If you haven’t read this one, you may wonder why I’m including it in a list of “feel-good books.” Trust me, you’ll understand by the end.

Black Cake is a winner of multiple awards, and not a book I will soon forget. This character-driven story is beautifully told, both in print and on audio, and masterfully reveals one little piece of the story at a time. 

When Eleanor Bennett dies, her two children, Byron and Benny, are left with an unusual inheritance: a black cake and a voice recording. Eleanor’s heartbreaking message shares the story of a young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder, and reveals secrets that challenge everything the siblings know of their family.

This book is now an eight-episode mini-series on Hulu – perfect for a watch-along party with your book club. Black Cake also lends itself well to one of these fun book club activities.

Nothing gets me like second chances, (somewhat) mended hearts, deep friendships, and grumpy old men (in this case, an octopus!) — the very definition of a “feel-good book”!

If you loved A Man Called Ove or Lessons In Chemistry’s  Six Thirty, you’ve got to meet Tova and Marcellus! A lonely widow, a thirty-year-old mystery of a vanished son, a young man finding his way, and a curmudgeonly giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus — this unlikely cast of characters create a charming, witty, and compulsively readable novel!

Marcellus and Tova form a remarkable, albeit improbable, friendship. Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared 30 years ago. Now he must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her.

An octopus as a main character? Don’t be fooled; this story is worth your time (even if Six Thirty secretly irritated you 😉)! 

Groundhog Day meets tragedy in this time loop of a novel.

This one is worthy of a spot in your TBR — both tender and tragic. Makes you think and want to hug your people.

It’s another frantic Monday for stressed, overworked Emma. When forgetting their anniversary results in a fight with her husband Dan, he leaves to walk the dog. Then tires screech outside their home, and Dan is dead. (No spoilers – it’s in the book description!)

But the next day, it’s Monday again. Day after day, Monday dawns, giving Emma opportunities to rearrange her priorities, and – she hopes – change the course of fate and give them a second chance. 

This book asks “What if?” – what if, in the hectic pace of this modern world, we learn to slow down and appreciate what is right in front of us?

Settle in for a sweet read — and an armchair tour of England! This book is classic “feel-good.”

Jenny James has had her share of bad days. A single mother of a teenage son (with plenty of teenage attitude), she has a mediocre job with a less-than-mediocre paycheck, a car on its last leg, and too many discarded dreams to count. Then on a single day, her job is made redundant, her car dies its final death, and her home — a cozy little seaside cottage on an English cliffside — falls into the sea during a vicious storm. Literally.

With no home and no job, Jenny and Charlie join Luke, their kind but aloof neighbor, on his nomadic road trip around England. Each new destination brings them all closer, but also forces them to realize they can’t outrun the events of their past. 

I loved this book for so many reasons! The friendship that developed as they traveled was both strong and sweet. The author did not sugarcoat past mistakes or the difficulty in facing them but did so with hope for the future. The English road trip reminded me of places I’ve visited and added many to my bucket list. 🇬🇧

As usual, Debbie Johnson delivers perfect UpLit!

An extraordinary friendship. A lifetime of stories. All the feels.

Why do I always love the ones that make me smile through my tears?

This is such a sweet book about the unlikely friendship between a terminally ill teenage girl and an elderly woman, both living on the same ward in a hospital in Scotland.

As you walk through Lenni and Margot’s combined 100 years of life, you’ll be reminded of the importance of intergenerational friendships — and why you should treasure them.

This story will break your heart a little, but it will mend it, too. Isn’t that exactly what a feel-good book is supposed to do?