Feel-Good Reads for Times of Trouble

This March, just before our governor issued a stay-at-home order for the state of Maryland, I gave birth to twins. The first few weeks at home after that were an emotional rollercoaster. I had the usual postpartum baby blues, and on top of that, we were having to adjust daily to new rules about where we could go, what we could do, and which businesses could be open. The governor issued 35 executive orders in as many days, and it felt like we were mourning some new loss every single day. 

So, though I had been doing a lot more serious reading recently, I recognized that, for this season of my life, what I really needed were some light-hearted reads with guaranteed happy endings.  With the help of the Novelist database, an Instagram book club hosted by Janssen Bradshaw, and a few Goodreads lists, I actually found a good number of titles that managed not only to fulfill my need for cheerful books but my need for good writing as well. Here are the six feel-good books that have kept my reading life afloat during these months of staying at home. (Note: There are varying amounts of sexual content in these books, but none so integral to any plot that it can't be skipped if that is your preference as it is mine.)

Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters (2019)

I had seen this book here and there on Instagram and I think possibly even in the grocery store, so it was one of the first ones I looked for when I started shifting into this new mode of light reading. The main character, Evie, works for a film agent who is having trouble getting a screenwriter to finish his romantic comedy script. Ezra, the writer, has writers block, largely because he doesn't believe people can fall in love like they do in the movies. Since her job is on the line, Evie makes a deal with Ezra. She will stage meet cutes to prove that falling in love is possible, and in exchange, he will turn in his script. The meet cutes Evie puts together are disastrous in various ways, but in the meantime, she grows closer to a sweet widowed dad and his little girl who don't necessarily approve of her bet, but seem to like her a lot otherwise. Though I didn't love some of the vulgar humor that snuck its way into this story, I laughed a lot when I was reading this book, and I was also caught by surprise by the way Evie's situation resolves itself. I was also surprised by the fact that I was so taken by a book set in England. In the past I've had trouble orienting myself to non-U.S. locations in contemporary books, but I'm definitely over that now!

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (2011)

At the end of March, Janssen from Everyday Reading announced that her Instagram book club would be reading Attachments during April. I had been wanting to participate in one of her book clubs for a while, and since this book was available digitally from the library, I was able to join in. Attachments is the story of Lincoln, whose job (in 1999, when the book is set) is to monitor the emails of employees at a newspaper and send warnings to anyone who misuses the company email system for personal correspondence. Jennifer and Beth, employees of the newspaper and best friends, do in fact use their work emails to discuss their personal lives, which involve Jennifer's hesitancy about getting pregnant and Beth's frustration with her often emotionally unavailable boyfriend, among other things. Lincoln knows he should just warn them and move on, but he enjoys their emails so much that instead he keeps reading. And then he begins to fall in love with Beth. While I have liked every one of Rainbow Rowell's books that I have read, this is by far my favorite. I just loved everything about it - all of the characters, the dialogue, the surprising yet believable twists and turns of the plot, and, most of all, the way all the conflicts of the story are resolved. It's also very clever and funny.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman (2019)

I discovered this book well before the pandemic, but the holds list for the ebook was so long that my turn didn't come up until April. As it turned out, though, it was worth the wait!  Nina Hill is an anxious introvert who likes her own schedule (which includes ample reading time) and prefers her own company. When the father she never met dies, she suddenly inherits an entire family of relatives she previously knew nothing about, which feels completely overwhelming. On top of that, she also meets a man, Tom, who seems like he might be perfect for her, but who also might reject her if she knew about her anxiety. As Nina grapples with these new connections, she starts figuring out how to open up her world a bit more to people who might make it a better place. I really loved the tone and voice of this book. Nina is unlike any other fictional character I have encountered and I was drawn both to what happens in the story and to the style in which it is written. 

Well Met by Jen de Luca (2019)

This debut novel caught my attention because it is set at a Renaissance Faire. The heroine, Emily, has moved to a small town to help her much older sister in the aftermath of a serious injury. Her sister's teenage daughter has taken a job working for a local Renaissance Faire, but in order to be allowed to participate, she needs to have an adult join the cast along with her. Emily does so somewhat reluctantly, and she begins to question her decision even more upon meeting Simon, who runs the Faire. He comes across as stern and difficult, and seems to especially dislike Emily's penchant for suggesting new ideas. When Emily learns Simon's history with the Faire, however, she realizes there is much more to him than meets the eye. The characters, dialogue, and setting in this book are amazingly well-done. There is some seriously graphic sex in the book that took me by total surprise when I was listening to the audiobook, but that is mostly contained to chapter 16 and can be skipped without losing a single relevant plot detail. Had this book not been so well-written and so engaging in every other aspect, I would have abandoned it over the sex scene, but on the whole, I'm glad I didn't, and I'm planning to read the forthcoming sequels, Well Played and Well Matched.

I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella (2019)

Since childhood, I have always gravitated toward books with warm families at their centers. In this book, main character Fixie Farr runs a shop with her widow mother, social climber brother, and free spirit sister. Though Fixie is known in the family for being the one to fix things, she often has trouble voicing her opinions in the face of her siblings' strong personalities. When their mother takes a much-needed vacation to recover from a heart problem, however, Fixie finds that her brother and sister are both so wrapped up in themselves they don't recognize what is actually important to the shop. As Fixie struggles to keep the business afloat, she also deals with her feelings for two other men: her ex-boyfriend, Ryan, who has recently returned home after failing to make a go of it in Hollywood, and Sebastian, the handsome stranger who slips her an IOU for a favor after she saves his laptop during a fluke roof collapse at a cafe. I like this book because it's not just a romance, but a story of a character coming into her own and deciding what she wants, on all levels. I have never read Sophie Kinsella before, but I thought this was great and would read more. 

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center (2019)

Cassie Hanwell is a successful and talented firefighter in Texas. On the night she receives an award, however, the honor is given by a man with whom she has an ugly history, and when he makes unwanted physical contact with her, she defends herself beautifully by knocking him over the head. Unfortunately, though her female captain understands the situation, she can't allow Cassie to stay on after displaying such unbecoming behavior. In desperation, Cassie agrees to be reassigned, and she requests a position in a firehouse near her estranged mother's house in Massachusetts, so that she can also fulfill her mom's request for help with some medical problems. Cassie knows her new firehouse is not especially happy about having a female firefighter join their ranks, and she plans to keep her head down and stay out of trouble. Unfortunately, though, on her first day, she meets the rookie and notices an attraction right away. It's not until tragedy strikes, however, that she realizes just how much he means to her. I really like Center's writing style and the way the story involves all the details of life as a firefighter. The story is also a real page-turner, and really keeps you guessing at how a happy ending will come about.