Could be romance, but arguably is not:
Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane
A group of friends is torn apart by a devastating accident. I could not put this down and find myself thinking about it all the time. I’ve never laughed or cried so hard in a book. McFarlane is so talented; this is not an easy story to tell.
The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary
I think some people were disappointed by this one, and I understand that. If I look at this story not as a romance, I like it much more. There’s some deep betrayal and dark subject matter, as well as two timelines. It’s definitely a character-driven novel. But I was riveted, and this is a book that will stay with me for a while.
The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
This book is both quirky and sad. It takes place on a small island where a young widow pretends he’s still alive – and the whole town goes along with it. This book went in a direction I wasn’t quite expecting and it gave me so much to think about.
Historical Fiction
Historical Fiction that wasn’t quite romance:
The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi
I loved the setting of this one – 1960s India. There are characters from The Henna Artist and some new ones as well. I was intrigued by the mystery in this novel, and the writing was excellent.
The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissener
Earthquakes are very interesting to me and this one centers around the San Francisco earthquake in the early 1900s. I appreciated how the women in this novel were friends when it would be easy for them to be petty rivals instead.
Other Books I loved!
Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas
The latest installment in the Lady Sherlock does not disappoint. I was delighted and excited the whole time I was reading. Plus, the slow burn romance is finally a blazing fire!
I Hope This Finds You Well by Kate Baer.
I knew these erasure poems would be cool, but I had no idea how profound and moving they’d be for me. This is one I want to buy a copy of for sure.
Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie
I’ve thought a lot of about this book since reading. The writing was unlike anything I’ve ever read and it was a joy to experience, even though the subject matter was sad. This is about a Black girl growing up in Japan.
Coming Home by Rosamund Pilcher
One of the first books of the year for me. It was a long and sweeping. Seemingly ordinary, but by the end, I was in love with every character, especially the main one, who lives through WWII in England while her parents are stationed in Asia.
Meg Loves Words 