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PBR's Favorites |
 The Bright Years By Sarah Damoff
Literary Fiction: A warm, reflective story about family, love, and the moments that shape a life over time. It's emotional without being heavy, focusing on relationships, growth, and the beauty of everyday life. ...
This will appeal to readers who enjoy character-driven, heartfelt fiction about family and relationships. For book clubs, it's a great pick because it opens up discussion around life choices, connection, forgiveness, and how people change over time-the kind of story everyone can relate to in their own way. Simon & Schuster | Apr 22, 2025 | 288 pages | ISBN:978-1668061442 | Literary Fiction/Women's Fiction
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 Wild Dark Shore By Charlotte McConaghy
Women's Fiction: A young woman must survive alone after being cast out. This story is quiet, emotional, and very human. It looks at resilience, identity, and finding strength when... everything is taken away.
This will appeal to readers who love character-driven historical fiction, especially stories about women facing impossible situations and finding strength in quiet ways. If you enjoy emotional, reflective reads -like The Frozen River or The Nightingale- this is a perfect addition to your bookshelf. For book clubs, it's a strong pick because it opens up discussion around survival, identity, isolation, and resilience, along with questions about choice, fate, and how far someone can be pushed before they change. It's not plot-heavy, but it gives you a lot to talk about—which usually leads to a great discussion. Flatiron Books | Mar 4, 2025 | 320 pages | ISBN:978-1250827951 | Women's Fiction
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 Culpability By Bruce Holsinger
Psychological Thriller: A tense story focused on characters - explores guilt, privilege, and consequences. While on a family trip, their young son is involved in an accident with an autonomous vehicle. This one moment changes ... everything, forcing each family member to confront what they are truly responsible for.
This will appeal to readers who enjoy character-driven literary fiction with moral gray areas-the kind of story where you keep questioning each person's choices. or book clubs, it's a great pick because it naturally sparks discussion around accountability, truth, perspective, and how responsibility is shared (or avoided). Spiegel & Grau | Jul 8, 2025 | 380 pages | 978-1954118966 | Psychological Thriller
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Twice By Mitch Albom
Contemporary Fiction: A gently unfolding story about second chances, where a person's life-and the choices they make-gets the rare opportunity for a second chance. It's emotional, reflective, and filled with that ... "what would you do differently?" feeling that stays with you.
This will appeal to readers who enjoy emotional, thought-provoking fiction with a touch of magical realism, as well as fans of character-driven stories. This touching love story is about life, loss, and redemption. For book clubs, it's a strong pick because it naturally opens discussion around regret, fate vs. choice, and whether we'd really change things if given another chance. Harper| Oct 7, 2025 | 320 pages | 978-0062406682 |Contemporary Fiction/ Magical Realism
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 What Happened to Nina By Dervla McTiernan
Psychological Thriller: This fast-paced story pulls you in from the start. It takes a deep look at family and the ripple effects of tragedy, all while maintaining high tension. You're not ... just trying to figure out what happened-you're seeing how it impacts everyone involved, which makes it feel more real and more unsettling.
This book is perfect for those who like psychological suspense and character-driven mysteries, or for those who enjoy stories with emotional depth. It's also a great choice for book clubs, as it raises important questions about truth, perception, and justice. William Morrow | Mar 26, 2024 | 336 pages | ISBN:978-0063042254 | Psychological Thriller
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Theo of Golden By Allen Levi
Contemporary Fiction: This is a thought-provoking read that shows the impact one ordinary person can have on a community. It highlights the importance of kindness in everyday life and encourages ... self-reflection on a meaningful life. Once you're finished reading, it stays with you.
This book is perfect for anyone who enjoys quiet stories with strong character development. It beautifully explores the relationships and weaves in themes of faith and introspection.
It's also an excellent pick for book clubs! The story opens up opportunities for discussions about community, kindness, purpose, and the impact of our decisions on others. Atria Books | Nov 11, 2025 | 400 pages | ISBN:978-1668236567 | Contemporary Fiction
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The Correspondent By Virginia Evans
Women's Fiction: Sara Marsala barely knows who she is anymore after the failure of her business and marriage. On top of that, her beloved great-aunt Rosie passes away, leaving Sara ... Written in letter form, this is a story of redemption, second chances, and complex relationships. It's character-driven, allowing you to feel truly connected with the story. This is an emotional read you won't soon forget.
For readers who like character-driven stories and in-depth conversations. Crown | April 29, 2025 | 304 pages | ISBN-13:978-0593798430 | Women's Fiction
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Finding Grace By Loretta Rothschild
Contemporary Fiction: This is an emotional read that opens with a shocking plot twist. It centers on forgiveness, the choices we make, and the consequences that follow. This story compels you to ask yourself what you would do....
For readers who like character driven emotional stories.
St. Martin's Press | July 8, 2025 | 336 pages | ISBN-13:978-1250381828 |Contemporary Fiction
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 Broken Country By Clare Leslie Hall
Women's Fiction: This is a reflective, emotional story that draws you in with an atmospheric pull. It's a family drama with complicated relationships and characters driving the narrative. ...
Readers who enjoy a slow-burning, tension-building story will enjoy this book. Simon & Schuster | Mar 4, 2025 | 320 pages | ISBN-13:978-1668078181 | Women's Fiction
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 Workhorse By Caroline Palmer
Women's Fiction: Welcome to the world of a NYC Fashion Magazine. Some may say Vogue. It's about ambition, the pressure to succeed, and where you draw the line to attain it....
Readers who enjoy sharp wit, funny stories with a little edge will love this book.
Flatiron Books | October 14, 2025 | 560 pages | ISBN-13:978-1250360083 | Women's Fiction
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 Buckeye By Patrick Ryan
Book Summary: Patrick Ryan's Buckeye is a sweeping, decades-long narrative about two families in a small Ohio town. You spend the most time with two couples: Cal and Becky, and Felix and Margaret. ... More
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Culpability by Bruce Holsinger
Book Summary: Set at a summer rental on the Chesapeake Bay, a riveting family drama about moral responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence, from the bestselling author of the "wise and addictive" (New York Times) The Gifted School ...More
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 Count My Lies by Sophie Stava
Harmless lies, mostly, to make her self-proclaimed sad, little life a bit more interesting. So when Sloane sees a young girl in tears at a park one afternoon, she can't help herself-she tells...More
 Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK. Starling House is a gorgeous, modern gothic fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January.....More
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 Isola by Allegra Goodman
A young woman and her lover are marooned on an island in this "lushly painted" (People) historical epic of love, faith, and defiance from the bestselling author of Sam....More
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 The Dream Hotel By Laila Lalami
READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY - From Laila Lalami-the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist and a "maestra of literary fiction" (NPR)-comes a riveting ...More
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