Hallmark-esque Novels: Drama

Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby

Irby is forty, and increasingly uncomfortable in her own skin despite what Inspirational Instagram Infographics have promised her. She has left her job as a receptionist at a veterinary clinic, has published successful books and has been friendzoned by Hollywood, left Chicago, and moved into a house with a garden that requires repairs and know-how with her wife in a Blue town in the middle of a Red state where she now hosts book clubs and makes mason jar salads. This is the bourgeois life of a Hallmark Channel dream. She goes on bad dates with new friends, spends weeks in Los Angeles taking meetings with "tv executives slash amateur astrologers" while being a "cheese fry-eating slightly damp Midwest person," "with neck pain and no cartilage in [her] knees," who still hides past due bills under her pillow. The essays in this collection draw on the raw, hilarious particulars of Irby's new life. Wow, No Thank You is Irby at her most unflinching, riotous, and relatable.

Truly, Madly, Deeply by Karen Kingsbury

When eighteen-year-old Tommy Baxter declares he wants to be a police officer after graduation, his mother, Reagan, won't hear of it. She's still mourning the death of her own father on September 11 and she's determined to keep her son safe from danger and disaster. Tommy's father Luke arranges for his son to take part in a ride-along program with the Indianapolis Police Department. Meanwhile, Tommy is in love: Annalee Miller has been a family friend for years, and after prom Tommy is seriously thinking about asking her to marry him. When tests reveal she has cancer, Tommy is driven to learn more about the circumstances surrounding his birth - and the grandfather he never knew.

A Girl's Guide to Moving On by Debbie Macomber

Nichole, a woman in her early thirties, is recovering from a broken heart after learning her husband was having an affair and separating from him. The twist is that her mother-in-law, Leanne, is the one who told her that her son was cheating. Leanne has looked the other way for decades as HER own husband cheated, and can't bear to see her son repeating the same pattern. In telling Nichole, she also gathers the courage to leave her husband, and the two women--ex- mother-in-law and daughter-in-law--rent apartments across the hall from each other and support one another in rebuilding their lives and embracing surprising new romantic endeavors.

Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone by Phaedra Patrick

In the quiet village of Noon Sun, Benedict Stone lives out the stagnant life of an unhappily married jeweler, until the daughter of his estranged brother arrives from America and turns his whole life upside down.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Seventeen-year-old Veronica 'Ronnie' Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains alienated from her parents, particularly her father-- until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she and her brother spent the summer with him.

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family. But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her-- a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards - and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

Summer by the Tides by Denise Hunter

From the bestselling author of The Convenient Groom comes a heartfelt story of family secrets, forgiveness, and unexpected romance. When their grandmother goes missing, three estranged sisters converge at the family beach house in Sea Haven, North Carolina and find a way to accept each other for the women they've become.

The Melody Lingers On by Mary Higgins Clark

A beloved aunt's agreement to help her niece with college essays reawakens past secrets about the night a grandparent was murdered, an event that compels the woman to investigate a treasured music box to uncover the truth.

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

Seventeen-year-olds Stella and Will, both suffering from cystic fibrosis, realize the only way to stay alive is to stay apart, but their love for each other is slowly pushing the boundaries of physical and emotional safety.

Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

After her mother dies, Lina travels to Italy where she discovers her mothers' journal and sets off on an adventure to unearth her mother's secrets.

Love and Olives by Jenna Evans Welch

Liv Varanakis's father fled to Greece when she was only eight. What Liv does remember is their shared love for Greek myths and the lost city of Atlantis. When she receives a postcard from her father explaining that National Geographic is funding a documentary about his theories on Atlantis, she jumps at the chance to fly out to Greece and help. On gorgeous Santorini, Liv doesn't want their past to get in the way of a possible reconciliation. But her father may not have invited her to Greece for Atlantis, but for something much more important.