A charming story of a young mother widowed far too soon and her walk through staggering grief as she learns to live again.

With writing that is both humorously entertaining and deftly insightful into the varied emotions of loss, so much about this book made me laugh – and made me ache. I was struck by how the author so beautifully articulated Kate’s emotions. Then I read the author’s note: “Write what you know.” Emma Grey lost her own husband at a young age, but her ability to communicate complicated feelings with wit and humor entertains to the last page.

With a broken heart, solo parenting, a demanding job, an overbearing mom, and a glamorous match-making best friend, Kate has too many plates to keep in the air. The last thing she wants is to “move on.” 

She even still has her husband’s notes taped all over their home. Cam captured her heart with the first note he wrote her on day one. Now, years after his death, will the discovery of his last note set her heart free?

Everyone said it’s much deeper than a typical summer romance, and ya’ll, they weren’t kidding. It made me laugh — and it hit all my heart’s sore spots.

This is a fun book, a sweet book, and a hard book. You’ve got your friends-to-lovers summer romance trope, but you also have trauma, child neglect, loss of parents, and more. The story found bruises on my heart and pressed them – hard.

The fun premise has Emma and Justin agreeing to six weeks, four dates, one kiss. Then they’ll break up and each go on to find their soulmates, and The Curse will be broken.

Ah, the best laid plans…

“You get one life, and it only goes forward. And there really are all kinds of happy endings.” — How To Walk Away

When I was looking for books to read before visiting Brugge, Belgium, last spring, this book popped up. Only a small bit took place in Brugge, but I am so glad I read this one.

But my new-found love of Brugge isn’t what resonated with me about this book. Was it the positive story despite the tragic beginning? Perhaps the difficult subject and the honesty of the first-person narration? Or maybe because the good guys won? 

I just know it felt good to read this book!

Side Note: Things You Save In A Fire continues the story of the firefighter we meet briefly at the beginning of this book — it’s another good one to add to your list!

This fun, feel good book is an ode to and a defense of the romantic comedy! If you’ve ever lamented the predictability of rom-coms, this book is a must-read for you!

In true Katherine Center fashion, there was no shying away from heavier topics in this rom-com. Both of the main characters have their own tragic experiences, but Center manages to balance that pain perfectly with humor and hope. (The reason you see two of her novels in this list!)

Charlie Yates, one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed screenwriters, is a fan of action, twisted plots, and the surprise ending. But he is not good at writing rom-coms.

Emma Wheeler is not an acclaimed screenwriter, however, she’s an excellent rom-com writer. So good, in fact, she is hired to help Charlie re-write his own disastrous attempt – much to his chagrin, because there’s no way he’s letting a “failed, nobody screenwriter” tell him how to do it.

But Emma is no shrinking violet: she believes in her work, she believes in love, and she believes in all the reasons millions of fans love romantic comedies. Now she just needs to make Charlie believe, too.