7 books we’re loving now

Chick lit

Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan “After dropping off my dog at the vet for a routine surgery, I knew I had to take my anxious mind off of things by spending some quality time with my second best friend: a good book,” shares Kristina Mastrocola, FIRST senior editor. “And this delightful novel had me hooked!” Six-year-old Tilly is living in England in Queenie’s Paradise Hotel, whose quirky staff feels like family. But when her mother suddenly sends her away to boarding school, she feels a betrayal that stings into adulthood. After her mother passes away, a now-grown Tilly begins uncovering why she was sent away all those years ago, and she soon learns secrets her mother had kept from her all her life. Raves Kristina: “I loved this story about the complicated relationship between moms and daughters—and after, I hugged my own ‘fur-daughter’ that much harder!” (Two Roads, 2019; Hardcover $27, Kindle $11, Nook $11)

Historical fiction

The Summer

Country by Lauren Willig

“Any time the seasons start to change, I find myself filled with a longing to turn back the clock,” says Alexandra

Pollock, FIRST senior editor. “So I picked up this novel hoping it would help allay my melancholy—and it didn’t disappoint!” After Emily Dawson inherits her grandfather’s old sugar plantation in Barbados in 1854, she goes to see the property for herself, only to find a husk of burnt-out ruins. Wondering why her grandfather left her this piece of land and why the neighboring plantation owners, the Daveants, are so interested in acquiring it for themselves, Emily sets out to discover what happened all those years ago—and uncovers secrets that challenge what she knows about her family and herself. “This rich read sent me back in time just as I’d hoped,” says Alexandra. “Love, betrayal, mystery redemption…it had it all!” (William Morrow, 2019; Hardcover $27, Kindle $13, Nook $13)