Story for the Week
Fifty books in twelve months. That’s my standard goal every year. Some years I read more. Most of the time, I read less. I just eked out a win with 50 in 2025, only my fourth successful year out of ten where I’ve set a reading goal.
I recently talked with a colleague about reading goals, and she mentioned changing her reading goal because she wasn’t sure she was going to make it. She said that her OCD won’t let her fail, so she adjusts it as needed. I set my goal and leave it because I feel like it would be cheating to change it. I helped her find two short reads so she could complete her goal, and I set a goal of 50 again for 2026.
Three primary sources drive what I read throughout the year. As an Amazon Prime member, I download a free new release each month, sometimes two, from six or seven options offered by Amazon First Reads. I purchase books by my favorite authors or based on recommendations from friends, but I also have found a lot of great new reads through the My Book Friends Facebook group. The largest category of my reads throughout the year typically come from NetGalley where I request advance review copies (ARCs). This year, I have made the decision to try to read more of the books I’ve purchased from favorite authors.
Currently, my reading/reviewing queue contains 32 titles:
- Fourteen direct Amazon purchases
- Three purchases directly from an author site
- Four Amazon First Reads selections
- Eleven NetGalley ARCs
A couple of them I’ve already read and scheduled as blog posts. All of them are previewed below in the order I plan to publish the reviews. Every week has something scheduled until the first week of August. I fully expect to make new requests on NetGalley (I have one pending right now), so I may have to shift things around to accommodate release dates.
I’m looking forward to sharing all of these reads with you in the New Year. Enjoy! And here’s hoping that we all find our happiness in 2026.
Upcoming Reads and Reviews in 2026
Completions & Connections by Kathryn R. Biel – scheduled January 11
Release date November 1, 2015 (Source: Amazon Purchase)
Christine’s list of resolutions contains many clichés. Try something new. Buy a pair of heels. Get a promotion. Fall in love.
Seems simple, especially when Christine meets Patrick, the man who could be Mr. Right. He’s got the right credentials: a job, a sense of humor, a love of all things Indiana Jones, and best of all, he’s actually taller than Christine. But busy schedules take over and get in the way of Patrick and Christine’s budding romance.
Life interferes, as it has a way of doing, and Christine wants to throw in the towel. Is the magic of the Christmas season enough to renew Christine’s faith in love?
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The Matchmakers by Vanessa Edwards – scheduled January 18
Release date December 2, 2024 (Source: NetGalley – offered as “Read Now” before archiving)
Lucy is a lawyer. When her estranged sister Stephanie dies in an accident on her honeymoon, Lucy contacts the dating agency she used. But they deny any knowledge of bride or groom.
Carol is a reporter. When she stumbles on a brief press report of Stephanie’s tragic honeymoon, she scents a human-interest story. But the widower is untraceable.
Hannah is a detective constable. When she’s posted to her first murder investigation, she’s keen to impress. But there is nothing to identify the body or the killer.
Three determined women follow three strands which come together in a shocking revelation of amorality, greed, and ruthlessness.
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This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page – scheduled January 25
Release date February 3, 2026 (Source: NetGalley)
Twelve books. Twelve months. One chance to heal her heart…
When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. But mainly because Joe died five months ago….
When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the bookshop owner with kind eyes, explains the gift—twelve carefully chosen books with handwritten letters from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.
At first Tilly can’t imagine sinking into a fictional world, but Joe’s tender words convince her to try, and something remarkable happens—Tilly becomes immersed in the pages, and a new chapter begins to unfold in her own life. Monthly trips to the bookstore—and heartfelt conversations with Alfie—give Tilly the comfort she craves and the courage to set out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to share her journey with others, her story—like a book—becomes more than her own. It’s time to put the past to rest…
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Life as Planned by Amanda Prowse – scheduled February 1
Release date January 6, 2026 (Source: Amazon Purchase)
For identical twins Remy and Ashleigh, everything changes with one childhood decision. A simple act of love that unwittingly alters the paths they will both walk—an act of love that will echo through decades…
As the years unfold, their lives take dramatically different courses. Ashleigh soars through a glittering London career with the perfect house and family, but beneath her success lies a gnawing truth: her whole life is built on a lie. Meanwhile, Remy stays close to home, finding joy in simple pleasures, yet forever feeling the weight of being ‘the other twin’—the one who didn’t shine.
Both sisters long for the uncomplicated closeness they once shared, but can they find their way back to each other? And after a lifetime shaped by that single childhood choice, is it too late to become the people they were meant to be?
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Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks – scheduled February 8
Release date February 10, 2026 (Source: NetGalley)
Connie can’t wait to have all her daughters back home for Christmas. It’s not just the excitement of the girls being together under one roof; uni student Fran is bringing a new boyfriend to stay. The empty nest will once again be full of friends, family, and young love.
Yet from the moment she sees Zac, Connie feels a deep unease. Zac reminds her of the worst mistake she has ever made: a man whose charm and good looks nearly destroyed her marriage. Then, Fran announces she’s pregnant.
Reeling from Fran’s news and terrified that her past might threaten her family’s future, Connie desperately tries to navigate a path forward. But there’s a much greater menace looming, because she’s not the only one who has something to hide. Someone in the house has another devastating secret. A deception which will put everyone Connie loves in shocking danger, and one of them will pay the ultimate price.
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Pinky Swear by Danielle Girard – scheduled February 15
Release date February 24, 2026 (Source: NetGalley)
Lexi thought she knew everything about Mara Vannatta. Best friends since middle school, they drifted apart after a tragedy derailed their senior year. But when Mara shows up on Lexi’s doorstep sixteen years later fleeing an abusive husband, Lexi takes her in without question. Lexi’s own marriage has been strained by her desire to have a baby, and when Mara offers to become her surrogate, their friendship feels stronger than ever.
But four days before the due date, Mara disappears.
Lexi is shocked but certain there must be something wrong—Mara would never willingly leave with her unborn child. Or would she? As she embarks on a perilous cross-country hunt for the truth, Lexi is forced to reconsider a friendship she thought she knew—and what really happened that terrible night their senior year. How many secrets lie in their shared past, waiting to be uncovered? And just how far will Lexi go to bring her child safely home?
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Six Little Words by Sally Page – scheduled February 22
Release date February 24, 2026 (Source: NetGalley)
Can one small note give her the courage to find a new path?
Kate gave up her dreams of being a painter years ago. But six little words pinned to the bulletin board of her local café could change her path forever.
“To be, or not to be …”—printed on an orange card with no explanation—appears one morning.
Each day, a new line from a different Shakespeare play is added, sparking curiosity throughout the café. Among the regulars is Bardy, a retired English teacher grappling with writer’s block.
As Kate and Bardy follow this breadcrumb trail, they discover a local community group encouraging people to rediscover their own creative spark—and the long-lost courage to chase it.
For Kate, their new group might just offer a second chance at happiness, if only Bardy can find the strength to share his story too…
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The Book Tour by Emily Ohanjanians – scheduled March 1
Release date March 3, 2026 (Source: NetGalley)
Despite her popular podcast and sold-out speaking events, Ana Movilian still feels like she has to prove herself. To her family, who can’t believe she quit med school to build an influencer career, and to literary snobs, who decry her buzzy self-help book. Happily, her upcoming book tour is the perfect chance to show the world just how bright her star can shine.
That is, until her beloved publicist resigns the night before their plane is set to take off, announcing that her replacement is none other than Ryan bleeping Grant.
Ryan specializes in highbrow, “important” books, and his perma-scowl in every interaction with Ana makes one thing clear: he does not get her book. Or her. He’s the last person who should be promoting her work, the last person she should be stuck with for two weeks…and the last person who should look that damn good in business casual.
As they travel from city to city, however, Ana’s assumptions about Ryan take new shape. A decidedly more appealing shape. Soon, their growing attraction starts to feel like a ticking time bomb. But crossing that line could derail each of their careers faster than you can say “conflict of interest,” and they both have bigger dreams at stake than the bestseller list.
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Once and Again by Rebecca Serle – scheduled March 8
Release date March 10, 2026 (Source: NetGalley)
The women of the Novak family were each born with a gift: they can, just once, turn back time.
Lauren has known since she was fifteen that her mother Marcella saved Lauren’s father from a deadly car accident. Dave is alive and happy, and out on the Malibu waves. But ever since, Marcella, her power spent, has lived in fear of what she won’t be able to reverse. Her own mother, Sylvia, is her polar opposite: a free-spirited iconoclast with a glamorous past she only hints at. Lauren has spent her life between these two role models—and waiting for her own catastrophe to strike.
Then one summer, Lauren’s husband takes a job in New York and she moves back to Broad Beach Road, back into her childhood home on the shores of Malibu. Lauren looks forward to surfing with her dad again and perhaps repairing an unspoken fracture in her relationship with her mother. What she doesn’t expect is for the boy next to door to return home as well: Stone, Lauren’s first love, who broke her heart nearly a decade before.
As Lauren falls into familiar patterns, with her family and, more dangerously, Stone, she finds herself thinking about all the choices, large and small, that have brought her to this moment. And wondering, finally, if one of them should be undone.
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Eerie Basin by Ivy Pochoda – scheduled March 15
Release date October 1, 2025 (Source: Amazon First Reads Bonus Short)
Erin tends bar at the last dive left in gentrified Red Hook, Brooklyn, where old-timers spin tales of the bar’s legacy and the waterfront’s crime-ridden past. Her boss, Jimmy, a real estate magnate responsible for much of the neighborhood’s shiny transformation, also has a story to share. Back when he was a struggling beat cop, two neglected boys introduced him to an ancient creature that made Jimmy’s dreams come true. Nightmares too. Erin doesn’t believe a word. The bar is her life. But this bar at the end of the world is also home to a deadly stowaway. And it’s looking for a new host.
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Made for Me by Kathryn R. Biel – scheduled March 22
Release date October 4, 2016 (Source: Amazon Purchase)
I’ve committed a cardinal sin in my traditional Italian family. I’m 29 and unmarried. Not only that, but I’m now jobless and homeless and moving back into my parents’ basement.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, so applying for a reality TV fashion show seems like a good idea. And it is, until I find myself on the show, Made for Me, tasked with designing a wedding gown for a princess.
It’s pretty apparent I’m the underdog here—vanilla in a sea of thirty-one flavors—but I need to prove to everyone, most of all myself, that I can do this. And I know I can, if only I could focus on designing instead of falling in love.
Maybe, just maybe, I can do both?
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Love by the Book by Jessica George – scheduled March 29
Release date April 7, 2026 (Source: NetGalley)
Remy is lucky. Her debut novel, based on her three best friends, became an instant bestseller when it was released, and her agent and publisher are clamoring for a follow-up. But just as Remy’s creative inspiration seems to leave her, so too do her friends: one moves to New York, one gets pregnant, and one gets back together with her (awful) boyfriend. After an ill-advised one-night stand complicates matters further, Remy is left deeply alone—and unable to find her next book idea.
Simone is successful. A Kindergarten teacher with a passion for kids, and a well-paying side hustle that affords her all the material comforts she desires, she doesn’t have time for a robust social life. All Simone needs is her close-knit family—but after the true nature of her work is revealed, they cut her off, and she realizes for the first time just how isolated she is.
When Simone and Remy bump into each other (literally) in a bookstore, it isn’t exactly soulmates at first sight. Simone is guarded and prickly, Remy is insecure and heartbroken, and each woman is harboring a secret. And yet they might just be the missing piece the other has been searching for—if only they can let each other in.
Can Simone help Remy make one of the most important decisions of her life—and can Remy help Simone recover all that she’s lost? In Jessica George’s heartwarming, funny, and soulful second novel, she explores the restorative nature of female friendship and the life-changing power of platonic love.
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The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn – scheduled April 5
Release date April 7, 2026 (Source: NetGalley)
Physician Layla Bailey has spent over a year telling herself she’s moved on from a painful but amicable divorce from her college sweetheart. Staying friends with her ex seemed like the mature thing to do, but when Layla is invited to her former sister-in-law’s destination wedding in Paris—where Layla once spent her own romantic honeymoon—she knows her commitment to maturity might be her worst enemy…especially since her ex isn’t attending alone.
The only thing that could make the week more difficult is getting through it without the distraction of the wedding…. But when what Layla thought was a harmless conversation about the choices of her younger self leads to the bride getting cold feet, Layla finds herself facing down the groom’s mysterious, taciturn best man, Griffin, who will do anything to make sure this wedding happens.
Since she broke it, Griff demands she help him fix it. Going along with his plan to alleviate the engaged couple’s doubts seems like Layla’s best chance at maintaining a good relationship with a family she once called her own. But as she learns more about the past heartbreak that’s driving Griff to help his friend, she gets closer and closer to confronting the true depth of her own pain…while finding herself more and more willing to risk it all again for Griff.
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New Attitude by Kathryn R. Biel – scheduled April 12
Release date March 13, 2017 (Source: Amazon Purchase)
I thought not winning Made for Me was tough, but arriving home to find a one-word note that my ten-year marriage is over is a lot worse. So here I am, a suddenly single mother in my mid-thirties, doing what everyone advises me to do—have a fling.
If only it was that easy.
I’m not your typical PTA mom, but then again Tony doesn’t seem to be the typical meaningless fling. He’s too young for me and much too cute and funny and too sexy.
I’m going to need a new attitude if I’m ever going to figure this out.
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We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry – scheduled April 19
Release date June 3, 2025 (Source: Amazon purchase)
In the wake of her grandmother’s passing, Sydney Singleton finds a hidden photograph of a little girl who looks more like Sydney than her own sister or mother. She soon discovers the mystery girl in the photograph is her aunt, Carol, who was one of six North Carolina Black girls to go missing in the 1960s. For the last several decades, not a soul has talked about Carol or what really happened to her. But now, with her grandmother gone and Sydney looking to start a family of her own, she is determined to unravel the truth behind her long-lost aunt’s disappearance, and the sinister silence that surrounds her.
Unfortunately, this is familiar territory for Sydney: Years earlier, while she worked the crime beat as a journalist, her obsession with the case of another missing girl led to a psychotic break. And now, in the suffocating grip of fertility treatments and a marriage that’s beginning to crumble, Sydney’s relentless pursuit for answers might just lead her down the same path of self-destruction. As she delves deeper into Carol’s fate, her own troubled past reemerges, clawing its way to the surface with a vengeance. The web of secrets and lies entangling her family leaves Sydney questioning everything—her fixation on the missing girls, her future as a mom, and her trust in those she knows and loves.
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Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister – scheduled April 26
Release date May 5, 2026 (Source: NetGalley)
There is nothing that Simone won’t do for her daughter, Lucy. The two have always been close, and with Lucy about to leave home for university, they depart the UK for a vacation to Texas to spend some quality time together. But when Simone awakens on their first morning in the desert, Lucy is gone, missing from their rental cabin. In her place is a cell phone, and a voice on the other line issues a shocking ransom demand. Don’t tell the police. Come to this location. And be prepared to do a deal…
Though Simone’s husband urges her to bring in the authorities for help, she knows she can’t take any chances. The kidnappers might kill Lucy if she tells anyone. No mother would take that risk. Instead, that night, she drives to the isolated meet-up.
What she finds there changes everything. The mysterious kidnapper doesn’t want money. They want Simone to do something. The unthinkable.
A catastrophic chain of events is set in motion, with chilling consequences that extend beyond Simone and her family. What follows is a heart-pounding journey through the small towns and punishing deserts of remote Texas, in which Simone’s courage—and morality—is pushed to the brink as she discovers what it truly means to be a mother.
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Queen of Hearts by Kathryn R. Biel – scheduled May 3
Release date January 23, 2018 (Source: Amazon Purchase)
And then they lived happily ever after…right?
Not necessarily in my case. I thought marrying Crown Prince Stephan was the happy ending to my fairy tale. Little did I know that after the ‘I do’s,’ there’d still be dragons to slay.
Namely, my curmudgeon of a father-in-law, otherwise known as the King of Montabago. He’s so old-fashioned and cranky, and no matter what I do, he doesn’t seem to accept me into the Royal Family.
I think marrying a prince was a mistake.
Montabago is on the brink of change, as am I. If I’m going to get my storybook ending, we’re all going to need a New Beginning.
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The Shippers by Katherine Center – scheduled May 10
Release date May 19, 2026 (Source: NetGalley)
After a whole lifetime of being bad at love, JoJo Burton decides to solve her intimacy issues once and for all at her sister’s destination wedding on a cruise ship. With the help of a little pop psychology, she diagnoses herself with a fixation on the neighborhood guy who was her first crush and first kiss (and who just happens to be a newly-divorced wedding guest ), and she decides to woo him during the cruise for some long-delayed closure.
Only problem is, her sister’s a little busy being a bride at the moment—so JoJo ropes in her childhood bestie, Cooper Watts, to be her wing man. Cooper: who RSVPed no, but then showed up, anyway. Cooper: who left town without a word four years earlier and moved to London. Cooper: who was, if she’s honest, the worst heartbreak of JoJo’s life. It’s bliss for her to see him again, and it’s agony, too—and the more they team up for Project Conquest, the more she obsesses over questions she can’t bring herself to ask.
Shipboard antics ensue in this witty, heart-tugging, childhood-friends-to-lovers romance—as JoJo and Cooper fake flirt, slow dance, share a cabin, sing duets, treat sunburns, get jealous, rescue each other over and over, and finally, at last, figure it all out in the most blissful, swoony, romantic way.
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Imposter by Bradeigh Godfrey – scheduled May 17
Release date September 13, 2022 (Source: Amazon Purchase)
Lilian and Rosie were once the closest of sisters, but the untimely death of their parents pulled them apart. Now, three years on, Rosie has reached out to her big sister, asking to meet. Driving on an icy road in the middle of a snowstorm, Rosie admits that she has something important to tell Lilian—a secret she describes as a matter of life and death. But before she has a chance to tell Lilian, a car careens into theirs, with devastating consequences.
Lilian survives unscathed, but Rosie is left with a traumatic brain injury, unable to communicate. Lilian is convinced that someone deliberately rammed Rosie’s car. But why? As Lilian begins to explore her sister’s past, she uncovers disturbing secrets that make her question if she ever really knew Rosie.
The closer Lilian comes to the truth, the more danger she and Rosie find themselves in. But Lilian is certain of one thing: she abandoned her little sister once before and will never do so again. Even if it means sacrificing everything.
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If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay – scheduled May 24
Release date May 28, 2024 (Source: Amazon purchase)
For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open. The crushing blow to the head. The hands yanking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken.
With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Ryan. But with no proof and a good lawyer, he’s never charged, though that doesn’t matter to the podcasters and internet trolls. Now, Ryan has changed his last name, and entered law school. He’s put his past behind him.
Until, on a summer trip abroad to Italy with his law-school classmates, Ryan gets a call from his father: Ali’s car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his hometown. Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me…
Then, halfway around the world, the unthinkable happens: Ryan sees the man who has haunted his dreams since that night.
As Ryan races from the rolling hills of Tuscany, to a rural village in the UK, to the glittering streets of Paris in search of the truth, he has no idea that his salvation may lie with a young sheriff’s deputy in Kansas working her first case, and a mobster in Philadelphia who’s experienced tragedy of his own.
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The Followers by Bradeigh Godfrey – scheduled May 31
Release date August 29, 2023 (Source: Amazon Purchase)
Molly Sullivan is used to sharing intimate details of her life with millions of followers. A thirty-one-year-old single mom, she has built a career out of fearless posts about parenthood and dating. But when Molly shares a photo of her new fiancé, Scott, she is shocked by his negative reaction. For the sake of their relationship, Molly agrees to remove the post and keep Scott and his ten-year-old daughter out of her social media spotlight.
But it’s too late, someone has already recognized him. Liv Barrett is certain Scott’s the man who killed her sister and disappeared with her infant niece nine years ago. The police don’t believe her, so Liv takes matters into her own hands. After driving cross-country to Molly’s town, Liv uses her social media posts to orchestrate “accidental” meetings, slowly gaining Molly’s trust. Meanwhile, newlywed Molly begins to unpack boxes in her new home and discovers her husband has been lying about his past.
While Molly and Liv uncover secrets that have been buried deep for almost a decade, they have no idea that someone else saw the photo of Scott—someone who poses a threat more dangerous than either of them can imagine. Someone who is watching them from the shadows.
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I’ll Follow You by Charlene Wang – scheduled June 7
Release date October 1, 2025 (Source: Amazon First Reads)
Faith and her charismatic best friend, Kayla, always vowed to escape their trailer park together. After their social media persona, Hannah Primrose, goes viral, their fates seem more entwined than ever. But when Faith is accepted into prestigious Harkness College, she must decide whether to keep her promise to Kayla or learn to tell her own story.
By the time Faith arrives on campus, Kayla is no longer speaking with her. Struggling to fit in with her wealthy classmates, Faith reinvents herself, drawing the attention of her enigmatic art history professor. Then Kayla shows up outside her dormitory one night. I need to stay with you.
Having Kayla on campus is thrilling—and dangerous. Posing as a student, Kayla charms everyone she encounters, and soon enough they’re posting together again. Hannah Primrose, after all, is perfect for a place like Harkness. But as Faith risks her future for the persona she helped create, she begins to realize that Kayla is playing a deadly game…and it may be too late to regain control of the narrative.
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Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid – scheduled June 14
Release date June 3, 2025 (Source: Amazon Purchase)
Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.
Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easygoing even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.
As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.
Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, it all changes in an instant.
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The Last Father-Daughter Dance by Lisa Wingate – scheduled June 21
Release date January 1, 2026 (Source: Amazon First Reads Bonus Short)
Olympic silver medalist Kalista Brooks has built a successful life in California, complete with a thriving sports technology company and a handsome fiancé. But when her father’s heart condition takes a critical turn, she rushes home to Atlanta. There, her father makes a surprising request: to relive favorite memories from all four seasons in just one month at their old farmhouse in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
With help from the community and her long-lost sidekick Calvin Calhoon, Kalista creates a tapestry of cherished moments—dogwoods in bloom, homemade blackberry jam, autumn bonfires, and a magical winter evening that will live forever in her heart. But as father and daughter share these precious weeks together, Kalista discovers that time has a way of revealing what matters most. In the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains where she grew up, she learns that sometimes the sweetest seasons of life come when we least expect them.
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For the Record by Emma Lord – scheduled June 28
Release date August 12, 2025 (Source: Amazon Purchase)
Once the most notorious rivals in the music scene, pop princess Mackenzie Waters and punk rockstar Sam Blaze electrified audiences as their bands clashed on stage. But behind the scenes, their simmering tension grew into something more—until suddenly both bands fell apart, and the idea of Mackenzie and Sam did, too.
Two years later, Sam has traded the rockstar lifestyle for a quiet life raising the son he didn’t know about. Meanwhile, Mackenzie is dealing with a postoperative change in her voice by only singing under a pseudonym. The only way to revive their public careers? A joint comeback album.
With fans over the moon and their futures on the line, Sam and Mackenzie face their biggest challenge yet: giving up their old rivalry and learning to work together. But as old sparks fly and new secrets emerge, they set off a chain reaction neither of them could have anticipated—one that proves that sometimes, the greatest hits are the ones yet to be written.
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Ten Thousand Light Years from Okay by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman – scheduled July 5
Release date December 1, 2025 (Source: Amazon First Reads)
Four years after her husband Sam’s tragic death mirrored a fatal plotline in her debut novel, Thea Packer hasn’t written another word, afraid that what she writes could come true again. Resigned to raising her young daughter in her in-laws’ guesthouse, Thea is on the verge of abandoning her literary career when inspiration strikes.
Her new book is a fairy-tale romance featuring a long-lost astronaut who miraculously returns home to his family, with the hero loosely drawn from Thea’s memories of Sam. Thea considers the fantasy a harmless way to process her grief.
That is, until a charismatic man walks into her life—and he’s an astronaut.
Thea can’t believe it’s happening again. Or is it? Her mother-in-law doesn’t think so—she sees only a woman increasingly detached from reality. Now, as coincidences between Thea’s writing and reality pile up, Thea must unravel the secrets of her past and tackle her grief head-on before she loses more than she ever imagined.
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Take a Chance on Me by Kathryn R. Biel – scheduled July 12
Release date May 21, 2020 (Source: Purchased from Author)
Nobody relishes the idea of uprooting their life and settling in a small town like Hicklam—least of all someone who’s spent the last decade battling debilitating panic attacks, all thanks to a toxic ex.
But that was in the past.
Now, in Hicklam, Gloria Benedetti dares to dream again. Maybe the town’s therapist can help her finally conquer the PTSD that’s lingered too long. She might never set foot on a stage again, even though performing was once her life’s passion. These days, even singing along to the radio feels like a memory from another life.
And then there’s Grayson Keene—the man with a knack for renovations and a perpetual song in his heart. His melodies, oddly enough, don’t irritate her. Instead, they brighten her days. Maybe it’s his infectious smile. Or maybe it’s the startling fact that he’s counting on her to help save his family’s business.
But if Grayson’s willing to put his faith in her, maybe it’s time for Gloria to take a chance on rediscovering not only life’s joys but in the possibility of love.
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Vision of Love by Kathryn R. Biel – scheduled July 19
Release date June 29, 2021 (Source: Purchased from Author)
Once a household name and pop sensation, Tabitha Stetson is now navigating the shadows of obscurity, determined to keep a Hollywood secret under wraps. With three weeks of child-free bliss in the bustling Big Apple, Tabitha aims to rediscover her post-Sassy Cat purpose. Her desires are clear, but the path to fulfillment remains a puzzle.
Then there’s Henderson Quade. Once a dreamer of the spotlight, he’s now content directing the magic behind The Edison Theater’s curtain. He’ll move heaven and earth to ensure the theater’s triumph, yet he staunchly maintains his cardinal rule: never date an actress.
But a routine business meeting takes an unexpected turn when Henderson finds himself drawn to the captivating Tabitha. Their chemistry crackles, and her serenade steals his heart, making it clear this isn’t just another date—it’s a genuine connection. Yet, he’s convinced it should be a one-time fling.
That is until a nosy reporter throws a curveball, forcing The Edison Theater to bank on Tabitha’s star power. And in an unexpected twist, Henderson realizes he needs her just as much as the theater does.
Will this be a perfect match made in showbiz heaven, or will it spiral into an epic disaster? One thing’s certain—the show must go on!
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Whatever It Takes by Kathryn R. Biel – scheduled July 26
Release date September 15, 2021 (Source: Purchased from Author)
Ballerina Leslie Ann Moose was raised under the weight of her family’s mantra—“Do your best. Be the best. Whatever it takes.” Leslie has always chased excellence. But as the dream of a ballet career fades, she embraces a second chance with unwavering resolve. Pursuing theater, she embarks on a journey from bustling New York City to a tranquil Upstate town, unaware it will reunite her with a lost love from drama camp.
The thought of working with Leslie again sends chills down musical director Josh deChambeau’s spine. Her sudden departure all those years ago shattered his heart, and now, as fate throws them back together, he must confront the pain of their past. The success of The Edison Theater hinges on their collaboration, demanding Josh set aside his bitterness for a dream long deferred.
Amidst the theater’s chaos, Leslie and Josh must find common ground. As they grapple with shared history and simmering chemistry, they learn that love deserves a second act in the spotlight, whatever it takes.
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Anna by Amanda Prowse – scheduled August 2
Release date March 8, 2018 (Source: Amazon Purchase)
Anna Cole grew up poor, but her mother’s love made her feel rich every day. Then her mother died, and Anna was sent to a care home. As a teenager, Anna vowed that one day, she would have children of her own, and create the happy, noisy family life she always craved.
Then, one day, Anna meets Theo Montgomery in a lift. Theo has kind eyes, but a sad past. His family were rich, but his childhood was full of neglect. Theo can’t imagine bringing a child into this cruel world, but he does want a soulmate. Someone to love him unconditionally; someone with whom he can share his family’s wealth.
Theo and Anna are two damaged souls, from two different worlds. Is their love for each other enough to let go of the pain of their pasts? Or will Anna and Theo break each other’s hearts?
There are multiple sides to every love story. This is Anna’s.
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Theo by Amanda Prowse – scheduled August 9
Release date April 5, 2018 (Source: Amazon Purchase)
Theo Montgomery grew up in a rich family where he had all the toys and trinkets money could buy. But his childhood was full of neglect and he was bullied at school. Now he is an adult, he longs to find a soulmate. Someone who understands him. Someone who will love him unconditionally.
Then, one day, Theo meets Anna Cole in a lift. Anna grew up in a care home, and has always wanted to create the noisy family life she never had. She brings love and laughter into Theo’s life. But she wants a baby, and Theo can’t imagine bringing a child into this cruel world…
Theo and Anna are two damaged souls, from two different worlds. Is their love for each other enough to let go of the pain of their pasts? Or will Anna and Theo break each others’ hearts?
There are multiple sides to every love story. This is Theo’s.
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How to Fall in Love Again by Amanda Prowse – scheduled August 16
Release date July 26, 2018 (Source: Amazon Purchase)
Re-released February 27, 2025 as Kitty
Kitty Montrose isn’t sure she believes in true love anymore. When she was a little girl, she had dreamed of finding her soulmate. Someone to laugh with, cry with, and to share her twilight years. But it never happened. She has her gorgeous children and grandchildren, but her marriage was never the happily-ever-after love story she’d imagined.
Then Kitty bumps into Theo, an old flame. The timing was never right for them before. Could now be the time for Theo and Kitty to fall in love again?
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