Books like 'Pearl'
Readers who enjoyed Pearl by Deirdre Riordan Hall also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance realistic literary-fiction coming-of-age historical-fiction family female-mc
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Coming Home by Judith Keim, Angela Dawe
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLength: 8 hrs 15 minCamilla “Cami” Chandler comes home from France to take over the Chandler Hill Inn and Winery for her recently-deceased grandmother, Lettie, as she’d always promised... -
The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Ivy Rose returns to her hometown to oversee an estate sale, she soon discovers that her grandmother left behind more than trinkets and photo frames--she provided a path to the truth behind Ivy's adoption. Shocked, Ivy seeks clues to her past, but a key piece to the mystery is missing...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book -
Table for Five by Izzy Bromley
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen your life falls apart, all you need is a friend…Abbie Finch loves her job.Unfortunately, her boss doesn’t love her.When she finds herself unexpectedly unemployed, Abbie realises that she’s let all her friendships fall by the wayside and has no one to turn to.Lost and lonely, Abbie decides to leave her comfort zone and join the neighbourhood café’s community table...Categorized as:
literary-fiction realistic family female-mc coming-of-age fiction audiobook womens-fiction -
Fireworks over the Loch by Hannah Ellis
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA sleepy Scottish village is about to be woken up … With her boyfriend moving to her hometown of Lannick, Leana Mackenzie is floating on cloud nine. All she needs now is for them to find a home of their own. Alasdair’s lack of interest in house-hunting soon has her worried.For Isla and Logan, moving in together is the logical next step in their relationship... -
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The Beach House by Jenny Hale
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratings“Oh, my goodness,” she whispered. At the bottom of the box was a stack of letters. Tied with a ribbon, the pages were faded with age. “These are all addressed from here,” she said, “but they’ve never been sent.”When her gram passes away, Melanie Simpson feels utterly lost. She has no idea what to do with her life after she has devoted years to looking after her beloved grandmother...Categorized as:
family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book contemporary -
Going Home by Judith Keim
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn 1970, Violet Hawkins’ only wish at eighteen is to escape her life in the Dayton, Ohio, foster-care system and make her way to the west coast to enjoy a mellow life and find the love she’s been missing all her life. She makes it to San Francisco, but soon learns she needs a job if she’s to live properly...Categorized as:
family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction anthologies audiobook contemporary fiction -
Home At Last by Judith Keim
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLouise “Lulu” Kingsley is thrilled to discover after years of wishing for a sibling, Cami Chandler is her half-sister. When Cami invites her to live with her at Chandler Hill, Lulu jumps at the chance to leave behind all the heartache in her recent life... -
Sunset by Jessie Cave
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe debut adult novel from Jessie Cave is a spry yet reflective comedy of sisterhood, loneliness and second chances as a rootless young woman starts to piece her life back together again.Sunset is an unconventional love story about putting yourself back together when the sky has fallen in.Ruth and Hannah are sisters. They build each other up, and tear each other down... -
Swimming Lessons by Mary Alice Monroe
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIt's been five years since the original turtle lady, old Miss Lovie Rutledge, passed away, but her legacy lives on with some special women, especially Toy and her daughter, young Little Lovie. Toy Sooner kept her graveside vow to her beloved mentor. She left behind an abusive, dysfunctional lifestyle to become a strong single mother and aquarist at the South Carolina Aquarium... -
The Wishing Tide by Barbara Davis
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom the acclaimed author of The Secrets She Carried comes a novel about the pull of the past and the power of love. As offseason begins on the Outer Banks, a storm makes landfall, and three unlikely strangers are drawn together... Five years ago, Lane Kramer moved to Starry Point, certain the quaint island village was the place to start anew...Categorized as:
family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book contemporary fiction -
Champagne Widows: First Woman of Champagne, Veuve Clicquot by Rebecca Rosenberg
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsChampagne, France, 1800. Twenty-year-old Barbe-Nicole inherited Le Nez (an uncanny sense of smell) from her great-grandfather, a renowned champagne maker. She is determined to use Le Nez to make great champagne, but the Napoleon Code prohibits women from owning a business...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family coming-of-age literary-fiction romance drama contemporary fiction -
A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi, Hildegarde Serle
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsLaughter, tears, the transformative power of love, unexpected revelations, and striking natural these are the ingredients that combine to make best-selling author Virginie Grimaldi’s English debut the feel-good read of 2024. Grimaldi is among France’s top ten contemporary authors and her uplifting, unputdownable literary novels have quickly garnered her millions of adoring fans...Categorized as:
literary-fiction family coming-of-age female-mc romance fiction contemporary audiobook -
Moonlight and Promises by Michele Brouder
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsRead the generational saga about three sisters and their grandmother and her friends in the beachside town of Hideaway Bay.Always the rebel and the oldest of the Monroe sisters, Isabelle returns to Hideaway Bay at the request of one of her sisters. She’s never stayed long enough in any one place. The last thing Isabelle Monroe wants is to be tied down...Categorized as:
literary-fiction family female-mc romance fiction contemporary anthologies small-town -
Tell Me How to Be by Neel Patel
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRenu Amin always seemed perfect: doting husband, beautiful house, healthy sons. But as the one-year anniversary of her husband's death approaches, Renu is binge-watching soap operas and simmering with old resentments. She can't stop wondering if, thirty-five years ago, she chose the wrong life...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic adult audiobook book -
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O'Mara's by Michelle Vernal
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratings‘If you love Maeve Binchy, you’ll love this series...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book -
A Happy Catastrophe by Maddie Dawson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of Matchmaking for Beginners comes a novel about love, loss, and the beautiful mess of family.Marnie MacGraw and Patrick Delaney have been in love for a few years now, enough to realize that they are imperfectly perfect together. Still, there are some things that maybe need a little attention. Marnie’s ebullient; he’s brooding... -
The Idea of You by Amanda Prowse
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWith her fortieth birthday approaching, Lucy Carpenter dares to hope that she finally has it all: a wonderful new husband, Jonah, a successful career and the chance of a precious baby of her own. Life couldn’t be more perfect. But the reality of becoming parents proves much harder than Lucy and Jonah imagined... -
Heart the Lover by Lily King
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“Lily King has written another masterpiece. This book overflows with her brilliance and her heart. We are so lucky.” —Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of This Time TomorrowFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Writers & Lovers comes a magnificent and intimate new novel of desire, friendship, and the lasting impact of first loveYou knew I’d write a book about you someday...Categorized as:
literary-fiction coming-of-age historical-fiction female-mc family romance fiction contemporary -
You Then, Me Now by Nick Alexander
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsShe’s given her daughter everything. Now it’s time to give her the truth. Becky’s father is not just absent: he’s a mystery, a gaping hole in her past. He died before she was born and for her mother, Laura, the subject is strictly off-limits. But when Laura books an unexpected trip to Greece, Becky decides to join her, determined to get closer to her mother—and to the truth... -
The Teacher by Meg Gray
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn life, there are no certainties. Emma Hewitt finds herself facing a number of uncertain challenges as she tries to find her footing in the big city of Portland, Oregon. The safety and simplicity of the small town she once knew is a distant memory as she embarks on her toughest year of teaching in her young career... -
Lady Luck's Map of Vegas by Barbara Samuel
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA successful Web designer, forty-year-old India has a fabulously hip life in Denver and a sexy Irish lover in New York who jets out to see her on bi-weekly visits. The long-distance romance suits India just fine: Though Jack is the only man who has ever made India feel truly alive, she doesn’t want things to get too serious...Categorized as:
family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book contemporary -
the truth about fragile things by Regina Sirois
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBryon died fifty years before his time. Charlotte grew up angry. I grew up scared. And Phillip- well, he never grew up. And now we are all bound together into one painful heap of humanity. Broken, but bound. And maybe it is only the fact that we are tangled in one terrible knot that will hold us together until we heal. This is unfortunately, and miraculously, my story...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction realistic book contemporary female-author fiction young-adult -
The Heart Listens by Helen Van Slyke
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTHE HEART LISTENS is the rich, sweeping saga of a gallant and glamorous woman, whose joys, sorrows and crises you will soon be sharing. THE HEART LISTENS is the magnificent tale of one woman’s lifetime—ranging from Boston of the roaring 20’s through the deco-glamour of 30’s Manhattan to the glittering California of the 70’s—spanning decades of personal triumph and tragedy, crisis and ecstasy...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction realistic adult book contemporary fiction womens-fiction -
Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“One of those books you just want to hug to your chest. I loved it so much...Categorized as:
family coming-of-age historical-fiction realistic literary-fiction female-mc fiction contemporary -
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Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt’s a Friday night in a campus bar in Berkeley, fall of 2000, and Percy Marks is pontificating about music again. Hall and Oates is on the jukebox, and Percy—who has no talent for music, just lots of opinions about it—can’t stop herself from overanalyzing the song, indulging what she knows to be her most annoying habit. But something is different tonight...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction family female-mc romance fiction contemporary university -
A Good Time by Shannyn Schroeder
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA passionate free spirit and a sweet-talking playboy sound like a match made in heaven—until life gets in the way of all the fun and games… Indy Adams values her freedom above all else. She works hard to support herself, moonlighting as a waitress while she fights for her first big sale in the Chicago real estate market... -
I'm Virtually Yours by Jennifer Bohnet
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNeed a virtual PA? Then Polly Jones is your girl!Polly Jones is taken aback when a new client asks her to investigate the Robertson family business in Devon, after all, a ‘virtual assistant’ doesn’t usually leave their home office! But she needs the work – and less proximity to an endless supply of tea and biscuits can only be a good thing right? So she sets off, with energetic puppy Rosie close...Categorized as:
realistic female-mc family literary-fiction fiction womens-fiction anthologies romance -
The Daughters Join the Party by Joanna Philbin
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThey didn't ask for fame. They were born with it. In the third Daughters novel, The Daughters Take the Stage, Hudson found her own place in "the family business," aka: show business. Now, for the first time, readers will meet Emma Conway, daughter of a powerful New York State Senator... -
The Butterfly Garden by Mary Campisi
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIt’s all about that second chance… The Butterfly Garden is Book Six of That Second Chance Series. (These are stand-alone stories tied together by a common theme— belief in the beauty of that second chance.) Sometimes love happens when you least expect it… Jenny Romano has never been a white-picket-fence, happily-ever-after girl...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction coming-of-age female-mc romance contemporary womens-fiction fiction -
The Rosebud Girls by Julia Clemens
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe very best of friends, the Rosebud Girls are about to embark on the adventure of their lives.To own the Rosebud Lodge had been the dream of the Rosebud Girls since the summer after high school too many years before. The five of them promised that if it ever went up for sale, they'd buy it. Together. So when real estate mogul Callie sees it for sale, she knows it's time to pounce... -
Fragile Beasts by Tawni O'Dell
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen their hard-drinking, but loving, father dies in a car accident, teenage brothers Kyle and Klint Hayes face a bleak prospect: leaving their Pennsylvania hometown for an uncertain life in Arizona with the mother who ran out on them years ago...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc literary-fiction audiobook book contemporary female-author -
Troubled Waters by AnnaLisa Grant
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsCollege life for Layla Weston isn’t starting the way she’d intended. She’s revisiting the plans she once had to be the reclusive girl she wanted to be at Heyward Prep, and Layla is more than confident in her ability to succeed this time. After all, she’s got a whole new bag of secrets to keep. Still reeling from Will’s disappearance, Layla is doing her best to adjust to life back in Florida... -
Break the Rules by Joanna Philbin
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe only daughter of supermodel Katia Summers, witty and thoughtful Lizzie Summers likes to stick to the sidelines. The sole heir to Metronome Media and daughter of billionaire Karl Jurgensen, outspoken Carina Jurgensen would rather climb mountains than social ladders. Daughter of chart-topping pop icon Holla Jones, stylish and sensitive Hudson Jones is on the brink of her own music breakthrough... -
The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMom says karma always comes around to get you, and I guess it's true. Because last summer I was a total liar, and now, right in the middle of Mr. Pritchard's third-period math class, my whole world is about to come crashing down... -
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Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThree generations of women in the Ferrari family must heal the broken pieces of their lives on a trip of a lifetime through picturesque Italy from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst Workaholic, career-obsessed Francesca is fiercely independent and successful in all areas of her life except one: family...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc literary-fiction realistic action-adventure adult audiobook -
My Summer of Pink & Green by Lisa Greenwald
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAt the end of My Life in Pink & Green , Lucy Desberg had just won the grant that would save her family’s pharmacy—and turn it into a modern eco-spa. Now it’s summer, and the work has begun in earnest. Lucy figures that with the spa opening and her sister, Claudia, home, she’ll have a great summer... -
Meant to Be by Jude Deveraux
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Jude Deveraux has crafted an inspiring family saga that spans generations as she tells the story of two headstrong sisters who are bound by tradition but long to forge their own path.It’s 1972 and times are changing. In the small farming community of Mason, Kansas, Vera and Kelly Exton are known for their ambitions... -
Loving Donovan by Bernice L. McFadden
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe first section of this unconventional love story belongs to Campbell. Despite being born to a broken-hearted mother and a faithless father, Campbell still believes in the power of love...if she can ever find it...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic adult audiobook -
Looking for Clara by Simona Grossi
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsClara is a successful lawyer in L.A. She moved to the West Coast after graduating from law school, leaving behind William, her best friend or more than that. Before she even settles in L.A., her law firm sends her to Siena, Italy, to work on a project for at least six months. This is the original plan. Once in Siena, though, Clara's life takes unexpected turns...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family literary-fiction female-mc romance contemporary fiction mystery -
The Schoolhouse by Elizabeth Bromke
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTo move forward, she might have to take a step back. Divorced empty-nester Becky Linden wants a fresh start. After two decades away, she returns to her hometown to find herself. What she discovers instead is the long-abandoned schoolhouse where she had her first kiss as a teenager...Categorized as:
literary-fiction family historical-fiction female-mc romance contemporary fiction womens-fiction -
I Love You, I Love You, I Love You by Laura Dockrill
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsElla and Lowe are teenagers when they first meet. For her, it’s love at first sight. But it’s safest to love from afar, where the friendship zone is her safety net and she can’t get hurt.Over the next fifteen years, they share grief, laughter, friendship, bottles of cider, cigarettes in the rain. But there’s one thing Ella can never ask whether he feels the same way about her...Categorized as:
coming-of-age literary-fiction female-mc family romance fiction contemporary audiobook -
The Widows of Wichita County by Jodi Thomas
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsApart from sharing the same zip code, Randi Howard, Anna Montano, Meredith Allen, Helena Whitworth and Crystal Howard have absolutely nothing in common—until a fiery explosion on a west Texas oil rig changes everything.Their husbands are men who live to search for "black gold," men who are willing to exchange backbreaking work and long days for danger and excitement—and money...Categorized as:
family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book contemporary fiction -
Sins of the Mother by Tara Hyland
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFrom the author of Daughters of Fortune comes a sweeping family drama that follows a mother and daughter through the poverty of post-WWII Ireland and London and into the glamour of 1950s Hollywood and beyond, revealing the ways in which family ties can never be broken... -
Postcards from Summer by Cynthia Platt
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Notebook meets Love & Gelato in this heart-wrenching novel about a teen girl who travels to her late mother’s majestic summertime home to learn of the romance—and the tragedy—that changed her life forever.Seventeen-year-old Lexi has always wanted to know more about the mother who passed away when she was only a child. But her dad will barely talk about her...Categorized as:
historical-fiction realistic family coming-of-age romance young-adult contemporary fiction -
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My Heart Went Walking by Sally Hanan
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe only man she’s ever loved is seeing her sister.And now they have to save her together.Sally Hanan’s sublime debut mixes the prose of Sue Monk Kidd with the dialogue of Maeve Binchy. With captivating warmth, she pulls us in to how it felt to live in Ireland’s changing culture of the ‘80s, and how it often made a woman’s decisions for her.“I can’t bear to keep walking...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic female-mc romance fiction -
This Too Is Love by Anya Monroe
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI wanted best friends forever and calls from a boyfriend, but my phone only rings when some guy can't get what he wants from his girlfriend. And knows he can get it from me. I am my mother's daughter.It wasn't always like this. At first it was just one guy, but when someone new drove me home, whistling and saying, "Damn, girl, you're hot," I knew what I was becoming, what I was doing... -
The Girl Behind the Mask by Stella Knightley
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLeaving the heartache of sexual betrayal behind her in London, historian Sarah Thomson intends to make the most of her research trip to Venice. But she soon finds her attention consumed by mysterious millionaire Marco Donato. Despite their deepening relationship, however, the handsome playboy persists in playing a secretive game... -
Something to Prove by Shannyn Schroeder
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTwo ambitious people team up to prove themselves to their families—and find there may be more to their partnership than just business. . . Elizabeth Brannigan is determined to show her father she's capable of running the family business. Saving his struggling Chicago bar seems like the perfect project. But she'll need a little help dealing with the rough crowd... -
Rose by Diane Schwemm
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThis is me and my three younger sisters. Being the oldest has never been easy, but it was especially hard the year I turned sixteen. That was the year that the things I thought would always be the same changed forever. After Dad died, Mom needed me to pitch in more--get a job and help take care of my sisters. I was working so hard to care for my family, I forgot to look out for myself... -
Ready for Marriage / Finding Happily-Ever-After by Debbie Macomber, Marie Ferrarella
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHE'S READY FOR LOVE—AND EVERYTHING IT MEANS. IS SHE? Three years ago, Mary Jo Summerhill fell completely and utterly in love with Evan Dryden. But she was a kindergarten teacher, and he was a Boston blue blood with political ambitions. His family said she wasn't the "right kind of wife" for Evan. Mary Jo agreed—she didn't belong in his world. So she lied, and broke his heart...
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