Books like 'Playworld'
Readers who enjoyed Playworld by Adam Ross also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance urban literary-fiction historical-fiction new-york-state family coming-of-age season-winter
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The Wish by Nicholas Sparks
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 30 ratings1996 was the year that changed everything for Maggie Dawes. Sent away at sixteen to live with an aunt she barely knew in Ocracoke, a remote village on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, she could think only of the friends and family she left behind . . . until she meets Bryce Trickett, one of the few teenagers on the island...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family historical-fiction new-york-state season-winter urban audiobook book -
![In the Company of Strangers by Awais Khan]()
In the Company of Strangers by Awais Khan
Rated: 4.75 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsLahore – a city of secretive glamour, whispering elites, and sordid affairs. A city brought to its knees by terrorism. Forty one-year old Mona has almost everything: money, friends, social status… everything except for freedom in the repressed Pakistani society. Languishing in her golden cage, she craves a sense of belonging… of love...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction historical-fiction coming-of-age romance suspense poc-mc fiction -
![Pretty Beach Posies by Polly Babbington]()
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![Write My Name Across the Sky by Barbara O'Neal]()
Write My Name Across the Sky by Barbara O'Neal
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids returns with a tale of two generations of women reconciling family secrets and past regrets.Life’s beautiful for seventysomething influencer Gloria Rose, in her Upper West Side loft with rooftop garden and scores of Instagram followers—until she gets word that her old flame has been arrested for art theft and forgery... -
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![The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox]()
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 historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book christian -
![The Canal Boat Café Christmas: Starboard Home by Cressida McLaughlin]()
The Canal Boat Café Christmas: Starboard Home by Cressida McLaughlin
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA Christmas special continuing the charming and heart-warming story of The Canal Boat Café, the runaway bestseller Summer and Mason take their upbeat and feelgood Canal Boat Café to London for Christmas, with unexpected results. Starboard Home – Summer and Mason find themselves unexpectedly spending the entire Christmas holiday in Little Venice when the canal freezes over... -
![Someone To Love Me by Anne Schraff]()
Someone To Love Me by Anne Schraff
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWelcome to Bluford High. This widely acclaimed teen series set in an urban high school features engaging, accessible writing and appealing, contemporary storylines.At first, Bobby Wallace was everything Cindy Gibson hoped for. He was friendly, seemingly mature, and hansome--the perfect escape from her problems in school and even bigger troubles at home... -
![Fireworks over the Loch by Hannah Ellis]()
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... -
![The Beach House by Jenny Hale]()
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 historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book contemporary female-mc -
![Going Home by Judith Keim]()
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 historical-fiction literary-fiction anthologies audiobook contemporary female-mc fiction -
![Sunset by Jessie Cave]()
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... -
![Pleasured By You by Steph Nuss]()
Pleasured By You by Steph Nuss
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOne night of pleasure turns into a summer full of lust. Fletcher Haney owns several businesses all over New York City, gaining him access to tons of beautiful women. He has no intentions of stopping his womanizing ways, until he sees her again. She’s the ultimate heartbreaker he can't forget... -
![The Wishing Tide by Barbara Davis]()
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 historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book contemporary female-mc fiction -
![Before My Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney]()
Before My Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI’m not yours and you’re not mine. That’s what I say to his dreaming face as I watch the shadows of his dark eyelashes dance by the light of a Tilley lamp.It’s not the first lie I’ve told myself. When I was sixteen, I wanted to fly...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction coming-of-age romance fiction contemporary mental-illness sad -
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![Champagne Widows: First Woman of Champagne, Veuve Clicquot by Rebecca Rosenberg]()
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 -
![New Beginnings at Seaside Blooms by Jessica Redland]()
New Beginnings at Seaside Blooms by Jessica Redland
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen Sarah Peterson accepts her Auntie Kay’s unexpected offer to take over her florist’s shop, she’s prepared for a change of job, home and lifestyle. What she isn’t prepared for is the discovery of a scarily accurate clairvoyant reading that’s been missing for twelve years. All her predictions have come true, except one: she’s about to meet the man of her dreams. Oh, and his name is Steven... -
![Cánh Đồng Bất Tận by Nguyễn Ngọc Tư]()
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.. -
![A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi, Hildegarde Serle]()
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 romance fiction contemporary audiobook season-summer -
![Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart]()
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGrowing up in a housing estate in Glasgow, Mungo and James are born under different stars--Mungo a Protestant and James a Catholic--and they should be sworn enemies if they're to be seen as men at all. Yet against all odds, they become best friends as they find a sanctuary in the pigeon dovecote that James has built for his prize racing birds...Categorized as:
coming-of-age historical-fiction literary-fiction urban 21st-century audiobook book contemporary -
![Tell Me How to Be by Neel Patel]()
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 adult audiobook book contemporary -
![Indivisible by Daniel Aleman]()
Indivisible by Daniel Aleman
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsThis timely, moving debut novel follows a teen's efforts to keep his family together as his parents face deportation.Mateo Garcia and his younger sister, Sophie, have been taught to fear one word for as long as they can remember: deportation. Over the past few years, however, the fear that their undocumented immigrant parents could be sent back to Mexico started to fade... -
![O'Mara's by Michelle Vernal]()
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 historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book contemporary -
![Heart the Lover by Lily King]()
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 family romance fiction contemporary friendship -
![You Then, Me Now by Nick Alexander]()
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... -
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![Stepping Stones by Maureen Lee]()
Stepping Stones by Maureen Lee
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFrom 1930s Liverpool to London, then California and finally back to Liverpool, the powerful and compelling saga of one woman's turbulent life.Kitty O'Brien's husband is a drunken thug, and in order to feed her starving children, she sells her body on the Liverpool docks. Her daughter Lizzie is pregnant by her father and, still weak after her abortion, she kills him... -
![Gemma's Bluff by Karly Lane]()
Gemma's Bluff by Karly Lane
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsGemma's life has always been a foregone conclusion: school, uni, then into the family business. Her best friend, Jasmine, is a whole other story. She thrives on spontaneity, her room is always a mess and she rarely sits down and plans anything in her life... -
![The Truth She Knew by Andrew Brown]()
The Truth She Knew by Andrew Brown
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMama didn’t want me. In fact, she would’ve traded my soul back for someone different if God would’ve let her, but he didn’t, so she was stuck with me. For eighteen-year-old Lacey, life at home is a rollercoaster. She doesn’t think she’ll ever be good enough to truly deserve Mama’s love. But when Lacey enters college and meets Walker, everything starts to change... -
![The Child Left Behind by Anne Bennett]()
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![Intermezzo by Sally Rooney]()
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... -
![Where You Are by Felice Stevens]()
Where You Are by Felice Stevens
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFormer model and B-list actor (B meaning really bad) Isaac Seidel is now a NYC firefighter on special assignment in the one-horse town of Serenity, Pa. But all work and no play makes Isaac a dull boy, and when he hooks up with the most explosive one-night stand he’s ever had, it looks like country life might not be so boring after all... -
![Hunger for Life by Andy Marr]()
Hunger for Life by Andy Marr
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOn the day of his graduation, James says goodbye to the future and moves back to his parents’ house in Myreton, the sleepy village of his childhood. He’s not happy, but the thought of continuing his life anywhere else seems unthinkable while his sister, Emma, continues to suffer with the illness that’s plagued her since she was a child...Categorized as:
family coming-of-age literary-fiction romance fiction contemporary mental-illness psychological -
![One Hundred Christmas Proposals by Holly Martin]()
One Hundred Christmas Proposals by Holly Martin
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe eagerly anticipated follow-up to One Hundred Proposals. If you thought Harry & Suzie’s life couldn't get anymore sweepingly romantic than Harry asking her to marry him at the end of One Hundred Proposals – think again It’s Christmas in a snow-kissed London, and the.PerfectProposal.com have vowed to carry out one hundred proposals in December... -
![Maggie's Way by Linda Bradley]()
Maggie's Way by Linda Bradley
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMiddle-aged, Maggie Abernathy just wants to recuperate from cancer during the solitude of summer vacation after a tiresome year of teaching second grade. Maggie’s plans are foiled when precocious seven-year-old Chloe McIntyre moves in next door with her dad, John. Maggie’s life changes in a way she could never imagine when the pesky new neighbors steal her heart... -
![Sweetgrass by Mary Alice Monroe]()
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... -
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![I Heart Christmas by Lindsey Kelk]()
I Heart Christmas by Lindsey Kelk
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAngela’s planning her very own fairytale of New York… • Enormous Christmas tree • Eggnog • Eccentric British traditions • Gorgeous man But Santa’s throwing her a few curveballs – new job (as if it’s not mental enough already), new baby-craze from her best friend Jenny, and Alex determined they should grow up and settle down... -
![Midnight by Sister Souljah]()
Midnight by Sister Souljah
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA fierce fighter with heart and a powerful mind, Midnight is willing to do anything to defend his family, the women he loves, and his business and property. In this riveting prequel to her urban classic, The Coldest Winter Ever, Sister Souljah reintroduces readers to Ricky Santiago’s strong, humble, and dangerously attractive lieutenant...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family literary-fiction new-york-state urban black-mc book contemporary -
![Pioneer Summer: A Novel by Elena Malisova, Katerina Silvanova]()
Pioneer Summer: A Novel by Elena Malisova, Katerina Silvanova
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThis star-crossed gay romance is a #1 bestselling TikTok sensation that took listeners by storm, made international news, and catalyzed one of Russia’s largest-ever crackdowns on LGBTQ representation The year is 1986, and Yurka Konev, 16, has been sent off for another summer at Pioneer Camp...Categorized as:
historical-fiction coming-of-age literary-fiction romance lgbtq fiction young-adult contemporary -
![Missing Beats by K.L. Shandwick]()
Missing Beats by K.L. Shandwick
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTo Jo, rock stars = Fame. Money. Music. Sex. A lifestyle she literally has no respect for. Josie Carmichael's no rock star. She's not even famous and she doesn't particularly like musicians, but when a boy from her childhood reconnects unexpectedly, her life is put on hold...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family literary-fiction adult book contemporary fiction friends-to-lovers -
![McKellan's Run by Nicole Hurley-Moore]()
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... -
![Donovan by Anna Castor]()
Donovan by Anna Castor
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDonovan: Forget about the cold and distant bastard who did anything (and whoever for that matter), as he pleases. She consumed him. His thoughts, dreams, works of art and every fibre down to his soul. He was battling this raging war between his conscience and heart as his obsession was the exact thing that was holding him back from her... -
![Christmas at the Gin Shack by Catherine Miller]()
Christmas at the Gin Shack by Catherine Miller
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWelcome in the festive season with love, laughter and the perfect G&T in Christmas at the Gin Shack – the most uplifting holiday read of 2017! Gingle bells, gingle bells, gingle all the way… Olive Turner might have lived through eighty-four Christmases, but she’ll never get bored of her favourite time of year. And this one’s set to be extra-special... -
![Dear Marley by Danielle Keil]()
Dear Marley by Danielle Keil
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsEveryone at Ryder High knows what it means to have a teal envelope taped to their locker on the first day of the month.For Marley “Sunny” Sorenshine, a Secret Admirer might be just what she needs to put her recent, very public, break up behind her.Her optimism is dimmed when she reads the first note—her admirer was tricked into participating. He didn’t choose Marley, a dart did...Categorized as:
literary-fiction coming-of-age romance contemporary young-adult loner-mc fiction book -
![Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford]()
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... -
![Accidental Daddy by A.J. Summers]()
Accidental Daddy by A.J. Summers
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsI wasn’t looking for a guy to pop my cherry, let alone a baby daddy. The first time I laid my eyes on him, I thought he was an overconfident jerk hitting on me at the bar. Smug. Gorgeous. Hot as hell. Hard pass. The next time I see him, I’m having lunch with my dad. And it turns out, my dad’s his boss... -
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![Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley]()
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 romance fiction contemporary university season-spring -
![The Magic of Christmas Tree Farm by Erin Green]()
The Magic of Christmas Tree Farm by Erin Green
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe scent of pine fills the crisp air as local villagers select their perfect tree. Picking the tree is the easy bit, creating a perfect Christmas is a bit trickier... Nina has the most magical job in the world, matching customers with their perfect Christmas tree. Working at Christmas Tree Farm is always fun and full of laughter but the weight of past tragedy bears down on her... -
![A Good Time by Shannyn Schroeder]()
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... -
![The Butterfly Garden by Mary Campisi]()
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 romance contemporary womens-fiction fiction small-town -
![Wish Upon A Star by Trisha Ashley]()
Wish Upon A Star by Trisha Ashley
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe perfect gift isn’t always under the tree… Single mum Cally’s life is all about her little girl Stella. She’s resigned to the fact that the only romance she’s going to get is from the rom-coms she watches, and with her busy job and her daughter, she doesn’t have time to even think about love. But life gets very tough when Stella gets sick... -
![Kokoschka's Doll by Afonso Cruz]()
Kokoschka's Doll by Afonso Cruz
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAt the age of forty-two, Bonifaz Vogel begins to hear a voice.But it doesn't belong to the mice or the woodworm, as he first imagines. Nor is it the voice of God, as he comes to believe. It belongs to young Isaac Dresner, who takes refuge in the cellar of Vogel's bird shop on the run from the soldier who shot his best friend...
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