Books like 'The River Is Waiting'
Readers who enjoyed The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary mystery literary-fiction crime season-summer family
-
Aue by Becky Manawatu
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWINNER OF THE JANN MEDLICOTT ACORN PRIZE FOR FICTIONWINNER OF THE MITOQ BEST FIRST BOOK OF FICTIONWINNER OF THE NGAIO MARSH AWARD FOR BEST CRIME NOVELauē (verb) to cry, howl, groan, wail, bawl. (interjection) expression of astonishment or distress.Taukiri was born into sorrow... -
![Hidden by Stephanie St. Klaire]()
Hidden by Stephanie St. Klaire
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFirefighter Colton Sparks is beautiful, brawny, and lonely? Colton, a die-hard romantic, is looking for a Hallmark worthy happily ever after, but finding Mrs. Right has been as fruitful as playing the lottery. It’s no secret that he dreams of white picket fences, finding love, and having a family. He has the white picket fence, he just needs her. He’s every woman’s dream; they just aren’t his... -
![Change of Tides by Ashley Farley]()
Change of Tides by Ashley Farley
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsSecond Chances and New RomancesBirdie Fuller doesn’t like change. And a lot of change is happening at once. Her daughter and three-year-old grandson are moving out of her apartment to a nearby city. Will Birdie be able to survive the loneliness without Hannah and Gus? She joins a dating website to find companionship and meets the seemingly perfect man... -
![Drawing Close: The Fourth Novel in the Rosemont Series by Barbara Hinske]()
Drawing Close: The Fourth Novel in the Rosemont Series by Barbara Hinske
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHow much would you sacrifice to save the life of a child? In the fourth novel of best-selling author Barbara Hinske’s beloved Rosemont series, Maggie Martin faces her biggest challenges when her future at Rosemont and the life of someone dear to her are at stake. Fighting to eradicate the corruption in Westbury has left Mayor Maggie Martin drained... -
-
![Vita Mia by Sienna Mynx]()
Vita Mia by Sienna Mynx
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt is the year 2018. Mirabella Battaglia has survived births, deaths, and betrayals as the wife of the most powerful Camorra Mafia Don in all of the Amalfi. Through vengeance and blood the family she swore to protect paid the ultimate price. Now at the seasoned age of 54, she has decided to reveal her truth to her children and the world... -
![The Boy Under the Table by Nicole Trope]()
The Boy Under the Table by Nicole Trope
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTina is a young woman hiding from her grief on the streets of the Cross. On a cold night in the middle of winter she breaks all her own rules when she agrees to go home with a customer.What she finds in his house will change her life forever.Across the country Sarah and Doug are trapped in limbo, struggling to accept the loss that now governs their lives... -
![The Know by Martina Cole]()
The Know by Martina Cole
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsJoanie Brewer' s children meant the world to her. She'd do anything to protect them, even resorting to prostitution and petty crime in order to feed and clothe them. So when her beautiful teenage daughter is raped and murdered, only one thing will stop Joanie's pain - seeing her daughter's killer brought to justice. Joanie knows who he is and she'll do whatever it takes to nail him.. -
![UNDER THE BUS by Kyle Keyes]()
UNDER THE BUS by Kyle Keyes
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHomicide detectives, Donde Clark and Juanito Lewis moved to Hobbs Creek just days before banker, Richard Ghetti was gunned down in the front room of his Lake Powhattan, water front cabin.Barbershop talk had it that divine providence played some part in transferring the two NYC lawmen from the Big Apple to this backwater town in South Jersey... -
![Lemon Drop Cottage by K.T. Dady]()
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... -
![Hidden Valley by Annie Seaton]()
Hidden Valley by Annie Seaton
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHappily working on her family’s macadamia farm in the rolling hills of northern New South Wales, Dee Peters receives an enigmatic letter hinting of family secrets, and the prospect of her inheriting a cattle station in the Northern Territory outback... -
![GUIDE STAR a gripping and emotional rollercoaster of a novel about love, life and not giving up by Joy Ellis]()
GUIDE STAR a gripping and emotional rollercoaster of a novel about love, life and not giving up by Joy Ellis
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDo you love emotional and gripping fiction full of twists about people fighting back against what life throws at them? Then try this book by a #1 best-selling author now. You won't want to put it down. WHO DO YOU TURN TO WHEN LIFE GOES WRONG? WHO IS YOUR GUIDE STAR? What readers are saying about GUIDE STAR “ Loved this book... -
![Invisible Girl by Jill Childs]()
Invisible Girl by Jill Childs
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA heartbreaking story of family secrets from the USA Today bestselling author of Gracie’s Secret. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain.I know you. I know you in a way you can’t even imagine. I have been searching for you in the years since you wrote that letter – the letter that told me you were looking for me too... -
![Fire by John Boyne]()
Fire by John Boyne
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOn the face of it, Freya lives a gilded existence, dancing solely to her own tune. She has all the trappings of wealth and privilege, a responsible job as a surgeon specialising in skin grafts, a beautiful flat in a sought-after development, and a flash car. But it wasn’t always like this. Hers is a life founded on darkness... -
![Spark of Hope by Kathleen Kelly]()
Spark of Hope by Kathleen Kelly
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMy woman has been taken.As President of the Loyal Rebels MC, I look out for a lot of people.Lola has never been one of them. She’s always taken care of herself.I’ve never officially claimed her.Everyone knows Lola is mine, and no one touches what’s mine. She’s been with me for four years, but Lola has secrets, ones I never even thought to ask her about...Categorized as:
family crime literary-fiction romantic-love contemporary organized-crime suspense mystery -
-
![Maria in the Moon by Louise Beech]()
Maria in the Moon by Louise Beech
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLong ago my beloved Nanny Eve chose my name. Then one day she stopped calling me it. I try now to remember why, but I just can't.' Thirty-one-year-old Catherine Hope has a great memory. But she can't remember everything. She can't remember her ninth year. She can't remember when her insomnia started. And she can't remember why everyone stopped calling her Catherine-Maria... -
![Secrets of Santorini by Patricia Wilson]()
Secrets of Santorini by Patricia Wilson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsShe'll uncover the shocking secrets of her past in paradise . . . Sent away to convent school at the age of six, Irini McGuire has never really known her celebrated archaeologist mother, Bridget, who lives on the paradise island of Santorini. So, when Irini receives news that Bridget has been injured at a dig and is in coma she knows it is time to return to the island of her birth...Categorized as:
season-summer family literary-fiction romance female-mc contemporary fiction audiobook -
![The Coach Trip by Izzy Bromley]()
The Coach Trip by Izzy Bromley
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn this heartwarming story of hope and second chances, Emma and Mel are about to discover that sometimes life is about the journey, not the destination…Classic forgetful Emma—she’s done it again, this time accidentally ruining a Valentine’s Day surprise for her best friend Mel. Desperate to make up for it, she promises Mel a birthday trip to Edinburgh—a girls’ weekend to end all girls’ weekends... -
![One Minute Later: A Novel by Susan Lewis]()
One Minute Later: A Novel by Susan Lewis
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsInternational bestselling author Susan Lewis’ riveting, unforgettable novel of a woman whose life changes in an instant and the handsome young man with whom she shares a secret history—perfect for readers of Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain, and Susan Wiggs. How well do you know the people you love? For one young woman returning to the past, the answer could be heart-shattering.. -
![Demain by Guillaume Musso]()
Demain by Guillaume Musso
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsElle est son passé...... il est son avenir.Emma vit à New York. À 32 ans, elle continue de chercher l homme de sa vie.Matthew habite à Boston. Il a perdu sa femme dans un terrible accident et élève seul sa fille de quatre ans.Ils font connaissance grâce à Internet et bientôt, leurs échanges de mails les laissent penser qu ils ont enfin droit au bonheur... -
![The Baltimore Boys by Joël Dicker]()
The Baltimore Boys by Joël Dicker
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsSwiss Sensation Joel Dicker's compulsive follow-up to the phenomenally bestselling The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair... -
![The It Girl by Ruth Ware]()
The It Girl by Ruth Ware
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsThe #1 New York Times bestselling author of One by One returns with an unputdownable mystery following a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend’s murder. April Coutts-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford. Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit...Categorized as:
crime literary-fiction season-summer adult audiobook book contemporary dark-academia -
![The Lake Never Tells by Alex Tully]()
The Lake Never Tells by Alex Tully
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsZoe has lived in Sunny Shores Trailer Park her whole life and she knows what the Memorial Day weekend brings—snobby rich kids who serve as a constant reminder of how pathetic her life really is. So when she meets Ethan, the awkward boy from the exclusive community of Crystal Waters, she can’t help being intrigued. He’s different, but in a good way... -
![Cemetery Nights by Stephen Dobyns]()
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... -
![The Perfect Lie by Charlotte Byrd]()
The Perfect Lie by Charlotte Byrd
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLibrarian's Note: This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN B08FD81PN8This was supposed to be so easy. We go to the desert, find the money that Tyler is owed, and start a new life.But then a gun goes off and everything goes to hell.What happens now?How do we get through this?My last hopes evaporate with each passing moment.But as long as Tyler is breathing, I have to keep fighting... -
-
![Lost at Sea by A.E. Radley]()
Lost at Sea by A.E. Radley
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAnnie Peck finds herself in a terrible situation and is literally running for her life. A chance encounter with a surprising lookalike leads her towards a risky solution. Captain Caroline West knows she is lucky to be one of the few women cruise ship captains in the world... -
![All That Is Mine I Carry with Me by William Landay]()
All That Is Mine I Carry with Me by William Landay
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsA mother vanished. A father presumed guilty. There is no proof. There are no witnesses. For the children, there is only doubt. From the New York Times bestselling author of Defending Jacob. . . .One afternoon in November 1975, ten-year-old Miranda Larkin comes home from school to find her house eerily quiet. Her mother is missing. Nothing else is out of place. There is no sign of struggle... -
![Secrets Mothers Keep by Anya Mora]()
Secrets Mothers Keep by Anya Mora
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOn Friday night in the clay fields of Bethel Creek, seventeen-year-old Daniel Reyes is found brutally attacked and left for dead. On Saturday morning, Cora Maxwell finds her teenage son’s clothes covered in blood. A small town torn apart by a horrific hate crime. An investigative reporter hell bent on finding the truth. A mother’s worst nightmare... -
![The Son-in-Law by Charity Norman]()
The Son-in-Law by Charity Norman
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsOn a sharp winter's morning, a man turns his back on prison. Joseph Scott has served his term. He's lost almost everything: his career as a teacher, his wife, the future he'd envisaged. All he has left are his three children but he is not allowed anywhere near them.This is the story of Joseph, who killed his wife, Zoe. Of their three children who witnessed the event... -
![When I Was Invisible by Dorothy Koomson]()
When I Was Invisible by Dorothy Koomson
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratings'Do you ever wonder if you've lived the life you were meant to?' I ask her. She sighs, and dips her head. 'Even if I do, what difference will it make?' In 1988, two eight-year-old girls with almost identical names and the same love of ballet meet for the first time. They seem destined to be best friends forever and to become professional dancers... -
![The Silent Girl by Michael Hjorth, Hans Rosenfeldt]()
The Silent Girl by Michael Hjorth, Hans Rosenfeldt
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAn idyllic white, two-storey, beautiful house in Sweden. Inside, a family has been brutally murdered – mother, father and two young children all shot in broad daylight. And the killer has got away.Sebastian Bergman has been brought in to solve the crime, but with no credible suspects, he is at a dead end.Until he discovers that there was a witness to the crime... -
![Stone Girl by Eleni Hale]()
Stone Girl by Eleni Hale
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI’m at the police station. There’s blood splattered across my face and clothes. In this tiny room with walls the colour of winter sky I hug a black backpack full of treasures. Only one thing is certain . . . no one can ever forgive me for what I’ve done.An unspeakable event changes everything. No more Mum, school or bed of her own... -
![The Perfect Family Man by M.M. DeLuca]()
The Perfect Family Man by M.M. DeLuca
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFive years ago, my little boy went missing. Now my husband’s vanished, too.I wish I could say that the tragedy of little Jack disappearing brought me and Nate closer together. But my husband is more distant from me now than he’s ever been. Perhaps that’s why I don’t ask him exactly where he’s going when he sets off on another business trip... -
![A Mersey Killing: When Liverpool Rocked, And The Music Died by Brian L. Porter]()
A Mersey Killing: When Liverpool Rocked, And The Music Died by Brian L. Porter
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA skeleton and a missing woman. A doomed romance. A mystery spanning two generations. Liverpool, 1961. A group of young men come together seeking fame and fortune, as the fledgling sounds of the Swinging Sixties take root in the city. Very soon, Liverpool will become synonymous with the groups and music that will shape a generation. Liverpool, 1999... -
![The Rules of Backyard Cricket by Jock Serong]()
The Rules of Backyard Cricket by Jock Serong
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt starts in a suburban backyard with Darren Keefe and his older brother, sons of a fierce and gutsy single mother. The endless glow of summer, the bottomless fury of contest. All the love and hatred in two small bodies poured into the rules of a made-up game. Darren has two big talents: cricket and trouble... -
-
![First Time in Forever by Sarah Morgan]()
First Time in Forever by Sarah Morgan
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWindswept, isolated and ruggedly beautiful, Puffin Island is a haven for day-trippers and daydreamers alike. But this charming community has a way of bringing people together in the most unexpected ways… It's been a summer of firsts for Emily Donovan. From becoming a stand-in mom to her niece Lizzie to arriving on Puffin Island, her life has become virtually unrecognizable...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction season-summer adult book contemporary fiction friends-to-lovers -
![Deep Harbor by Fern Michaels]()
Deep Harbor by Fern Michaels
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIn this stirring new novel, acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels delves into the remarkable ways in which moments of crises can lead to our greatest acts of courage . . . When Carol Ann “CJ” Jansen lost her beloved older brother, Kick, in a boating accident, she came adrift... -
![After Story by Larissa Behrendt]()
After Story by Larissa Behrendt
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen Indigenous lawyer Jasmine decides to take her mother Della on a tour of England's most revered literary sites, Jasmine hopes it will bring them closer together and help them reconcile the past.Twenty-five years earlier the disappearance of Jasmine's older sister devastated their tight-knit community...Categorized as:
literary-fiction crime family fiction contemporary audiobook indigenous-mc female-author -
![The Halo Effect by Anne D. LeClaire]()
The Halo Effect by Anne D. LeClaire
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn this tour de force, a father, shaken by tragedy, tries to avenge his daughter’s murder—and restore his family’s shattered life. It was supposed to be a typical October evening for renowned portrait artist Will Light... -
![The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson]()
The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsCan one chance meeting change the course of your life? When Libby Nicholls arrives in London, broken-hearted and with her life in tatters, the first person she meets on the bus is elderly pensioner Frank. He tells her about the time in 1962 he met a girl on the number 88 bus with beautiful red hair just like her own...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction season-summer romance fiction contemporary womens-fiction audiobook -
![The English Bookshop by Janis Wildy]()
The English Bookshop by Janis Wildy
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAn inheritance, a bookshop and a promise…Lucy isn’t ready for a life-changing journey when it comes knocking; she just wants to keep everything the same as the day her stepfather died. Unfortunately, expenses have overtaken her small family business, forcing her to do something quickly to keep it afloat... -
![The Scapegoat by Daniel Pennac]()
The Scapegoat by Daniel Pennac
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsPathetic, contrite and hapless, Benjamin is nonetheless the scapegoat at The Store: there is nothing for which he cannot be blamed. While his blunders remain minor, most of his unwitting victims can find it in their hearts to forgive him, but when violent explosions begin to follow him around, he inevitably becomes the prime suspect... -
![The Olive Tree by Lucinda Riley]()
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... -
![Hidden by Fern Michaels]()
Hidden by Fern Michaels
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA page-turning new story from the bestselling author of No Way Out, perfect for fans of Nora Roberts and Danielle Steel! Meet a brother and sister who are drawn into a treacherous mystery through an antique with a dark past, as they race against time to help a single mother and take down a ruthless couple bent on taking control of their family’s legacy…At first glance, few would guess that Luna... -
![The House of Lost Secrets by Anstey Harris]()
The House of Lost Secrets by Anstey Harris
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsShe thought she knew her best friend…She was wrong.The weatherworn cottage Clachan has always been Jo Wilding’s sanctuary, a blissful escape from her tumultuous home life...Categorized as:
season-summer literary-fiction family romance mystery fiction contemporary audiobook -
-
![Flight Risk by Joy Castro]()
Flight Risk by Joy Castro
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA woman is forced to face her past in a heartbreaking and triumphant novel of old wounds and family secrets by award-winning author Joy Castro.Isabel Morales is a successful Chicago sculptor hiding a brutal family history—one not even her husband knows. After decades of turning her back on her past, she’s forced to return to Appalachia when she receives news of her estranged mother’s death... -
![Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán, Sophie Hughes]()
Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán, Sophie Hughes
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsINTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER!From a global star and International Booker Prize finalist, a razor-sharp, unforgettable novel about a maid who’s seen too much and a family at a breaking pointA young girl has died and the family’s maid is being interrogated. She must tell the whole story before arriving at the girl’s death... -
![Beautiful Storm: A Lightning Strikes Novel by Barbara Freethy]()
Beautiful Storm: A Lightning Strikes Novel by Barbara Freethy
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen her father s plane mysteriously disappeared in the middle of an electrical storm, Alicia Monroe became obsessed with lightning. Now a news photographer in Miami, Alicia covers local stories by day and chases storms at night... -
![Gantenbein by Max Frisch]()
Gantenbein by Max Frisch
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA stranger walks out of a bar and is later found dead at the wheel of his car. The narrator creates the story of this man -- or, rather, two stories, based on the two personae that he has imagined. One of these is named Enderlin; the other, Gantenbein.Originally published as A Wilderness of Mirrors... -
![Reckless Angel by Maggie Shayne]()
Reckless Angel by Maggie Shayne
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsToni del Rio specialized in turning real-life crime into bestselling fiction, and she was aware that danger came with the territory. This time, however, she was in over her head. While researching the New York underworld for her latest book, she'd witnessed a mob hit. Now a thug was pointing a gun at her in a shadowy alley, and she knew she was a goner. . -
![Behind Closed Doors by Susan Lewis]()
Behind Closed Doors by Susan Lewis
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe powerful new novel about how life can change course in a heartbeat. From the Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author of Never Say Goodbye. When fourteen-year-old Sophie Monroe suddenly vanishes one night it looks at first as though she's run away from home.Her computer and mobile phone have gone, and she's taken a bag full of clothes...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.
