Emily Storms

A friend texted me a reading-related SOS the other day. “Help!” she said, “I’ve been reading too many heavy books & need something light. What should I read next?”

Feel-good fiction has been one of my main pandemic coping mechanisms, so I felt like I had an overwhelming number of options to suggest to her. I know that some people have been having a hard time focusing on reading, but I’ve just been gravitating to books that I can tell will have a happy ending.

In no particular order, here are 5 feel-good books I can personally vouch for:

One to Watch. If you’ve ever, at any point in your life, watched one of the Bachelor franchise shows, this rom-com adjacent book is worth a read. The writing is smart and snappy, and it pulled me out of a reading slump this summer.
Destination Wedding. This book was a true delight! It involves an outrageously extravagant Indian wedding, a heroine searching for her place in the world, and a cast of lovably quirky characters. I loved the author’s writing style and now have her first book on my TBR list.
The Switch. This story starts with an overworked twenty-something swapping lives with her darling grandmother, and it was charming & redemptive & wonderful. I got an ARC for this and read it in early quarantine, and it was just what I needed then. If you haven’t already read Beth O’Leary’s first book, The Flatshare, you should add that to your feel-good fiction pile as well!
Party of Two. I didn’t think I liked the official “romance” genre until I read Jasmine Guillory. Her writing is fun and quick. The characters in her books feel relatable and like people you want to root for. Party of Two is her most recent book. I feel more modern than the romance paperbacks with dramatic covers that seem to fill little free libraries.
Beach Read. I went into this book not knowing anything about it and was surprised by how much I loved it. I suggest you do the same! This book has more heart and depth than you’d guess from the title and the cover.