"“With pitch-perfect humor, endearing insights and wonderfully relatable characters, One Last Word is a smart and breezy read about taking hold of the life you want and refusing to let go. An absolute delight.” —Allison Winn Scotch, bestselling author of Take Two, Birdie Maxwell
What would you say to your meddling parents, your ex-best friend, your toxic boss, or your high school crush if you didn’t have to face the consequences?
Sara Chae is the founder of One Last Word, an app that allows you to send a message to anyone you want after you pass. Safeguards are in place so the app will only send when you’re definitely, absolutely, 100% dead, but when another Sara Chae dies and her obituary is posted online, Sara discovers that drafted messages she had drunkenly uploaded on one night have been released —one each to her emotionally charged mother, to her former best friend who ghosted her, and to her unrequited high school crush, Harry Shim.
Still reeling from this disaster, Sara finds out she’s been accepted into a venture capital mentorship program— and that the mentor she’s been assigned to is none other than Harry, who’s now a major VC superstar. With her life going from uncertain to chaotic overnight, Sara has to deal with the havoc that ensues and reopen wounds from the past to find a true path forward.
A pitch-perfect homage for fans of Annabel Monaghan, Alisha Rai, and Jenny Han, One Last Word is an empowering, laugh-out-loud story about a woman who learns to speak up and fight for what she wants in life and love."
"A New York Times bestselling author delivers a tantalizing, courageous story about mothers and daughters, guilt and innocence, and the lengths we go for love.
As a teenager, for a moment, Ella Fitchburg found love-yearning, breathless love-that consumed both her and her boyfriend, Jude, as they wandered the streets of New York City together. But her life was unexpectedly upended when she was accused of trying to murder Jude's father, an imperious superior court judge, and sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. When she learns she's pregnant shortly after sentencing, she reluctantly decides to give up the child.
Ella is released after serving only six years. While she is desperate to turn the page on a new life, she can't seem to let go of her past. With only an address as a possible lead, she moves to Ann Arbor, Michigan, determined to get her daughter back. Forced to hide her identity and complicated past and live in a constant state of deception, she finds that what she's been searching for all along is a way to uncover and live with the truth. Yet a central mystery endures: neither Jude nor Ella can remember the events leading up to the attempted murder-that fateful night which led to Ella's conviction.
For fans of Miranda Cowley Heller's The Paper Palace and Allegra Goodman's Sam, Caroline Leavitt's Days of Wonder is a gripping high-drama page-turner about the elusive nature of redemption and the profound reach of love. "
"In USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long’s latest installment in the Palace of Rogues series, a notorious rake meets his match in a lovely girl from the country, changing the course of both of their futures…
A London season is the chance of a lifetime for Catherine Keating. But the ton’s glitter and decadence and casual cruelty threaten to crush her hopes of finding a husband before her season even begins...until she accidentally acquires one of the most scandalous men in England as a secret chaperone.
Famously fiery Lord Dominic Kirke can hold the House of Commons—and any woman he chooses— in thrall. But when his house goes up in flames in the dead of night, he finds himself at the Grand Palace on the Thames. And there he discovers his cynical armor is no match for another guest: an innocent country girl with a crackling wit and eyes like a summer sky.
He's maddening, elusive, hopelessly charismatic, wrong in every way—perfectly designed to break her heart. But she doesn't know she holds his battered heart in her hands. And though it will destroy him, Dominic knows loving her means setting Catherine free for the life—and man—she deserves."
"A debut novel sparkling with wit and insight about a young woman whose reluctant return to her Jersey Shore hometown gives her the second chance she didn't know she needed.
Caroline Kline isn't ready to strike out.
In New York City, newly single Caroline is stumbling her way through the recent implosion of her life. After a surprise breakup leaves her with no job, no apartment, and no backup plan, she's unsure of what to do next. That is, until Caroline's father, Leo, injures himself in a bad fall and asks her to move home to the Jersey Shore suburb she'd always been desperate to escape. But Leo doesn't want his daughter to be his caretaker; he needs her to replace him as third baseman in his local men's softball league. This isn't just any season, Leo claims. This is the year they have a real shot at the World Series, the pride and joy of Glen Brook, New Jersey.
Caroline agrees to move home, concerned that Leo is hiding a more serious health condition than he's willing to admit. As the first female player in a league full of old-school men, she's up against more than a few challenges. And when a night gone wrong lands her in the path of her hometown crush-and first love-Caroline struggles to reconcile the life she thought she'd have with the life she might actually want.
Sharply observed and full of humor and heart, Welcome Home, Caroline Kline is a touching tribute to the many unconventional paths that victory, and recovery, can take."
"These childhood best friends swore they'd never speak again. But a surprise summer reunion changes everything when it gives them the chance to turn up the heat.
Effie Olsen thought she'd never live on the tiny Maine island where she grew up, but she's returning from sixteen years as a professional chef in far-flung countries for one summer and one summer only. Her hometown boasts one of the best restaurants in the US, and lucky for her, Brown Butter needs a sous chef. Effie's eager for a chance at redemption after her last job went up in flames, but reluctant to set down roots in a place that reminds her of the ghosts of her past.
Until, that is, she runs into Ernie Callahan, her onetime best friend who now works in the very same restaurant. Early morning swims and late-night games of truth or dare with Ernie remind her of what she's been missing while traveling the world. He knows her better than anyone, and it doesn't hurt that his smile lights her up brighter than the lighthouses dotting the craggy coastline.
But their restaurant has a secret that's bursting at the seams, and if Effie doesn't keep it, her job will vanish into the foggy Maine air. As summer draws to a close, her dream job and the perfect guy are both within reach. Her salty seaside hometown might be the key to Effie's sweet ending...if she can learn to let her heart lead the way in time."
"Set against the sparkling backdrop of the theater world, this propulsive debut follows the relationship between an actress who refuses to abandon her career and the daughter she chooses to abandon instead.
Sadie Jones, a larger-than-life actress and controversial feminist, never wanted to be a mother. No one feels this more deeply than Jude, the daughter Sadie left behind. While Jude spent her childhood touring with her father's Shakespearian theater company, desperate for validation from the mother she barely knew, Sadie catapulted to fame on the wings of The Mother Act-a scathing one-woman show about motherhood.
Two decades later, Jude is a talented actress in her own right, and her fraught relationship with Sadie has come to a scandalous head. On a December evening in New York City, at the packed premiere of Sadie's latest play, the two come face-to-face and the intertwined stories of their lives unfold-colorfully and dramatically. What emerges is a picture of two very different women navigating the complicated worlds of career, love, and family, all while grappling with the essential question: can they ever really understand each other?
Compelling, insightful, and cleverly conveyed as a play in six acts, The Mother Act is a stylish page-turner that looks at what it means to be a devoted mother and a devoted artist-and whether it is possible to be both."
"Jennifer Chiaverini’s beloved and bestselling Elm Creek Quilts series returns with the first Elm Creek Quilts novel since 2019’s The Christmas Boutique.
Summer Sullivan, the youngest founding member of Elm Creek Quilts, has spent the last two years pursuing a master’s degree in history at the University of Chicago. Her unexpected return home to the celebrated quilter’s retreat is met with delight but also concern from her mother, Gwen; her best friend, Sarah; master quilter Sylvia; and her other colleagues—and rightly so. Stymied by writer’s block, Summer hasn’t finished her thesis, and she can’t graduate until she does.
Elm Creek Manor offers respite while Summer struggles to meet her extended deadline. She finds welcome distraction in organizing an exhibit of antique quilts as a fundraiser to renovate Union Hall, the 1863 Greek Revival headquarters of the Waterford Historical Society. But Summer’s research uncovers startling facts about Waterford’s past, prompting unsettling questions about racism, economic injustice, and political corruption within their community, past and present.
As Summer’s work progresses, quilt lovers and history buffs praise the growing collection, but affronted local leaders demand that she remove all references to Waterford’s troubled history. As controversy threatens the exhibit’s success, Summer fears that her pursuit of the truth might cost the Waterford Historical Society their last chance to save Union Hall. Her only hope is to rally the quilting community to her cause.
The Museum of Lost Quilts is a warm and deeply moving story about the power of collective memory. With every fascinating quilt she studies, Summer finds her passion for history renewed—and discovers a promising new future for herself."
"A millennial turned magical girl must combat climate change and credit card debt in this delightful, witty, and wildly imaginative ode to magical girl manga.
Twenty-nine, depressed, and drowning in credit card debt after losing her job during the pandemic, a millennial woman decides to end her troubles by jumping off Seoul’s Mapo Bridge.
But her suicide attempt is interrupted by a girl dressed all in white—her guardian angel. Ah Roa is a clairvoyant magical girl on a mission to find the greatest magical girl of all time. And our protagonist just may be that special someone.
But the young woman’s initial excitement turns to frustration when she learns being a magical girl in real life is much different than how it’s portrayed in stories. It isn’t just destiny—it’s work. Magical girls go to job fairs, join trade unions, attend classes. And for this magical girl there are no special powers and no great perks, and despite being magical, she still battles with low self-esteem. Her magic wand . . . is a credit card—which she must use to defeat a terrifying threat that isn’t a monster or an intergalactic war. It’s global climate change. Because magical girls need to think about sustainability, too.
Park Seolyeon reimagines classic fantasy tropes in a novel that explores real-world challenges that are both deeply personal and universal: the search for meaning and the desire to do good in a world that feels like it’s ending. A fun, fast-paced, and enchanting narrative that sparkles thanks to award-nominated translator Anton Hur, A Magical Girl Retires reminds us that we are all magical girls—that fighting evil by moonlight and winning love by daylight can be anyone's game.
Translated from the Korean by Anton Hur"
"The daughter of Irish immigrants and the son of an African slave forge their own destiny in Boston, in this compelling sequel to Shanty Gold.
Boston, 1870. Nellie's mom and Neo's father met on a coffin ship sailing from Ireland to America, a journey they barely survived. Having heard this tale since childhood, the two teenagers now crave an adventure of their own. When an unfounded rumor gets Nellie suspended from school and puts her future in jeopardy, the lifelong friends flee to New York City to join a circus. And though their escapade is short-lived, it teaches both of them about courage, kindness, and acceptance.
Rising above her scandalous background, Nellie inches toward her dream of becoming a teacher, while Neo battles against prejudice and hatred to marry the woman he loves. As they struggle with the hopes and expectations laid upon them by their parents, they'll navigate through tragedy and betrayal on a journey towards their hearts' true desires.
Contains mature themes."
"Three generations of Irish American women seek better lives in Boston, in this historical saga of hope, hardship, and love by the author of Lace Curtain.
Mary Boland suffered aboard a coffin ship to escape famine and make her way to America. Her daughter, Nellie, was born in South Boston—a beautiful girl, smart enough to graduate from college when few women, let alone women of her background, could. But her glowing future as a teacher is ruined when she becomes pregnant—and she is forced to cope on her own as the baby's father disappears after returning to Ireland to fight for his nation's liberation.
Her subsequent rushed marriage to an ambitious politician will throw Nellie's life far off course—and reverberate in her mother's and daughter's lives as well. Nothing will ever be the same in this gripping conclusion to the Daughters of Ireland saga—a tale of poverty and wealth, opportunity and danger, and family and forbidden love set against the tumultuous backdrop of the late nineteenth-century Gilded Age.
Contains mature themes."
