Books like 'The Spectacular'
Readers who enjoyed The Spectacular by Zoe Whittall also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary lgbtq historical-fiction family coming-of-age literary-fiction female-mc
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Bad Habit by Alana S. Portero
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsCombining the raw realism and vulnerability of Shuggie Bain and Detransition, Baby with the poignant sensibility of Pedro Almodóvar, a staggering coming-of-age novel deeply rooted in the class struggles of a trans woman growing up in Madrid in the last decades of the twentieth century."I saw a whole generation of boys fall like irredeemable angels...Categorized as:
lgbtq coming-of-age literary-fiction historical-fiction fiction feminism contemporary drama -
The Ones We Leave Behind by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsDiane picked up her mother’s phone. “How do you feel about your mother being let out of prison today after sixty-five years?” the reporter asked. Diane stared at her mother. “My grandmother is alive?” That one phone call hurled shock waves throughout the entire family.1955 – Anna Bergman Craine’s life changes in an instant when she commits a crime of passion and is sentenced to life in prison... -
The Reunion At Sugar Sand Inn by Leigh Duncan
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEscape to Sugar Sand Beach with Erin Bradshaw and her best friends for a second chance at all life has to offer.Forty-five year old Erin has grown restless with her life. Which is odd because she’s spent the past thirty years roaming the globe... -
Sweet Tea & Wedding Rings by Rachel Hanna
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn book 4 of this USA Today bestselling series. Mia and Kate are still working on building their new honey business while Travis and Cooper are keeping a big secret that could wreak havoc in both of their relationships.Meanwhile, a former guest of the B&B shows up in the dead of night, and she needs a place to hide... -
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Fragile Hearts by the Loch by Hannah Ellis
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHow long does it take to mend a broken heart?Jess expects life on the Isle of Skye to be calm and peaceful. But when she falls for her colleague things quickly become complicated. Rory comes with a whole load of baggage, but she just can’t seem to stay away from him. When Elspeth is forced to take a break from work, she evaluates what her future holds... -
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 -
The Summer Escape by Hannah Ellis
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCould it be more than just a holiday romance?Single-mother Beth desperately needs a break.Grieving the loss of her mother, she sets off to the Isles of Scilly with her five-year-old daughter, Ellie.Their holiday cottage is utterly charming, but it’s meeting Trystan – the owner of the cottage – that makes Beth’s stay so perfect... -
Impossible to Forget by Imogen Clark
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn this poignant novel from million-copy bestselling author Imogen Clark, an extraordinary final wish brings five lives together forever. Just turned eighteen, Romany is on the cusp of taking her first steps into adulthood when tragedy strikes, and she finds herself suddenly alone without her mother, Angie, the only parent she has ever known...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family literary-fiction female-mc fiction contemporary womens-fiction audiobook -
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... -
Finding Love by Judith Keim
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAs Regan Sullivan continues to work with her sisters, Sheena and Darcy, to meet their Uncle Gavin’s challenge to make the Salty Key Inn a success, she wonders why she can never find the man of her dreams. Her sisters are happily settled with men they love... -
Finding Family by Judith Keim
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSheena Sullivan Morelli and her sisters, Darcy and Regan, work to complete their Uncle Gavin’s challenge of turning his rundown hotel into a profitable operation within one year. Winning means earning a share in their uncle’s sizable estate. More than that, it determines how they’ll spend the rest of their lives. Sheena wants to stay on at the hotel, overseeing the hotel operation... -
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 -
In the End, It Was All About Love by Musa Okwonga
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe narrator arrives in Berlin, a place famed for its hedonism, to find peace and maybe love; only to discover that the problems which have long haunted him have arrived there too, and are more present than ever...Categorized as:
literary-fiction lgbtq family fiction contemporary social-commentary romantic-love book -
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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... -
All My Mothers by Joanna Glen
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the author of the Costa shortlisted debut, The Other Half of Augusta Hope, comes the story of one girl’s journey to find her birth mother, and her realisation that mothers – and family – can be discovered in the most unexpected of places…London, 1980s. Though she has a comfortable, privileged life, Eva Martínez-Green is deeply unhappy...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction coming-of-age family fiction contemporary audiobook parenthood -
The Gin Sisters' Promise by Faith Hogan
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThree estranged sisters. Six months to come back together.When Georgie, Iris and Nola's mother died and their father disappeared into his grief, the sisters made a pact: they would always be there for one another, no matter what.Now, decades later, they haven't spoken for years and can barely stand to be in the same room... -
There's Something About Mira by Sonali Dev
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev comes the heartfelt story of a woman determined to reunite a lost ring with its owner, who ends up finding herself along the way.Mira Salvi has the perfect life—a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she’s always imagined for herself... -
Paradise Lane by Ruth Hamilton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA novel, set in the north-west of England, by the author of Billy London's Girls and Spinning Jenny. Young Sally leads a ragged and lonely existence in the shadow of Paradise Mill, whose corrupt, evil and greedy owner destroys his own family and then turns his venom on Sally and her friends... -
Because of You by Olivia Miles
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the USA Today bestselling master of small-town sagas comes the third book in the Blue Harbor series. Maddie Conway has always dreamed of opening her own bakery, but following in the footsteps of her three successful sisters is turning out to be a lot of pressure... -
Whisling Island Miracles by Julia Clemens
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSometimes all we need is a bit of a miracle. Join the women of Whisling as they find theirs... -
A Part of Me and You: An empowering and incredibly moving novel that will make you laugh and cry by Emma Heatherington
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsYou always think you have more time… Juliette always thought she’d have more time. But as her fortieth birthday approaches she is dealt the deadliest of blows – she has just weeks to live. As the terrible news sinks in, Juliette’s only concern is for her fifteen-year-old daughter, Rosie... -
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 -
Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA moving and deeply engaging debut novel about a young Native American man struggling to find strength in his familial identity, from a stellar new voice in literary fiction... -
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The Hop by Diana Clarke
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom the author of Thin Girls, a page-turning feminist novel that tells the story of how a poor girl coming of age in rural New Zealand grows to be a sex icon, the face of a movement, and a mother, all at the same time.Kate Burns grows up wanting attention from her Ma, but her Ma wants only money and Kate learns how to get both...Categorized as:
lgbtq literary-fiction female-mc coming-of-age fiction contemporary feminism audiobook -
Dandelion Daughter: A Novel by Gabrielle Boulianne-Tremblay
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWinner 2022, Prix des Libraires Rights for TV adaptation purchased by Zone 3 A runaway bestseller in Québec, where it has captured the hearts of readers and pushed trans-identity into the mainstream conversation, Dandelion Daughter is an intimate, courageous portrait of what it’s like to grow up having been assigned the wrong sex at birth...Categorized as:
lgbtq literary-fiction coming-of-age fiction trans-mc contemporary female-author book -
Han cantado bingo by Lana Corujo
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTodo empieza con un algunas noches, en los diez minutos suspendidos antes de que Abuela regrese del bingo, dos hermanas salen a escondidas por la puerta de atrás hasta El Ahorcado —un volcán redondo como una panza bocarriba—, cuentan hasta tres y corren de vuelta sin mirar atrás...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family literary-fiction fiction magical-realism contemporary female-author book -
অপেক্ষা by Humayun Ahmed
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsমানুষের জীবন কি চক্রের মত? চক্রের কোন শুরু নেই, শেষ নেই। মানব জীবনও কি তাই? রহস্যময় চক্রের ভেতর এই জীবন ঘুরপাক খেতে থাকে? শুরু নেই, শেষ নেই। চক্র ঘুরছে।এই চক্রের ভেতরে ঘুরপাক খেতে খেতে অপেক্ষা করে কেউ কেউ। কিংবা সকলেই কিসের... -
No time to say good bye by Kate Hewitt
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThis ISBN 10 and 13 is for the paper back because although I read the audible (audiobook) format there was no ISBN listed for it. It hit me, the reality of it, in a way it hadn’t before like a sledgehammer straight to the chest. Laura was gone. She was never coming back...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family female-mc literary-fiction fiction contemporary womens-fiction drama -
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 -
Summer at the Country Practice by Sharon Booth
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe sun is shining on Bramblewick, the little village on the North York Moors. At Bramblewick Primary School the teachers are preparing for their much-needed break, and Izzy and Ash are busy making wedding plans. But for their friend and colleague, Jackson Wade, the long summer holiday isn't so welcome... -
In Little Stars by Linda Green
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn a divided northern England, love and hate are about to collide . . .Sylvie and Donna travel on the same train to work each day but have never spoken. Their families are on different sides of the bitter Brexit divide, although the tensions and arguments at home give them much in common... -
All The Colours In Between by Eva Jordan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEva Jordan's much-anticipated follow up to the bestselling 183 Times a Year It's not a life, it's an adventure! Lizzie is fast approaching 50. Her once angst ridden teenage daughters, now grown and in their twenties, have flown the nest, Cassie to London and Maisy to Australia... -
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 -
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天橋上的魔術師 by Wu Ming-Yi, 吳明益
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 7 ratings...Categorized as:
family coming-of-age literary-fiction historical-fiction fiction young-adult magic contemporary -
Christmas for the Halfpenny Orphans by Cathy Sharp
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA gritty and compelling drama from the bestselling author of The Orphans of Halfpenny Street. Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries and Sheila Jeffries.Little twin sisters, Sarah and Samantha are all alone in the world. When their mother died giving birth to Sarah, she was blamed for the death by her father and her learning difficulties serve only to make him more angry and violent towards her... -
Meet Me at Sunset (Evening Island) by Olivia Miles
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe Morgan sisters spent many blissful summers at their family’s lake house growing up, but as they grew older, their lives took very different paths. Hope adores her twin girls, but she doesn’t love being a stay-at-home mom... -
Second Chance Summer by Olivia Miles
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the USA Today bestselling master of small-town sagas comes the second installment in the Blue Harbor series—a second-chance romance about finding love when you least expect it. Amelia Conway spent the past twelve years doting on her widowed father and playing mother hen to her younger sisters—and conveniently hiding her heart from love after her high school sweetheart moved away... -
Then Comes Love by Olivia Miles
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the USA Today bestselling author of Feels Like Home comes a fun, flirty, sweet summer romance...It’s wedding season in Blue Harbor, and that means warm lake breezes, starry nights, and the promise of a happy ending…for some. Florist Gabby Conway is a hopeless romantic, but lately, she’s starting to feel exactly that: hopeless... -
The Other Son by Nick Alexander, Imogen Church
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the outside, Alice’s marriage looks successful. It’s true that Ken was never her first choice, but four decades in, she’s learned to tolerate him. Their two sons have chosen their own paths, Tim as a successful banker and Matt a carefree globetrotter she can’t keep up with... -
Daughters of Wild Rose Bay by Susanne O'Leary
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA heart-warming page-turner set on the Irish coast, where secrets hide, romance is waiting and there is every chance to make a new beginning… Jasmine Delon feels completely lost: having just broken up with the man she thought was the love of her life, all she knows is that she can’t face living alone in her empty apartment in Paris... -
The Havoc of Choice by Wanjiru Koinange
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratings2007, KenyaLong held captive by her father’s shadow of corruption, Kavata has spent her life suffocated by political machinations. When her husband decides to run in the next election, these shadows threaten to consume her home. Unable to bear this darkness,Kavata plots to escape. As her family falls apart, so too does her country...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction family female-mc fiction politics contemporary corruption -
Grown Women by Sarai Johnson
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn this stunning debut novel, four generations of complex Black women contend with motherhood and daughterhood, generational trauma and the deeply ingrained tensions and wounds that divide them as they redefine happiness and healing for themselves. Erudite Evelyn, her cynical daughter Charlotte, and Charlotte’s optimistic daughter Corinna see the world very differently...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family literary-fiction coming-of-age female-mc fiction audiobook contemporary -
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... -
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The Oceanography of the Moon by Glendy Vanderah
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA heartfelt novel of shedding secrets, facing the past, and embracing the magic of love and family by the Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Where the Forest Meets the Stars.After the untimely deaths of her aunt and mother, young Riley Mays moved from Chicago to her cousins’ Wisconsin farm... -
Rri po te mundesh. Shko nese duhet. by Helga Flatland
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRomanen tar utgangspunkt i tre unge barndomsvenner - Tarjei, Trygve og Kristian - og deres beslutning om å verve seg til de norske styrkene i Afghanistan. Ingen av de tre kommer tilbake... -
Amazing Grace by Lesley Crewe
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe new novel from bestselling author Lesley Crewe! Grace Willingdon has everything she needs. For fifteen years she’s lived in a trailer overlooking Bras d’Or Lakes in postcard-perfect Baddeck, Cape Breton, with Fletcher Parsons, a giant teddy bear who’s not even her husband... -
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 -
When We Were Young by Michele Brouder
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe orderly, sterile life of Martha Hahn Cotter is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of the teenage granddaughter she’s never met. Quick to send the girl back home, she reaches out to her estranged daughter. Days later, her daughter arrives, resulting in an inevitable showdown as old wounds and past secrets surface... -
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
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