7 books we’re loving now

Chick lit Limelight by Amy Poeppel

“As I’m helping my kids wrap up the school year and finishing up a home project, the glitz of the red carpet is far away from my reality,” jokes Patty Bontekoe, FIRST deputy editor. “So when I saw the glamorous scene on this cover, I thought it might be an escape—and it was a hilarious one!” Allison Brinkley, her husband and their three children have moved from Dallas to New York, where she has to settle her kids into new schools while unpacking and navigating a new city. So when the job she had lined up falls through, she begins working as the assistant to a spoiled teenage pop star and is tasked with getting him ready to star in a Broadway musical he has no interest in. “This read was so fun!” raves Patty. “I laughed out loud at the over-the-top celebrity antics—it left me grateful for my low-drama life!” (Atria, 2018; Hardcover $26, Kindle $14, Nook $14)

Christian fiction

Where Hope Begins by Catherine West “Sometimes, seeing the negative news stories every day leaves me scared about the state of our world,” admits Maggie Dillard, FIRST editorial assistant. “So when a girlfriend recommended this novel about the truth of God’s goodness, I knew it would help restore some hope in my heart.” After being abandoned by her husband of 21 years, Savannah Barrington takes refuge at her parents’ lake house in the Berkshires. Though her world is shaken and the future is uncertain, Savannah finds comfort amid the ancient gardens and musty bookstores of the small town, and discovers grace, love and God’s miracles in the midst of her brokenness and grief. “The beautiful authenticity of Savannah’s pain and faith was so inspiring,” says Maggie. “By the last page, I felt my hope completely restored!” (Thomas Nelson, 2018; Paperback $16, Kindle $9)