Book picks similar to
Spirited Away by Fern Michaels


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If Only In My Dreams


Mariah Stewart - 1998
    New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart’s timeless, charming holiday novella, originally featured in the popular yuletide anthology Upon a Midnight Clear, now available as a standalone at a great price!A lively family reunion on a Montana ranch brings on a flurry of memories for a beautiful young writer—and a winter storm that rekindles an old flame—in this “warmly magical” (Library Journal) feel-good holiday gem!

A Country Affair


Alice Ross - 2015
    The cereal aisle no less.Trophy wife Miranda has got it all – expensive clothes, a huge house, and her wealthy husband Doug. So why does she feel like something is missing?Teenager Faye hates being treated like a child. She wants glamour and excitement – anything to get away from her mundane family life.Three women, each with two options, needing to make one choice.The perfect holiday read for fans of Erica James, Catherine Alliot and Fiona Gibson.

In Twenty Years


Allison Winn Scotch - 2016
    Now, mostly estranged from one another, the remaining five reluctantly gather at that same house on the eve of what would have been Bea’s fortieth birthday.But along with the return of the friends come old grudges, unrequited feelings, and buried secrets. Catherine, the CEO of a domestic empire, and Owen, a stay-at-home dad, were picture-perfect college sweethearts—but now teeter on the brink of disaster. Lindy, a well-known musician, is pushing middle age in an industry that’s all about youth and slowly self-destructing as she grapples with her own identity. Behind his smile, handsome plastic surgeon Colin harbors the heartbreaking truth about his own history with Bea. And Annie carefully curates her life on Instagram and Facebook, keeping up appearances so she doesn’t have to face the truth about her own empty reality.Reunited in the place where so many dreams began, and bolstered by the hope of healing, each of them is forced to confront the past.

Pause to Rewind


Aimee Alexander - 2014
    She doesn't look back. Why would she? A broken engagement to her fiancé, Dave. A falling-out with her parents. And a night in a hotel room best forgotten. Life is simple now. Jenny's little boy, Charlie, is starting school, beginning to build a life independent from her. She needs to get her own back. Life, though, has other plans. When Charlie's diagnosed with leukaemia, Jenny is forced to confront her past and all that she has turned from. But she will do anything for Charlie. Aimee Alexander is the pen name of traditionally published author, Denise Deegan. Pause to Rewind was originally published as Time in a Bottle, a bestseller in Ireland, Germany and Holland. What the critics have to say:'entwines the threads of mystery, plot and character into a compelling yarn that charms and chills - but always captivates.' EVENING HERALD 'a moving story of a mother's love and a woman's personal development.' IMAGE 'the author fizzes through the pages, bringing out the positive in tragic events and manages to inject humour and pace, as well as empathy, into a harrowing topic.' IRISH INDEPENDENT 'could only have been written by a woman who loves children and their ways because the dialogue so authentically captures the child's voice and personality.' EVENING HERALD. 'Given that this is a cancer journey and the sufferer is a wonderful, energetic little four-year-old boy then this could be a tough read. But the skill of the author brings us along this path with skill, compassion, knowledge and a gritty sense of humour as Jenny, the single mother of Charlie, slowly comes to terms with her son's diagnosis. We get to know and love Charlie. The writing is direct and very much on the pulse - the medical information is delivered skillfully without slowing the story which also highlights Jenny's past and the consequences of a night she's never been able to forget. As Charlie struggles through his illness, his cocky sense of humour never falters. The dialogue is authentic; you can hear his voice in your head as you read. In these most difficult of circumstances can romance raise its head and dare to hope? Can lost relationships be repaired, regained? Read Pause to Rewind and travel that journey with Charlie. You will not be disappointed. Highly recommended.' AUTHOR, LAURA ELLIOT 'Five Stars.' AUTHOR CLARE DOWLING'Once I started this book, I knew I wouldn't stop until I finished it. It's been a while since I read a book that drew me in straight away and held me there until the end. The book is beautifully written with wonderfully drawn characters and realistic dialogue that flows wonderfully. The author deals with some very big issues and does so with compassion, honesty and attention to detail. A mother's love is central to the story and I don't mind saying there were tears! But there's also humor mixed with the sadness which in my opinion makes the book such an accomplished and enjoyable read. One of my favourite books of the year.' AUTHOR, MARIA DUFFY 'With crisp, gorgeous writing, this is an incredible story about hope and a mother’s love. I cried but also laughed - a lot. The book is set in Dublin’s Glenageary but it wasn’t just the area that kept reminding me of Maeve Binchy. Alexander clearly loves people-watching; she has them down to a tee. And her dialogue is the best I've ever read. Watch this space. AUTHOR, NIAMH O'CONNOR 'This was an exceptionally well-written story.

The Visitor


Zoë Miller - 2018
    But when Sam dies suddenly, Izzie is determined to shut out the world, her neighbors, and her overly sympathetic family and spend her first Christmas without him alone. Then the world comes knocking on her door in the shape of her husband's long time friend, Joe.But as the extreme weather conditions persist, drawing the occupants of number sixteen closer together, Issie's neighbors begins to suspect that Joe is not who he claims to be.

Tiny House on the Hill


Celia Bonaduce - 2017
    . .Summer Murray is ready to shake things up. She doesn’t want to work in risk management. She doesn’t want to live in Hartford, Connecticut. So she plans a grand adventure: she’s going to throw out all the stuff she doesn’t want and travel the country in her very own tiny house house shaped like a train caboose. Just Summer, her chihuahua-dachshund Shortie, and 220 square feet of freedom.Then her take-no-prisoners grandmother calls to demand Summer head home to the Pacific Northwest to save the family bakery. Summer has her reasons for not wanting to return home, but she’ll just park her caboose, fix things, and then be on her way. But when she gets to Cat’s Paw, Washington, she’s shocked by her grandmother’s strange behavior and reunited with a few people she’d hoped to avoid. If Summer is going to make a fresh start, she’ll have to face the past she’s been running from all along . . .

Pull Me Close


Sidney Halston - 2016
    Katherine: I thought I could enjoy a night out like a normal person. I thought I could handle the flashing lights, the pulsing music, the crowded dance floor. I couldn’t have been more wrong. After having an anxiety attack and passing out during my sister’s engagement party at Panic, I wake up in the arms of the hottest guy I’ve ever seen. Nick Moreno’s no gentleman. But he might just be the man I need to help me take control of my life. Nick: When I hear there’s some random girl passed out in the back room of my family’s South Beach nightclub, I’m pissed. My dad’s already behind bars and we can’t afford any more bad press. But after giving her a lift—literally—back to her apartment, I stop seeing Katherine Wilson as some random girl. She’s gorgeous, vulnerable, and braver than she knows. And when we kiss, all I want to do is pull her close and promise that she’ll always be safe in my arms.

Not a Word


Chautona Havig - 2013
    Everyone would believe her. Why shouldn’t they? It’s probably the only lie she’s ever told in her life. Just happens to be the lie that ruined mine.Words have power. Add a solid reputation behind those words, and they have the power to destroy.It began with a lie.Mac’s life changed irrevocably with a false accusation. Blissfully unaware of the carnage she left behind when she moved from Brant’s Corners, Savannah Forrester is back and when Mac sees her at church–with a boy–he wants answers.For eight years he’s lived under the cloud of her accusations–without defending himself. He kept her secret. He endured the shame and the life-altering consequences.Savannah can set the record straight. Mac says no. The ultimate question remains: what is best for Rory.And who is Rory anyway?

The Optimist's Guide to Letting Go


Amy E. Reichert - 2018
    Seven days. One big secret. The author of The Coincidence of Coconut Cake unfolds a mother-daughter story told by three women whose time to reckon with a life-altering secret is running out.Gina Zoberski wants to make it through one day without her fastidious mother, Lorraine, cataloguing all her faults, and her sullen teenage daughter, May, snubbing her. Too bad there’s no chance of that. Her relentlessly sunny disposition annoys them both, no matter how hard she tries. Instead, Gina finds order and comfort in obsessive list-making and her work at Grilled G’s, the gourmet grilled cheese food truck built by her late husband.But when Lorraine suffers a sudden stroke, Gina stumbles upon a family secret Lorraine's kept hidden for forty years. In the face of her mother’s failing health and her daughter’s rebellion, this optimist might find that piecing together the truth is the push she needs to let go...

The Bookstore on the Beach


Brenda Novak - 2021
    Her desperate search has yielded no answers, and she can’t imagine moving forward without him. But for the sake of their two teenage children, she has to try.Autumn takes her kids home for the summer to the charming beachside town where she was raised. She seeks comfort working alongside her mother and aunt at their bookshop, only to learn that her daughter is facing a huge life change and her mother has been hiding a terrible secret for years. And when she runs into the boy who stole her heart in high school, old feelings start to bubble up again. Is she free to love him, or should she hold out hope for her husband’s return? She can only trust her heart…and hope it won’t lead her astray."A heart-tugging romance. Readers are sure to be sucked in.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review  Don’t miss Brenda Novak’s latest book, When I Found You!

The One With The Engagement Party


Erin Lawless - 2016
    but her four bridesmaids are more full of secrets than champagne.Bea has barely gotten past the fact that her two best friends are seeing each other, and now they’re engaged, and Cleo is rather distracted by the hot new colleague she absolutely, definitely must not sleep with. Daisy is dreading the singles’ table, whilst Sarah’s own marriage hasn’t turned out to be all she hoped it would be...Follow Nora from proposal to altar starting with THE ONE WITH THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY, coming 10 June 2016.

Do You Believe in Santa?


Sierra Donovan - 2015
    They can happen right in your living room—if you’re willing to believe… What grown woman claims to have seen Santa Claus? Mandy Reese, for one—on a very special Christmas Eve when she was eight years old. These days, Mandy works at a year-round Christmas store in Tall Pine, California, where customers love to hear about her childhood encounter with Saint Nick. But when Jake Wyndham arrives in town—charming, gorgeous, extremely practical—Mandy faces a dilemma. Deny what she saw, or let Jake think she’s sugarplum crazy? Jake scouts hotel locations all over the country, but he’s never met anyone quite like Mandy before. Her warmth and sparkle are irresistible, but…meeting Santa? Really? Jake’s no Scrooge but he’s definitely skeptical. Then again, there are all kinds of things Jake never experienced until he came to Tall Pine. Like autumn snow. Mind blowing kisses. And the magic of falling head-over-heels, madly in love…

Good Luck with That


Kristan Higgins - 2018
    When Emerson tragically passes away, she leaves one final wish for her best friends: to conquer the fears they still carry as adults.For each of them, that means something different. For Marley, it's coming to terms with the survivor's guilt she's carried around since her twin sister's death, which has left her blind to the real chance for romance in her life. For Georgia, it's about learning to stop trying to live up to her mother's and brother's ridiculous standards, and learning to accept the love her ex-husband has tried to give her.But as Marley and Georgia grow stronger, the real meaning of Emerson's dying wish becomes truly clear: more than anything, she wanted her friends to love themselves.

Heart Like Mine


Amy Hatvany - 2013
    But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time stepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be?At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents’ divorce, she has been the one taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother—she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again.But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew.Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli’s troubled past, Heart Like Mine is a poignant and hopeful portrait about womanhood, love, and the challenges of family life.

What the Wind Knows


Amy Harmon - 2019
    Heartbroken at his death, she travels to his childhood home to spread his ashes. There, overcome with memories of the man she adored and consumed by a history she never knew, she is pulled into another time.The Ireland of 1921, teetering on the edge of war, is a dangerous place in which to awaken. But there Anne finds herself, hurt, disoriented, and under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith, guardian to a young boy who is oddly familiar. Mistaken for the boy’s long-missing mother, Anne adopts her identity, convinced the woman’s disappearance is connected to her own.As tensions rise, Thomas joins the struggle for Ireland’s independence and Anne is drawn into the conflict beside him. Caught between history and her heart, she must decide whether she’s willing to let go of the life she knew for a love she never thought she’d find. But in the end, is the choice actually hers to make?