NBC’s highly-anticipated new show, The Village, premieres this month, and we’re counting down the days ‘til we can watch what promises to be a hopeful and heartwarming show about neighbors who come together as family. In the meantime, we rounded up a few must-reads with similar feel-good themes.

How the Light Gets In by Jolina Petersheim

When Ruth Neufeld’s husband and father-in-law are killed during a relief mission overseas, she travels with her daughters and mother-in-law for the burial in Wisconsin. Welcomed by the community and her husband’s cousin Elam, she grieves, heals and opens her heart all while working at Elam’s cranberry farm. But as the promise of a new life and a new marriage begins, she must make an impossible decision that could change everything.


Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg

After Lucille Howard’s dear friend Arthur dies, she takes his advice and starts teaching baking classes as a way to heal. When a new family moves into the community and tragedy strikes, the residents of Mason come together to support each other in times when they need it most.


Fortune’s Daughter by Alice Hoffman

Rae and Jessup are high school sweethearts who have been on-the-move since they were teenagers. When Rae senses Jessup’s urge to move again, she fears that he’ll go without her this time. Lila once gave birth to a daughter she never saw again. She’s determined to find that child, even if it means an end to her marriage with Richard. When fate brings Lila and Rae together, their lives are changed forever.  


Goodbye, Paris by Anstey Harris

Grace was once on the path to a promising musical career until tragedy struck. Now she repairs violins and subjects herself to a hopeless, long-distance affair. But when her affair comes to light in public, causing Grace to give up on her dreams, it’s her friends who come to her aid. Through her hardships, Grace learns that there’s more than one way to find happiness.


Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

In this No. 1 New York Times bestseller, Bert Cousins shows up at Franny Keating’s christening party uninvited and departs only after secretly kissing her mother. Spanning nearly a half-century, Commonwealth explores how an unexpected romantic encounter reverberates through the lives of two families, casting light on the love, loss, heartbreak and celebrations that tie us all together.


Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber

After the unthinkable happens, Annie Marlow heads oceanside, home to the happy memories of family vacations when she was a child. As she repairs her broken spirit, thanks to the locals, her heart also begins to heal. She opens up to Keaton, a quiet painter who brings her comfort. When she’s faced with the opportunity of a lifetime, Annie must decide: stay with Keaton in the place she’s come to love, or explore the journey of a lifelong dream?