Books like 'In the Unlikely Event'
Readers who enjoyed In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical 20th century mystery historical-fiction coming-of-age family literary-fiction realistic friendship drama
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The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsFrom the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Boy In the Striped Pajamas, a sweeping, heartfelt saga about the course of one man's life, beginning and ending in post-war IrelandCyril Avery is not a real Avery -- or at least, that's what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama epic family friendship grief historical-fiction literary-fiction -
All the Broken Places by John Boyne
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe sequel to the phenomenal bestseller, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, this is John Boyne's latest novel for adults.1946. Three years after a cataclysmic event which tore their lives apart, a mother and daughter flee Poland for Paris, shame, and fear at their heels, not knowing how hard it is to escape your past... -
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsWhile the Titanic and Lusitania are both well-documented disasters, the single greatest tragedy in maritime history is the little-known January 30, 1945 sinking in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet submarine of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner that was supposed to ferry wartime personnel and refugees to safety from the advancing Red Army...Categorized as:
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The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsThe bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility and master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction returns with a stylish and propulsive novel set in 1950s AmericaIn June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the work farm where he has just served a year for involuntary manslaughter...Categorized as:
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The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsAn alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here.In an enthralling new historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption. 1947...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family female-mc friendship grief historical-fiction literary-fiction -
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsIt's first the story of two women in the 1980s, of gray-headed Mrs. Threadgoode telling her life story to Evelyn, who is in the sad slump of middle age...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic -
Last Port of Call by Jean Grainger
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsQueenstown, County Cork, IrelandApril 1912Twelve-year-old Harp Delaney is an unusual child, quiet and intelligent far beyond her years. She would rather spend her days in the library of the grand Georgian house that she sees as her home than playing on the streets with other children.Her mother, Rose, is the reserved and ladylike housekeeper at the Cliff House...Categorized as:
coming-of-age epic family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century -
The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsFollowing on from the bestselling The Seven Sisters and The Storm Sister, The Shadow Sister is the third book in Lucinda Riley's spellbinding series, loosely based on the mythology of the Seven Sisters star cluster...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook -
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsIn their remote mountain village, Li-yan and her family align their lives around the seasons and the farming of tea. For the Akha people, ensconced in ritual and routine, life goes on as it has for generations—until a stranger appears at the village gate in a jeep, the first automobile any of the villagers has ever seen...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama epic family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction -
When We Were Innocent by Kate Hewitt
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“Dad, you have to tell me the truth. Are you who they say you are? Because I know you can’t be. I know you can’t possibly have done what they’re saying…”Libby Trent has worked hard to make a good life for herself. She has a happy, messy home in Virginia, full of family and laughter... -
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 41 ratings“That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.” New Bremen, Minnesota, 1961...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship grief historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic -
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 81 ratingsFrom The New York Times-bestselling author of The Mothers, a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white.The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family female-mc grief historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic -
The Dressmaker's Gift by Fiona Valpy
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsA Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestseller. From the bestselling author of The Beekeeper’s Promise comes a gripping story of three young women faced with impossible choices. How will history – and their families – judge them? Paris, 1940. With the city occupied by the Nazis, three young seamstresses go about their normal lives as best they can. But all three are hiding secrets...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama epic family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction -
The Riviera House by Natasha Lester
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Secret weaves a lush and engrossing novel of World War II inspired by a true story and perfect for fans of Kate Quinn and Pam Jenoff. Paris, 1939: The Nazis think Éliane can't understand German. They’re wrong. They think she’s merely cataloging art in a Louvre museum and unaware they’re stealing national treasures for their private collections...Categorized as:
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The Whisper Sister by Jennifer S. Brown
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe author of Modern Girls delivers an atmospheric coming-of-age story set in Prohibition-era New York, tracing one immigrant family’s fortunes and a young girl’s journey from the schoolyard to the speakeasy.The streets of New York in 1920 are most certainly not paved with gold, as Minnie Soffer learns when she arrives at Ellis Island...Categorized as:
historical-fiction coming-of-age drama family female-mc fiction audiobook historical -
The Secretary by Catherine Hokin
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsThe Tower House. Down a secluded path, hidden by overgrown vines, the crumbling villa echoes with memories. Of the family who laughed and sang there, until the Nazis tore them from their home. And of the next woman to walk its empty rooms, whose courage in the face of evil could alter the course of history…Germany 1940...Categorized as:
female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult book fiction -
The Promise by Michelle Vernal
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA wonderfully heartwarming, touching and romantic story - Tammy Robinson Author of Differently Normal Two women from different generations brought together by another’s wrongdoing. When British backpacker, Isabel Stark happens across a car accident on a lonely stretch of road in the South Island of New Zealand her life changes forever...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction epic literary-fiction romance historical 20th-century fiction -
The Last Secret of Lily Adams by Sara Blaydes
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe death of a legendary actress reveals a wealth of Hollywood secrets in a breathtaking novel about betrayal, rivalry, and the punishing brutality of fame.One of the brightest stars of Hollywood’s golden age was Lily Adams, the beloved picture of all-American innocence. Why she suddenly vanished from the spotlight was a mystery even to those closest to her...Categorized as:
historical-fiction season-summer friendship female-mc fiction mystery historical audiobook -
Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens, Kevin Stillwell
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe summer of 1976 is a turning point for 15-year-old Boady Sanden. He's managed to outrun and outwit the bullying seniors throughout his freshman year at St. Ignatius High; he's working multiple jobs for Wally Schenicker's construction company; and he finally makes a friend his own age--Thomas Elgin, son of the only black family on Boady's side of town... -
The Dressmaker’s Secret by Lorna Cook
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsParis, 1941: As Coco Chanel’s assistant, Adèle lives side by side with German officers in the splendor of The Ritz hotel. But Adèle has a secret. She is working for the resistance, right under the German’s noses...Categorized as:
epic family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure -
A Valley Secret by Anna Jacobs
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe second book in the brand new Backshaw Moss series from million-copy bestseller Anna JacobsLancashire, 1930s. When her mother dies, leaving her an old sewing box and a clue to her father's identity, 22-year-old Maisie Bassett is determined to make a fresh start.Changing her name and moving to the small town of Rivenshaw, she finds a respectable job in a grocery store... -
The Little Ship: A heart-warming, sweeping wartime saga full of heart which will stay with you for ages by Margaret Mayhew
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSet largely on the Essex coast before the war, Matt, Guy, and their young cousin Lizzie meet up for holidays and bum around in an old boat. Guy is the eldest, handsome, skilled at everything, a tad selfish. Matt is quieter and has a crippled right arm...Categorized as:
historical-fiction epic family friendship female-mc historical 20th-century military -
The Orphan Daughter by Sheila Riley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWinter, Liverpool 1947. Evie Kilgaren is a fighter. Abandoned by her mother and with her father long gone, she is left to raise her siblings in dockside Liverpool, as they battle against the coldest winter on record. But she is determined to make a life for herself and create a happy home for what's left of her family... -
Spring House by Mary Ellen Taylor
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe lives of two women, generations apart, converge in this enthralling novel of love, mystery, memories, and secrets. Pregnant and still grieving the death of her fiancé, historian Megan Buchanan is forging ahead on a dream project: to restore to its original glory the landmark hunting lodge her own great-great-grandfather built on Virginia’s Eastern Shore... -
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The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe six D’Aplièse sisters have each been on their own incredible journey to discover their heritage, but they still have one question left unanswered: who and where is the seventh sister? They only have one clue – an image of a star-shaped emerald ring...Categorized as:
drama family historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic 20th-century audiobook book -
Beyond This Broken Sky by Siobhan Curham
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratings1940, London: An unforgettable novel about the strength of the human spirit in the face of war and the remarkable women who put themselves in danger on the front lines during the Battle of Britain.As a volunteer for the ambulance service, Ruby has the dangerous task of driving along pitch-dark roads during the blackout...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction female-mc friendship ww2 historical mystery fiction -
Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn all failed relationships there is a point that passes unnoticed at the time, which can later be identified as the beginning of the decline. For Helen it was the weekend that the Hidden Man came to Westbury Park.Croydon, 1964. Helen Hansford is in her thirties and an art therapist in a psychiatric hospital where she has been having a long love affair with a charismatic, married doctor...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction family female-mc coming-of-age friendship romance fiction -
The Planter's Bride by Janet MacLeod Trotter
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratings1922: cousins and best friends, Sophie and Tilly, are looking for love and adventure. Sophie, orphaned at six, when her tea planter parents died suddenly of fever in India, has been brought up by a radical aunt in Edinburgh. Tilly meanwhile has lived a sheltered life in Newcastle... -
The Last Night in London by Karen White
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Karen White weaves a story of friendship past and present, love, and betrayal that moves between war-torn London during the Blitz and the present day. A captivating story of friendship, love and betrayal – and finding hope in the darkness of war.London, 1939...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult -
Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsSome bodies won't stay buried.Some stories need to be told. When seventeen-year-old Rowan Chase finds a skeleton on her family's property, she has no idea that investigating the brutal century-old murder will lead to a summer of painful discoveries about the present and the past...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction multi-pov realistic -
Margot's Secret by Roberta Kagan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAmid the chaos of Hitler's conquest of Europe, a family teeters on the edge of utter destruction.Trudy is still obsessed with her sister's husband, Max. But Max is torn between his loyalty to his wife, Margot, and giving in to Trudy, who might turn him in for the murder of her husband, the SS officer Rudolph...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family literary-fiction ww2 mystery historical fiction 20th-century -
On the Wings of Hope by Ella Zeiss, Helen MacCormac
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAs World War II draws to a close, can two young people find love, hope—and freedom?February 1942: Terrifying reports of the Wehrmacht’s advance across the Soviet Union spread like wildfire, striking new fear into the already oppressed German families living there.Harri Pfeiffer, now sixteen, is summoned to the forced labour camp in Chelyabinsk...Categorized as:
drama epic family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century -
Honeysuckle Season by Mary Ellen Taylor
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom bestselling author Mary Ellen Taylor comes a story about profound loss, hard truths, and an overgrown greenhouse full of old secrets.Adrift in the wake of her father’s death, a failed marriage, and multiple miscarriages, Libby McKenzie feels truly alone. Though her new life as a wedding photographer provides a semblance of purpose, it’s also a distraction from her profound pain...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult -
The Button Box by Dilly Court
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe new heartwarming novel from Sunday Times bestselling author, Dilly Court.Clara held onto the precious button, glimmering like a jewel in the dark alleyways of London’s notorious Seven Dials. She needed to save her family… but who was going to save her?There was a time when the Carter sisters’ father was their hero... -
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Rich Man, Poor Man by Irwin Shaw
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsRich Man, Poor Man is the story of two brothers whose contrasting natures reflect the turmoil of post-war America. Rudy is the rich man - a romantic who would let no one stand between him and success. Tom is the poor man - the black sheep of the family on the run from his violent past...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama epic family historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century audiobook -
The Lightkeeper's Daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsThough her mind is still sharp, Elizabeth's eyes have failed. No longer able to linger over her beloved books or gaze at the paintings that move her spirit, she fills the void with music and memories of her family—a past that suddenly becomes all too present when her late father's journals are found amid the ruins of an old shipwreck...Categorized as:
drama family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century audiobook book -
Beyond the Shadow of Night by Ray Kingfisher
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn this epic tale of friendship and loss from the author of The Sugar Men, fate pushes childhood friends to opposite sides of a terrible war—but is forgiveness always possible? Ukraine, 1923. On a small farm, two boys are born within days of each other, both Ukrainian, one Jewish...Categorized as:
family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult book -
A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Great Gatsby meets I Capture the Castle in this gorgeously dreamy coming-of-age romance perfect for fans of A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue.It is the summer of 1929. Lou Trevelyan is a small-town girl with big dreams of becoming a writer. Then she meets the Cardew siblings: the bubbly Caitlin and her handsome, enigmatic brother, Robert...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama female-mc friendship historical-fiction realistic season-summer 20th-century -
The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsOne of the most anticipated reads from InStyle, HelloGiggles, Hypable, Bookbub, and Bookriot!One of Real Simple's Best Historical Fiction novels of the year! “The Gown is marvelous and moving, a vivid portrait of female self-reliance in a world racked by the cost of war...Categorized as:
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September by Rosamunde Pilcher
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsAs spring comes to Scotland and the hills burst into life, a dance is planned for September. The invitations summon home the group of people Violet Aird has cared for most in her long life...Categorized as:
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The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA baker in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, must travel to Paris to uncover a family secret for her dying grandmother, and what she learns may change everything. The Sweetness of Forgetting is the book that made Kristin Harmel an international bestseller. At thirty-six , Hope McKenna-Smith is no stranger to bad news... -
A Splendid Ruin by Megan Chance
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA spellbinding novel of dark family secrets and a young woman’s rise and revenge set against the backdrop of the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake.The eve of destruction. After her mother’s death, penniless May Kimble lives a lonely life until an aunt she didn’t know existed summons her to San Francisco. There she’s welcomed into the wealthy Sullivan family and their social circle...Categorized as:
coming-of-age disaster drama family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction -
Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
Rated: 4.09 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsFrom the internationally bestselling author of Kane and Abel and A Prisoner of Birth comes Only Time Will Tell, the first in an ambitious new series that tells the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph. The epic tale of Harry Clifton’s life begins in 1920, with the words “I was told that my father was killed in the war...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama epic family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century -
Love Released by Geri Foster
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBest if books are read in order. RIVETING AND REVEALING! The past stands between them, but a strong abiding love bridges the gap. Violence and crime intrude on the quiet town of Gibbs City, Missouri when a citizen does the unthinkable, but Sheriff Virgil Carter is determined to uphold the law at all cost...Categorized as:
epic female-mc friendship historical-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult book -
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Dreams of Joy by Lisa See
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 35 ratings#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In her most powerful novel yet, acclaimed author Lisa See returns to the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy. Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father—the artist Z. G. Li, with whom both May and Pearl were once in love...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama epic family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction -
Rachel's Legacy by Julie Thomas
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe much anticipated sequel to The Keeper of Secrets, following the fortunes of the Horowitz family from pre-war Berlin to the present. When Dr Kobi Voight is given a set of old letters by his mother he has no inkling that they will lead him around the world and deep into the tragic past of his family... -
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsBased on the true World War II story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris, this is an unforgettable story of romance, friendship, family, and the power of literature to bring us together, perfect for fans of The Lilac Girls and The Paris Wife...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family female-mc friendship grief historical-fiction literary-fiction -
The Hidden Palace by Dinah Jefferies
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe second book in the sweeping new historical series from the number one Sunday Times best-selling author.An island of secrets. A runaway. And a promise....A rebellious daughter1923. Among the ancient honey-coloured walls of the tiny island of Malta, strangers slip into the shadows and anyone can buy a new name...Categorized as:
drama epic family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure -
The Commandant's Daughter by Catherine Hokin
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratings1933, Berlin. Ten-year-old Hanni Foss stands by her father’s side watching the torchlit procession to celebrate Adolf Hitler as Germany’s new leader. As the lights fade, she knows her safe and happy childhood is about to change forever. Practically overnight, the father she adores becomes unrecognisable, lost to his ruthless ambition to oversee an infamous concentration camp…Twelve years later...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult -
The Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsOn the heels of the international bestseller Only Time Will Tell, Jeffrey Archer picks up the sweeping story of the Clifton Chronicles.Only days before Britain declares war on Germany, Harry Clifton, hoping to escape the consequences of long-buried family secrets, and forced to accept that his desire to marry Emma Barrington will never be fulfilled, has joined the Merchant Navy...Categorized as:
drama epic family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure
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