This month in BookTrib, we showcase novels of any women’s fiction sub-genre — be it a cozy mystery or a wild ride — that gives us cause to smile, laugh a little and feel good.
MOVING MAGGIE: A Midlife Moxie Novel by Nancy Christie
The year Maggie turned 60, she is hit with a triple whammy of unpleasant and definitely unwanted events: the loss of her job, the ending of her marriage and the need to find a new place to live. Her move to a small rural community sparks a series of unexpected opportunities and new friendships. But she’s so focused on regaining her financial stability and professional status that she is afraid to make time for a personal life and possibly even a romantic relationship. Can Maggie learn how to create a more balanced life?
Moving Maggie (third in the Midlife Moxie novel series) is a contemporary novel about the challenges the 60-year-old protagonist undergoes as she is faced with starting a new life.
AGAIN, ONLY MORE LIKE YOU by Catalina Margulis
A story that’s honest, hilarious, heartbreaking, and above all, immensely relatable.
In the bustling heart of New York, Carmen has it all — a high-profile career, a loving family and a home straight out of a magazine. But as her 40th looms, her life begins to unravel. A surprise pregnancy, a shocking job loss and the unwelcome sight of crow’s feet force her to rethink her perfect life and what it means to truly have it all.
Meanwhile, in the quiet of Maine, Carmen’s best friend Ally, a spirited marine biologist, confronts her own crisis as she faces the fallout from a doomed affair with her boss. With her romantic life in shambles and her professional life no better, Ally relocates to Portland, Oregon, hoping for a fresh start and one last chance at love.
As their individual journeys to happiness lead them in different directions, the strength of their friendship is tested. Tragedy strikes, bringing hidden resentments to the surface and forcing them to confront their past — and each other. In the process, they must answer a pivotal question: Are their best years really behind them or is turning 40 just the beginning of their greatest adventures?
ELIZABETH SAILS by Kristin Owens
Beth Schiff ghostwrites autobiographies for politicians, except her own life doesn’t warrant a footnote. Excitement is re-watching classic movies with a Whitman’s Sampler. But when her adventurous Aunt Ethel dies, Beth must scramble out of her comfy sweatpants and into some Spanx to find the missing will aboard the luxury cruise ship Queen Elizabeth.
Figuring out which fork to use at dinner becomes the least of Beth’s worries. The will isn’t lost … it’s hidden. Aunt Ethel devised an elaborate scavenger hunt and each exotic port stop forces Beth to confront her list of insecurities to get the next clue. If she fails, millions revert to a much-hated relative, Max, who is responsible for her dismantled family.
When someone starts trying to sabotage her search, the game becomes personal and her energetic septuagenarian tablemates rally to help. But Beth must make the puzzle pieces fit before the cruise ends or Max gets his greedy hands on the money destined for charities.
For fans of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill and The Jetsetters comes a heartfelt story about an unintended quest for self-discovery, forgiveness and an awesome buffet.
RELATIVE STRANGERS by A.H. Kim
Amelia Bae-Wood’s life is falling apart. Unemployed, newly single and completely broke, she finds herself hitchhiking across California to deal with the fallout of her mother’s eviction from the family estate. Amelia needs somewhere to live and time to figure out what to do with the rest of her life, so moving with her mother and sister to Arcadia, the cancer retreat center where her sister volunteers, seems like as good an idea as any.
Amelia’s sister, Eleanor, has too much on her plate, including being caught up in a court battle with a man who claims to be their half-brother from Seoul, their late father’s secret love child from his youth. And when Amelia adds herself to Eleanor’s list of problems, Eleanor must figure out what to hold on to — and when to let go — before things start to unravel.
A witty, wry and enormously entertaining retelling of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, Relative Strangers gives the classic tale a modern, feminist twist, touching on themes of blended families, race, class and wealth.
THE EVERYWHERE GIRL by Julie Mayerson Brown
There’s one advantage to being the underdog … nobody expects you to win.
Rebecca Sparks is a lighthearted young woman with a variety of odd jobs, a bedroom in her mother’s home and a serious aversion to conflict of any kind. When her beloved friend and surrogate grandfather dies, Rebecca uncovers a document outlining a change to his estate that will impact the heir as well as the entire town of Clearwater. Fearful of controversy, Rebecca resists taking action. That is, until her friend’s annoyingly handsome grandson appears out of nowhere and initiates a quick sale of his grandfather’s property.
Still mourning the loss of her friend, Rebecca avoids the dispute. But as secrets are revealed and new information brought to light, she’s forced into the fray. Now, with time running out, Rebecca must make a choice: ignore her friend’s wishes and return to her conflict-free existence or enter a battle in which the odds are stacked against her, millions of dollars are at stake and powerful people are lining up to take her down.
HUSBANDS AND OTHER SHARP OBJECTS by Marilyn Simon Rothstein
After a lifetime of marriage, Marcy Hammer is ready to get herself unhitched — just as everyone else in her life is looking for a commitment. Her new boyfriend, Jon, wants to get serious, and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Harvey, is desperate to get back together. When her headstrong daughter announces a secret engagement to Harvey’s attorney, Marcy finds herself planning her daughter’s wedding as she plans her own divorce.
Now with two huge events on the horizon, the indomitable Marcy soon realizes that there’s nothing like a wedding to bring out the worst in everybody. From petty skirmishes over an ever-growing guest list to awkward confrontations with her sticky-fingered new in-laws, pulling off the wedding is going to be a challenge; seeing her divorce through is going to be a trial. And trying to make everyone happy might prove to be impossible — because in the end, Marcy alone must make a choice between something old and something new.
BETTER IN THE MORNING by Fern Ronay
Veronica Buccino has a plan: marry John DelMonico and quit her soul-sucking job as a lawyer. And when he tells her he has big news, she’s certain he’ll pop the question. But instead of proposing, John informs her that he’s moving to London.
Heartbroken, Veronica feels lost. Salvatore and Antoinette, her dead grandparents, begin to visit her dreams in an attempt to steer her in the right direction. At their suggestion, Veronica takes a news reporting class, which leads to a challenging freelance assignment covering a conspiracy trial. She also begins dating an unlikely suitor: creative Syd Blackman. Just when her love life and career are looking up, Veronica is tossed back to square one by an event that makes her question all her new choices.
