Heading out on spring break soon? Or just need a great book to help you escape from the flu and winter blahs going around? This month’s fantastic paperback picks will have you Faking It, making it and taking it to a whole new literary level — and getting down to the Heart of the Matter while you’re at it.
Faking It by Elisa Lorello
It’s hard not to love a good steamy read and Faking It is just that. When you mix an English teacher, an escort and New York City, things are bound to heat up.
Thirty-four-year-old English professor Andi Cutrone has just left her fiance and returned to her native New York with a mission to become a better lover. After meeting Devin, a handsome escort, she proposes a naughty little exchange. Andi will give Devin writing lessons, if he will give her lessons in the art of love making.
The two agree to never meet socially as a part of the contract, but when lines are crossed and feelings start to form, Andi is led down an unexpected road. Between a sensible long distance relationship with a New England professor and stripped down dancing with a charming escort, Andi must decide what life she wants and if it’s even possible to love two men.
Born Under a Lucky Moon by Dana Precious
All families have their fair share of crazies. Whether it’s a kooky aunt or a reclusive grandparent, anyone can relate to loving the people who make you absolutely nuts. In Born Under a Lucky Moon, you get to follow the ups and downs of a family on the brink of insanity that will warm your heart.
This book follows two significant years in the life of Jeannie Thompson and her eccentric family. From surprise marriages to sex scandals, from new beginnings to unfortunate endings, there’s never a dull moment in Jeannie’s family.
Whether she’s running away from her crazy family or gravitating toward them, the balance of loving and resisting her family is charming and relatable.
Falling Apart in One Piece By Stacy Morrison
For anyone who has been through the devastation of divorce, this revealing memoir is a must-read. Without dishing out advice, boasting about her strength or feeling sorry for herself, Stacy Morrison delivers a candid account of her own personal hell.
At the time of her divorce, Stacy was Editor-in-Chief of Redbook magazine and had at her disposal some of the top experts on relationships, life and love, but nothing could prepare her for the end of her marriage. With four words from her husband’s mouth, “I’m done with this,” her world was turned upside down. From there, she faced a flooded house, fired babysitters, trips to the emergency room with her son and the process of reinventing Redbook.
The story does not only chronicle her divorce, but the collapse of the world she knows. An inspiring and emotional story, Stacy reveals the naked truth about the worst time of her life. A hit in hardcover, this great read is now in paperback and perfect for poolside or curling up alone on the couch.
Fireworks over Toccoa By Jeffrey Stepakoff
A good love story is hard to find — one that transcends time and touches the deepest part of your soul. Love is talked about all the time, written about all the time, but to make you really feel it and remember it in its purest form is something to treasure. Fireworks Over Toccoa is that book — a timeless love story that will make you remember your first love, your true love and all the pain and emotion that came with it.
Married just days before her husband was sent abroad to fight in WWII, Lily and the rest of Toccoa, Georgia await his return and plan a celebration. When a young Italian immigrant is commissioned to coordinate the fireworks show, Lily finds herself feeling true love for the first time. Torn between the promise she made and the love that she feels, Lily must choose. Is her duty to society more important than following her heart?
The Paperbark Shoe By Goldie Goldbloom
This Australian set novel is unique and unexpected. The Paperbark Shoe is delightfully dizzying in its eccentricities, but captivating in its exposure of a setting unfamiliar to most of us.
Gin Boyle, an albino, classical pianist and ex-mental patient, lives on the outskirts with her husband Mr. Toad, a man with assorted sexual tastes. When the Toads take in a pair of Italian POWs, the four form a connection as twisted as it is entertaining. With the backdrop of war always present (WWII) and a sliding scale of sanity and propriety weaving through each character, this story takes you on a physical and emotional rollercoaster.
Bonus! Heart of the Matter By Emily Giffin
We couldn’t leave out our all-time favorite women’s fiction author Emily Giffin — even though we raved about Heart of the Matter when it came out last year (It was a SheKnows Book Club pick and we discussed the book during our live chat with Emily Giffin!). She’s one of our favorite authors and the main reason chick lit is still alive and kicking (and so much more than just lit about shoes and fashion!). Her novel Something Borrowed is now a major motion picture hitting theaters this May (we’ll be there!). Now Heart of the Matter is in paperback — so for all of you who missed it last year and want the perfect spring break book, you must pick it up.
Tessa Russo left behind her career to live a happy domestic life. Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother. The two women live in the same neighborhood, but share almost nothing in common, shy of the love for their children. One night, a tragic accident unites the women in ways they never imagined and guides them both down a path of self-discovery to find what matters most.
Christelle Hobby contributed to this piece.
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