June 8 marks the second annual Women’s Fiction Day, organized by the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Women’s Fiction Day celebrates women’s fiction authors, novels, publishers, booksellers, and most importantly, readers who appreciate women’s fiction and the power of a great story.
The genre of women’s fiction allows for a vast range of titles, from contemporary to historical, magical realism to romantic elements, to name a few. In honor of Women’s Fiction Day, we’ve highlighted nine titles and invite readers to discover more by visiting the WFWA website.
The Exit Strategy by Lainey Cameron (July 2020)
Silicon Valley investor Ryn Brennan is on the verge of closing the deal of her career, until she meets Carly, her husband’s mistress, across the negotiating table. Carly clawed her way back from being a teenage runaway to become an accomplished scientist, caring single mom and co-founder of her startup. The only thing left is to marry her loving fiancé. She’s blindsided to discover her not so perfect fiancé is already married — to Ryn, her company’s biggest investor. The Exit Strategy is the story of two women who unite to overcome the timely and timeless challenges of rampant sexism and heartbreak.
Dreaming in Chocolate by Susan Bishop Crispell (February 2018)
At twenty-seven, Penelope Dalton is quickly ticking off items on her eight-year-old daughter Ella’s bucket list. After Ella is given just six months to live due to an inoperable brain tumor, Penelope is determined to fill Ella’s remaining days with as many new experiences as she can. With an endless supply of magical gifts and recipes from the hot chocolate café Penelope runs, she is able to give her daughter almost everything she wants. The one sticking point is Ella’s latest addition to her list: get a dad — specifically her biological father, the man who broke Penelope’s heart. This novel doesn’t shy away from the heartbreak, but the beautifully written relationship between mother and daughter and grandmother, as well as the deliciously magical hot chocolate, make it a perfect treat. Read Kimberly Brock’s review here.
Days Made of Glass by Laura Drake (Nov 2015)
To save her sister, Angel, from being institutionalized in a lifeless state facility, Harlie Cooper needs money. Her golden ticket is a career as a bullfighter, rescuing downed cowboys from their rampaging charges. It’s not just the danger and taking on a man’s career that challenges Harlie, though. She must learn to trust herself and her partner. Drake has written a gut-wrenching story about mental illness, the love of sisters, the terrifying leap to trust, and the unbreakable bond of friendships. Read Marin Thomas’s review here.
The Object of Your Affections by Falguni Kothari (Feb 2019)
A heartwarming, thought-provoking story about the lengths we’ll go to for love, family and friendships. Paris Kahn Fraser has it all — a successful career as an assistant district attorney, a beautiful home in New York City, and a handsome, passionate husband who chose her over having a family of his own. When her best friend, Naira, moves to New York following the death of her husband, Paris sees a way for her and Neal to have that baby he’s wanted — with Naira as their surrogate. Kothari takes the reader through the emotional journey of these friends as they defy their culture and society, their families, and even their own biology.
The Moon in the Palace by Weina Dai Randel (March 2016)
A story of timeless themes — deceit, ambition, loyalty, love — in 7th century China. Mei knows nothing of the womanly arts played by the concubines in the palace. Her intelligence and curiosity, the same traits that make her an outcast with the other concubines, impress the Emperor and ultimately lead her to become Empress Wu, the first and last woman to rule China. This is the first volume of the “Empress of Bright Moon” duology and paints a vibrant portrait of ancient China. Read BookTrib’s review here.
The Moon Sisters by Therese Walsh (March 2014)
The Moon Sisters is a beautifully written story about the relationships between sisters and mothers and daughters, and the emotional and physical journey two sisters take as they struggle to move on with their lives after their mother’s suicide. Olivia, an 18-year-old who can taste words and see sounds, blinds herself by staring at the sun, then decides to walk to the remote setting of her mother’s unfinished novel to resuscitate her hopes and dreams. Jazz, 22, plagued by unresolved conflict with her mother and a hidden trove of her unsent letters, takes a job in a funeral home before being forced back into the role of her sister’s keeper. Their trip through the wilds of West Virginia takes a turn when they meet two train-hoppers with dangerous secrets, and Jazz learns that Olivia holds a dark secret of her own in the form of their mother’s final unread letter.
Last Christmas in Paris by Heather Webb and Hazel Gaynor (Oct 2017)
This novel was the 2018 winner of the WFWA Star Award for Women’s Fiction. It’s also a perfect example of historic women’s fiction. It’s August 1914 and England is at war. Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend, Thomas Harding, depart for the front. Told through letters, the reader is taken into the intimacies of Evie and Thomas as they struggle with very different experiences from the war. They share their greatest hopes and fears — and grow ever fonder from afar. Over Christmas in 1968, Thomas returns to Paris, his health failing, to lay to rest the ghosts of his past and finds one final letter waiting for him. Read Sonja Yoerg’s review here.
The Unfinished Garden by Barbara Claypole White (Aug 2012)
In this novel, Claypole White writes about two flawed, relatable characters dealing with real-life dilemmas. James Nealy, haunted by phobias and inescapable compulsions, decides to confront his darkest fears and build something beautiful: a garden. After her husband’s death, Tilly Silverberg throws herself into her thriving gardening business and hides from the world. Helping James is not on her agenda. Tilly is secretly happy when a family emergency demands she return to her childhood village in England. Then James shows up and, away from home, they forge an unlikely bond.
The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks (Aug 2015)
This is one of those women’s fiction stories that combines a bit of everything — mystery, love, friendship, magic, all with a charming cast of characters, and was the winner of the first Star Award for Women’s Fiction in 2016. Unconventional Annie Aster easily accepts the 1890s Kansas wheat field that has appeared in her modern-day San Francisco garden, as well as the mysterious brass mailbox perched on the picket fence that Elsbeth, the truculent schoolmarm, uses to send Annie letters. As they search for an explanation to the hiccup in their universe, they find an unsettling discovery and work together to solve the mystery of what connects them before one of them is convicted of a murder that has yet to happen … and yet somehow already did.
