10 One-Sitting Reads for a Well-Deserved Lazy Day

Holly’s Pick: Jess Kidd is known for wielding language in fascinating ways while sprinkling little bits of magic throughout her story. For this exact reason, I was able to speed through HIMSELF in one single sitting. HIMSELF chronicles one man’s return to his country Irish hometown in search for answers about his mysterious birthmother. When he arrives in town, Mahoney completely captivates the village. Women are entranced by his charming looks and ghosts rise from their grave begging to tell their stories. This darkly humorous Irish story will have you engrossed right from the beginning as you attempt to unravel Mahoney’s past.

Andie’s Pick: I’m a major Michael Robotham fan and couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of WHEN SHE WAS GOOD, the second installment in the Cyrus Haven series, and it did not disappoint. To recap the first book in the series, GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL: A girl is discovered hiding in a secret room in the aftermath of a terrible crime and she won’t tell anyone her name, or her age, or where she came from. Six years later, still unidentified, she is living in a secure children’s home with a new name, Evie Cormac. When she initiates a court case demanding the right to be released as an adult, forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven must determine if Evie is ready to go free. An unlikely bond forms between the two, and Evie even helps Cyrus solve another case. As Cyrus gets closer to uncovering answers about Evie’s dark history in WHEN SHE WAS GOOD, the more he exposes Evie to danger, giving her no choice but to run. Ultimately, both will have to decide if some secrets are better left buried. While this is a pulse-pounding, breath-holding thriller, it’s also filled with so much heart, and Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac are the dynamic duo you didn’t know you needed. If you’re a newbie to this series, I recommend reading GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL first, as a lot of questions are answered, but the second installment can certainly stand on its own and is a must-read for any thriller reader.

Spoiler alert/trigger warning: This book deals with child abuse and other sensitive subjects.

Emily’s Pick: I don’t read many thrillers but this one was so good it made me want to add more to my list. Nella Rogers is the only Black employee at her book publisher, Wagner Books . . . that is, until Hazel arrives. But Hazel navigates the majority-white workspace in a very different way, which has Nella questioning her role and who exactly she can trust at the company—especially when a note appears on her desk, saying “LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.” In the beginning, I was gripped by the book publishing setting. When I was halfway through I had many ideas of who might be behind the notes left on Nella’s desk, so even though I’d been reading for hours at that point, I just HAD to keep going to figure out which avenue the story would go down. And I wasn’t disappointed!

Heather’s Pick: Is there anything more luxurious than having several uninterrupted hours to read a book from start to finish?! Not for my money, there isn’t, which is why getting lost in the pages of Sophie Kinsella’s LOVE YOUR LIFE improved my recent travel day by 100 percent. The hustle and bustle of the airport fell away as I stepped into the shoes of the novel’s heroine, Ava, who decides to hit the pause button on dating in order to focus on herself for a while. As fate would have it, however, Ava’s writing retreat in Italy is where she meets a man who may just be her perfect match. The only snag? Ava and Matt had agreed to exchange as little personal information as possible while in Italy (in order to focus on their writing), which makes starting a real relationship back in the U.S. more than a little tricky. Can their feelings for each other overcome all their differences in personality and lifestyle? It’s a question we’ve all had to face at one time or another, and I really enjoyed the relatable ways in which Ava and Matt went about finding the right answer for them.

Molly’s Pick: I am naturally suspicious when a book receives a ton of buzz. Can it really be as good as everyone claims? But sure enough, when I started THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME by Laura Dave—#1 New York Times bestseller and a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick—I could not put it down. It’s a good thing I work in book publishing and could sort of pretend that reading is my job. THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME starts with a gripping premise: newlywed Hannah Hall’s husband suddenly disappears, but not before he’s able to smuggle her a note that simply says, “Protect her.” Hannah knows that the “her” in question is her sixteen-year-old stepdaughter Bailey, but she has no idea what she is supposed to be protecting Bailey from. Quickly it becomes clear that her husband is not who he says she is, and Hannah and Bailey are on a mission to uncover the truth before the FBI—or a more nefarious organization—does first. It’s a fast-paced novel with plenty of twists and turns, but the heart of it is based on family and what lengths we go to protect those we love.

Sharon’s Pick: Since its premiere in 2018, Queer Eye has been one of my favorite shows to watch (and rewatch!) when I need a dose of comfort. A big reason for this is the show’s culture expert, Karamo Brown, who provides an understanding ear and words of wisdom to each of the show’s heroes. While I have often joked that I wish Karamo could follow me around and give me daily advice, reading his memoir in one afternoon gave me a cathartic experience I would imagine to be the equivalent of receiving daily advice. In KARAMO, Karamo Brown discusses his upbringing in the South to Jamaican and Cuban parents, his struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, and how his background as a trained social worker and psychotherapist led him to become a star on Queer Eye. Insightful and moving, KARAMO is a must read for any Queer Eye fan or for anyone looking for a touching, one-sitting read.

Emily’s Pick: I’m not often able to read outside; I get too distracted by all the things, but when I opened up CHARM OFFENSIVE one day at Brooklyn Bridge Park, I didn’t realize what time it was until the light had disappeared all around me—the sun had set, and I scrambled to finish the book in darkness. The premise itself had made me drop what I was doing and order the book right away! It’s about a secret, sweet love that develops between a Bachelor TV-producer and Bachelor contestant, while they’re filming the show. Dev and Charlie’s cute banter caught my attention first, and then my love for every character carried me through to the end. I could’ve read a thousand pages of them just playing board games, watching TV, and getting each other to let down their guards.

Emily’s Pick: Mixing in Russian folklore and history, THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE tells the story of Vasya, a young girl with magic in her blood, her family, and the townspeople who don’t know how to handle her. Her magic allows her to communicate with the spirits that protect the barns, rivers, and bathhouses, but it also marks her as different—a deadly label among the more narrow-minded community. When a new priest arrives from Moscow, he casts fear into the villagers, which in turn pushes away the spirits protecting them and allows for more dangerous elements to prevail. Vasya must figure out how to use her gifts to save her people while also avoiding their judging eyes. Every sentence and turn of events in this story is filled with wonder and beauty, and you’ll absolutely be able to finish it within a day.

Emily’s Pick: This quietly creepy psychological thriller grips you right from the beginning: a strange man arrives to a secluded couple’s home with a cryptic message. He informs them that the husband, Junior, has been randomly selected to participate in the OuterMore program which will take him very far away, but they’ve made arrangements so that his wife, Henrietta, will have a familiar someone to keep her company. You’ll be gripping the pages as this couple's marriage unravels in the most bizarre way. At a quick 261 pages this can certainly be read in one sitting, but also the language will reel you in. As anyone who’s read Iain Reid knows, his delightfully unique and mysterious narration pulls you around every corner of his stories.

Kelly’s Pick: I read IN FIVE YEARS within the span of twenty-four hours. I’m not kidding. The premise immediately drew me in. Dannie is nothing like her spontaneous, believes-in-fate best friend, Bella. Instead, she has a carefully laid-out life plan that is just coming together: she nails the most important job interview of her career and accepts her boyfriend’s marriage proposal. But at the beginning of the story, Dannie spends one hour exactly five years in the future—in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. She then awakens back in the present and starts to question everything. And wow . . . this was not the love story I was expecting at all. I couldn’t stop reading because I had to find out what happened next, and I felt so many emotions as I watched the pieces slide into place.