Book picks similar to
If You Walked In My Shoes by Gwynne Forster


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An American Marriage


Tayari Jones - 2018
    He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together. This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward—with hope and pain—into the future.

The Obituary Writer


Ann Hood - 2013
    Kennedy is inaugurated, Claire, a young wife and mother obsessed with the glamor of Jackie, struggles over the decision of whether to stay in a loveless but secure marriage or to follow the man she loves and whose baby she may be carrying. Decades earlier, in 1919, Vivien Lowe, an obituary writer, is searching for her lover, who disappeared in the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. By telling the stories of the dead, Vivien not only helps others cope with their grief but also begins to understand the devastation of her own terrible loss. The surprising connection between these two women will change Claire’s life in unexpected and extraordinary ways.Part literary mystery and part love story, The Obituary Writer examines expectations of marriage and love, the roles of wives and mothers, and the emotions of grief, regret, and hope.

The Shunning


Beverly Lewis - 2000
    Why else would her Amish mother, a plain and simple woman who embraces the Old Order laws, hide the beautiful baby dress in the attic? But nothing could have prepared Katie for the startling news that stumbles out of her anguished parents on the eve of her wedding to Bishop John. Will Katie suddenly find herself a stranger in the community she has always called home?

From the Pole to the Palace 2: A Love Nobody Expected


Diamond D. Johnson - 2016
    As the days go by, Jameeka realizes that Levi isn’t the man she thought him be, but it’s too late because she’d already done the unthinkable, and Seth would never get back with her in a million years. Now that Seth and Dreka finally are in a committed relationship, is it enough for her to leave the pole alone and finally settle down in the palace where she belongs? Dreka promised herself that once she let those three words, I love you come out of her mouth, that she would hang up her dancing shoes, but is that true? In addition to everyday relationship problems, she is now faced with deep, dark secrets that she thought she had left behind in her past, but she now has to bring those secrets to light. This second installment is filled with drama, laughter, and secrets. Some will make it out in the end, but others won’t.

Everything I Need (Everything #2)


A.C. Taylor - 2018
    She’s never been shy about her feelings for him, and she’s always felt like he was the man she would spend the rest of her life with. But when things got rough, Jordan did the one thing she never expected. The man she thought had her back through anything, simply walked away from her like she meant nothing. Jordan knows his decision to break things off with Imauni hurt her deeply, but he had his reasons—reasons that she struggles to understand. Still, it’s a decision that he’s determined to stand by. But, even after choosing to walk away, Jordan refuses to let go of her completely. Knowing all of Imauni’s weaknesses, he uses them to his advantage. But when the tables turn, he finds himself regretting his past decisions. What happens when Jordan is forced to face the consequences of his actions? Will he come to his senses and fight for the woman he truly loves? Or will he fold, and convince himself that it’s not even worth the risk?

Loving A Dopeboy Through It All


Prenisha Aja' - 2018
    
 Tiyanna is just like many women who can’t decide if she wants to stay or leave her husband, Charles, whom she has been married to for years. She finds herself being held hostage in an abusive relationship for the sake of keeping the picture-perfect image.
 However, with a best friend named Briesha in her corner, she leans on her for support and advice, not knowing that Briesha isn’t being a real friend because, even though Tiyanna is opening up to her, Briesha is keeping secrets. 
Find out the price you’ll pay when you fall in love with a dope boy by reading Loving a Dope Boy Through It All by Prenisha Aja’. You’ll find yourself glued to your seat as you ride a wave of a storm as Tiyanna walks a tightrope as thin as sewing thread that will eventually snap.
 Blood will be drawn, secrets will be kept, and love will be lost, but will death be the only way out?

A Natural Woman


Lori Johnson - 2009
    From the fresh new talent behind "After the Dance" comes a sparkling novel with charm, wit, and a side of Southern hospitality.

Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties


Camille Pagán - 2018
    Perpetually anxious, she’s also accumulated a list of semi-reasonable fears: falling air conditioners, the IRS, identity theft, skydiving, and airbag recalls. But never once did Maggie worry that her husband of nearly thirty years would leave her.On the day Adam walks out the door, everything that makes Maggie secure goes with him. Only then does she realize that while she’s been busy caring for everyone else, she’s become invisible to the world—and to herself.Maggie cautiously begins to rebuild her life with a trip to Rome, a new career, and even a rebound romance. But when a fresh crisis strikes and an uncertain future looms, she must decide: How much will she risk to remain the woman she’s just become?

The Drowned Village


Norma Curtis - 2022
    He’s not ready to let go.Sixty-five years ago. Pushing aside drooping hollyhocks, Elin Jenkins tosses back her dark hair and runs up the familiar path to the tiny village of Capel Celyn, past the mossy graveyard with its crumbling stones, towards the farm that’s been in her family for generations. Laughing, Al catches her around the waist, squeezing her tight. ‘Marry me,’ he whispers. ‘I’ll use my Navy liberty leave, we’ll go ask your parents. I don’t want this to end.’ Tears prick her eyes as she smiles up at him.Three days later, Al is on his ship back to Pennsylvania. And in the months that follow, Elin’s frantic telegrams to him go unanswered. Then she receives the wedding invitation. Scribbled on the back are three words: No hard feelings.Present day. Al Locke, retired Navy Captain, smooths his silver hair and finishes up with a spritz of aftershave. With a spring in his step he hasn’t had for decades, he sets off up the well-worn track through the valley. As he rounds the last bend, his heart begins to race. He has no doubt he will meet her in the village today. He will at last hear the horrible truth of what happened to Elin after he left, and he’ll confess why he couldn’t face coming back… until now.As Al crests the final, familiar hill, a startling brightness draws him in like a vision. Before him, a glittering lake fills the entire valley. The pretty stone village of Capel Celyn, and all trace of Elin, are gone…A beautiful and heartbreaking story about lost love, forgiveness and family secrets. Fans of Fiona Valpy, Kate Morton and Kathleen McGurl will love this book.

Here's to Us


Elin Hilderbrand - 2016
    But after that appetite contributes to Deacon's shocking death in his favorite place on earth, a ramshackle Nantucket summer cottage, his (messy, complicated) family is reeling. Now Deacon's three wives, his children, and his best friend gather on the island he loved to say farewell. The three very different women have long been bitter rivals, each wanting to claim the primary place in Deacon's life and his heart. But as they slowly let go of the resentments they've held onto for years and remember the good times, secrets are revealed, confidences are shared, and improbable bonds are formed as this unlikely family says goodbye to the man who brought them all together, for better or worse--and the women he loved find new ways to love again.

Some Girls Are


Courtney Summers - 2010
    until vicious rumors about her—and her best friend's boyfriend—start going around.  Now Regina's been frozen out, and her ex-best friends are out for revenge.  If Regina were guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth, and the bullying is getting more intense by the day.  She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past whom she herself used to bully.  Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend...if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first.Tensions grow and the abuse worsens, as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion in this dark new tale from the author of Cracked Up To Be.

The Honeymoon is Over


Keith Lee Johnson - 2006
    Two time divorcee, Nelson Kennard, has finally found the love of his life - so he thinks, but his fiancée, Parris Stalls, has found another lover.Parris, a drop dead gorgeous schoolteacher with a body to die for, has been patiently waiting for Nelson's ship to come in. But after four years of waiting, she began to listen to her friends who told her numerous times to leave Nelson and find a man with some money.In comes the very wealthy Shenandoah Armstrong who has a twenty year old score to settle with Nelson. The fireworks begin when Parris finds out that Nelson became the man she always hoped he'd become. She never loved Shenandoah and never stopped loving Nelson. He still loves Parris, but will he take her back after catching her in bed with Shenandoah? Or has he found another and moved on with his newly found riches?

Stay with Me


Alexandria House - 2017
    Unwilling to risk another broken heart, she resigns herself to being a perpetually single woman. Corporate man and self-professed womanizer, Ryan Boyé, doesn’t believe in relationships or love and thinks anyone who does is a fool. But there’s just something about Angela Strickland he can’t shake… When these two cross paths, their attraction to one another is undeniable. Will they find that the love they’ve both evaded is exactly what they both need?