As the sun lingers a little longer and the birds and insects slowly become more apparent all around, this week is the time to move in tune with the seasons and pick up a book that may accompany us into spring and escape the winter headspace. This fresh and transformative time is characterised by new beginnings, optimism, happiness and comfort, which are reflected in these novels.
In Your Dreams, Sarah Adams
In the fourth and final instalment of the When in Rome series, In Your Dreams, Sarah Adams creates a beautiful world with complex characters. Madison Walker is hesitant to return home after a failed attempt to move to New York in her quest to become a chef. That is, until she is offered a job by her brother’s best friend, James Huxley. Working together to get James’ new farm-to-table restaurant off the ground, the two begin to grow closer, realising that their feelings for one another may run deeper than they initially thought. The embodiment of spring, Adams’ novel feels exactly like the comfort blanket you cling to as a child.
The Places I’ve Cried in Public, Holly Bourne
When Amélie breaks up with her boyfriend, it seems to her that the world has come to an end. However, by retracing her steps, she begins to learn that maybe their relationship was more damaging than she ever thought possible. As Amelie begins to accept the break-up and move on, we see her start to heal as she comes to terms with the truth about her relationship. A story about hope and new beginnings, as well as self-discovery, Bourne successfully portrays the heartbreaking nature of first love, and the heartbreak that ensues when you realise that you have been tricked into loving someone who never existed.
Happy Place, Emily Henry
Harriet’s life seems perfect. She has an impressive job, great friends, and a loving boyfriend, Wynn. However, underneath the surface, she is struggling to cope with the demands of her work, her friendships linger in uncertain territory for the first time in her life, and she and Wynn haven’t spoken in five months. Yet, in an effort not to ruin their annual friends’ trip, Harriett and Wynn attempt to keep up the facade of a happy couple. Henry perfectly encapsulates the exhausting and unnerving changes that follow adulthood, as well as the joy and optimism that follow new beginnings.
