Books like 'Forever and Back'
Readers who enjoyed Forever and Back by Ashley Manley also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary romance small town second-chances female-mc friendship family breakup domestic-drama
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The Faith in Flowers: A Poppy Creek Novel by Rachael Bloome
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAn extravagant wedding to plan. A blossoming childhood crush. And a secret ready to uproot everything... When event planner, Olivia Parker, heads home to help plan her brother’s wedding, she decides to keep her painful divorce a secret so she doesn’t ruin his big day... -
Trails of Love by Melissa Foster
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFall in love with Graham Braden and Morgyn Montgomery in TRAILS OF LOVE. When Graham Braden travels to Oak Falls, Virginia to attend the wedding of his buddy Reed Cross to Grace Montgomery, he sticks around to help with renovations to Reed’s new theater. The last thing he expects is to be asked to assess and possibly invest in Grace’s sister Morgan’s business endeavor... -
The Chocolate Shop on Amelia Island by Hope Holloway
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe saga continues with secrets, surprises, and sweet temptations…Sadie Wingate has been keeping secrets...from her family and from her brand new husband. But once the truth is revealed, her whole world melts like a truffle in the sunshine... -
Kisses After Dark by Marie Force
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsShe’s avoided men all her life… Growing up with an abusive father, Katie Lawry learned a thing or two about men and has made a conscious choice to stay far away from them. Until the day of her brother Owen’s wedding when she’s rescued from nearly drowning by Shane McCarthy... -
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Finding Peace by Denise Grover Swank, Christine Gael
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsStephanie Ketterman has been doing her level-best to find a new normal since her beloved husband’s tragic death two years ago, but it’s been a real struggle. After nearly three decades of wedded bliss with Paul, filling the gaping hole he left behind seems impossible... -
My Kinda Forever by Lacey Black
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAlone. Everything changed for Meghan Summer that fateful February night. All she had, all she saw in her future, was stripped away in the blink of an eye. Even though she finds herself surrounded by her growing family, at the end of the day, there’s nothing but a gaping hole where her heart once beat. Or so she thinks… Her. Nick Adams shouldn’t want her... -
Gansett After Dark by Marie Force
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsOwen Lawry is days away from leaving Gansett Island to attend the trial of his father, who is charged with assaulting his mother almost a year ago. He has spent his entire adult life trying to outrun his violent past, but the upcoming showdown with the father he hasn’t seen in more than a decade has him spending far more time in the past than in the present... -
Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow: An emotional heartwarming read you won't be able to put down by Jessica Redland
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsCAN LOVE REALLY BE FOUND WHEN YOU STOP LOOKING FOR IT…?As Samantha Wishaw watches the love of her life marry another woman, she’s ready to give up hope of finding her happy ever after.But when a chance encounter leads Sam to find friendship in Thomas – a lonely, grumpy elderly widower living at derelict Hedgehog Hollow – her life is about to change forever... -
The Start of Something Wonderful by Jessica Redland
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAutumn Laine has lost her creative sparkle. After losing her grandad and her job as an illustrator in quick succession, she is at a crossroads in life and needs a break. Spending time with her parents in Paris, even in the artistic community of Montmartre, doesn't appear to be the answer... -
The Lucky Shamrock by Carolyn Brown
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNew York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown’s bighearted novel about family, secrets, small-town Texas romance, and—with a little bit of luck—starting over. Family doesn’t mean everyone has to like each other. That’s the case when cousins Taryn, Anna Rose, and Jorja return to Shamrock, Texas, to help manage their grandmother’s flower shop, the Lucky Shamrock... -
New Beginnings At Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTwo weddings and a baby…but who will get their happy ever after? Emily Prescott’s life isn’t going to plan. Her dreams of starting a family with fireman boyfriend Greg and opening up her own bakery in London feel like they will never come true. So when a weddinginvite arrives from her oldest friend, Beth Williams, Emily is thrilled... -
Hold on to My Heart by Bella Andre
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAshley Sullivan’s whole world changed when she got pregnant at seventeen. After the father of her child ditched her and their son, she bypassed college, shelved her plans to see the world, and went straight to managing the family café in Bar Harbor, Maine. For the next eleven years, she poured her entire heart into raising her amazing son, Kevin... -
Finding Acceptance by Christine Gael
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAnna Sullivan has just found out that she has another sister…And the news is rocking her world. As she tries to come to grips with her mother’s infidelity and the knowledge that Pop wasn’t her biological father, she loses sight of the fact that there is another person in this equation. Her half-sister, Nikki, who didn’t ask for any of this either... -
Beside Golden Irish Fields by Ava Miles
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsArt teacher Angie Newcastle’s life is all monotone.She wasn’t always this dull. She’d been an up-and-coming artist with the world at her feet. But after contracting the Wrong Man Syndrome and spending years doubting herself, she no longer recognizes herself.When she loses her job, she can’t afford to keep ignoring the obvious: her life needs a serious overhaul... -
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Saltwater Crossing by Amelia Addler
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the fourth book of the Westcott Bay series, Tiffany moves to San Juan Island, telling herself that it's just so she can help Jade. But when she uses her skills to confront Jade's opposition, she's also forced to confront herself...and a handsome and mysterious man that keeps appearing at the worst moments... -
Christmas in Silver Springs by Brenda Novak
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCome home to Silver Springs for the holidays, where broken hearts learn to love again…together. So much for forever. When Elle Devlin’s rock star husband ditches her on his way to the top, she takes her two daughters to her sister’s place in Silver Springs for the holidays, hoping family can heal her broken heart... -
The Florist on Amelia Island by Hope Holloway
Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA feel-good family drama full of twists, turns, and true love.The scent of flowers and change is in the air for the Wingate sisters. With her husband gone for weeks at a stretch, Rose’s unwavering enthusiasm is tested, forcing her to remove her famous rose-colored glasses and face a family crisis... -
The Banty House by Carolyn Brown
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn the fading town of Rooster, Texas, all that’s really left is a service station, a church…and the Banty House, a long-ago Depression-era brothel. For more than seventy-five years, Betsy, Connie, and Kate Carson have called their mama’s house a home... -
Home Sweet Love by Ava Miles
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMillions of readers have fallen in love with Ava's bestselling books...come join the family. International Bestselling Author Ava Miles shares a powerful tale about the sweetness of home and falling in love for the first time. Chase Parker doesn’t believe in all that gushy home sweet love stuff. Moira Hale sure as heck does... -
Finding Forgiveness: A Bluebird Bay Novel by Christine Gael
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSasha's secret is finally out...And Gabe isn't taking it well. With a baby on the way, they have to figure out how to make their marriage work, but after all the lies, the trust is gone. Can Gabe find it in his heart to forgive her, or will their brand new marriage crumble before it even gets off the ground?Meanwhile, the Sullivan sisters are trying to pick up the pieces after Pop's death... -
The Calendar of New Beginnings by Ava Miles
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe last thing international photojournalist Lucy O’Brien expected when she returned to her hometown was for her mother to ask her to shoot photos for a ‘Calendar Girls’-like calendar…Of course, it’s all for a good cause—raising money for breast cancer. Lucy agrees to help—ribald photos and all... -
The Comfort of Secrets by Christine Nolfi
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCat Mendoza needs a win. After a business failure and years of dating the wrong men, she’s ready to turn things around.First she must convince the residents of Sweet Lake, Ohio, that she’s taking her responsibilities seriously. As the events director of the newly restored Wayfair Inn, she has the support of her best friends, Linnie and Jada... -
There Goes My Heart by Bella Andre
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRory Sullivan, a renowned artisan woodworker, has no plans to fall in love anytime soon. Especially not with Zara Mirren, who shares a converted warehouse space with him in Bar Harbor, Maine. While she is a brilliant maker—the eyeglass frames she designs are practically works of art—everything else about her drives him bonkers. The way she’s always whistling cheesy pop songs off-key... -
The Summer Sand Pact by Jessie Newton
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThese five best friends made a Summer Sand Pact as teens and have only kept it once or twice—until they reunite decades later and renew their agreement to meet in Five Island Cove every summer.Alice Kelton's marriage is in shambles, and while she's always thought she'd stay with her husband, after her last visit to the cove, she went back to the Hamptons and filed for divorce... -
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Finding Forever by Christine Gael
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCome spend some time with the Sullivan sisters and their families in Bluebird Bay...Max Burrows thought she'd finally found "the one". But when Tyler gets the opportunity of a lifetime and leaves Bluebird Bay for Paris, she can't bring herself to join him. She worked like a dog to make her own dream come true by opening the bookstore, and she won't give that up. Not for Tyler.Not for anyone... -
The Village Shop for Lonely Hearts: The perfect feel-good read for 2021 by Alison Sherlock
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA feel-good story of new beginnings set in a gorgeous country village, perfect for fans of Katie Fforde and Milly Johnson.After losing her job in New York, Amber Green isn’t looking forward to visiting her godmother in the sleepy village of Cranbridge. With its empty lanes and rundown shops, it’s hardly a place to mend her lonely heart... -
Worth the Risk by Jamie Beck
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen Jackson St. James decided that six weeks in Vermont’s Green Mountains would help him get his life together, he didn’t anticipate replacing his craving for whiskey with a craving for his alluring new landlord, Gabby... -
Riverbend Reunion by Carolyn Brown
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsBack home is the best place to start over in a heart-stirring Texas romance about friendship, second chances, and small-town scandals by New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown.Riverbend, Texas, doesn’t look like the crossroads of anywhere. But for four high school besties reuniting after twenty years, it’s a place to unpack a lot of baggage... -
Ready for Love by Marie Force
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsFor four of the best summers of his young life, Luke Harris was in love with Sydney Donovan, a wealthy seasonal visitor to Gansett Island. Then Sydney went off to college and never came back. She married another man and had two children while Luke remained on the island, working at McCarthy's Gansett Marina and wondering what had gone wrong between him and the only woman he ever loved... -
An Invincible Summer by Mariah Stewart
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIt was a lifetime ago that recently widowed Maggie Flynn was in Wyndham Beach. Now, on the occasion of her fortieth high school reunion, she returns to her hometown on the Massachusetts coast, picking up right where she left off with dear friends Lydia and Emma. But seeing Brett Crawford again stirs other emotions. Once, they were the town’s golden couple destined for one another... -
Softhearted by Kim Law
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHeather Lindsay loves falling in love—even though her blueprint for romance has failed her time and time (and time) again. But now that she’s signed on to design an outdoor-wedding venue for her friend’s home renovation show, Heather’s found a new focus: her career. Only it’s not long before she’s being distracted—by the hunkiest man who ever swaggered down the streets of Red Oak Falls... -
The Weekend Getaway by Hannah Ellis
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA weekend break changes everything…The chemistry between Keira and Noah is instant. It only takes one date for Keira to realise there’s something special between them.When Noah invites her to a family party in his hometown, she eagerly agrees, and by the end of their weekend away she’s absolutely head over heels. Not only for Noah, but for his close-knit family and the stunning Isles of Scilly... -
Once in a Blue Moon by Sharon Sala
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsCathy Terry is tired of running. Full of fear and hope, she backpacked across the country to Blessings, Georgia, not knowing if or when her abusive ex-husband would catch up to her. In Blessings she glimpses a safe haven and the closest feeling to home she's had in a long time—even more so when she meets Duke Talbot. The sweet, strong, and handsome rancher provides a shoulder to lean on... -
The Bridge to a Better Life by Ava Miles
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom USA Today Bestselling Author Ava Miles of the #1 National Bestseller NORA ROBERTS LAND comes a humorous and emotional romance about the power of love and second chances—perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber and Susan Mallery. "Ava's story is witty and charming... -
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Montana Mornings by Kim Law
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsGabe Wilde has never been more ready for a change. Thirty-three and in the midst of a divorce, he’s packed up his second-grade daughter and come home to Birch Bay, Montana. New house, new career, new life. Only, with changes come stress. His daughter is struggling with the transition to their new norm—and Gabe is out of ideas as to how to help. Erica Bird is mired in her own worries... -
To Believe by Carolyn Brown
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsRoseanna Cahill didn't believe in happily-ever-after anymore. Not after a marriage that should never have started and which ended after four years. Country hearts like hers didn t mix with city hearts like that of Colin Vance Fields III, better known as Trey. She thought she'd seen the last of Trey but then his sister showed up at her door begging for her help... -
We Are Family by Beth Moran
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThirty-three-year-old Ruth Henderson and her daughter Maggie have some hard choices to make. Following the tragic death of Maggie’s father, they are left with a mountain of debt and broken hearts. So, despite her vow never to return home after the fall-out from her teenage pregnancy, Ruth can’t see any option other than for the two of them to move back in with her parents... -
Second Chances at the Cotswolds Candy Store by Hannah M. Lynn
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsHolly Berry has it a good career, a steady boyfriend, and enough savings that the two of them will soon be able to buy a nice little house. But when she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her, she decides to retreat to the Cotswolds and a place full of far sweeter memories. Quite literally... -
Christmas in Peachtree Bluff by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe newest installment of the New York Times bestselling Peachtree Bluff series follows three generations of Murphy women as they come together to face a hurricane that threatens their hometown—and the holiday season—in this “book equivalent of a warm and fuzzy pair of socks” (E! Online).When the Murphy women are in trouble, they always know they can turn to their mother, Ansley... -
A Brand New Ending by Jennifer Probst
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsA love story will be rewritten in this heartfelt romance from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst.Ophelia Bishop was a lovestruck teenage girl when she and Kyle Kimpton chased their dreams to Hollywood. Kyle’s dreams came true. Ophelia’s did not... -
Cowboy Tough by Stacy Finz
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFive hundred acres of gorgeous California land is a life-changer for cousins Cash, Jace, and Sawyer—and a surprising chance for each of them to find a game-changing love . . . Sheriff Jace Dalton’s plate is piled high even before he discovers a stranded motorist just a few miles from his home... -
Hot Mess Summer by Melissa Foster
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWho buys a cottage in a New England fishing village on a whim? A stressed-out, twice-divorced romance writer and single mother looking for a fresh start, that’s who. Despite what my besties say about my three-year dry spell, I’m not looking for a man. Or drama. Or sex. I’ve got enough on my plate with writer’s block and a daughter who refuses to grow up. Community. That’s what I need... -
Meet Me At Sunrise 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.After reuniting with her sisters at her grandmother’s funeral, Alice Monroe determines that Hideaway Bay may be the place for her. Nursing a broken heart, Alice throws herself into transforming her grandmother’s house into an inn...Categorized as:
female-mc friendship family romance fiction contemporary literary-fiction anthologies -
A New Dawn at Owl's Lodge by Jessica Redland
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsCould one chance meeting change your life forever?Zara is at a crossroads in life. While she adores her job as a producer's assistant working on hit TV shows, travelling around the country means she doesn't truly feel that she has a home. With a fractured relationship with her family and unrequited love weighing heavily on her heart, she is torn about what her next step in life should be.. -
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Hidden Summit by Robyn Carr
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSick of running into her cheery ex-husband and his new wife, Leslie Petruso accepts a job at the Virgin River branch of Haggerty Construction and takes the high road right out of town. Now she's got Paul Haggerty's business running like a well-oiled machine. In fact, things are so busy Paul jumps at the chance to hire an extra set of hands... -
The Strawberry Hearts Diner by Carolyn Brown
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBeing broke, unemployed, and stranded back in the tiny town of Pick, Texas, was not part of Jancy Wilson’s plan. Yet here she is, watching her car literally go up in smoke—along with her last-ditch hope of staying with her cousin in Louisiana... -
Tiny Precious Secrets by Samantha Christy
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAllie and Asher have been in a fun, easy, carefree, long-distance... something, for quite some time. Asher isn't sure his tenacious teenage daughter is prepared for anything more. But when life throws a curveball, both Allie and Asher must make hard decisions that could affect all three—soon to be four—of them. A small town, single dad, accidental pregnancy romance... -
Days like This by Laurie Breton
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA relationship in transition. A husband with old insecurities. A wife with new uncertainties. A teenage daughter who crashes into their lives with no warning. The love story that began in COMING HOME continues! For two decades, their friendship survived the roller coaster ride to fame and the tumult of her first marriage to his best friend... -
Come Back to Me by Sharon Sala
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAfter a crime pitted their families against each other, high school sweethearts Phoebe Ritter and Aidan Payne were forced to say a tearful goodbye. Phoebe stayed behind in Blessings, Georgia, while Aidan and his father left town for good. Twenty years later, after the death of his grandfather, Aidan comes home to Blessings--only to discover he has a nineteen-year-old son... -
Meet me at the Wedding by Georgia Toffolo
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLily loves living in Hawke’s Cove, and planning her best friend’s wedding at the Hawkesbury estate is the icing on the cake. But when the estate’s owner dies, and his son cancels the wedding, Lily must face Henry Hawkesbury – a man she hasn’t seen since that fateful night ten years ago…Henry wants nothing more than to return to Hawke’s Cove, sell his estranged late father’s estate and leave...
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