Books like 'The Bee Sting'
Readers who enjoyed The Bee Sting by Paul Murray also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary europe ireland british-isles family literary-fiction humor
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Frank and Red by Matt Coyne, James Killeen
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsEstranged from his friends, son, and the ever-changing world beyond his front gate, Frank is a reclusive curmudgeon whose only company is the 'ghost' of his dead wife, Marcie. Then six-year-old Red moves in next door. A boy struggling to adjust to the separation of his mum and dad, a new school, and the demonic school bully, Red is curious, smart, and talkative. And he has a trampoline... -
Burning Embers by Stacey Reynolds
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsDuty calls for the youngest O'Brien son. Then in a flash of heat, smoke, and flame comes a time of great suffering. Seany O'Brien has kept with family tradition, choosing a career as a first responder. But his choice brings risk and heartbreaking sacrifice. Lost in a fog of pain and grief, not even the fierce love of the O'Brien clan can pull him from his unending nightmare... -
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 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... -
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The Cafe at the Loch by Hannah Ellis
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA holiday fling threw her life into chaos …Elspeth Mackenzie hasn’t had any contact with the father of her child since they had a fling three years ago. Getting pregnant at sixteen turned her life upside down. But now she has everything back under control. She’s managing a cafe and a toddler and making it look easy.If only dating was as easy... -
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... -
All for Victory by Beverley Watts
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIf you’re looking for the perfect holiday read, with lots of romance and laugh out loudcomedy, then curl up with the latest entry in the Dartmouth Diaries...It’s not often that a fledgling career in Event Management kicks off with the wedding of a Hollywood superstar... -
Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsYou're six years old. Mum's in hospital. Dad says she's 'done something stupid'. She finds it hard to be happy.So you start to make a list of everything that's brilliant about the world. Everything that's worth living for.1. Ice Cream2. Kung Fu Movies3. Burning Things4. Laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose5. Construction cranes6. MeYou leave it on her pillow... -
Finding Home on Whisling Island by Julia Clemens
Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFive women. Five beautiful stories. Follow the women of Whisling as they navigate life searching for peace, hope, and home.Olivia was sure she'd endured the last of Bart's torment, but he's back. And Olivia isn't sure she has what it takes to stand up to him once again. But she has to. Because this time, if Olivia falters, she won't be the one to suffer. No, the suffering will fall on her girls... -
Finding My Way by Judith Keim
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDarcy Sullivan and her two sisters continue to work hard at the Salty Key Inn, the small, Florida hotel they unexpectedly inherited. In order to inherit the rest of Uncle Gavin’s sizeable estate, they must meet his challenge to open the neglected hotel by the end of the year... -
The Bookshop of Hopes and Dreams: A charming tale of heartbreak and healing by Hannah Ellis
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Tara Fitzpatrick tells a string of lies during the world’s most informal job interview she has no idea of the path she’s set herself on. Renovating the rundown bookshop with her new boss, James, turns out to be more fulfilling than she could ever have imagined. Soon, she finds herself falling in love with the quaint little shop. And with James... -
Memories of Wild Rose Bay by Susanne O'Leary
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Kate O’Rourke takes up a temporary position as a doctor in Sandy Cove, she hopes spending time in the place where her father was from will help her find herself again. Ever since his passing she has felt lost, but she imagines the calming sound of the sea on the Irish coast will allow her to heal... -
Picnic, Lightning by Billy Collins
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWinner of the 1999 Paterson Poetry Prize Over the past decade, Billy Collins has emerged as the most beloved American poet since Robert Frost, garnering critical acclaim and broad popular appeal. Annie Proulx admits, "I have never before felt possessive about a poet, but I am fiercely glad that Billy Collins is ours... -
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Secrets of Willow House by Susanne O'Leary
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsMaeve McKenna is on the verge of a breakdown. Having worked herself into the ground as a sought-after interior designer in London, she’s in desperate need of a vacation. Philomena Duffy is a little lonely. After losing her husband, their crumbling mansion, Willow House, feels awfully empty... -
Earth by John Boyne
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom million-copy-bestselling author John Boyne, an inescapably gritty story about one young man whose direction in life takes a vastly different turn than what he expected.It’s the tabloid sensation of the two well-known footballers standing in the dock, charged with sexual assault, a series of vile text messages pointing towards their guilt... -
Lemon Drop Cottage by K.T. Dady
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWelcome to Pepper Bay. A small close-knit community where you’ll find chocolate box cottages, quaint shops, love, drama, and a happily ever after.Snuggle down with this cosy, feel-good, comfort read that whisks you away to a beautiful bay on the Isle of Wight – Perfect for fans of Christie Barlow, Phillipa Ashley, and Holly Martin... -
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Cánh Đồng Bất Tận by Nguyễn Ngọc Tư
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsCánh đồng bất tận bao gồm những truyện hay và mới nhất của nhà văn Nguyễn Ngọc Tư. Đây là tác phẩm đang gây xôn xao trong đời sống văn học, bởi ở đó người ta tìm thấy sự dữ dội, khốc liệt của đời sống thôn dã qua cái nhìn của một cô gái. Bi kịch về nỗi mất mát, sự cô đơn được đẩy lên đến tận cùng, khiến người đọc có lúc cảm thấy nhói tim.. -
The Beautiful Little Things by Melissa Hill
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsTorn apart by grief, can two sisters rediscover joy in the memory of their mother’s love?Romy Moore has always cherished the warm embrace of her family home in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains—a welcome escape from life on the lower rungs of the London career ladder... -
Random Acts of Baby by Julia Kent
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsYou know those television stories about the woman who goes to the emergency room thinking she has a bad case of indigestion or kidney stones or a burst appendix and she comes home with a bouncing baby boy?Stupid woman, right? Who the hell doesn’t know she’s pregnant for nine and a half months? I used to think those mamas were one block short of a level trailer.Used to... -
Easter on Lovelace Lane by Alice Ross
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSeventeen-year-old Dillon Delaney’s life might be far from perfect, but it’s one he’s grown accustomed to. Which is why, when his mother announces her ‘most fabulous idea’ of dispatching him to Lovelace Lane to stay with a grandad he barely knows, he has more than a few reservations... -
One Hundred Intentions by Kelly Collins
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA woman building a future.A man unearthing his past.Will what they uncover create true love?Author Reese Arden has been hiding most of her life. Some would call her a wallflower, but she’s the root of that flower, hidden far beneath the soil, where no one can see her, hear her, or shame her... -
Lighting the Sky by Katharine E. Smith
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAll is set to change for Alice and Sam as they expect their first child together. Just how they are going to fit themselves, their baby and Sam’s daughter Sophie into their little two-bed cottage is a mystery, but Alice is determined not to get stressed out...Categorized as:
europe british-isles humor literary-fiction family united-kingdom england romantic-love -
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Stolen by You by Lindsey Hart
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsInfiltrating Mr. Hotshot's house in the middle of the night?Yes, that was the plan.Getting my hands on his family jewels?Definitely what I was going for.And I mean actual jewelry, not the other round ball kind of things, alright.Now, catching the guy practically naked in his house?Oh God, definitely not what was supposed to happen... -
Sticks and Stones by Katharine E. Smith
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe scene is set for the perfect summer. Business is booming. The weather couldn’t be better. Best of all, Sam is coming back to Cornwall. For good. A storm is brewing, however. It seems that somebody, somewhere, has it in for Alice, although it is not clear who, or why. As Julie tries to help her friend, she finds her own thoughts turning progressively towards motherhood...Categorized as:
europe british-isles literary-fiction family humor united-kingdom england contemporary -
Oh Crumbs (Choc Lit) by Kathryn Freeman
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAnother fun, fabulous read from Kathryn Freeman. You'll want to lock yourself away with this one! Sometimes life just takes the biscuit … Abby Spencer knows she can come across as an airhead – she talks too much and is a bit of a klutz – but there’s more to her than that... -
You Are Here by David Nicholls
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsMarnie is stuck.Stuck working alone in her London flat, stuck battling the long afternoons and a life that increasingly feels like it's passing her by.Michael is coming undone.Reeling from his wife's departure, increasingly reclusive, taking himself on long, solitary walks across the moors and fells... -
David Goes to School by David Shannon
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsNo, David!David's teacher has her hands full. From running in the halls to chewing gum in class, David's high-energy antics fill each school day with trouble—and are sure to bring a smile to even the best-behaved reader... -
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... -
Take Me Home by Barbara Freethy
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMeet Ian Callaway and catch up with two popular Callaway siblings, Emma and Burke, in this charming and fun Callaway Series novella by #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Barbara Freethy When Eleanor Callaway asks three of her grandchildren to make a trip to her childhood home in Ireland, they have no idea her plan for each of them will make this a life-changing trip... -
Cemetery Nights by Stephen Dobyns
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom the fabulous storytelling of our dreams to the mute passions of domestic life, Stephen Dobyns explores a full range of human experience in these narrative poems... -
Baby Talk by Judith S. Keim
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsReaders of the Hartwell Women Series asked for more. I listened. Baby Talk is Book 4. When Marissa Crawford and her husband Brad decide to start a family, Marissa has serious doubts about her ability to be a good mother--she was raised by one of the worst... -
A Golden Cornish Summer by Phillipa Ashley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsUnder the golden Cornish sun, buried treasure and family secrets will change Emma’s life forever…Emma loved her life in the seaside village of Silver Cove. But when the discovery of sunken treasure ignited a feud between her family and that of Luke, her first love, everything fell apart. Heartbroken and betrayed, she fled... -
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Troubled Waters by Rosie Harris
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShe looked after them. But who would look after her? When fourteen-year-old Sara Jenkins rescues her baby sister, Myfanwy, from the fire which kills their mother, little does she realise the burden of responsibility she is taking on. Her father, Ifor, is perceived as strict and moral by everyone in the village... -
Straight Talk by Judith Keim
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsStraight Talk - Book Three in the Hartwell Women Trilogy Samantha Hartwell’s life changes completely when she’s attacked by a client’s boyfriend. She leaves Boston and Straight Talk, her consulting business, and escapes to California wine country to heal and to help her sister and brother-in-law with their vineyard’s growth... -
The House at Hope Corner by Emma Davies
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe view across the valley takes her breath away; everywhere she looks tiny patches of colour – ochre, chestnut, lime and purple. The farmhouse behind her glows pink in the morning sun. It’s like stepping into a postcard, except that this magical place is real. It’s her new home...Categorized as:
humor family literary-fiction contemporary womens-fiction fiction female-mc friendship -
3 stepbrothers by Animallover55
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTori lived with her dad and little sister. She never expected to have a stepmother, much less a stepbrother. But whats worse is not only one stepbrother, not two either. No three stepbrothers. But it gets worse, the three boys just happen to be the three triplet sport stars of the school. The same three boys that have gone out with nearly all those girls that wear short short skirts... -
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAn exquisitely moving story about grief, love, and family, from the global phenomenon Sally Rooney. Aside from the fact that they are brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek seem to have little in common.Peter is a Dublin lawyer in his thirties—successful, competent, and apparently unassailable... -
The Pitch Queen by Karin Gillespie
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA hilarious send-up of the publishing business and a delight for readers who love books about books. If "Yellowface" and "Book Lovers" had a baby, it would be named "The Pitch Queen.". Claire Wyld, a literary agent, is the queen of the flashy pitch and is fighting to be the number one dealmaker in debut novels... -
The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the nationally bestselling author of The Guncle comes the much-anticipated sequel, in which Patrick O’Hara is called back to his guncle duties…at a big, family wedding in Lake Como, Italy.Patrick O’Hara is finally in a league of his own…professionally... -
Rhoda: A Life in Stories by Ellen Gilchrist
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOver the past ten years, Gilchrist fans have enjoyed glimpses of headstrong, redheaded Rhoda in five previous collections. Here, for the first time, are the collected Rhoda stories - including two new ones - offering a full-blown portrait of a woman worth waiting for: one of contemporary literature's most enchanting characters, in all her wicked glory... -
Better Than Your Dreams by Dee Ernst
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn this follow-up to Better Off Without Him, Mona Quincy once again faces life’s tough moments with good friends, lots of laughs, and a cold, dry martini. For the past eighteen months, Mona has had a long-distance relationship with the man of her dreams, Ben Cutler. She’s been in LA working on a screenplay, while he’s been keeping the NJ home fires burning... -
Mr. S: A First Day of School Book by Monica Arnaldo
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPrepare for plenty of giggles as a kindergarten class arrives for their first day of school, but can't find their teacher—only a delicious-looking sandwich and the words "Mr. S" scribbled on the chalkboard. Chaos ensues as the kids argue whether or not the sandwich must be their teacher... -
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The Boatman’s Wife: An absolutely heartbreaking and unforgettable page-turner by Noëlle Harrison
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThere was some dark secret in this western edge of Ireland that her husband never wanted her to find out. She might never be able to lay his body to rest, but she could gain some kind of closure by finding out who the man she married was... -
Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWell, Sailor. Here we are once more, you and me in one another's arms. The Earth rotates beneath us and all is well, for now...In her first novel for over a decade, Claire Kilroy takes us deep into the early days of motherhood...Categorized as:
europe british-isles ireland literary-fiction family fiction contemporary parenthood -
A Time of Love and Tartan by Alexander McCall Smith
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe latest installment of Alexander McCall Smith's perennially popular and irresistibly charming 44 Scotland Street series.When Pat accepts her narcissistic ex-boyfriend Bruce's invitation for coffee, she has no idea of the complications in her romantic and professional life that will follow... -
Life, Death and Vanilla Slices by Jenny Eclair
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsJean Collins is in a coma. She stepped out into the middle of the road without looking and was run over by a motorbike. But what had distracted her? And why was she carrying a box of vanilla slices? For Jean's daughter Anne, these questions are the least of her concern... -
McKellan's Run by Nicole Hurley-Moore
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsYears ago, Violet Beckett made the mistake of falling for the wrong McKellan brother and both she and her younger sister, Lily, paid the price. Now eight years later, fate has brought Violet and her daughter, Holly, back to the house Violet grew up in. As soon as Violet runs into James 'Mac' McKellan, she wonders if she should run all the way back to the city... -
Secret Life of a Hollywood Sex & Love Addict by Brianne Davis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“WOW! THIS BOOK! It’s so different from what I usually read, but I really enjoyed it, and highly recommend you pick up a copy.” —Emily Giffin, New York Times Best-Selling Author of The Lies That Bind"A powerful, raw and vulnerable read.”—Olivia Munn, actress, The Newsroom"Unflinchingly candid. Unspeakably sexy. And oh, so curiously entertaining...
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