The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman is making its way to Netflix on March 28, 2025. In this beautiful mother-daughter story, a young woman living a seemingly charmed life becomes grief-stricken by the loss of her mother. After her passing, her mother leaves behind instructions for her daughter to embrace life for all it can be by living out a bucket list she created as a teenager. In trying to honor her wishes, the daughter takes risks, faces challenges, embraces spontaneity and, perhaps, even discovers a chance at love. Who doesn’t adore a story about chasing your greatest ambitions?
Once you’ve watched The Life List starring Sofia Carson and Connie Britton, scoop up these other life affirming reads centered around loss and reclamation!
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
For years, Katy has been waiting to explore the city of Positano with her mother, Carol. But Carol’s sudden passing has Katy shaken, and she’s not sure where to turn. Katy travels to Positano alone, but once she arrives, she is embraced by the spirit of her mother. And Carol really is in Positano—but not as the mother Katy knew. Over the summer on the Amalfi Coast, Katy befriends her mother’s younger self, reconciling the mom she adored with the woman she once was.
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The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
After losing her mom to suicide, Leigh Chen Sanders becomes convinced her mother turned into a bird. Wracked with guilt over her death, Leigh adventures to Taiwan to find her mother in her new form. Along the way, she discovers more about her family than she could ever imagine. And as she forms a bond with the grandparents she never knew, Leigh finds the one thing she wasn’t searching for—herself.
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What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons
Thandi lives in the in-between—between black and white, American and outsider, and who she is and who she’s not. Thandi is desperate to find something to hold onto and someone to tell her who to be. But when her mother’s passing leaves Thandi alone and afraid, she must learn her place in the world without the person who taught her everything.
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The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman
After the death of her husband three years ago, Liliana Girvan feels like she might have the whole single mother thing finally figured out. But being a well-functioning adult isn’t exactly exciting. So when her boss signs her up for a gardening class in preparation for illustrating vegetable textbooks, she doesn’t expect much. But growing vegetables alongside a crazy cast of classmates plants Liliana exactly where she needs to be.
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We Do What We Do in the Dark by Michelle Hart
Mallory never expected to be the other woman. But when she was a college freshman, she becomes immediately entranced by her—a beautiful, all-consuming woman. Their affair consumes Mallory, helping her escape the grief of her mother’s death. Years later, though, Mallory is still haunted by the relationship, and must push through the comfort of her solitude and finally accept what their affair meant.
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Before I Die by Jenny Downham
After discovering her cancer is terminal, sixteen-year-old Tessa creates a bucket list titled “To Do Before I Die.” On top of the list? Have sex. Alongside her complicated family and best friend, Zoey, Tessa is determined to live fully and completely before she dies.
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The Bucket List to Mend a Broken Heart by Anna Bell
Joseph was the love of Abi’s life—until he said they were “incompatible” and promptly dumped her. Devasted, Abi doesn’t know how to cope, trapped in bed for days. But when Abi discovers Joseph’s bucket list, she is resolved to complete it and win him back, even if that means facing her fear of heights. But this bucket list is healing Abi faster than she expected, and she discovers she might be in for the surprise of her life.
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Lily Bennett’s Bucket List by Katherine Dyson
When Lydia Grey discovers a discarded bucket list at the bottom of her shopping cart, she’s immediately inspired. Lydia is ready to conquer Lily Bennett’s list of dreams. But as she nears the final task, Lydia prepares herself to face the past she’s been running from.
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Ma and Me by Putsata Reang
When Putsata Reang was eleven months old, her mother did everything in her power to save her life. As she grows up, Putsata makes it her life’s mission to make Ma proud. But Ma’s expectations are incredibly hard to live up to, and when Putsata announces her marriage to a woman, Ma is furious, and their relationship is never the same. In this stunningly heartfelt memoir, Putsata Reang testifies to the truth of generational trauma, the love between mother and daughter, and the duty of a child.
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How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones
Told through a series of vignettes, Saeed Jones writes of his upbringing in the South as a black gay man. As he navigates a world that others him, he discovers that his existence is resistance, and he must fight for his right to be himself.
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