5 Books that will instantly lift your mood
One of the things I’ve been doing more of is getting back into enjoying slow form content. Not just long form content but content that takes time to enjoy. I noticed that I literally couldn’t go for 2 minutes without checking my phone, and that felt really bad honestly. So I’ve been trying to get back into things that take time to savor and do well. That means I’ve been reading a lot more. I used to read a lot as a kid as a form of escapism. I would devour books in just a few ours. Now I sit with them pick them up and put them back down. I really take the time to enjoy them. So these are 5 books that will instantly lift your mood!
They all are lighthearted and fun. Mostly they’re romance novels because you can’t get hurt reading a romance novel!
1. Love of my Afterlife by Kirtsy Greenwood
My first and absolute top recommendation is “Love of my Afterlife” by Kirsty Greenwood you absolutely can’t go wrong with this book! It has all of the tropes (literally google romance tropes and this book runs the gamut and pokes fun at itself for it.) and is funny and heartwarming. It reminds you to live your life to the fullest, and the romance didn’t overshadow the main characters self discovery. If you like audiobooks the narrator was excellent! Normally I listen to books at 1.75x speed but I slowed this one down to 1.25x to really enjoy it!
If she wasn’t dead already, Delphie would be dying of embarrassment. Not only did she just die by choking on a microwaveable burger, but now she’s standing in her ‘shine like a star’ nightie in front of the hottest man she’s ever seen. And he’s smiling at her.
As they start to chat, everything else becomes background noise. That is until someone comes running out of a door, yelling something about a huge mistake, and sends the dreamy stranger back down to earth. And here Delphie was thinking her luck might be different in the afterlife.
When Delphie is offered a deal in which she can return to earth and reconnect with the mysterious man, she jumps at the opportunity to find her possible soulmate and a fresh start. But in a city of millions, Delphie is going to have to listen to her heart, learn to ask for help, and perhaps even see the magic in the life she’s leaving behind…
2. Birding with Benefits Sarah T. Dubb
Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb was an immediate 5 star read! First it was set in my home town, which honestly just made it very enjoyable for me! If you are a Tucson, Az native you HAVE to read this romcom. This was another book where the main character got to grow and develop outside of the romance. It portrayed a really healthy male friendship, which is so rare in books and is so appreciated! There was a sub-plot about the main characters daughter that I didn’t like and didn’t feel was well handled or necessary to the plot, but it wasn’t so distracting that it took away from the main story arch!
Newly-divorced, almost-empty-nester Celeste is finally seeking adventure and putting herself first, cliches be damned. So when a friend asks Celeste to “partner” with his buddy John for an event, Celeste throws herself into the role of his temporary girlfriend. But quiet cinnamon roll John isn’t looking for love, just birds—he needs a partner for Tucson’s biggest bird-watching contest if he’s ever going to launch his own guiding business. By the time they untangle their crossed signals, they’ve become teammates…and thanks to his meddling friends, a fake couple.
Celeste can’t tell a sparrow from a swallow, but John is a great teacher, and the hours they spend hiking in the Arizona wilderness feed Celeste’s hunger for new adventures while giving John a chance to practice his dream job. As the two spend more time together, they end up watching more than just the birds, and their chemistry becomes undeniable. Since they’re both committed to the single life, Celeste suggests a status upgrade: birders with benefits, just until the contest is done. But as the bird count goes up and their time together ticks down, John and Celeste will have to decide if their benefits can last a lifetime, or if this love affair is for the birds.
3. Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay
Love at First Book by Jenn McKinlay is a enemies to lovers that I actually fully got on board with (it’s not usually my favorite trope). If you read the Tamara Pierce First Test books and loved them I think this is the book for you! This book is rounded out by a nice ensemble cast! So you aren’t only getting the two love interests you’re getting other fun and interesting characters. The relationship the FMC has with her mother was a very poor one where she was being emotionally and verbally abused and I wish that had been addressed more/better. If you’re going to make that a central point I think having Emily stand up for herself more than she did would’ve been good. As it was it kind of fizzled out/became a side note towards the end of the book. It is third on my list of 5 books that will instantly lift your mood because I thik it’s the perfect middle ground book!
Emily Allen, a librarian on Martha’s Vineyard, has always dreamed of a life of travel and adventure. So when her favorite author, Siobhan Riordan, offers her a job in the Emerald Isle, Emily jumps at the opportunity. After all, Siobhan’s novels got Em through some of the darkest days of her existence.
Helping Siobhan write the final book in her acclaimed series—after a ten-year hiatus due to a scorching case of writer’s block—is a dream come true for Emily. If only she didn’t have to deal with Siobhan’s son, Kieran Murphy. He manages Siobhan’s bookstore, and the grouchy bookworm clearly doesn’t want Em around.
Emily persists, and spending her days bantering with the annoyingly handsome mercurial Irishman only makes her fall more deeply in love with the new life she’s built – and for the man who seems to soften toward her with every quip she throws at him. But when she discovers the reason for Kieran’s initial resistance, Em finds herself torn between helping Siobhan find closure with her series and her now undeniable feelings for Kier. As Siobhan’s novel progresses, Emily will have to decide if she’s truly ready to turn a new page and figure out
4. The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst is an instant New York Times, USA Today, and Indie Bestseller for a reason! It was so cozy and warm. The theme I’m seeing with the books I’m recommending have stories of personal growth and character development. This one felt especially cozy in the growth and accepting help and friendship. The standout from this book is undoubtedly Caz the spiderplant! He is a magic plant that can talk and somehow see and hear and banters with the other characters. It’s just the most fun! I give this one 10/10 instant recommendation.
The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut―a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she and her assistant, Caz―a magically sentient spider plant―have spent the last decade sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite.
When a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz flee with all the spellbooks they can carry and head to a remote island Kiela never thought she’d see again: her childhood home. Taking refuge there, Kiela discovers, much to her dismay, a nosy―and very handsome―neighbor who can’t take a hint and keeps showing up day after day to make sure she’s fed and to help fix up her new home.
In need of income, Kiela identifies something that even the bakery in town doesn’t have: jam. With the help of an old recipe book her parents left her and a bit of illegal magic, her cottage garden is soon covered in ripe berries.
But magic can do more than make life a little sweeter, so Kiela risks the consequences of using unsanctioned spells and opens the island’s first-ever and much needed secret spellshop.
Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.
5. The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore
The Pumkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore can be enjoyed any time of year it does not have to be fall time to enjoy it! It just feels like a cozy hug. It’s small town romance hallmark vibes with a tiny little mystery. It was an ensemble cast and I can’t wait to read all the novels about the other characters as well. It was just sweet! I like books where they instantly like each other it just makes me happy and this was one of those! Plus who doesn’t dream of opening a cafe and hosting book clubs? Overall very enjoyable read!
When Jeanie’s aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.
Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor’s gossip at all costs. But Jeanie’s arrival disrupts Logan’s routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.
Will Jeanie’s happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won’t fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes…
The Pumpkin Spice Café is a cozy romantic novel with a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!
I hope you pick up one (or more) of these 5 books that will instantly lift your mood! They’re all great in audiobook format as well making them a great choice for your commute! If you do read them I’d love to hear what you thought!
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5 Books That Will Instantly Lift Your Mood
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