8 Books So Good, You’ll Forget about COVID for a While

The author of the “suspenseful, atmospheric, and completely riveting” (Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author) debut The Winter Sister returns with a darkly thrilling novel about a woman who comes to believe that she has a connection to a decades old kidnapping and now that the victim has gone missing again, begins a frantic search to learn what happened in the past.

When Fern Douglas sees the news about Astrid Sullivan, a thirty-four-year-old missing woman from Maine, she is positive that she knows her. Fern’s husband is sure it’s because of Astrid’s famous kidnapping—and equally famous return—twenty years ago, but Fern has no memory of that, even though it happened an hour outside her New Hampshire hometown. And when Astrid appears in Fern’s recurring nightmare, one in which a girl reaches out to her, pleading, Fern fears that it’s not a dream at all, but a memory.

Back at her childhood home to help her father pack for a move, Fern purchases a copy of Astrid’s recently published memoir—which may have provoked her original kidnapper to abduct her again—and as she reads through its chapters and visits the people and places within it, she discovers more evidence that she has an unsettling connection to the missing woman. With the help of her psychologist father, Fern digs deeper, hoping to find evidence that her connection to Astrid can help the police locate her. But when Fern discovers more about her own past than she ever bargained for, the disturbing truth will change both of their lives forever.

Featuring Megan Collins’s signature “dark, tense, and completely absorbing” (Booklist) prose and plenty of shocking twists and turns, Behind the Red Door is an arresting thriller that will haunt you long after you turn the last page.

“A fiercely funny tale of family, friendship, and later-in-life love.” —People

“Poeppel has created a story that is well thought out, well plotted, well written, and fully developed. A delightful novel that celebrates the messiness and joy to be found in real life.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A hilariously heartfelt, witty novel.” —Woman’s World

The “quick-witted and razor-sharp” (Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six) author of Limelight and Small Admissions returns with a hilarious and heartfelt new novel about a perfectly imperfect summer of love, secrets, and second chances.

Bridget and Will have the kind of relationship that people envy: they’re loving, compatible, and completely devoted to each other. The fact that they’re strictly friends seems to get lost on nearly everyone; after all, they’re as good as married in (almost) every way. For three decades, they’ve nurtured their baby, the Forsyth Trio—a chamber group they created as students with their Juilliard classmate Gavin Glantz. In the intervening years, Gavin has gone on to become one of the classical music world’s reigning stars, while Bridget and Will have learned to embrace the warm reviews and smaller venues that accompany modest success.

Bridget has been dreaming of spending the summer at her well-worn Connecticut country home with her boyfriend Sterling. But her plans are upended when Sterling, dutifully following his ex-wife’s advice, breaks up with her over email and her twin twenty-somethings arrive unannounced, filling her empty nest with their big dogs, dirty laundry, and respective crises.

Bridget has problems of her own: her elderly father announces he’s getting married, and the Forsyth Trio is once again missing its violinist. She concocts a plan to host her dad’s wedding on her ramshackle property, while putting the Forsyth Trio back into the spotlight. But to catch the attention of the music world, she and Will place their bets on luring back Gavin, whom they’ve both avoided ever since their stormy parting.

With her trademark humor, pitch-perfect voice, and sly perspective on the human heart, Amy Poeppel crafts a love letter to modern family life with all of its discord and harmony. In the tradition of novels by Maria Semple and Stephen McCauley, Musical Chairs is an irresistibly romantic story of role reversals, reinvention, and sweet synchronicity.

Need a vacation? Escape to a black-tie wedding in Capri, social-climbing shenanigans in the Hamptons, and drool-worthy real estate in New York City. Kwan’s latest rom-com—a tale of star-crossed lovers—is told with his signature biting wit and flair for capturing the fabulously absurd details of the lives of the obscenely wealthy.

If the pandemic has you longing to live in an alternate reality in which America’s government runs smoothly, McGee’s sequel to American Royals is just what you need. This dreamy, escapist, and meticulously well-researched installment picks up as Beatrice becomes Queen of America; her siblings’ love lives are in delicious disarray; scheming social climber Daphne is poised to lose it all, and palace outsider Nina’s life is about to be shaken up by a new suitor.

Break up the sameness of your quarantine routine by escaping into this totally fresh novel about a Brooklyn-based DJ who enters rehab for love addicts after her breakup with her girlfriend. Interspersed with stories from the unnamed narrator’s travels to see her family in Palestine and her strained bond with her mom, this lyrical book will make you see love in a new light.

Is it really summer if you don’t crack open a new Hilderbrand beach read? This epic Nantucket love story is told over the course of 28 summers, beginning in 1993, weaving in every major historical event from 9/11 to the recession to the first female candidate for president as the backdrop for Mallory and Jake’s unusual—as well as swoon-worthy and heart-wrenching—romance. Living in the past has never felt so sweet.

If dating has seemed downright impossible lately, this sweet and steamy romance will remind you to have hope. After a chance encounter at a hotel bar, lawyer Olivia starts to fall for hotshot senator Max. Will the media tear them apart? And with Olivia’s help, can Max really make a difference? Let this book do double duty—it’ll restore your faith in love and politics.

Miss the hustle and bustle of your old life? Stein’s acerbic satire of the millennial workplace will make you think twice. The novel follows two co-founders and one employee of a “feminist” start-up in the panicked clutches of a PR crisis. It’s a darkly funny, disturbingly spot-on takedown of sex, race, wellness, and the Internet.

Named a best beach/summer read by O, The Oprah Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Parade, PopSugar, Marie Claire, Bustle, and more!

From the author of the Love at First Like and Playing with Matches, an electrifying rom-com set in the high stakes world of competitive gymnastics, full of Hannah Orenstein’s signature “charm, whimsy, and giddy romantic tension” (BuzzFeed).

The past seven years have been hard on Avery Abrams: After training her entire life to make the Olympic gymnastics team, a disastrous performance ended her athletic career for good. Her best friend and teammate, Jasmine, went on to become an Olympic champion, then committed the ultimate betrayal by marrying their emotionally abusive coach, Dimitri.

Now, reeling from a breakup with her football star boyfriend, Avery returns to her Massachusetts hometown, where new coach Ryan asks her to help him train a promising young gymnast with Olympic aspirations. Despite her misgivings and worries about the memories it will evoke, Avery agrees. Back in the gym, she’s surprised to find sparks flying with Ryan. But when a shocking scandal in the gymnastics world breaks, it has shattering effects not only for the sport but also for Avery and her old friend Jasmine.

Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Jasmine Guillory, Head Over Heels proves that no one “writes about modern relationships with more humor or insight than Hannah Orenstein” (Dana Schwartz, author of Choose Your Own Disaster).