to maintain a bohemian existence while the threat of the financial crash looms before them.When Rachel falls in love with her married professor, Dr. Fred Byrne, James helps her devise a reading at their local bookstore, with the goal that she might seduce him afterwards. But Fred has other desires. So begins a series of secrets and compromises that intertwine the fates of James, Rachel, Fred, and Fred’s glamorous, well-connected, bourgeois wife. Aching with unrequited love, shot through with delicious, sparkling humor, The Rachel Incident is a triumph.

**Josie Lloyd's heart-warming and joyful new novel, Lifesaving for Beginners, is available for pre-order now!** *** 'Amazing, heartbreaking and inspiring' Jenny Colgan 'A love letter to the power of friendship, honest and uplifting' Jill Mansell 'A fiercely positive story, about the power of hope' Mike Gayle *** Sometimes we need our friends to help us find our feet... When Keira first receives her breast cancer diagnosis, she doesn't want to have to tell her family, or step back from work. She doesn't want to sit in a hospital, or be part of a group of fellow cancer patients. Cancer is not her club. But as she accepts that her health is no longer something she can rely on, Keira finds herself embracing running. And running in the company of a group of brilliant, funny women each going through treatment unexpectedly gives Keira the hope she needs. Because the C-word is not going to define Keira's identity. And with the Cancer Ladies' Running Club cheering her on, she's going to reclaim her life. One step at a time. Life isn't always the race we expected to run but this moving and uplifting novel is full of hope and about love, family, friendship and the power of finding your tribe. ****** 'A wise, warm and wonderful novel ... an incredibly moving, uplifting and hopeful story that looks at the power of finding your tribe. It will make you smile and love life just a little bit more' Adele Parks, Platinum 'Uplifting and positive, you will be cheering them along' Prima 'An honest read that, despite its heart-wrenching topic, will uplift and inspire you' Heat 'Made me believe in life and in love. Hopeful and life-changing' Katie Marsh, author of The Rest of Me 'An amazing story that shows us all the strength of the human spirit and the power of friendship. An inspiration!' Magic Radio

This Is A Story For Anyone Who Has Ever Felt Like They Don't Belong. 'i Really Enjoyed This Book ... Great Observational Comic Gems Within A Fast Moving Story Full Of The Reality Of Despair And Hope In Everyone's Lives' Miranda Hart 'keep The Tissues Close' Good Housekeeping 'a Beautifully Written Debut Novel With Unforgettable Characters And An Irresistible Message Of Redemption And Belonging' Red Magazine 'this Gem Of A Novel Entertains And Moves In Equal Measure' Daily Mail 'heartening And Hopeful' Jess Kidd, Author Of Things In Jars 'mesmerizingly Beautiful' Sarah Haywood, Author Of The Cactus 'an Extraordinary Masterpiece' Anstey Harris, Author Of The Truths And Triumphs Of Grace Atherton 'gutsy, Endearing And Entertaining' Deborah Orr 'absolutely Brilliant' Gavin Extence, Author Of The Universe Versus Alex Woods _____________________________________________________________ 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? _____________________________________________________________ Augusta May Not Feel Like She Fits In, But Readers Have Fallen In Love With Her... 'what A Brilliant, Brave, Clever Book' Maddy P 'a Beautiful Tale Of Family, Of Loss, Of The Awkward Relationships We Build With Those We Love The Most...a Must Read!' Amelia D 'a Powerful Novel About Fitting In, Loss, & The People You Really Have Connections With' Siobhan D 'the Story Made Me Laugh & Cry In Equal Measure, And Now It's Finished I'm At A Slight Loss As What To Read Next' Laura W

A New York Public Library Best Book of 2023A Most Anticipated Summer Read by Today ∙ Barnes & Noble ∙ BookRiot ∙ GoodReads ∙ Culturess ∙ and more!A starry-eyed romantic, a cynical writer, and (the ashes of) an elderly woman take the road trip of a lifetime that just might upend everything they believe about true love.Millicent Watts-Cohen is on a mission. When she promised her elderly best friend that she’d reunite her with the woman she fell in love with nearly eighty years ago, she never imagined that would mean traveling from D.C. to Key West with three tablespoons of Mrs. Nash’s remains in her backpack. But Millie’s determined to give her friend a symbolic happily-ever-after, before it’s (really) too late—and hopefully reassure herself of love’s lasting power in the process.She just didn’t expect to have a living travel companion.After a computer glitch grounds flights, Millie is forced to catch a ride with Hollis Hollenbeck, an also-stranded acquaintance from her ex’s MFA program. Hollis certainly does not believe in happily-ever-afters—symbolic or otherwise—and makes it quite clear that he can’t fathom Millie’s plan ending well for anyone.But as they contend with peculiar bed-and-breakfasts, unusual small-town festivals, and deer with a death wish, Millie begins to suspect that her reluctant travel partner might enjoy her company more than he lets on. Because for someone who supposedly doesn’t share her views on romance, Hollis sure is becoming invested in the success of their journey. And the closer they get to their destination, the more Millie has to admit that maybe this trip isn’t just about Mrs. Nash’s love story after all—maybe it’s also about her own.

From the wildly popular bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things—an uplifting, slightly magical story about how it’s never too late to find out who you really are."Ruth Hogan is the queen of uplifting fiction and Madame Burova reminds us why. The writing crackles with humor and warmth. I can't imagine a better book in which to lose yourself at the moment. Stunning, immersive and absolutely wonderful." --Annie Lyons, author of The Brilliant Life of Eudora HoneysettMadame Burova—beloved Tarot reader, palmist, and clairvoyant—is retiring and leaving her booth on the Brighton seafront.After inheriting her mother’s fortune-telling business as a young woman, Imelda Burova has spent her life on the Brighton pier practicing her trade. She and her trusty pack of Tarot cards have seen the lovers and the liars, the angels and the devils, the dreamers and the fools. Now, after a lifetime of keeping other people’s secrets, Madam Burova is ready to have a little piece of life for herself. But she still has one last thing to do—to fulfill a promise made in the 1970s, when she and her girlfriends were carefree, with their whole lives still before them.In London, it is time for another woman to make a fresh start. Billie has lost her university job, her marriage, and her place in the world when a sudden and unlikely discovery leaves her very identity in question. Determined to find answers, she must follow a trail…which leads to Brighton, the pier, and directly to Madame Burova’s door.In a story spanning over fifty years, Ruth Hogan has conjured a magical world of 1970s holiday camps and seaside entertainers, eccentrics, heroes and villains, the lost and the found. Young people will make careless choices which echo down the years….but it’s never too late to put things right.

Romantic and escapist debut fiction from the nation's best loved TV presenter, Carol Kirkwood. 'Loved it! ! It sizzles with secrets and passion. A real page turner!' Jo Thomas 'Utterly engaging, deliciously escapist, with a heart as warm as its author's' Cathy Kelly, bestselling author of The Family Gift

The Unretirement is an uplifting story about the joy of pursuing dreams at any age, full of warmth, heart and community spirit. Meet 65-year-old widow Maggie Lawford. After retiring two years ago and travelling the world with her husband Geoff, she's alone again - and retirement has gone from a never-ending holiday to grief-filled and lonely. Though looking after her gorgeous granddaughter Alice for her high-flying daughter Hannah brings so much joy, Maggie yearns for more. After her ambition of being a chef was deferred forty years ago in favour of a more family-friendly career, Maggie knows it's now or never to chase her dreams. When Maggie and Hannah visit their favourite local Indian restaurant one evening, they are gutted to find the tables all but empty, with a dwindling menu and their old friend and owner Sav at his wit's end. The last straw comes when Maggie hears a cry from the kitchen: she charges in, taking matters into her own hands. Never one to give up without a fight, Maggie resolves to save the beloved but failing restaurant - and with all her years catering for a large family and volunteering for the WI, it's not long before she has a military-grade plan to turn the place around again. After all, Maggie's golden days aren't behind her just yet...

For fans of Jojo Moyes’s Me Before You comes a beautifully written, heartwarming novel about mothers and daughters, husbands and wives. The Day We Met asks: Can you love someone you don’t remember falling in love with?A gorgeous husband, two beautiful children, a job she loves—Claire’s got it all. And then some. But lately, her mother hovers more than a helicopter, her husband, Greg, seems like a stranger, and her kids are like characters in a movie. Three-year-old Esther’s growing up in the blink of an eye, and twenty-year-old Caitlin, with her jet-black hair and clothes to match, looks like she’s about to join a punk band—and seems to be hiding something. Most concerning, however, is the fact that Claire is losing her memory, including that of the day she met Greg.A chance meeting with a handsome stranger one rainy day sets Claire wondering whether she and Greg still belong together: She knows she should love him, but she can’t always remember why. In search of an answer, Claire fills the pages of a blank book Greg gives her with private memories and keepsakes, jotting down beginnings and endings and everything in between. The book becomes the story of Claire—her passions, her sorrows, her joys, her adventures in a life that refuses to surrender to a fate worse than dying: disappearing.Praise for The Day We Met“[Rowan] Coleman executes another incredibly powerful novel that is beautifully written. The story is so well-crafted, it’s impossible to put the book down. The tale is so poignant and heartbreaking that readers will be completely engrossed with the characters while experiencing a wide array of emotions.”—RT Book Reviews“[The Day We Met] is, at heart, a book about mothers, daughters and the strong bonds that exist between women even during heartbreak. Coleman will make you cry with this emotional, beautifully written novel.”—Kirkus Reviews“As with Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes, I couldn’t put this book down.”—Katie Fforde“Rowan Coleman’s heartbreaking, humorous novel about a family in crisis vividly reminded me about the fierce, resilient core in all kinds of love. Readers of Lisa Genova’s Still Alice and Elin Hilderbrand’s Beautiful Day will especially savor this book.”—Nancy Thayer

Appleby Farm was originally published as a four-part serial. This is the complete story in one package. Sometimes the life you want isn't the one you need... Freya has skirted through life, drifting from place to place and job to job. Always restless, it seems she's finally found a place to settle down (with a sexy boyfriend to match) in a small and cosy town. But she still finds herself thinking of the rolling hills of her Cumbrian childhood home: Appleby Farm. They're only dreams though... there's a life right here ready to be lived. But a phone call rocks the new life she has built. Tragedy has threatened Appleby Farm and Freya makes the choice to return home, leaving her lovely boyfriend and safe job behind. But maybe the grass at Appleby Farm will be a shade greener this time... Now, ever-restless Freya must finally make a choice about what she'd like her life to be. With two lives, two men and two futures to choose from... who does she really want to be? Appleby Farm is a charming, funny and romantic story for anyone looking for a feel-good, light-hearted read, from the author of bestselling Ivy Lane. Praise for Cathy Bramley: 'Delightfully warm with plenty of twists and turns' Trisha Ashley'Rustic romance at its very best with a charming cast of characters - warm and endearing and engaging. As comforting as hot tea and toast made on the Aga!' Veronica Henry'A lovely, sunny, gem of a book' Alexandra Brown

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Set in Cedar Cove’s charming Rose Harbor Inn, Debbie Macomber’s captivating new novel follows innkeeper Jo Marie and two new guests as they seek healing and comfort, revealing that every cloud has a silver lining, even when it seems difficult to find.   Since opening the Rose Harbor Inn, Jo Marie Rose has grown close to her handyman, Mark Taylor. Jo Marie and Mark are good friends—and are becoming something more—yet he still won’t reveal anything about his past. When Mark tells her that he’s moving out of town, Jo Marie is baffled. Just when she is starting to open herself up again to love, she feels once more that she is losing the man she cares about. And as she discovers the secret behind Mark’s decision to leave, she welcomes two visitors also seeking their own answers.   Best friends Kellie Crenshaw and Katie Gilroy have returned to Cedar Cove for their ten-year high school reunion, looking to face down old hurts and find a sense of closure. Kellie, known as Coco, wants to finally confront the boy who callously broke her heart. Katie, however, wishes to reconnect with her old boyfriend, James—the man she still loves and the one who got away. As Katie hopes for a second chance, Coco discovers that people can change—and both look to the exciting possibilities ahead.   Heartwarming and uplifting, Silver Linings is a beautiful novel of letting go of the past and embracing the unexpected. Praise for Silver Linings   “A heartwarming, feel-good story from beginning to end . . . No one writes stories of love and forgiveness like Macomber.”—RT Book Reviews   “Macomber’s homespun storytelling style makes reading an easy venture. . . . She also tosses in some hidden twists and turns that will delight her many longtime fans.”—Bookreporter   “Reading Macomber’s novels is like being with good friends, talking and sharing joys and sorrows.”—New York Journal of Books