Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Book Club Picks

Actress and entrepreneur Reese Witherspoon created her Hello Sunshine Book Club to celebrate women's stories, promote diversity, support independent bookstores, and encourage literacy for everyone. This Collection of Study Guides includes an assortment of picks from Reese’s Book Club, all featuring women as main characters. Read on to learn more about Kya’s coming-of-age in Where the Crawdads Sing, multiple generations of Cuban women in Next Year in Havana, and rock ’n’ roll in 1970s America in Daisy Jones & The Six.

Lucky

by Marissa Stapley

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Hope, Family

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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Maybe Next Time

by Cesca Major

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Hope, Joy, Love, Memory, Midlife, Daughters & Sons, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Romance, Fantasy

... Read Maybe Next Time Summary

Next Year In Havana

by Chanel Cleeton

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance

Next Year in Havana is a novel by Chanel Cleeton, a Cuban-American writer of contemporary romance and historical fiction. The book was the July 2018 selection for Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club and a New York Times bestseller. The novel alternates between 2017, when Cuban-American writer Marisol Ferrera goes to Cuba to scatter the ashes of her grandmother Elisa (Perez) Ferrera, and 1958-1959, when Elisa falls in love with a revolutionary. This guide is based on... Read Next Year In Havana Summary

One Day in December

by Josie Silver

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate, Truth & Lies

Tags Special Occasions, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

One Day in December is a romance novel by Josie Silver, told through the first-person point of view of two characters: Jack O’Mara and Laurie James. The story focuses on specific months in the characters’ lives, providing a circular narrative that encourages the reader to notice how people develop but do not necessarily change over time. A #1 New York Times bestseller, the novel was published in 2018 by Broadway Books of Crown Publishing Group... Read One Day in December Summary

Outlawed

by Anna North

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Gender Identity, Justice

Tags Western, Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, American Literature, World History

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Slow Dance

by Rainbow Rowell

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Nostalgia, Coming of Age, Midlife, The Past, Place, Friendship, Marriage

Tags Coming of Age, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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Something in the Water

by Catherine Steadman

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman is an adult psychological thriller published by Ballantine Books in 2018. When Mark and Erin Roberts decide to keep a mysterious duffle bag full of dirty money and gems, they start down a rode of criminal behavior, secrets, and greed. Something in the Water examines the lies we tell and how far we’ll go to protect those lies. The book was a #1 New York Times bestseller and... Read Something in the Water Summary

Starling House

by Alix E. Harrow

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Truth & Lies, Power & Greed, Revenge, Memory, Social Class

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Gothic Literature, Romance, Religion & Spirituality

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Such a Fun Age

by Kiley Reid

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers

Tags Race & Racism, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Such a Fun Age (2019) is a debut novel from Kiley Reid, published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons (an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC). The novel quickly garnered critical acclaim, including a NY Times Bestseller spot, and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award in 2020. Another novel by Reid is Come and Get It. Plot Summary Though it starts with Emira’s perspective, Such a Fun Age alternates almost evenly between Emira Tucker and Alix Chamberlain... Read Such a Fun Age Summary

The Alice Network

by Kate Quinn

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World War II, Military & War, French Literature, World History

The Alice Network is the seventh novel by author Kate Quinn. First published in 2017, the book is classified as historical fiction. It became a New York Times and USA Today bestseller and was also listed as a Summer Pick by Good Housekeeping, Parade, Library Journal, and Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club. Quinn has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga and two books set during the Italian Renaissance. The Alice Network and her... Read The Alice Network Summary

The Christie Affair

by Nina de Gramont

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Revenge, Hate & Anger, Love, Conflict, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Literature, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, World History, Romance

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The Club

by Ellery Lloyd

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Power & Greed, Community

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The Club Summary