This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Guest Post by Laura Pepper Wu
The beauty of my job as a blogger and magazine editor means that I get sent a lot of indie books to read and review each month. In my experience of reading approximately a gazillion chick lit titles over the last few years, I’ve found that there are some wonderfully magical indie stories out there that deserve way more attention than they get! It’s my pleasure to introduce you to some of these delightful chick lit books that should go on your list of summer reads asap. Enjoy!
1. Blue Straggler by Kathy Lynn Harris
Humorous, touching, and probably far-too relatable for many of us, this is the story of a 30-year-old woman struggling to find her place in the world. Bailey Miller’s family is lovely but suffocating, her career is boring and going nowhere, and she “can’t keep a relationship longer than it takes for milk to expire in her fridge”.
Despite the inner turmoil and troubles Bailey faces, this novel is ultimately about the importance of friends, family, and the path to finding yourself. In Bailey’s case, that journey involves a roadtrip to the mountains where she may just meet a gorgeous mountain man! Give Blue Straggler a try if you enjoy comedy with a poignant twist and several life lessons.
Find out more at www.kathylynnharris.com
2. Dancing Naked in Dixie by Lauren Clark
Sweeter than a red velvet cupcake with almond vanilla icing, DNID features the clutzy yet lovable travel writer Julia as its protagonist. Fans of Sophie Kinsella will devour this uplifting novel, where Julia is flung like a fish out of water from New York city to the heart of the (American) South. She’s scattered, unorganized, and constantly getting herself into awkward and difficult situations, but she has a kind heart and she meets good people. When she learns that her temporary home is in jeopardy of being turned into a tourist spot by an evil real estate developer, Julia comes into her own and we are able to see what she’s really made of. Dancing Naked in Dixie is charming, full of giggles, and has a fantastic title that will sure to be a conversation starter when someone spots you reading this on the beach!
Find out more at www.laurenclarkbooks.com
3. Tales from My Hard Drive by Megan Karasch
If you’ve ever set up a profile on
an online dating site, then some of the tales from this incredibly witty book
are sure to hit home. 40-year-old writer Melissa moves from LA to NYC after
finding her husband getting busy with another woman in their home. Alone and in
a new and expensive city, she takes the best job she can find – a cyber dater
with a column in The New York Beacon.
The tales that follow from the dates she meets online range from bizarre to
downright creepy, and make for a fantastically entertaining column that
explodes in popularity across the city. When she accidentally falls for one of
her dates though, she faces a dilemma – can she hide her undercover dating gig,
and lead a double dating life or should she come clean? Her editor certainly
doesn’t want her to reveal her identity yet – her column is way to popular and
to keep writing it she’ll have to carry on dating! The first chapter of this
book is definitely one to be remembered, and it just gets better and better
from there. I was hooked!
Visit Megan’s site at www.megankarasch.com
4. Falling Uphill by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga
Oh I how I loved this book! I was totally and utterly lost in the mystery, the San Francisco scenes, the food descriptions, and the gorgeous romantic storyline. Candace Grey, an anthropology teacher from Michigan, receives a puzzling phone call from San Francisco claiming that a long-lost relative is dead. She wonders what this has to do with her, but since she’s heading to California for the summer anyway, she decides to attend the memorial service. There she meets a lady who gives her tidbits of information that suggest the beginnings of a murder mystery. And so the drama begins. This is definitely a book to be savoured this summer. It was a pure delight to read.
Visit Wendy’s site at www.wendytokunaga.com
Laura Pepper Wu is a writer and the Editor at The Write Life Magazine: a digital lifestyle magazine for writers.
Tweet her at @LauraPepWu.