Family life fiction / Stories about family

Book SynopsisFrom the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids comes an emotional novel about two women facing the betrayals, heartbreaks, and refuge of true friendship. Phoebe and Suze used to be closer than sisters. Growing up in a quiet and wildly beautiful coastal town in Oregon, they shared everything. Until the secrets they couldn’t share threatened their bond and complicated their lives. Now, decades later, Suze, a famous actress desperate for safe haven following a brutal attack, is back in town. Phoebe, a successful illustrator and fabric designer, has discovered keeping a secret means she can’t let anyone get close, aside from her beloved granddaughter, Jasmine. As Jasmine’s move to London looms, Phoebe doesn’t know how to face the return of her old friend and all that’s still unsaid between them. Can the two women who’ve never confronted their past do it now when the choice is between healing and survival? Heartfelt and layered, The Starfish Sisters is a moving story about the complicated nature of female friendship, the joys and heartbreaks of life, and the resiliency and power that women possess.Trade ReviewPraise for The Starfish Sisters “Barbara O’Neal is at the top of her game. The Starfish Sisters is a gorgeous, heartfelt story about two lifelong friends who, now estranged, must battle their way back to each other after years of betrayals and jealousy and misunderstandings. Suze is a famous, world-traveling movie star who seems to have everything but love—while her former best friend, Phoebe, does art and nurtures the people around her. O’Neal has written a deeply harrowing, suspenseful, and ultimately loving book that explores the nature of women’s friendships and the lengths to which we all will go to protect those we love from danger. I read it far into the night, and, yes, I wept a few tears along the way.” —Maddie Dawson, Washington Post bestselling author of Matchmaking for Beginners Previous Praise “A wonderfully moving tale…This Place of Wonder will sweep you away.” —Colleen Hoover, #1 New York Times bestselling author “Kristin Hannah readers will thoroughly enjoy the family dynamic, especially the mother-daughter relationships.” —Booklist (starred review) on This Place of Wonder “A woman’s strange disappearance brings together four strong women who struggle with their relationships, despite their need for one another. Fans of Sarah Addison Allen will appreciate the emphasis on nature and these women’s unique gifts.” —Library Journal (starred review) on The Lost Girls of Devon “An emotional story about the relationship between two sisters and the difficulty of facing the truth head-on.” —Today on When We Believed in Mermaids “Elegiac but also forward-looking…I loved every moment of it.” —Julie Powell, author of Julie & Julia and Cleaving on This Place of Wonder “Great writing, terrific characters, food elements, romance, a touch of intrigue, and more than a few surprises to keep readers guessing.” —Kirkus Reviews on The Art of Inheriting Secrets

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Book SynopsisIn this emotional story from Starlight Cove, a single mother must solve the mystery of the town theater to learn why it was shut down and stop the unknown forces trying to keep it closed. Newly divorced Lily Kimura returns to her hometown to start fresh with her daughter and her recently retired parents. She’s committed to rebuilding her life, starting with a new job at the town theater. The Starlight Cove Playhouse has been closed for years, ever since a tragic fire took the life of the lead actress. Now, thanks to an anonymous donor, the town is finally ready for a revival. So is Lily, who wholeheartedly dives into her new duties as theater manager, including an unexpected connection with the visiting movie star playing the lead. But strange noises, sinister messages, and a mysterious play hidden in the rafters soon make it clear that not everyone is keen to move on. Someone wants the playhouse closed for good. With the help of an old friend turned local police officer, Dean Harrington, Lily digs into the truth behind every question, threat, and possibility presented to her. She’s just not sure if Starlight Cove will be ready for the answers, or if, as they say, the show will go on.Trade Review“The plot will remind readers of a grown up version of a Nancy Drew mystery in the best possible way. Perfect for fans of small-town mysteries and unlikely sleuths.” —Booklist

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Book SynopsisAn emotional novel about a small-town Texas family, forgiveness, and coming to terms with the past by New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown.Angela Marie has spent all of her thirty-five years on Meadow Falls, the farm that?s been in her Texas family for generations. It wasn?t her plan. It was an obligation. Now that her parents?less loving kin than strangers?have passed, the whole shebang belongs to Angela. And a legacy she never wanted is hers to uphold.She can?t forsake it now. Her beloved nanny, Mandy, who was always more of a mother, needs a caregiver herself. And Mandy?s great-granddaughter, as close to Angela as a sister, has returned to roost. When a handsome veteran arrives seeking work as a farmhand, Angela thinks the future might not be half-bad after all.But it?s the past that proves enlightening. Mandy is revealing secrets Angela never knew about her parents. As the clouds on her family history begin to part, the inheritance feels more like a precious gift, and Meadow Falls more like the home Angela?s been looking for her whole life.

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Book SynopsisOvernight, in a small town, careers, friendships, reputations, and futures are all on the line in a razor-sharp novel about scandals, secrets, and hard-earned dreams coming true. A small-town campus is rocked by scandal. Suddenly, four women find themselves in the crosshairs of an investigation that threatens to upend their lives. Lauren is the wife of a charismatic, now disgraced, university athletic director. To keep their marriage from crumbling, she’s cleaned up his messes before. This one she never saw coming. Nora is the director’s interim replacement. The groundbreaking career she’s worked for is on the rise. As wife of the English department’s dean, so is the scrutiny and the pressure. Anne is Nora’s wide-eyed intern, thrust unprepared into the chaos of a headline-making story. And there’s Alexis, an English professor in panic mode. Her own secret has always been safe. Until now. As the media descends, colleagues and friends begin to question everything they thought they knew about each other. Every one of them is getting caught off guard. And it feels like the whole world is watching.Trade Review“The realistic dialogue, unexpected twists, and energetic cast of characters will keep readers turning pages. A quick-witted exploration of the underbelly of college sports.” —Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisIs it harder to keep a secret when the world is watching – or to tell the truth when no-one is listening? Belle Simon was just 12 years old when she was one of six girls plucked from obscurity to star in reality TV sensation The Real Deal. Under the wing of dazzling star Donna Mayfair, she and the other five girls were meant to become world-famous actresses, singers and dancers. But at 26, Belle is trying to live anonymously, away from being loved or loathed. The public eye has never fully shut, however, and when a producer offers Belle a big paycheck to join a reunion special for The Real Deal, she finds it hard to say no. If people are going to talk about that shocking final episode anyway, maybe this is an unexpected opportunity. Everyone watching thinks they know what happened, but only Belle knows what really occurred away from the cameras and outside the editing room. Is she ready to go back and confront her past? And will anyone believe her if she reveals the truth?

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Book Synopsis"A witty, toothy, family saga, unashamedly intellectual . . . that, like youth, seems to have it all—energy, aspiration, and self-delusion." —Catherine Taylor, Financial Times"MEET SWEDEN'S SALLY ROONEY" —The Times of London"A wry bestseller that reads like the effortlessly chic European cousin of Fleishman is in Trouble." —The Telegraph of London"Poised at the intersection of life and art, reality and imagination, [Collected Works] blends the thrill of mystery with the curiosity and depth of philosophical inquiry." —The New Yorker"Collected Works . . . is as insatiable in its read as it is insightful to modern challenges of family, memory, and finding purpose." —Matthew Bedard, Flaunt"[A] sweeping and complex drama of family, art, and sacrifice . . . Readers will be captivated." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review"A richly evocative work from a major new talent." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review A compelling mystery and poignant bildungsroman for readers of Karl Ove Knausgård, Collected Works is a novel about love, power, and art—and what leads us to make the pivotal decisions that change the course of our lives.Martin Berg’s wife, Cecilia, disappeared years ago. His memories of their carefree college days seem ever out of reach, and the intellectual curiosities that once made him the object of her desire have given way to midlife uncertainty. The methodical and quiet life he’s made for himself and his adult children couldn’t be further from the one he dreamed of in his youth, when the manuscripts lying around his apartment were flush with promise and his ailing publishing house was still new.Perhaps nothing reminds Martin of these failures more than his friend Gustav Becker, a wildly successful painter who’s returned to Gothenburg on the eve of his career-defining retrospective. Gustav, meanwhile, is hurting too. His obsession with Cecilia’s inexplicable disappearance had made his art hagiographic, fixated on her image. When posters for Gustav’s retrospective plaster Cecilia’s face on major billboards across the city, Martin’s daughter Rakel learns a haunting fact that points toward her mother’s whereabouts. She and her brother chase this clue across time, memory, and Europe to discover why Cecilia abandoned her family, with the imagined hope that the question of what makes a person leave can ever be answered.Collected Works, a major hit in Sweden, sold over 100,000 copies in its first year in print, instantly making Lydia Sandgren a literary sensation. Winner of the 2020 August Prize for Fiction, the novel is set to publish in 17 territories.Trade Review"[Collected Works] has flavours of the realism of her countryman, Karl Ove Knausgard, more than a hint of emotional American big hitters like Jeffrey Eugenides or Jonathan Franzen, and something of the twists and turns of a chronicle like War and Peace."—India Lewis, The Arts Desk (UK)"Collected Works has been put together with the care of a medieval scribe and the patient skill of a master carver. It is without doubt one of the most meticulously built works of fiction I’ve read in a long time." —Charlie Connelly, The New European (UK)"This is the 600-page Swedish debut novel I will be pressing into everyone’s hands this spring. Don’t be alarmed! The pages frankly fly by—in fact, I wish there were more" —LitHub"The mystery at the heart of the story adds urgency to this warm, engaging, and funny novel about the inebriation of youth and the sobriety of middle age; about lives shaped by art and ideas; about our human flaws and joys. Collected Works is a thoroughly enjoyable book."—Aysegül Savas, author of Walking on the Ceiling"Sandgren hooks the reader with an absorbing, multilayered plot that shifts between past and present, building slowly towards the emotional and narrative mystery at its heart." —Anne Foley, Booklist"[An] absorbing story . . . [Collected Works] is a witty, toothy, family saga, unashamedly intellectual but rarely bogged down by the weight of its theories . . . It's refreshing to read such a confidently ambitious work that holds art, literature, and philosophy close to its heart . . . Collected Works is an assured, bittersweet novel that, like youth, seems to have it all—energy, aspiration, and self-delusion."—Catherine Taylor, Financial Times"Lydia Sandgren's Collected Works is the most convincing work of literary fiction I've read in years: one part family saga, one part buddy comedy, one part mystery, one part bildungsroman, and one part philosophical inquiry into the nature of art, the whole filled with unforgettable characters, wry humor, and knock-down gorgeous sentences, positively vibrating with intelligence and style. People often write, with varying degrees of accuracy, that new books feel destined to become classics, but Collected Works feels like it already is one—and you, lucky reader, have stumbled upon it."—Emily Temple, author of The Lightness

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Book SynopsisA New Yorker Best Book of 2023A new novel from National Book Award nominee Daniel Gumbiner about a California grape-grower, his family, and the climate disaster that upends their quiet lives.Since his release from prison after serving an eighteen-month sentence for growing cannabis, Ben Hecht’s life has settled into a familiar routine. On his farm in the foothills of California, he stays busy cultivating a dozen acres of grapes and tending to a flock of mistrustful sheep. Meanwhile, from her desk in their old redwood barn, his novelist wife, Ada, continues to work on what may be her most important book yet. When their only son, Yoel, comes home from Los Angeles for a rare visit, Ben is forced to confront their long troubled relationship, which has continued to degrade in recent years. But before the two of them can truly address their past, a wildfire sweeps through the region, forcing the Hecht family to flee to the coast, and setting into motion a chain of events that will transform them all. This is a story about grape growing and wine, financial and familial struggles, and the peculiar characters and unlikely heroes one will always find in small-town California. Through the experiences of the Hechts and the escalating challenges that face their community, Fire in the Canyon is an intimate look at the lives of those already living through the climate crisis.Trade ReviewA New Yorker Best Book of 2023: Set in the foothills of California’s gold country, this dread-laden novel follows a family who make their living cultivating grapes for winemaking as they attempt to resume their lives in the wake of a wildfire. After an evacuation, they return to the same land, but their environment—increasingly marred by drought, fire, and high temperatures—presents a cascade of fears: not just death and injury from fire but power outages, dangerous air quality, and smoke that might taint their grapes and thus take away their livelihood. The father’s detailed awareness of the region’s weather produces a sense of looming crisis; he notes how often once unusual events now occur—a set of circumstances that make it “hard not to wonder where the bottom was.”"The prose shines in its depictions of nature and setting, as when Gumbiner compares burnt trees to 'spires of obsidian.' Near the end of the novel . . . the reader must also locate the sacred in the natural and mourn all that humanity is losing as we hurtle toward a decimated planet."—Edan Lepucki, Alta Journal"Set in the foothills of California’s gold country, this dread-laden novel follows a family who make their living cultivating grapes for winemaking as they attempt to resume their lives in the wake of a wildfire. . . The father’s detailed awareness of the region’s weather produces a sense of looming crisis."—The New Yorker"“Fire in the Canyon” certainly has mythic overtones. It is a kind of Steinbeck saga with more modern catastrophes in mind; instead of the depredations of the Dust Bowl and the Depression, the Hechts face the twin crises of economic precarity and climate change."—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times"Gumbiner writes with tremendous heart for his characters, as well as meticulous detail about their everyday lives tending their crops, making wine and finding community in a disorienting moment of environmental precarity."—Jessica Zack, San Francisco Chronicle"There is action and drama, but it's not a collage of IPCC report scenarios, it's a real and human story about what happens when a family's own unspectacular life becomes part of the global drama of global warming."—Alexis Madrigal, KQED Forum"Gumbiner crafts an important story, the fictional equivalent of outdoor warning sirens screaming above smoldering pine trees. An engaging, Steinbeckian look at climate change and its emotional costs."—Kirkus Reviews"A soulful masterpiece about the climate crisis in California."—Gabe Hudson, Kurt Vonnegut Radio"Suspenseful . . . Gumbiner skillfully builds tension as the Hecht family’s hard work in the vineyards plays out, pulling them together, even as they ignore the red-flag fire warnings and face the uncertainty of whether the wine produced will be potentially ruined by smoke taint. Readers will be riveted."—Publishers Weekly"Daniel Gumbiner is fast becoming a sort of 21st century Steinbeck, authoritatively illuminating life in California, with all its glories and calamity. Filled with vivid characters and deep knowledge of the land, this is a commanding second novel." —Dave Eggers, author of The Circle"There’s some golden hue or quality that tinges these pages. I have felt for a long time like we need more California novels, and since reading his first novel, more writers like Daniel Gumbiner."—Tommy Orange, author of There There "Stunning. Daniel Gumbiner is one of our greatest living writers on and of the American West, and this book is a thing of beauty." —Claire Vaye Watkins, author of I Love You but I've Chosen Darkness

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Book Synopsis?Astonishingly timely and clever, utterly gripping.? ?Lucy Foley, #1 New York Times bestselling author ?Sarah Vaughan has done it again. Superb.? ?Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author The bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal?now a hit Netflix series?returns with a psychological thriller about a politician whose less-than-perfect personal life is thrust into the spotlight when a body is discovered in her home.As a politician, Emma has sacrificed a great deal for her career?including her marriage and her relationship with her daughter, Flora. The glare of the spotlight is unnerving for Emma, particularly when it leads to countless insults, threats, and trolling as she tries to work in the public eye. As a woman, she knows her reputation is worth its weight in gold but as a politician, she discovers it only takes one slip-up to destroy it completely. Fourteen-year-old Flora is learning the same hard lessons at school as she encounters heartless bullying. When another teenager takes her own life, Emma lobbies for a new law to protect women and girls from the effects of online abuse. Now, Emma and Flora find their personal lives uncomfortably intersected?but then the unthinkable happens. A man is found dead in Emma?s home. A man she had every reason to be afraid of and to want gone. Fighting to protect her reputation and determined to protect her family at all costs, Emma is pushed to the limits as the worst happens and her life is torn apart. Another breathless and twisty novel from an absolute ?master of suspense? (CrimeReads), Reputation brilliantly illustrates that it isn?t who you are that matters?it?s who people think you are.

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Book Synopsis“A delicious escape.” —People Love is in the salty sea air in this smart and steamy ensemble romantic comedy set in a tropical paradise, from the author of the “sparkly and entertaining” (Oprah Daily) It Had to Be You. This is one island you won’t want to be rescued from.The Kellys are messy, loud, loving Australians. The Lees are sophisticated, aloof, buttoned-up Americans. They have nothing in common…except for the fact that their daughters are married. When a nearby volcano erupts during their short vacation to a remote tropical island off the coast of Queensland, the two families find themselves stranded together for six weeks. With only two island employees making up the rest of their party, everyone is forced to question what—or who—they really want. Island Time is a sumptuous summer read that dives deep into queer romance, family secrets, ambition, parenthood, and a bird-chasing bromance. This sexy, sun-soaked paradise of white sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, and lush rainforest will show you it’s never too late to change your destiny.Trade Review"An absolute delight! Georgia Clark is revolutionizing the romantic comedy and she simply gets better with every single book." -- Jo Piazza, bestselling author of WE ARE NOT LIKE THEM"Lush, evocative, and full of surprises. Clark has done it again, a novel brimming with her signature wit as well as captivating insights on family dynamics and the nature of true love." -- Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of THE MAGNOLIA PALACE“Majestic. Clark is the queen of rom-coms with humor, heart, and sex appeal!" -- Hannah Orenstein, author of MEANT TO BE MINE"An absolutely magical read about love in all its forms. I couldn’t put it down." -- Kate Spencer, author of IN A NEW YORK MINUTE"ISLAND TIME is a tribute to love in all its forms, at every stage of its life-cycle, in all its messy glory. It's exactly the vacation I needed." -- TJ Alexander, author of CHEF'S KISS"A beautiful exploration of life and love that tugs on all the heartstrings. ISLAND TIME is gorgeously rendered. An escapist read not to be missed." -- Angie Hockman, author of SHIPPED“[A] fun, steamy rom-com about finding love in unexpected places… a feel-good sapphic love story ideal for armchair travelers.” * Publishers Weekly *"Clark’s steamy comedy set on an island off the coast of Australia is just the escapist read you need." * Autostraddle *“[S]atisfying... For fans of the character-driven, slyly funny work of Liane Moriarty and Jennifer Weiner.” * Booklist **The Best Beach Reads Coming Out in Time for Summer 2022* * Zibby Owens, KatieCouric.com *"Queer romance, family secrets and ambition abound in this summery story." * PureWow, "10 Books We Can't Wait to Read in June" *

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Book SynopsisSOON TO BE AN APPLE LIMITED SERIES STARRING ANYA TAYLOR-JOY REESE?S BOOK CLUB PICK NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A thrilling roller-coaster ride about a heist gone terribly wrong, with a plucky protagonist who will win readers? hearts.What if you had the winning ticket that would change your life forever, but you couldn?t cash it in? Lucky Armstrong is a tough, talented grifter who has just pulled off a million-dollar heist with her boyfriend, Cary. She?s ready to start a brand-new life, with a new identity?when things go sideways. Lucky finds herself alone for the first time, navigating the world without the help of either her father or her boyfriend, the two figures from whom she?s learned the art of the scam. When she discovers that a lottery ticket she bought on a whim is worth millions, her elation is tempered by one big problem: cashing in the winning ticket means she?ll be arrested for her crimes. She?ll go to prison, with no chance to redeem her fortune. As Lucky tries to avoid capture and make a future for herself, she must confront her past by reconciling with her father; finding her mother, who abandoned her when she was just a baby; and coming to terms with the man she thought she loved?whose dark past is catching up with her, too. This is a novel about truth, personal redemption, and the complexity of being good. It introduces a singularly gifted, multilayered character who must learn what it means to be independent and honest...before her luck runs out.

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