Book picks similar to
Summer Letters by Dan Petermeier


romance
first-reads
fiction
contemporary

Breathing on Her Own


Rebecca Waters - 2014
    An icy road and a sharp turn leave one woman dead, another clinging to life. While two families grieve, details emerge that reveal Molly’s daughter was driving under the influence. As she prepares her daughter for the prospect of a vehicular homicide lawsuit, Molly discovers her oldest child is not the only one injured and forced to deal with past mistakes. If it’s true that time heals all wounds, what are we to do with our scars?

The Best Possible Answer


E. Katherine Kottaras - 2016
    But her quest for perfection is derailed when her boyfriend leaks a private picture of her to the entire school—a picture only he was supposed to see. Making matters worse, her parents are getting divorced and now her perfect family is falling apart. For the first time, Vivi feels like a complete and utter failure.Then she gets a job working at the community pool, where she meets a new group of friends who know nothing about her past. That includes Evan, a gorgeous guy who makes her want to do something she never thought she’d do again: trust. For the first time in her life, Vivi realizes she can finally be whoever she wants. But who is that? While she tries to figure it out, she learns something they never covered in her AP courses: that it’s okay to be less than perfect, because it’s our imperfections that make us who we are.

If Only We


Jessica Sankiewicz - 2013
    One false step and you’re trapped. One slip-up in your choice of words and you ruin a friendship forever. That is what they say. They say I lost. I do not believe them. At the end of the summer after graduation, Adrienne wonders what happened to cause her life to be in ruins. She isn’t getting along with her mom, her stepsister isn’t talking to her, and, to top it off, the boy she’s been in love with doesn’t want anything to do with her. She believes the turning point was a choice she made at graduation. When she wakes up the next day, she has been transported back three months to that moment, the one where everything started to fall apart. Adrienne realizes she has been given a second chance—and this time she doesn’t want to mess anything up. Reliving the entire summer, though, turns out to be a lot harder than she thought. As the same days and weeks go by, she starts to see how simple decisions can make a huge impact on the world around her. Despite knowing some of what lies ahead, there are some things she didn’t anticipate. She thought she knew what mistake led her to where she ended up the first time. She was wrong. And by the time summer is over, she discovers what was really at stake.

Pretty Amy


Lisa Burstein - 2012
    But you’d be wrong.No friends. My two besties, Cassie and Lila, are now officially parentally banned.No summer of freedom. Instead, I’ll be working at a convenience store, earning money just so I can cover bail.No future. Just a series of humiliating “rehabilitation techniques” designed to teach me a lesson.The only silver lining is Aaron—a mystery wrapped in a leather jacket and wielding car keys—who just happens to show up right when I need him. Now I only feel alive when we’re driving together, the wind in my hair.Maybe finally getting a life only happens once you think your life is over.

Snowed In at the Alaskan Lodge


Amberlee Day - 2020
    Smooth, sophisticated, polished.He was the one who’d messed up, so she could add righteous to her list.Yeah, that would feel good.But then Ingrid never imagined meeting him at an isolated Alaskan resort, one she couldn’t escape from quite so easily. Or, that running away would mean giving up a shot at her dream job.No, she would endure every uncomfortable and awkward situation with her ex so that she could have the satisfaction of winning the job for herself.If only he’d stop looking at her in that way that makes her smooth, sophisticated, righteous knees go weak. And making her laugh, like he always did, which is totally not fair.But that’s okay. She can resist him for four days. As long as the unpredictable Alaska weather holds, she’ll leave this island with her dignity intact, if not her heart.A sweet romantic comedy set in Alaska, with snow, an isolated resort, a couple who messed it up the first time around, and, if they’re very lucky, a second chance at romance. Grab your copy today!Fun fact: If you’ve read Amberlee’s books Family Dinners with the Billionaire or Camping with the Billionaire, this is Ingrid Chastain-Bolt and Tyson Sydow’s story! Goosebumps!!This standalone book is the Snowed In for Christmas Clean Romance Series Book 6

Ridorkulous


Mary Frame - 2019
    It's where I live. And I'm the president, mayor, and sole citizen.Reese Jackson is living her safest life. This polymath is tired of trying to fit in with a small town that never knows what to do with her. Her absentee family may have forced her into dorm life for her own good, but she goes from her classes to her room and back—no parties, no dates, and no drawing attention.Until one noisy night, when Reese gets kicked out of her dorm.Fitz Moreland is living his okayest life. He’s on his own to pay for college, but he’s scraping by with an athletic scholarship and free rent with a friend. If he can keep it together, he’s on track to graduate with a useful degree, especially now that he’s finally said goodbye to his drama-loving ex-girlfriend.Until one night, when she gets him kicked out of his house. What happens when there’s one single room left for rent in the entire town and two people who desperately need it? A merrymaking, money-seeking landlord arrives and throws them into a series of ridorkulous challenges to compete for it, of course. It’s the dorky duckling versus the BMOC. The winner will get a place to live—but the loser may just forfeit their heart.

The Mist on Brontë Moor


Aviva Orr - 2012
    Heather gets her wish when her concerned parents send her to stay with her great-aunt in West Yorkshire. But shortly after she arrives, she becomes lost on the moors and is swept through the mist back to the year 1833. There she encounters fifteen-year-old Emily Bronte and is given refuge in the Bronte Parsonage.Unaware of her host family s genius and future fame, Heather struggles to cope with alopecia amongst strangers in a world completely foreign to her. While Heather finds comfort and strength in her growing friendship with Emily and in the embrace of the close-knit Bronte family, her emotions are stretched to the limit when she falls for Emily's brilliant but troubled brother, Branwell. Will Heather return to the comforts and conveniences of the twenty-first century? Or will she choose love and remain in the harsh world of nineteenth-century Haworth?

The Christmas Cookie Shop


Ginny Baird - 2016
    When Hannah inherits a defunct bakery in East Tennessee, her first thought is to sell it and settle her substantial debt. Then the townsfolk welcome her warmly and she's taken with the joyful spirit of the place, where stores employ holiday themes and residents have surnames like Christmas and Claus. After a handsome lawman comes to her aid dressed as Santa, Hannah learns he's more than a hot guy in a red suit and shiny black boots. Sheriff Carter Livingston has joined in the cause of rejuvenating the town, and he's encouraging her to do her part. Hannah's great-grandmother, Lena, sold special holiday cookies that brought hope and renewal to the people of Christmas Town. Yet Hannah has plans elsewhere and isn't looking to stay. Can she possibly reopen the shop known for kindling romance--without sacrificing her heart?

The 3 U-Turns of My Life: • LOVE-RACE-DESTINY •


Jeet Gian - 2015
    Except their feelings for Urvashi, they have nothing in common. Yet, they are ‘friends’.They part ways, only to come together in a web of destiny that puts them against each other, testing their friendship, love, patience, and even their choice of a profession!Will this race between CA and MBA lead them to a fall, or do they need something more to pull them out of the mess created by The 3 U-Turns of My Life?

Heavenly Blues


Sarah Price - 2017
    Compassionate and conscientious, she excels as a post-op nurse, but her new supervisor doesn’t care how much she needs time off. Although she’s a selfless wife and mother, news of her husband’s promotion only fills her with anxiety. The country-club lifestyle he craves triggers memories of the dysfunctional family she came from, and of her own mother’s single-minded ambition to climb the social ladder.Laura has reached a breaking point. For her, there’s only one way to pull it all together, to balance the demands of her family and job, and to keep pleasing everyone she loves. But her little blue pills are pushing her closer to the edge…

The Sacred Bond Series Boxed Set


Lee Tobin McClain - 2015
    The Sacred Bond series spotlights four former delinquents who grow up to become heroes due to a bond they made as teenagers. A Christmas Bond Romance between enemies . . . In this Christian romance, war hero John Moretti sees the delinquent boys he mentors as the sons he never had, and he wants to give them every opportunity to reform. Crime victim Annie Bauer views them as dangerous threats to her elderly grandma, who lives next door to the boys’ residential school. When the Baby Jesus is stolen from Grandma’s yard nativity scene, the boys’ potential involvement may send them straight to hard-core juvie, and break the fragile connection that’s building between Annie and John. Until the so-called delinquents join together to make a sacred bond… His Baby Bond Battle for a Baby . . . In this Christian romance novel, poor-but-proud Kendra Forrester doesn’t need an arrogant millionaire to tell her how to raise her sister’s baby. But when handsome Zeke King arrives at her Colorado cabin demanding custody of his brother’s child, strategy dictates that she let him stick around. Battling mountain weather and the baby’s illness brings these two opposites together, but their own insecurities, their dead siblings’ secrets, and a jealous former boyfriend threaten their tentative bond. Only the Lord and the Sacred Bond Brotherhood can help Kendra and Zeke form a family for their baby. The Bride's Broken Bond A Runaway Bride . . . As the wedding music starts playing, poor little rich girl Hope DeMille learns that her husband-to-be loves someone else, but her domineering, high-society father won’t let her back out of the expensive wedding he’s funded. Enter Rock Anderson, a former inner-city kid mentored by Hope’s parents, who’s always wanted Hope. After helping Hope escape, Rock gets her a job at his urban mission and helps her find meaning in her life. But when Hope’s powerful father seeks revenge and one of the inner-city kids goes missing, it’ll take the best efforts of the Sacred Bond brotherhood to help this opposite-sides-of-the-tracks couple overcome their differences and commit to love. Her Reunion Bond The single dad blues . . . Ever since she lost her unborn child and the use of her leg in an accident, Wendy Smith has given up on romance and focused on kids—her own foster kids, and those she teaches. Daniel Masterson, Wendy’s high school boyfriend, has been earning money hand-over-fist in the entertainment industry, but his wife’s death showed him how shallow his life is—especially now that he’s raising his daughter alone. With the encouragement of his Sacred Bond brothers, Daniel returns to Pittsburgh to do a fund-raising campaign for Wendy’s school, and he rents a house adjacent to Wendy’s.Now the two families are forced to spend time together, and Wendy and Daniel’s attraction reignites. The only problem is that Wendy’s never told him the truth about the baby she lost… The Doctor's Bond Bad Boone McDermitt is back in Pleasant Haven, Florida to help his troubled nephews ... not to romance the preacher’s daughter! But the handsome doctor sees a kindred spirit in restless, talented Abby Smith, and he’s drawn to her spirituality as much as to her beauty. The problem is, Boone doesn’t think he’s good enough for Abby, and a few small-minded church people agree. As for Abby, she must choose between a dutiful life with the clean-cut minister dear old dad’s chosen for her and the dangerous, passionate freedom Boone represents. It’ll take a lot of prayer and an assist from the Sacred Bond brothers to teach Boone and Abby that sometimes, the biggest risk is in not following your heart.

Season of Mercy: Modern marriage of convenience romance


Alexa Verde - 2018
    Never mind that he's her one-time teenage crush and a longtime friend. But when her son, Stevie, needs an expensive surgery, risking her heart is a small price to pay for her little boy's happiness. Ethan Echeverría leaves women before they have a chance to leave him the way his mother once abandoned him. Then his dad gives him an ultimatum: get married and become the owner of the family auto shop chain or stay single and lose it. Considering Ethan has always cared for Mercy, getting married might result in more than ownership of the shops and a loving father for Stevie. It could be the second chance they need. Their feelings toward each other grow, but so does Mercy's jealousy. When Ethan's past crashes into his future, will she end up heartbroken and alone again? This book is also available free of charge if you sign up for my newsletter.

Aunt Lucie's legacy


Philippe Saimbert - 2012
    Although she wasn’t exactly a saint while she was alive, now that she’s dead, she surpasses herself in making life miserable for her family. Her testament is crystal clear: to collect the inheritance, her nephews and their families have to move into her house, which is definitely not a palace! Aunt Lucie has another surprise up her sleeve, a sort of mad treasure hunt, ankle-deep in mud. Welcome to rural France! What’s certain is that her dear nephews are not about to get bored as they get caught in an unforgettable adventure in the heart of the Béarn. How far will they go to get their hands on the jackpot?Comical situations, funny dialog and dramatic turns of events come fast and furious, masterfully orchestrated by dear Aunt Lucie. The climax could only be astonishing.

Fresh off the Starship


Ann Crawford - 2018
    Join her on this whimsical journey as she discovers the beauty of life and love on Earth.Author Ann Crawford's trademark optimism brings us a witty and wise book filled with memorable characters and insights into what makes us all so very human.

Bethlehem


Karen Kelly - 2019
    But what she finds is not what she expected: tragedy haunts the hallways, whispering of heartache and a past she never knew existed.Inspired by the true titans of the steel-boom era, Bethlehem is a story of temptation and regret, a story of secrets and the cost of keeping them, a story of forgiveness. It is the story of two complex women—thrown together in the name of family—who, in coming to understand each other, come finally to understand themselves.