Contemporary Fiction

A Killer Getaway by Sienna Sharpe Genres: Adult, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, LGBTQ+, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Romance, Thriller, Travel Published by Sourcebooks Landmark on August 12, 2025 Format: ARC, eBook Pages: 320 Source: Netgalley Falling in love can be murder…  No one in Lily Lennox’s life can understand why, for each of the past five summers, she has shut her successful business and chosen instead to be paid minimum wage lifeguarding at the exclusive Riovan Wellness Resort on a sun-soaked Caribbean island. Fortunately for her, they also aren’t aware of the mysterious deaths that have occurred on the island every time she’s there.  Lily always does her best not to attract attention. She is determined to make toxic people pay for the damage they do – and when your mission is murder, it’s best not to draw suspicious eyes. But this year a very attractive journalist, Daniel Black, is asking a few too many inconvenient questions. Is he there to hunt her down? And if so, how will she manage her growing attraction towards him – at the same time as getting away with murder? This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to …

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry Genres: Adult, Chick Lit, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Travel Published by Berkley on April 21, 2025 Format: eBook Pages: 384 Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry. Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years—or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.  When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.  One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.  Two: She’s ready for …

Gifted & Talented by Olivie Blake Genres: Adult, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Magic Published by Tor on April 2, 2025 Format: eBook Pages: 495 The children of Thayer Wren have been remarkable since the day they were born. Unsurprisingly, since Thayer was the brilliant CEO of Wrenfare Magitech and so-called father of modern technology. Telepathically and telekinetically gifted, his offspring – Meredith, Arthur and Eilidh Wren – are publicly admired and privately capable of extraordinary feats. Any of the Wren prodigies would be a plausible inheritor to the Wrenfare throne. Or at least, so they like to think.  On the day of Thayer Wren’s unexpected demise, the lives of the three Wren siblings are in various states of chaos and disrepair. Meredith, now CEO of her own profitable company, is knee-deep in a dystopian capitalist nightmare, haunted by the ghost of a childhood friend. She’s also facing imminent exposure for corporate malfeasance by a journalist ex-boyfriend. Congressman Arthur Wren is wrestling with his disgruntled constituency and a strange, magical malady that can only be called the yips. Eilidh, former prima ballerina whose spinal injury ended her career, now finds herself triggering accidental, uncontrolled apocalypse events.  In the wake of Thayer’s loss, …

Lose You to Find Me by Erik J. Brown Genres: Comedy, Coming of Age, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, Young Adult Published by Balzer + Bray on May 1, 2023 Format: eBook Pages: 367 A romantic, heartfelt, and hilarious queer coming-of-age story from All That’s Left in the World author Erik J. Brown, perfect for fans of What If It’s Us and If This Gets Out.  Tommy Dees is in the weeds—restaurant speak for beyond overwhelmed. He’s been working as a server at Sunset Estates retirement community to get the experience he needs to attend one of the best culinary schools in the world. And to make his application shine, he also needs a letter of recommendation from his sadistic manager. But in exchange for the letter, Tommy has to meet three conditions—including training the new hire.  What he doesn’t expect is for the newbie to be an old crush: Gabe, with the dimples and kind heart, who Tommy fell for during summer camp at age ten and then never saw again. Unfortunately, Gabe doesn’t remember Tommy at all. The training proves distracting as old feelings resurface, and the universe seems to be conspiring against them.  With the application deadline …

Tin Man by Sarah Winman Genres: Adult, Coming of Age, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons on July 27, 2017 Format: eBook Pages: 224 I’ve read a lot of great and not so great book synopses, but the opening line of Sarah Winman’s Tin Man describes the novel the best: “This is almost a love story. But it’s not as simple as that.” When interpreted at face value, Tin Man‘s story is just that, an emotional story of almost love and the complex relationship between Ellis and Michael. But the theme of love goes far beyond simple romantic love, and that is where this novel incredibly well-executed yet quiet reflections are their strongest. Love for a treasured friend, love for a family member (despite not being blood related), love as caregiver, love as safe haven, or as simple as comforting company. Bittersweet, moving and poignant matched with a gorgeously beautiful prose, Sarah Winman’s Tin Man is a shorter yet wonderful read that I also loved and finished in one day. I honestly don’t have much to say about Tin Man apart from how much I loved it and found it exceptional, but I will …