A Founding Mother (2026) is a work of historical fiction by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, the bestselling authors of other novels about America’s founding women, including America’s First Daughter and My Dear Hamilton. A selection for Reese’s Book Club, the novel is a sweeping first-person narrative of the life of Abigail Adams. The story follows Abigail from her early years as a wife and mother in colonial Massachusetts through the American Revolution, her time... Read A Founding Mother Summary

Published in 2021, Dana Schwartz’s Anatomy: A Love Story is a young adult Gothic romance/historical fiction novel. Set in 1817 Scotland, the novel follows Hazel Sinnet, a young noblewoman who aspires to become a surgeon, and Jack Currer, a “resurrection man”—a grave robber whose job is to dig up the freshly buried bodies Hazel needs for her medical studies. Together, they seek to win Hazel a place in the prestigious Edinburgh Anatomists’ Society and solve... Read Anatomy Summary

Anita de Monte Laughs Last (2024) is American author Xochitl Gonzalez’s second book. Part campus novel and part homage to the late Cuban artist Ana Mendieta, Anita de Monte Laughs Last examines eurocentrism in the art world, the impact of toxic masculinity on both personal and professional relationships, and the ways in which stereotypes and anti-Latinx prejudices harm young women of color. The story shares many common themes with Gonzalez’s first novel, Olga Dies Dreaming... Read Anita de Monte Laughs Last Summary

A Pair of Aces by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a dual-narrative historical novel that reimagines one of the most consequential organized-crime prosecutions in American history through the eyes of two women who were written out of its popular memory. The book braids the parallel lives of Eunice Hunton Carter, the Black prosecutor whose insight cracks the case against organized crime boss Lucky Luciano, and Polly Adler, the Jewish immigrant whose brothels sit... Read A Pair of Aces Summary

Published in 2017, Brené Brown’s Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone presents insights and strategies for finding what Brown refers to as true belonging in a time of increasing cultural polarization in America. Based on Brown’s grounded theory research, true belonging is a practice that involves believing in and belonging to oneself so fully that one can share one’s innermost, authentic self with the rest of the... Read Braving the Wilderness Summary

Broken Country is a literary novel by Clare Leslie Hall that was published in 2025. It is the North American debut for the author, who previously published two thrillers in the UK and Germany under the name Clare Empson. Set in the UK, primarily in the rural village of Hemston, North Dorset, Broken Country spans decades as it follows Beth Johnson, who is caught between her enduring connection to Gabriel Wolfe, the privileged son of... Read Broken Country Summary

Holly Smale’s first novel for adults was published in 2023, titled Cassandra in Reverse in the US and The Cassandra Complex in the UK. Smale was diagnosed with autism at the age of 39, which helped her understand herself and motivated her to advocate for representations of neurodiversity. Cassandra in Reverse’s protagonist, Cassandra Penelope Dankworth, experiences a similar situation: Having always known she was different, she realizes she likely has autism at the age of... Read Cassandra in Reverse Summary

Counterfeit (2022) is an adult suspense novel written by Kristen Chen, the author of two other novels. The novel follows two main characters: Ava Wong and Winne Fang, two former college roommates. In the first part of Counterfeit, Ava, a California lawyer who is now an at-home mom, explains to a police detective how Winnie lured her into a scheme to sell replica designer bags. The second part of the novel follows Winnie as she... Read Counterfeit Summary

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s historical fiction novel Daisy Jones & The Six, published in 2019, is a contemporary work of fiction that explores the rich music culture of the 1970s in the United States. This time was known for rock ’n’ roll, partly as a cultural response to the strict rules of the 1960s and the disaster of the Vietnam War. The California dream world of hard partying, no rules, and freedom persists as a major... Read Daisy Jones & The Six Summary

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? is the debut novel of author Crystal Smith Paul. The novel tells the story of Kitty Karr Tate, who was born to a Black mother in the American South in the 1930s. At age 18, Kitty moves to Hollywood, where she builds a successful acting career while “passing” as a white woman. The narrative opens with the revelation that Kitty, who has just died, is leaving her massive fortune... Read Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? Summary

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is a 2017 comic novel about human connection. The title character, Eleanor Oliphant, narrates the story, introducing herself as an office worker with a solitary life in present-day Glasgow, Scotland. Eleanor spends her free time doing crosswords, listening to the radio, drinking vodka, and reading classic literature. She does not socialize with anyone, and her only family is a spiteful mother who calls from prison once a week. One night... Read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine Summary

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows (2017) is Balli Kaur Jaswal’s third novel. Born and raised in Singapore, Jaswal is of Punjabi Sikh Indian heritage. Her novels challenge the racism experienced by Sikhs throughout the diaspora. They also challenge patriarchal oppression experienced from within. Formerly colonized by the British, Sikh Indians have formed communities in Britain and other former British colonies such as Singapore and Canada. Jaswal’s first two novels, Inheritance (2013) and Sugarbread (2016), take... Read Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows Summary

Everything Inside (2019) is a short story collection by Haitian American author Edwidge Danticat. The eight stories in this collection, which focus primarily on the lives of Haitian people living across the Caribbean, are connected by their interest in loss and the search for identity. Like many of her characters, Danticat immigrated to the United States from Haiti at a young age; her love for Haiti and its history is evident throughout the collection, despite... Read Everything Inside Summary

Published in 2020, Adrienne Young’s Fable is a young adult maritime adventure novel and the first installment of the World of the Narrows series. The story follows the titular character, Fable, a 17-year-old who has been abandoned on a harsh island by her powerful merchant father after her mother tragically drowns. Determined to survive and claim her rightful place within her father’s trading empire, Fable must forge alliances and uncover family secrets to secure her... Read Fable Summary

From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home is a work of nonfiction by Tembi Locke, an American actress, writer, and grief advocate. Shifting between two timelines, one before and the other after the death of her husband, Saro, From Scratch chronicles Tembi and Saro’s relationship and the evolution of her grief and healing after he passes. Drawing on journals, letters, electronic communications, and personal memories, Tembi tells the story of falling in... Read From Scratch Summary

Furia by Argentine American author Yamile Saied Méndez follows protagonist Camila Hassan in her senior year as she pursues her dream of playing professional soccer in Argentina, a country and culture that have no room for female fútbol players. The young adult novel was published in 2020 and provides a modern perspective of what it’s like to be an Argentinian woman. This guide refers to the 2020 Algonquin Young Readers edition.Plot SummarySeventeen-year-old Camila Hassan lives... Read Furia Summary

Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life (2020) is American author Christie Tate’s debut memoir about her journey through group therapy, mental health, and self-acceptance. Throughout the memoir, Christie joins three therapy groups and works through childhood traumas, career transitions, and unsuccessful relationships in a supportive group setting. Group was a New York Times bestseller and appeared on Amazon and CNN’s Best Books lists of October 2020.Tate, a lawyer, attended... Read Group Summary

Peace Adzo Medie’s novel His Only Wife (2020) is set in Ghana and traces the protagonist Afi Tekple’s life in the wake of her arranged marriage to Elikem “Eli” Ganyo. Afi accepts the marital arrangement made by Eli’s mother Aunty Faustina Ganyo to honor her mother and repay her family’s debts to Aunty. Afi understands the cultural expectations of her social station and gender. Her marriage grants her access to a more comfortable, secure, and... Read His Only Wife Summary

Honey & Spice is the debut novel of bestselling British Nigerian author Bolu Babalola, a screenwriter and journalist published by major outlets including Vice and Cosmopolitan. Babalola achieved international recognition with her short story collection Love in Color (2020), a Sunday Times bestseller, and followed this in 2022 with Honey & Spice. A college-set romance, the book follows the adventures in love and friendship of Kiki Banjo, a British Nigerian college student who agrees to... Read Honey & Spice Summary

Honor (2022) by Thrity Umrigar is a realistic fiction novel that follows journalist Smita Agarwal, who returns to India after two decades away. Smita investigates the case and trial verdict of Meena, a Hindu woman whose two brothers tried to burn her to death for marrying a Muslim man. Her coverage is complicated by her growing friendship with Mohan, a successful IT executive. Told through a third-person perspective punctuated by Meena’s first-person monologues, the novel... Read Honor Summary