Book picks similar to
The Little Cottage in Lantern Square by Helen Rolfe


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chick-lit
02-08-tbr-aug20
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Girlfriend, Interrupted: From carefree twenty-something to instant mother-of-two...


Patricia Caliskan - 2018
     Enjoys walking barefoot across shards of broken home. Likes loaded silences, resentment and insomnia. Dislikes romantic weekends, lie-ins and any chance of future happiness. Former GSOH. Developing PTSD. Ella Shawe was undomesticated, unattached and uninhibited. Until she met Dan. Sexy, charming and funny, Dan ticked all the right boxes and Ella threw herself head-first into the whirlwind romance. But now she’s moved into his family home, complete with two demanding children and a hyperactive dog. Throw in Dan’s impossibly perfect ex-wife, Ella’s interfering sex therapist mother and the snooty and dismissive mother-in-law from Hell, and Ella is almost ready to throw in the towel. But, ready or not, Ella is part of the family now, and getting it right for Dan’s kids means getting it right for everyone. She just needs to figure out how to include herself in the mix… Girlfriend, Interrupted will have you laughing-out-loud, gasping in embarrassment and rooting for Ella all the way. This British romantic comedy is packed full of humour and has a delightful contemporary heroine at its heart.

Miracle on Christmas Street


Annie O'Neil - 2020
    The residents of this little road have come together to create something extraordinary: a real-life advent calendar, where one house will open its door each day until Christmas for a festive celebration. Each day, that is, except Christmas Eve. It should be the loveliest moment of all, but no one can persuade the octogenarian Mr Winters at Number 24 to be involved.As gingerbread houses are iced, impromptu carol concerts sung on doorsteps, and mulled wine passed from front windows, the community begins to come alive - and Jess begins a tentative friendship with the frosty Mr Winters. Can the Christmas magic thaw even the hardest of hearts?And when disaster strikes on Christmas Eve, the residents of Christmas Street are going to need a miracle of their own...Feel-good, funny and irresistibly festive, this book is guaranteed to melt your heart this Christmas!

The Summer We Ran Away


Jenny Oliver - 2019
    As the founder of the Cedar Terrace Whatsapp group, she’s constantly chivvying the neighbours to action, as well as dealing with a kitchen extension, leaning-in at work, and dealing with Imposter Syndrome and her family…But when she accidentally Whatsapps her neighbours a secret letter to an agony aunt she inadvertently confesses to a secret crush. While she loves her husband, Adam, she spends most of her time fantasising about the married father-of-two who lives opposite, timing her evening runs to coincide with his dog walks, finding reasons to pop over and chat and sometimes she catches him looking in a way that suggests he might quite like her too.Julia is horror-struck as the little blue ticks appear on the Whatsapp message. Then left dangling as it’s met with widespread silence and a couple of embarrassed emojis.When the neighbours know exactly what you’re thinking, there’s only one thing to do. Run away. It’s a summer that she’ll never forget… Another gorgeous escapist read from the bestselling Jenny Oliver.

The Staycation


Cressida McLaughlin - 2022
    Now Hester wants to make a good impression on her newest client, Jake Oakenfield, who was heroically injured saving an old lady, and is now laid up in a luxury hotel.For Jake, unable to return to New York, binge watching Netflix just won’t do. He wants Hester to invent the ultimate escape and re-create her most magical holidays abroad from the confines of his hotel room.As their perfect mini-breaks around the globe take on a life of their own, Hester wonders if her world of make-believe is all starting to feel just a little too real…Everyone loves The Staycation:‘Utterly perfect book’ RACHAEL LUCAS‘Made me melt. Just gorgeous’ JULES WAKE‘Sweep-you-off-your-feet romantic. You’ve GOT to read this’ ZARA STONELEY‘Off the charts sexy – I adored this’ KIRSTY GREENWOOD‘The Staycation is a triumph’ MIRANDA DICKSINSON

The Summer That Changed Us


Cathy Bramley - 2022
    For Robyn, the fresh sea air is helping to heal her scars, but maybe not her marriage. For Grace, a new start could help her move on from a heartbreaking loss. When they meet on Sea Glass Beach one day, they form an instant bond and soon they're sharing prosecco, laughter - and even their biggest secrets...Together, the women feel stronger than ever before. So can their friendship help them face old fears and find happy endings - as well as new beginnings?

The Family Gift


Cathy Kelly - 2019
    I loved it' Marian KeyesTreat yourself to the heartwarming, hilarious new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Cathy Kelly!Freya Abalone has a big, messy, wonderful family, a fantastic career, and a new house.But that's on the outside.On the inside, she's got Mildred - the name she's given to that nagging inner critic who tells us all we're not good enough.And now Freya's beloved blended family is under threat. Dan's first wife Elisa, the glamorous, manipulative woman who happily abandoned her daughter to Freya and Dan's care and left the country, has elbowed her way back into their lives. But Freya knows that when life gives you lemons, you throw them right back. Can Freya put her family - and herself - back together? Find out in Cathy Kelly's warmest, wisest and funniest book yet... *** Everyone loves The Family Gift: 'The perfect comfort read for a cold autumn afternoon' Jo Finney, Good HousekeepingCathy Kelly shines an insightful light on female insecurity and, through Freya's journey, shows the healing power of self-belief and family support.' Woman & Home 'Heartwarming' Sunday Express 'Must-read' Daily Express

The School Run


Helen Whitaker - 2019
    Two daughters. One school place. Imogen and Lily are old friends - they've shared hangovers, unsuitable boyfriends and wild nights out together. But now they're mums, and their partying days are behind them. When a place comes up at one of the best primary schools in the area, both women want it for their daughters. From faking religious beliefs to bogus break-ups, Imogen and Lily will go to any lengths to secure the perfect school for their children - and so will all the other mothers.Will their friendship survive the strain? Will their marriages take the pressure? And when a sexy new vicar arrives on the scene, will the mothers' keep focus for long enough to keep their eyes on the prize?

More Than a Feeling


Cate Woods - 2018
    Perfect for fans of Holly Bourne and Lucy Vine. What amazon reviewers are saying about More Than a Feeling: 'A rarity - laugh out loud funny and gripping with it!''Light romcom at its best, has a Bridget Jones meets Jilly Cooper vibe''Thoroughly recommend for holiday or losing yourself on plane journey.'

The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures: a joyful and heart-warming novel you won't want to miss


Holly Hepburn - 2022
    With her only connection to London broken, she moves home to York to be near her family and to begin to build a new life.     Taking a job at the antique shop she has always admired, she finds herself crossing paths with two very different men. Will, who has recently become the guardian to his niece after the tragic death of her parents. And Ciaran, who she enlists to help solve the mystery of an Egyptian antique. Two men who represent two different happy endings.  But can she trust herself to choose the right man? And will that bring her everything she really needs?The brand new novel from Holly Hepburn, author of Coming Home to Brightwater Bay.  ~*~Praise for Holly Hepburn~*~ ‘…treat yourself to a feel-good hit of warm fuzziness from Holly Hepburn. This enchanting novel tells the story of a grieving widow who finds herself ready for love again.’ – S Magazine, Daily Express ‘This book has everything from a beautiful setting to romance…and even a fascinating Egyptian mystery!’ – My Weekly ‘Uplifting’ – Bella Magazine 'A fresh new voice, brings wit and warmth to this charming tale of two sisters' Rowan Coleman 'Warm, witty and laced with intriguing secrets! I want to pull up a bar stool, order a large G&T and soak up all the gossip at the Star and Sixpence!' Cathy Bramley 'The Star and Sixpence sparkles with fun, romance, mystery, and a hunky blacksmith. It's a real delight' Julie Cohen 'Like the dream pub landlady who always knows exactly what you want, Holly Hepburn has created the most delightful welcome to what promises to be a brilliant series, in the first Star and Sixpence. The sisters are warm and intriguing, the neighbours are (mostly!) friendly and the gossip is utterly addictive. I was very sad when it was time for last orders, and am already looking forward to the next round. Especially if a certain blacksmith happens to be at the bar...' Kate Harrison 'Warm, witty and utterly charming, Snowdrops at the Star and Sixpence is the perfect book to curl up with on a cold winter's day. It left me with the most wonderful happy glow' Cally Taylor 'A super sparkling star of a story and I can’t wait for part two’ Alexandra Brown

Anything Could Happen


Lucy Diamond - 2021
    A great love story on the cusp of beginning. And then he was gone.For Lara and her daughter Eliza, it has always been just the two of them. But when Eliza turns eighteen and wants to connect with her father, Lara is forced to admit a secret that she has been keeping from her daughter her whole life.Eliza needs answers - and so does Lara. Their journey to the truth will take them on a road trip across England and eventually to New York, where it all began. Dreams might have been broken and opportunities missed, but there are still surprises in store...Anything Could Happen is a warm, wise, funny and uplifting novel about love, second chances and the unexpected and extraordinary paths life can take us down.

Finding Dreams


Lauren Westwood - 2018
    Perfect for the fans of Jane Costello and Milly Johnson. Lizzie Greene is about to lose everything when her husband suddenly dies and his debts come to light. To make ends meet she opens up her quirky old house to be used as a set for a film based on a bestselling romance novel. Her life and household are turned upside down when a whole cast of colourful characters enters her family's lives: from an enigmatic author, a handsome location scout, a brooding director, to a heart-throb leading man, never mind her now ex-mother-in-law camped out in her drive. As Lizzie delves deeper into the film's book, all is not as it seems. Will her desire to save her house and unravel the secrets of the past lead to new love, or to mortal danger?

The Impulse Purchase


Veronica Henry - 2022
    . .Cherry, Maggie and Rose are mother, daughter and granddaughter, each with their own hopes, dreams and even sorrows. They have always been close, so when, in a moment of impulse, Cherry buys a gorgeous but rundown pub in the village she grew up in, it soon becomes a family affair.All three women uproot themselves and move to Rushbrook, deep in the heart of Somerset, to take over The Swan and restore it to its former glory. Cherry is at the helm, Maggie is in charge of the kitchen, and Rose tends the picturesque garden that leads down to the river.Before long, the locals are delighted to find the beating heart of the village is back, bringing all kinds of surprises through the door.Could Cherry's impulse purchase change all their lives - and bring everyone the happiness they're searching for?Escape to the glorious Somerset countryside with this joyful and uplifting story of family, love and hope.

The Glittering Art of Falling Apart


Ilana Fox - 2016
    For Eliza, the heady pull of its nightclubs and free-spirited people leads her into the life she has craved - all glamour, late nights and excitement. But it comes at a heavy cost.Cassie is fascinated by her family's history and the abandoned Beaufont Hall. Why won't her mother talk about it? Offered the chance to restore Beaufont to its former glory, Cassie jumps at the opportunity to learn more about her past.Separated by a generation, but linked by a forgotten diary, these two women have more in common than they know . . .

Wedding bells at the Signal Box Cafe


Annette Hannah - 2020
    After moving her eight-year-old son to the countryside she's surprised to find the perfect location and her best friend, Abbie, eager to help make that dream a reality! Too bad Abbie's older brother Dominic isn't keen on Lucy or their big idea!As a divorce lawyer Dominic doesn't believe in love at first sight or wedding vows, he's seen them broken more times than he can count. But when Lucy arrives back in town, his hardened heart begins to crack.Making her dream come true is a huge undertaking, but Lucy knows that The Signal Box Café is her chance to finally make something of her life. If only the irritating (and oh-so-gorgeous) Dom didn't make her imagine wearing a white dress and walking down the aisle...Can Lucy and Dominic find a way to each other this summer or will the wedding bells chime for another couple?

Difficult Husbands


Mary De Laszlo - 2014
    When she discovers that her beloved godfather has left her the grand (and crumbling) Ravenscourt House in the heart of Sussex, she soon has a project on her hands.Nathan sells delicious goodies at Mulberry Farm. When he meets Lorna at a Christmas market, neither of them can ignore the chemistry. But as they get to know one another, Lorna wants to know one thing – is he after her or the house?Together with Gloria – whose marriage to alcoholic Adrian has hit rock bottom, and Rosalind – struggling to deal with her womanising husband Ivan, the three friends hatch a plan. They’ll ditch their difficult husbands at Ravenscourt House and enjoy stress-free Christmases with their families. But nothing is ever that simple…Mary de Laszlo has had four novels published by Headline and has since had many others published by Hale. She lives in London and is an active member of the RNA. She was a fashion journalist with Vogue and now works as an occasional film extra when not writing.