Here are my past book recommendations posts if you’d like to check them out:
- 10 Books I Recently Read and Loved (June 2020)
- 15 Books I Recently Read and Loved (February 2020)
- 12 Books I Recently Read and Loved (September 2020)
- 10 Books I Recently Read and Loved (February 2019)
While I regularly share books I’m reading in my day-in-the-life posts and my Things I’m Loving Friday roundup of weekly favorites, I know it’s easy to lose track of my latest book recommendations. I hope that periodically highlighting a handful of the books I recently read and enjoyed in one place will make it easier for you to find a decent book to read the next time you’re on the lookout. Plus, I always love chatting about books with you guys and receive some of my best book recommendations from your comments so please share some of your favorite recent reads with me below!
Also, just a friendly reminder that I try to keep my Peanut Butter Fingers Amazon Store constantly updated with my favorite finds and you may find all of these books and my past favorites in the Books section!
10 Books I Recently Read and Loved
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The Bright Side of Going Dark by Kelly Harms
After flying through multiple suspense books, I was ready for a break from that particular genre and when The Bright Side of Going Dark by Kelly Harms popped up as a recommended read for me through Amazon, I was immediately intrigued since I’ve enjoyed other books by the same author. She has a gift for writing books that, on the surface seem lighthearted and funny, but have more depth than expected. The Bright Side of Going Dark is a creative book that felt very current and intrigued me as one of the main characters is a social media influencer on the fictitious platform Pictey, which is very similar to Instagram.
Mia Bell is a popular influencer who lives a covet-worthy life thanks to her sponsored and her adoring fans. Behind the scenes, her life is far from perfect and when her fiancé calls off their wedding, she’s left in a bind, as she has contracts and agreements that hinge on her pending nuptials. She decides to fake her wedding to appease her clients and then decides to go off the grid completely, hurling her phone off a cliff. Her followers notice her absence and when tech-savvy Paige Miller figures out a way to hack into her account, she begins impersonating Mia as a means to get close to her sister, one of Mia’s most adoring fans who is going through something horrible. The façade lasts for a while but when Paige is caught, everything could change… and not necessarily for the better.
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The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
If you’re in the mood for a page-turning suspense novel, The Lying Game is a winner! My Aunt Laurie recommended this one to me and I immediately recognized the author, as I previously enjoyed The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware as well. The Lying Game was created by four friends, Fatima, Thea, Isa and Kate, when they were a tight-knit group of young girls living at a boarding school in the seaside village of Salten and thought it was fun to try to pull a fast one on teachers, classmates and villagers… right up until their lies proved to have life-changing consequences they never could have anticipated. Fast forward and the foursome are all grown women who haven’t seen each other since they left school but that’s about to change when Kate sends a text with three simple words, “I need you.” The four come together in Salten and quickly realize the biggest lies they told may be coming back to haunt them after the remains of a body are found on the beach, bringing back questions from years ago that still remain unanswered.
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The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda
If you like a good “who done it” book that makes you second guess yourself and various characters in a novel, add The Girl From Widow Hills to your must-read list! I flew through this book in two days and was so bummed when it was over that I immediately downloaded another book by the same author (The Last House Guest) to begin reading. The Girl From Widow Hills follows the now grown-up girl known for surviving a flash flood that swept her away when she was sleepwalking as a 6-year-old in Widow Hills. Arden Maynor somehow survived the horrifying ordeal but when she became famous for her survival, fans, creepy letters, money and hate mail followed and it all became too much. Arden made the decision to legally change her name before college and is now living as Olivia in a small town where no one knows about her past… and she’s hoping to keep it that way. When Olivia begins sleepwalking again and awakes to find a body at her feet — the body of a man she knows from her previous life in Widow Hills — her plans for anonymity seem to rapidly slip away and questions begin to surface that Olivia is determined to find the answers to, even if some of the questions she has are about herself.
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Majesty by Katharine McGee
Last fall, I read American Royals by Katharine McGee and loved it but was super annoyed when I finished because it ended on a cliff-hanger and I didn’t realize the sequel was not yet published. You better believe I instantly downloaded the sequel to my Kindle and began reading it once I saw it was released! Majesty was similar to American Royals in that it gave me Gossip Girl vibes but with a little more depth and creativity. Both books follow the royal family of America and two women close to the royal family, Nina Gonzalez, the ex-girlfriend of the prince and best friend of his twin sister, and Daphne Deighton, the prince’s on-again-off-again girlfriend who is determined to become a princess at whatever cost. Majesty picks up right where American Royals left off — I don’t want to give too much away because it would be really easy to spoil the first book if I share too much — and is a great book to read if you’re looking for a novel that feels like you’re sitting down on the couch to watch a favorite high school drama television show that isn’t a total cheese-fest. Very entertaining!
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The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda
Having recently read and loved The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda, I quickly began reading The Last House Guest by the same author and am happy to say it was another winner. The Last House Guest is a mystery that surrounds the death of Sadie Loman, a young woman from the prominent Loman family, well-known in the small town of Littlesport, Maine. Avery, Sadie’s best friend, is shocked when Sadie’s death is ruled a suicide and when evidence begins to surface a year later that suggests Sadie’s death may not have been what everyone initially believed, Avery sets out to figure out what really happened. When all of the evidence begins to point to Avery, she finds herself increasingly motivated to learn what happened to her best friend while also ensuring the blame doesn’t fall on her shoulders.
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The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
The Lions of Fifth Avenue was a blog reader recommendation and it was a great read! I don’t think I’ve read anything by Fiona Davis in the past but that is going to change after flying through The Lions of Fifth Avenue because I enjoyed her writing style and the premise of this novel. The book follows the lives of two women, Laura Lyons, an aspiring journalist married to the superintendent of the New York Public Library in 1913 , and Sadie Donovan, a curator at the New York Public Library determined to get to the bottom of the books, manuscripts and notes that continue to disappear from the library in 1993.
Laura lives in the library’s apartment with her husband and two children and embarks on a journey of self-discovery after she is accepted into the journalism school at Columbia University and attends a club meeting led by radical feminists who openly discuss topics ranging from birth control to women’s rights. Her journey may lead her to living a life of truth but is that worth risking everything she’s ever known and loved?
Fast forward 80 years and Sadie is tasked with her dream job as curator of the library’s famous Berg Collection but quickly finds herself in the middle of a mystery as valuable and irreplaceable books and manuscripts begin to disappear from the collection. She begins working with a private detective to try to solve the mystery but soon discovers her personal connection to the famous essayist Laura Lyons may not be a positive thing after all, as her grandmother may have been linked to the disappearance of books from the library 80 years prior… as well as one of the biggest tragedies ever to take place within the famous library’s walls.
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The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel
It’s been a hot second since I read a WWII historical fiction novel which is kind of surprising since books in this genre tend to be novels I gravitate toward reading over and over again. They also remind me of Ryan’s grandmother because she shared my love for historical fiction from this time period. I always miss Bubbee a little more when I finish reading a good WWII historical fiction novel because I know she would’ve read it the second I recommended it and we would’ve enjoyed talking about the twists and turns in this one together. For those of you who enjoy WWII historical fiction like me and Bubbee, add The Winemaker’s Wife to your “must read” list! This book came highly recommended to me by my friend Kaitlyn and blog reader Maureen and did not disappoint!
Set in Champagne, France in 1940, the book follows the lives of two women, Inès, a young woman recently married to the owner of a prominent champagne house, Maison Chauveau, and Céline, the half-Jewish wife of Chaveau’s head winemaker. When Inès married Michel, she never could’ve envisioned what would come: The German occupation and with it a life filled with fear, deceit, secrets and, ultimately, decisions that will impact the lives of those she loves forever.
Fast forward to 2019, Liv is a woman in the midst of recovering from a heart-breaking divorce when Grandma Edith shows up and insists she join her on a trip to Champagne. Their whirlwind travels take Liv to Maison Chauveau and reveal secrets about her grandmother’s past that begin to bring about more questions than answers.
This book was filled with twists and turns, heartbreak and hope and I highly recommend it!
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The Last Flight by Julie Clark
Phewyyy this book was a whirlwind! I flew through The Last Flight and thought it was a great read from start to finish. The book follows the life of two women, Claire, the wife of a man from a prominent political family “second only to the Kennedys,” and Eva, a young woman with a litany of secrets to hide and a past she desperately wants to leave behind. Eva’s desire to escape her past resonates with Claire who wants to leave her abusive marriage but fears repercussions from her husband and his entourage.
When the two women happen to cross paths in the airport, a last-minute decision to swap plane tickets changes their lives forever. When the flight to Puerto Rico that Claire was supposed to be on unexpectedly crashes, Claire is presumed dead and she wonders if she somehow got the clean break from her marriage and her former life she desperately desired… until hiding from her past proves more challenging than she ever could have imagined.
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The Guest List by Lucy Foley
From the first chapter, I was hooked and I absolutely love the formatting of the book as it’s told from the perspective of various guests of Jules and Will’s wedding. With the bride a prominent magazine publisher and her groom an up-and-coming television star, the couples’ luxurious wedding takes place on a small island off the coast of Ireland that lends an exclusive and eerie feel to the whole affair. As the story unfolds, dark pasts are revealed and a body turns up on the night of the wedding. Who isn’t all that they seem? Who is dead? And, the biggest mystery of all… Is there a murderer among the guests?
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A Happy Catastrophe by Maddie Dawson
A Happy Catastrophe is the sweet follow up novel to Maddie Dawson’s Matchmaking for Beginners, another novel I’d highly recommend! The book picks up a few years after the point where Matchmaking for Beginners left off and follows the improbable relationship of Marnie MacGraw and Patrick Delaney. Still together years later, Marnie is as excited about love as ever while Patrick continues to struggle with his tragic past. Then, one day, an exuberant little girl named Fritzie shows up at their house, a surprise from Patrick’s past he never knew about until she came careening into their lives. Marnie quickly falls in love with Fritzie while Patrick finds himself falling deeper into darkness as he worries about opening his heart up further and subjecting himself to the potential for loss again. How will Marnie and Patrick navigate this unexpected surprise… and all of the other obstacles that seem to pop up in their lives on repeat?
Question of the Day
What are some great books you’ve recently read? I’m currently loving lighthearted reads (with a little depth!) and suspenseful mysteries and welcome any recommendations!
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I just finished reading a Hundred Summers! I forgot the author but it’s historical fiction and I loved it!
I read that one a while back and really enjoyed it, too!
I really liked the Last Flight and the Guest List!
A lighthearted read with a bit of depth I recently read was Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson. It is SUCH a weird premise BUT if you give it a chance, once you get into it it has humor, depth, love–all the ingredients for a sweet (albeit somewhat out-there) read.
I also just finished Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam and while I definitely cannot argue that it is lighthearted in any way–it is certainly suspenseful. Judging by my friends reactions, its either a “love it or leave it” kinda book–there’s not a lot of in-between, but I liked it! Plus it is a finalist for the National Book Award, so it is always kind of fun to read a few of those.
Hope you’re having a great day–thanks for sharing your favorite reads!
Thank you so much for these recommendations!!
Thanks for sharing this list, Julie! I am a bit disappointed, though, to see that all of these authors appear to be white. I remember you saying a few months ago you were making a conscious effort to read more books authored by BIPOC. I’d love to hear some more of your recommendations that include these authors! Thanks again for sharing!
You’re absolutely right and thank you for keeping me accountable! I’m actually currently reading The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory and really enjoying it so I hope to highlight this novel on the blog soon and will make a bigger effort to select and hopefully recommend more books written by BIPOC authors.
I haven’t read any of these, but a few of them have been on my radar! I’ve found that I’ve had a hard time reading this year…between having my third kid, a pandemic, a tumultuous election season, AND the fact that we’re moving to a new house across the state at the end of this month…I guess it makes sense!
I recently finished The Vanishing Half (which most people adored, but which was just all right for me…I had an issue with the non-ending) and am currently reading Shiner, which I don’t know how I feel about yet. Keep the book posts coming! They’re among my favorites that you do <3
Oh man you’re in a season, friend!! 💗 Phew! I hope your move is a smooth one!!!
Don’t know if you have read anything by Kate Morton, but I love her stuff. It is a little mystery mixed in with drama and there hasn’t been a book of hers that I haven’t liked.
I’ve heard of her before for sure but I don’t think I’ve read any of her novels — thanks for the recommendation!
A few I have been reading lately and really enjoyed include American Spy (this could be made into a movie!), Vanishing Half, Clap When They Land, and the Bookshop of Yesterday. The latter three are easy reads, with American Spy having a ton of depth and suspense.
I’ve heard great things about The Vanishing Half and have been meaning to read that one for a while now. Thank you for the recs, Brianna!
I bought The Guest List after you mentioned you liked it and it was SO good! Now I really want to find another suspense book so your blog is coming at the perfect time!
So glad you liked it!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed The Winemaker’s Wife! I thought you would.
Recently I read Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano and in the words of my grandma “it should be required reading for everyone”. Very good. Then I’m about to finish The Chain by Adrian McKinty which is an interesting suspense novel.
I’ve seriously gone back and searched my comments sections for your book recommendations because you always have the best ones! Thank you for sharing!
I’m listening to & loving the Lost & Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs which is lighthearteded but has a little depth to it as the shop owner and her grandfather uncover historical artifacts within the shop walls.
I read Tattoist of Auschwitz per your suggestion and just checked out Cilka’s Journey by the same author!
Thanks for these great ideas–I just requested most of them from the library! 🙂
Chilkas Journey is phenomenal!
Tattoist of Auschwitz — that book was so heavy and so good. I’ll have to check out Cilka’s Journey, too.
Right now I’m reading Saving Ruby King and The Last Flight is up next. I’ve read (and adored) Girl from Widow Hills, Last House Guest, and The Lying Game. It looks like Ruth Ware just had a new book come out so I’ll have to get my hands on that ASAP!
Sounds like we have very similar taste 🙂
I love your book recommendations. I am an avid reader and document my reading on my bookstagram account @readbybrittany.
I saw someone commented about books by BIPOC authors so I thought I’d give you a few recommendations: Both The Vanishing Half and The Mothers by Brit Bennett, Transcendent Kingdon by Yaa Gyasi, and if you are enjoying The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory I recommend her other books as well 🙂 hope this helps!!
just started following you on IG <3 and thank you so, so much for the additional book recommendations by BIPOC authors!
Hi Julie! I love seeing what books you’ve been enjoying and have gotten quite a few recommendations from you that have been hits for me. If you’re looking for something a bit more lighthearted but with depth, then I would recommend Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore. The plot line sounds crazy (a woman has to live each year of her life out of order – one year she’s 19, then she’s 41, etc.) but I think you’d enjoy the lessons she learns along the way about how to enjoy your life when you don’t know what it’s going to bring next. It seems like it might be up your alley as a fan of Gretchen Rubin. Happy reading!
that premise sounds crazy but also really intriguing. thanks for sharing!
Lately, I’ve been reading and falling in love with Megan Miranda’s The Girl from Widow Hills
yes! such a good one!
I also liked The Lying Game and The Guest List. A dark Dark wood and the woman in cabin 10, also by Ruth Ware, are good too. I just finished Secrets of a Charmed Life and loved it. I’m now halfway through The Things We Do for Love by Kristin Hannah and its fantastic. I LOVE her writing (the Nightingale and The Great Alone are also by her). Dear Edward and Cilkas Journey, both recommended above, were great! I second those. My Last Continent and At the Waters Edge are some of my top 5 favorite books. Also, the house in the sky.
Thanks for the book list, Julie. You have some great suggestions.
I love mysteries and am a big fan of historical fiction, especially novels about WWII in France. I just started All the Ways We Say Goodbye . It’s written by three friends–Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White. This is their third novel but they are new to me. It’s about three women whose lives are interconnected through the Ritz Hotel in Paris.
Somehow the authors weave the time frame of both World Wars and the Sixties with the lives of an heiress, a resistance fighter and a widow whose husband was involved with a resistance fighter turned traitor. Sounded intriguing ; not sure how the three authors work together but I’m about to find out.
I’ve got The Winemakers Wife on Audible and can’t wait for Eta to pass over Jacksonville so I can start walking and listening!
ah!! i’ve read a handful of their novels (The Glass Ocean & The Forgotten Room immediately come to mind) and really enjoyed them — i’ll have to check out their more recent novels, too!
Hi Julie!
Here is a link from a blog post (I write a book review blog) with my favorite books: https://bookcoffeehappy.com/2020/04/01/my-top-book-recommendations/
I second Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. I’m only a few chapters in and I’m loving it so far. Other novels by BIPOC authors that I highly recommend and may be up your alley are American Marriage by Tayari Jones and Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (which has been made into a Hulu show with Kerry Washington & Reese Witherspoon).
i’ve actually read both of those and loved them!! so good! i’ll have to check out clap when you land though — that one is new to me. 🙂
I’ve been reading “All the little lights” by Jamie Mcguire and it is a bit longer and slow at times, but so good!
I also LOVED and tore through “The Guest List” and “The Last Flight”! It’s wonderful to find authors that can weave a story in a unique way. “Majesty” was a little less captivating to me than her first book (sequels are hard!), but still fun. I like the way you described it. “The Bright Side of Going Dark” was unique – though still light and a little fluffy. I’ve noticed an influx of books about influencer life – which I get, given our times – but it’s really not my thing unless it’s super well written, and with a twist. Unfortunately, I could not STAND “A Happy Catastrophe,” ugh. I had enjoyed the first book well enough (mostly because of the quirky older grandma, I’m now thinking…!) – but omg, I found the characters SO unlikable, whiney, and cheesy in this book. I screamed in my head “JUST LEAVE THIS RELATIONSHIP” over and over – god, the back and forth was painful. If you don’t like a character and it’s not incredible fiction, its super hard to get into a book.
As for recommendations! I’ve read some incredible A/A+ ones this year:
– Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (I know some people didn’t like the ending – but I actually like a dose of reality; and oh man, is she a wonderful writer)
– The Stationery Shop by Mearian Kamali (I haven’t seen this on ANY lists and it is SO SO SO good – if you pick up anything from this list, make it this 🙂 )
– Long, Bright River by Liz Moore
– Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
– The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman
– In Five Years by Rebecca Searle (maybe you read this one already….?)
– The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
– Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Hope some of these resonate with you! 🙂
Oh! Also, ditto to ‘Clap when you land,’ and I’m reading ‘American Marriage’ now, myself (though I’m behind – so maybe you’ve already read this one, too!).
Thank you for this list!! The only one I’ve read from this list is Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo & I loved that one!
I love many of these books and authors! Lucy Foley just released The Hunting Party and Ruth Ware’s One by One was as everything you come to expect from her books. Beatriz Williams’ The Golden Hour is a fun new read!
That said, I have been consciously trying to seek out BIPOC authors and recently enjoyed:
Leave The World Behind (Rumaan Alam)
A Place For Us (Fatima Farheen Mirza)
The Wedding Date (Jasmine Guillory) – I have read all of her her really lovely novels
Bluebird, Bluebird (Attica Locke) – the first in a TX Ranger series
Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing this list! I’m reading The Wedding Date right now and enjoying it a lot!
I have also been challenging myself to read more BIPOC authors this year. And I’ve been challenged by this ridiculous year that is 2020 and have found that YA/ middle grade books have been great to read. Typically, they’re a little lighter but a little more advanced than “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” 🙂
I read & really enjoyed The Hate U Give, Piecing me Together, The Vander Beeker series (These are SO good), and my daughter loved You Should See Me in a Crown.
Good luck with your reading. I love to peek into the reading lives of others.
Currently reading Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger and it’s quite good! Suspense, unreliable narrators, and chapters by all the different characters.
Next I plan to read Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover, and then In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren. I like to switch up genres.
If you liked Fiona Davis’s The Lyons of Fifth Avenue (I’ve added it to my to-read list), you’ll probably like The Dollhouse. I read it with my book club a few years back and we really enjoyed it.
2 active boys, one infant, a velcro dog and you have time to read?? Superwoman.
I love the Kate Burkholder series of books by Linda Castillo and INHALED Mary L Trumps book about her uncle….
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet: another vote for this which is recommended by a number of commenters!
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes: really light, easy, fast. Read this during election week when I couldn’t handle anything even a little intense
Sounds Like Titanic by Jessica Chiccehitto Hinman: True story that sucked me in, super insightful author with a fascinating/unique story and life history to tell.
Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner. Not necessarily light but it is very funny, clever + modern, by a very talented writer.
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson: The premise sounds weird so I didn’t pick this up for a while despite seeing it everywhere, then I LOVED it. One of my top of 2020.
Thanks for sharing these recs and for your thoughts on them! Very helpful!
ALso, I second Evvie Drake Starts Over. Linda Holmes is a gem and the book was so light hearted and wonderful.
Thank you for taking the time to put together another book post. They are always so nice to return to when I’m looking for a book but I’m sure it is time consuming to put together.
I almost never read fantasy type books but I just read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Once and Future Witches and could not recommend them highly enough. They were great to escape into during such a stressful time!
I enjoyed the Guest List! Some of my recent favorites have been:
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara
So many good books, so little time!
Hi Julie, reading is my favorite hobby so I love seeing your book posts. The Last Flight is on hold in my library app and I can’t wait to read it! I’ve heard it’s super suspenseful and fast-paced.
A handful of my favorites that I read this year and would heartily recommend include:
Normal People by Sally Rooney
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly
Kulti by Mariana Zapata
Thanks again for the book suggestions 🙂
If you’re looking for something a little different, Where the Forest Meets the Stars was incredible. It has a science fiction vibe, which I typically don’t gravitate towards, but it’s whimsical and lyrical and such a feel good story!
I’m currently reading The Bookish Life of Nina Hill and I think you’d enjoy it!