Books like 'Swimming Lessons'
Readers who enjoyed Swimming Lessons by Mary Alice Monroe also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance family season-summer realistic historical-fiction drama female-mc friendship literary-fiction
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The Light in the Hallway by Amanda Prowse
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner comes the moving story of a man whose life is changed in an instant. How do you start again when you lose the only love you’ve ever known? When Nick’s wife Kerry falls ill and dies, he realises for the first time how fragile his happiness has always been, and how much he’s been taking his good life and wonderful family for granted... -
Ayah by Andrea Hirata
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBetapa Sabari menyayangi Zorro. Ingin dia memeluknya sepanjang waktu. Dia terpesona melihat makhluk kecil yang sangat indah dan seluruh kebaikan yang terpancardarinya. Diciuminya anak itu dari kepala sampai ke jari-jemari kakinya yang mungil. Kalau malam Sabari susah susah tidur lantaran membayangkan bermacam rencanayang akan dia lalui dengan anaknya jika besar nanti... -
Summer at the Little Cottage on the Hill: An utterly uplifting holiday romance to escape with by Emma Davies
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTake an endless stroll through wild meadows and breathe in the sweet aroma of flowers in full bloom. The first ever guest at the little cottage on the hill is looking for an escape, but her past is not far behind her… Thirty-two-year-old ‘ice queen’ Isobel slams the cottage door and pulls the curtains shut... -
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 season-summer adult audiobook book -
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The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsCaretta Rutledge thought she’d left her Southern roots and troubled family far behind. But an unusual request from her mother coming just as her own life is spinning out of control has Cara heading back to the scenic Lowcountry of her childhood summers... -
Teardrop Lane by Emily March
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn Emily March’s beloved new novel set in Eternity Springs, a woman who has given up on dreams of a family meets a man who needs her to complete his own. Town physician Rose Anderson hides a well of sadness behind her cheerful and capable professionalism. Heartbreak has only reinforced her belief that marriage and children aren’t in her future... -
The Summer's End by Mary Alice Monroe
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIn the powerful and heartwarming conclusion to her bestselling Lowcountry Summer trilogy, New York Times author Mary Alice Monroe brings her readers back to the charm and sultry beauty of Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, to reveal how the pull of family bonds and true love is as strong and steady as the tides... -
Plantation by Dorothea Benton Frank
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsPat Conroy called Dorothea Benton Frank’s debut, Sullivan’s Island , “hilarious and wise,” while Anne Rivers Siddons declared that it “roars with life.” Now Frank evokes a lush plantation in the heart of modern-day South Carolina—where family ties and hidden truths run as deep and dark as the mighty Edisto River… Caroline Wimbley Levine always swore she’d never go home again... -
Sara's Promise by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsDo you believe in soul mates? William Grafton had the perfect life with his lovely wife, Sara, and two wonderful children. But one day his perfect forever was shattered when Sara died suddenly, leaving him alone to raise his children and wonder how he would ever get through life without his soul mate... -
Love at Last Sight by Jordan Lynde
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratings“Rose, I’m sorry, but your eyesight will be gone by the end of this year.” Who knew one simple sentence could change a life so drastically? Rose is a normal seventeen year old girl with a normal life, normal friends, and what she thought to be normal vision. When she receives the news her vision is slowly deteriorating, she doesn't know what to think. Her life is over... -
The MacGregors: Robert & Cybil by Nora Roberts
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Winning Hand When Darcy Wallace spends her last three dollars at the hotel casino and wins a jackpot worth almost two million dollars, all casino manager Robert MacGregor Blade wants to do is look out for her. But something about the lovely young woman is getting under Mac's skin and playing havoc with his big brotherly intentions... -
A Lowcountry Wedding by Mary Alice Monroe
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWedding season has arrived in New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe’s next novel in the “distinct, complex, and endearing” ( Charleston Magazine ) Lowcountry Summer series, set against the romantic, charming Charleston Lowcountry. Nothing could be more enchanting than a summer wedding—or two!—in Charleston’s fabled lowcountry... -
The Bakery at Seashell Cove: A feel good, laugh out loud romantic comedy by Karen Clarke
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAn absolutely hilarious, uplifting summer read about living life to the full! Meg Larson thought she had everything she wanted: she works in the local bakery, she’s months away from marrying her high-school sweetheart, and home is beautiful, sunny Seashell Cove , where the sky is blue, the sea is turquoise and the sand is golden... -
Liars Like Us by Mary Campisi
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsUnlock the secrets in Reunion Gap What happens when destiny ignores the rules? Tate Alexander has the good luck to be born with looks and charm, and the bad luck to belong to a family where money and power mean more than honor and integrity. When he returns to Reunion Gap to take over his father’s company, he’s determined to uncover and right the wrongs his father committed... -
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Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWelcome back to Ladybug Farm, the place for everyone who ever had a friend... or a dream... -
Divided Loyalties by Patricia Scanlan
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom internationally bestselling author Patricia Scanlan comes a delightful story about the struggles and victories of marriage, and the true meaning of family.One explosive family reunion! Shauna and Greg’s marriage is under pressure. She wants another baby but he doesn’t. She also has to endure her obnoxious in-laws, The Freeloaders: Della, Eddie, and their spoiled kids... -
The Shadow Between Us by Carol Mason
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhat is it about the coast that attracts people running from their past? Maybe there’s something in a sea breeze that blows away your problems. Maybe when you look out at the ocean you can see the future; forget the secrets and pain holding you back. Or at least you can forget them for a time. When Olivia moves to Port Townsend, her marriage is floundering, and her life is in pieces... -
Sweetgrass by Mary Alice Monroe
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSweetgrass is a historic tract of land in South Carolina that has been home to the Blakely family for eight generations. But Sweetgrass—named for the indigenous grass that grows in the area—is in trouble. Taxes are skyrocketing. Bulldozers are leveling the surrounding properties. And the Blakelys could be forced to sell the one thing that continues to hold their disintegrating family together... -
A Summer in Sonoma by Robyn Carr, Kate Turnbull
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA RITA Award winner, New York Times best-selling author Robyn Carr has garnered popular acclaim for her contemporary romances. Set in beautiful Northern California, A Summer in Sonoma follows the trials of four women who've been friends since seventh grade.Cassie, doubtful of ever finding Mr. Right, tours the back roads of Sonoma with a long-haired biker who rescued her from Mr. Wrong...Categorized as:
family female-mc friendship literary-fiction realistic season-summer adult audiobook -
Beach House for Rent by Mary Alice Monroe
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe returns to her beloved Isle of Palms to tell the poignant, charming story of two women, one summer, and one very special beach house... -
A Walk Along the Beach: A Novel by Debbie Macomber
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Two sisters must learn from each other's strengths and trust in the redeeming power of love in a touching new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.The Lakey sisters are perfect opposites. After their mother died and their father was lost in grief, Willa had no choice but to raise her sister, Harper, and their brother, Lucas... -
The Year of Chasing Dreams by Lurlene McDaniel
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings"Readers will swoon over this story of love despite impossible odds."--Romantic TimesFrom the author of Don't Die, My Love comes this young adult novel that intertwines a family saga with a grand love story. This novel stands alone or can be read as the companion to The Year of Luminous Love and Wishes and Dreams. For fans of Sarah Dessen's The Moon and More and Ann Brashares's Forever in Blue... -
Talking at Night by Claire Daverley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSecret walks and late-night phone calls. An undeniable chemistry. A tragedy that haunts them both. A powerful yet tender love story between two people who can’t help but be pulled back to one another, time and againThis is the story of Will and Rosie. Bad boy meets good girl, opposites in every way...Categorized as:
literary-fiction season-summer family friendship female-mc romance fiction contemporary -
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 historical-fiction realistic literary-fiction friendship 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 friendship family female-mc romance fiction contemporary -
Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA random connection sends two strangers on a daylong adventure where they make a promise one keeps and the other breaks, with life-changing effects, in this breathtaking new novel from the New York Times and #1 Globe and Mail bestselling author of Every Summer After.Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter... -
A Family Affair: Spring by Mary Campisi
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA Family Affair: Spring is a story of betrayal, forgiveness, and redemption, all wrapped up in the lives of the people we love to love, and even a few we love to hate. Harry Blacksworth is rich, handsome, the ultimate playboy with a killer smile and a clever wit. He’s fought it, denied it, ignored it, but the damn truth won’t go away: He’s fallen in love... -
Forever is the Worst Long Time by Camille Pagán
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom acclaimed author Camille Pagán comes a wry, heartfelt exploration of love and loss.When struggling novelist James Hernandez meets poet Louisa “Lou” Bell, he’s sure he’s just found the love of his life. There’s just one problem: she’s engaged to his oldest friend, Rob. So James toasts their union and swallows his desire... -
The Choices We Make by Karma Brown
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFollowing her bestselling debut novel Come Away with Me, Karma Brown returns with an unforgettable story that explores the intricate dynamics between friends and mothersHannah and Kate became friends in the fifth grade, when Hannah hit a boy for looking up Kate's skirt with a mirror... -
The Summer Wind by Mary Alice Monroe
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe Summer Wind is the second book in Monroe’s Lowcountry Summer trilogy, following the New York Times bestselling The Summer Girls. This series is a poignant and heartwarming story of three half-sisters and their grandmother, who is determined to help them rediscover their southern roots and family bonds... -
The Ball at Versailles by Danielle Steel
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsFour American debutantes attend a renowned Paris cotillion in #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel’s captivating new novel.It’s the summer of 1959 and the Palace of Versailles is hosting an event that will make history. It is an exclusive dusk to dawn ball in which a select group of American and French debutantes will be presented to international society and royalty...Categorized as:
historical-fiction drama realistic friendship female-mc romance fiction womens-fiction -
The Olive Tree by Lucinda Riley
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIt is said that anyone who comes to stay at 'Pandora' for the first time will fall in love . . . It has been twenty-four years since a young Helena spent a magical holiday in Cyprus, where she fell in love for the first time. When the now crumbling house, 'Pandora', is left to her by her godfather, she returns to spend the summer there with her family... -
With All My Love by Patricia Scanlan
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA heartwarming novel about a shocking discovery that forever changes the lives of three generations of women.When Briony McAllister takes a trip to visit her mother, Valerie, she uncovers a letter from her long-lost grandmother, bringing to light a nearly unforgivable act her mother has kept secret for decades... -
The Keepsake Sisters by Lori Wilde
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lori Wilde’s heartwarming follow-up to her “page-turning and passionate” (Jill Shalvis) trade paperback debut, The Moonglow Sisters, takes readers back to Moonglow Cove, Texas, with a story of twin sisters separated at birth who are reunited under unforgettable circumstancesIt was a story that couldn’t possibly be true: Identical twins, separated... -
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The Little Kiosk by the Sea by Jennifer Bohnet
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe wonderful seaside story from Jennifer Bohnet, perfect for fans of Fern Britton and Jill Mansell! One summer they’ll never forget… Meet Sabine, desperately fighting to save her little kiosk from closure whilst turning down her friend Owen’s proposals, time and time again... -
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 friendship romance contemporary fiction -
The House by the Creek by Elizabeth Bromke
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsMorgan Jo Coyle has been trying to escape her past but when she receives a heart-breaking call from her mother, telling her that her Memaw Essie is on her deathbed, Morgan drops everything to go home to the small town of Brambleberry Creek and face her family—before it’s too late... -
Summer Island by Kristin Hannah
Rated: 3.98 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsYears ago, Nora Bridge walked out on her marriage and left her daughters behind. Now she is a famous talk show host. Her daughter Ruby is a struggling comedienne. The two haven’t spoken in more than a decade. Then a scandal from Nora’s past is exposed, and Ruby is offered a fortune to write a tell-all about her mother... -
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 friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book contemporary -
Far and Away by Amy Poeppel
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe “absolutely hilarious” (Real Simple) Amy Poeppel delights once again with a charming new novel about a house swap gone wonderfully awry.Perfect strangers Lucy and Greta have agreed to a house swap—and boy, are they going to regret it. Lucy’s hometown of Dallas has gone from home sweet home to vicious snake pit in the blink of an eye after her son makes a mistake he can’t undo...Categorized as:
season-summer female-mc literary-fiction family friendship romance fiction contemporary -
A Woman's Heart by JoAnn Ross
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIreland—a land of unbridled spirit, ancient legends, whitewashed cottages and storybook castles. A place where anything can happen and there are no strangers—until now. Quinn Gallagher has reluctantly come to Castlelough. He’s cynical, bitter and disillusioned. But the magic of the west coast is about to change him. He’s never met anyone like Nora Fitzpatrick... -
The Waffle House on the Pier by Tilly Tennant
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRun away to Sea Salt Bay, where the sand is warm and soft, the sea is a perfect blue, and a candy-coloured waffle house is about to change Sadie’s life…For as long as she can remember, Sadie’s grandparents have run the waffle house on the pier at Sea Salt Bay. With its pretty painted chairs, sweet smells, and the warm advice of her beloved grandparents, the waffle house is like a second home...Categorized as:
family female-mc friendship literary-fiction season-summer audiobook book contemporary -
Diamonds are Forever by Michelle Madow
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIt's cold outside, but the drama is hot!The Diamond sisters jet to the mountains for spring break, and Savannah's flirt-mance with an international pop star heats up as her pursuit of stardom succeeds... -
Prayers for the Dying by Suzanne Jenkins
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBook Four in the Pam of Babylon Series, Prayers for the Dying exposes more of what Kirkus Review said about Dream Lover, "A gritty, realistic portrait of the aftermath of deceit." Jack Smith's victims attempt to move forward while grappling with the pain and horror that he left behind. Pam makes a few startling revelations about herself, while Sandra hopes for a future with exciting expectations... -
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Aftershocks of Kiss Cam by mikaelanay
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsJacob Callahan and Jacquelyn Waldorf have been rivals from the day they were born. Yes, you heard it.Their families are rivals.Their friends are rivals.Their soccer teams are rivals.Everything is going smoothly hateful until...One game night...Categorized as:
realistic family female-mc friendship romance contemporary young-adult enemies-to-lovers -
A Life Without Water by Marci Bolden
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsHealing can take a lifetime...Carol Denman divorced her husband over twenty years ago and has never looked back. But on the day before their daughter’s thirtieth birthday, John barges back into Carol’s life with a request that threatens the fragile stability she has built.John Bowman is sick. Very sick. While he still can, he has some amends to make and some promises to fulfill... -
Feels Like Falling by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIt's summertime on the North Carolina coast and the livin' is easy. Unless, that is, you've just lost your mother to cancer, your sister to her extremist husband, and your husband to his executive assistant. Meet Gray Howard. Right when Gray could use a serious infusion of good karma in her life, she inadvertently gets a stranger, Diana Harrington, fired from her job at the local pharmacy... -
Love in an English Garden by Victoria Connelly
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Jacobs family has lived at Orley Court for generations. But when Vanessa Jacobs’s husband dies and leaves the property to her, she finds costs spiralling out of control. In order to stay in their beloved home, she and her daughters will have to sell part of it off—a decision that drives a wedge between Vanessa and her live-in mother-in-law...Categorized as:
family female-mc friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book -
Season of Passion by Danielle Steel
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsKate is only eighteen when she meets Tom Harper, one of America's biggest pro-football stars. They share an idyllic and glamorous first love. But the bullet that suddenly ends Tom's career also ends their life together. A failed suicide attempt will leave him mentally and physically disabled forever. Kate will be left alone, heartbroken, and pregnant with their son... -
A Beginner's Guide to Free Fall by Andy Abramowitz
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHusbands and wives. Brothers and sisters. Mothers and daughters. Okay, everybody. Hold on tight. Davis Winger has it all. A respected engineer who designs roller coasters in theme parks across the country, he is deeply in love with his wife and has a beautiful young daughter and a happy home. Until an accident strikes on one of his rides. Nothing fatal—except to his career...
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