If you’ve just watched Renée Zellweger heartwarming return to the screen in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy and find yourself craving more stories that capture that perfect blend of humor, heart, and second chances at love, we’ve got you covered. While nobody quite matches Bridget’s unique charm as she navigates single motherhood, social media dating disasters, and finding love again, these sixteen books share the same spirit that made you fall in love with her latest chapter. From witty romantic comedies to moving tales of starting over, each story delivers its own special mix of romance, self-discovery, and the beautiful chaos of finding love when you least expect it.
One Plus One by Jojo Moyes
Single mom, Jess is barely keeping it together. Between cleaning houses, bartending, and raising her math prodigy daughter and troubled stepson, romance is the last thing on her mind. Enter Ed, a tech millionaire facing a crisis of his own. When Jess needs to get her daughter to a math competition, Ed unexpectedly offers to help. What follows is a chaotic road trip filled with breakdowns, both vehicular and emotional, family drama, and an unexpected connection that proves love can find you even when you’re barely staying afloat.
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How To Walk Away by Katherine Center
Margaret’s life changes in an instant when a plane crash leaves her severely injured on what should have been one of the happiest days of her life. As she faces an uncertain future, her carefully planned life crumbles around her. Enter her grumpy physical therapist, Ian, who pushes her to rebuild her life on her own terms. With unflinching humor and heart, Center weaves a story about finding strength in life’s detours and learning that sometimes the best things in life come after everything falls apart.
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Part Of Your World by Abby Jimenez
When a chance encounter with a charming small-town carpenter turns into an unexpected romance, Manhattan ER doctor Alexis Montgomery finds herself questioning everything she thought she wanted. Daniel Grant may be ten years her junior and more comfortable with work boots than wine tastings, but their connection is impossible to deny. Caught between her wealthy family’s expectations of surgical greatness and the simple joy she’s discovered in Daniel’s world, Alexis faces an impossible choice. With their lives worlds apart, she must decide if love is worth upending her carefully planned future and defying her family’s legacy.
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Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner
One night of escape during Family Weekend leads college senior Cassie Klein into the arms of an captivating older woman, only to discover the next morning that she’s her friend’s mother, Erin Bennett. What should have been a simple one-night stand becomes deliciously complicated as their undeniable chemistry refuses to fade. Between secret meetings and stolen moments, they find themselves developing feelings that go far beyond physical attraction. But with their lives intertwined through Erin’s daughter, they must decide if their budding romance is worth risking relationships, reputations, and the comfortable lives they’ve built separately.
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Strange Weather In Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami, Allison Markin Powell (Translator)
In a small Tokyo bar, Tsukiko encounters her former high school teacher, whom she refers to simply as “Sensei”. Decades apart in age but bound by shared loneliness, they forge an unconventional companionship over late-night sake, seasonal delicacies, and cherry blossom viewing. As their relationship deepens through quiet moments and unspoken understanding, they navigate the delicate balance between tradition and modern life, past and present. Kawakami weaves a tender, atmospheric tale of love blooming in life’s autumn years, where food, weather, and memory create a uniquely Japanese meditation on finding connection in an increasingly disconnected world.
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The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
Single mom and statistician Jess Davis trusts data over dating, especially after a lifetime of family disappointments. When a DNA-based matchmaking company claims she’s a 98% match with their arrogant founder, Dr. River Peña, Jess is skeptical – she’s already met him, and there’s no way this grumpy scientist could be her soulmate. But with bills piling up, GeneticAlly’s offer to pay her for exploring their compatibility is too good to refuse. As Jess and River navigate forced proximity and unexpected chemistry, she discovers that maybe some things in life – like love – can’t be reduced to simple mathematics.
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Seven Days In June by Tia Williams
Twenty years after their passionate teenage affair, bestselling erotica writer Eva Mercy and acclaimed literary author Shane Hall unexpectedly reunite at a New York literary event. While Eva juggles single motherhood and her public persona, Shane’s surprise appearance stirs up both buried emotions and the curiosity of the Black literary world. Unknown to everyone, they’ve been secretly communicating through their books for decades. Now, over one sweltering Brooklyn week, they confront their unresolved past and undeniable chemistry. As old wounds resurface and new possibilities emerge, Eva must decide if she can trust her heart to the man who once shattered it.
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Power Play by Anastasija White
Clay Rodgers has everything he’s dreamed of – a spot on the California Thunders and a shot at the Stanley Cup. Everything except Layla Benson, the woman who broke his heart years ago. Now a single mom focused solely on her daughter and flower shop, Layla has sworn off relationships, believing she doesn’t deserve another chance at love. But Clay isn’t willing to let her slip away again. As their paths collide, old feelings reignite and new complications arise. The ice may be his domain, but winning back Layla’s heart could be Clay’s toughest game yet.
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40-Love by Olivia Dade
When a wardrobe malfunction during a beach vacation introduces assistant principal Tess Dunn to flirtatious ex-tennis pro Lucas Karlsson, their instant chemistry sizzles hotter than the tropical sun. Despite their fourteen-year age gap, Lucas is determined to prove their connection is more than just a vacation fling. But with only two weeks until Tess returns to real life in Virginia, they’re racing against time to decide if this unexpected match could last beyond the resort’s borders. Between moonlit walks and steamy encounters, they discover that sometimes life’s greatest victories happen when you break all your own rules.
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The Survivor’s Guide To Family Happiness by Maddie Dawson
Recently orphaned and newly divorced at thirty-five, Nina Popkin decides to search for her birth mother. Her quest leads her to her biological sister, who couldn’t be more different from her and a complicated family dynamic she never expected. As Nina juggles her growing feelings for a charming single dad, her sister’s chaos, and the search for answers about her past, she discovers that family – and love – come in many forms. Dawson delivers a heartwarming tale about creating your own happiness.
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Love, Lists, And Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
Yacht stewardess Jo Walker has the perfect life: traveling the world, living beachside, and working through her thirtieth birthday bucket list. But when tragedy strikes and her carefully planned life derails, Jo’s summer takes an unexpected turn as her two nieces arrive unannounced. Determined to help their aunt complete her remaining eight bucket list items in just twelve weeks, they push her toward adventure. When a simple “kiss a stranger” challenge leads to meeting the charming Alex Hayes, Jo discovers that sometimes the best items on life’s checklist are the ones you never planned for.
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Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins
When their childhood friend dies, Georgia and Marley are forced to confront their own relationships with self-image, love, and happiness. As they work through their friend’s final wishes, they embark on parallel journeys of self-discovery. Georgia, a successful but lonely physician, begins dating again, while Marley faces her fears about commitment. With Higgins’ signature blend of humor and depth, this novel tackles serious themes while maintaining a hopeful outlook on finding love and acceptance at any stage of life.
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The Bookish Life Of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
Introverted bookshop worker Nina Hill has her life perfectly arranged: a job she loves, a cat she adores, and a carefully structured schedule that includes trivia nights and book clubs. When she simultaneously discovers both a whole new family she never knew existed and a charming trivia rival who might be flirting with her, her carefully ordered world tilts on its axis. Between panic attacks, family drama, and unexpected romance, Nina must learn that sometimes the best stories are the ones that don’t follow a script – even if that means stepping out of her comfort zone.
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The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
Wedding planner Carolina Santos has sworn off relationships since her fiancé left her at the altar. Now she’s up for her dream job – leading a major hotel’s wedding department. The catch? She has to work with Max Hartley, her ex-fiancé’s brother and the man who helped convince him to call off the wedding. Between forced collaboration, undeniable attraction, and family complications, Carolina discovers that sometimes the worst person to fall for might actually be the right one. Sosa delivers a sparkling enemies-to-lovers romance filled with culture, family, and second chances.
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The Suite Spot by Trish Doller
Single mom Rachel Beck’s fresh start comes in an unexpected package: managing a brewery hotel on a remote Lake Erie island. Despite the grumpy owner Mason Brown’s initial resistance, Rachel soon finds herself creating something special – both for the hotel and between them. As she rebuilds her life with her young daughter, Rachel discovers that sometimes the biggest leaps of faith lead to the sweetest landings. Doller crafts a tender story about finding home in unexpected places and people who make you brave enough to try again.
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Mom Jeans And Other Mistakes by Alexa Martin
Instagram wellness influencer Jude Andrews might project a perfect life online, but behind the filtered photos, she’s broke and struggling with family drama. Meanwhile, her best friend Lauren Turner’s life took an unexpected turn when pregnancy derailed her medical career dreams and her fiancé walked out. Now a single mom launching a parenting podcast, she’s trying to navigate this new reality. When circumstances force these lifelong friends to become roommates, they discover that their teenage dream of living together looks very different with a five-year-old, two messy love lives, and decades of emotional baggage in tow.
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