Happy Ending Guaranteed!

10 Feel-Good Reads to Brighten Your Summer

With all the bad news blaring from headlines these days, lots of us just feel the need for some stories with happy endings. Here are ten feel-good reads to boost your mood and brighten your outlook. We won't tell you the specific endings of these stories, but we can guarantee that they are happy!

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

A warm, funny novel about a once-famous sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him caring for his niece and nephew for the summer. When Patrick, aka GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick), takes on the role of primary guardian to Maisie and Grant (nine and six, respectively), he's a bit out of his comfort zone.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

It's time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn't convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. There are so many things to love about this charming novel: an eccentric bookworm of a protagonist, the dramatic reveal of a secret family, and an enemies-to-lovers romance. Irresistible!

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Described as Bridget Jones meets Americanah, this is the story of a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London. Straddled between two cultures and finding herself at odds with both of them, she grapples with questions about where she belongs and who she wants to be.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Fans of Only Murders in the Building will love this story about four true-crime loving septuagenarians who suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case. As the bodies begin to pile up in their peaceful retirement community, can this unorthodox gang of sleuths catch the killer, before it's too late?

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

When Don, a brilliant yet socially inept professor of genetics, decides it's time he found a wife, he goes about it in the evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things. But when Rosie whirls unexpectedly into his life, it throws his orderly process into chaos.

Writers & Lovers by Lily King

Blindsided by her mother's sudden death, and wrecked by a recent love affair, Casey is floundering. As she fights to balance the conflicting demands of life and love, she finds herself on the brink of that terrifying and exhilarating leap between the end of one phase of life and the beginning of another.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor struggles with social skills and relies heavily on a carefully timetabled life of routines and isolation. Filled with unabashed wit, this charming novel follows its quirky and troubled female narrator as she realizes that the only way to survive her current state of mind is to open her heart to friendship.

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

It's the eve of her 40th birthday and Alice's life isn't terrible. But something is missing. Her father, the single parent who raised her, is ailing and lost to her. When Alice wakes up the next morning somehow back in 1996, it's a chance to reconnect with the vital, charming dad she remembers.

Kings of B'more by R. Eric Thomas

When faced with the devastating news that his best friend Linus is moving away, Harrison plans the ultimate sendoff—An epic journey through Baltimore inspired by the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Featuring two Black, queer teens, this moving YA novel is an ideal choice for Pride month.

The Maid by Nita Prose

Since her Gran died a few months ago, 25-year-old Molly has been finding comfort in the routines of her work as a hotel maid. But her orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed.

If you're feeling worn down by the grim realities of life, treat yourself to one of these happily-ever-after tales. It just may leave you feeling hopeful that things can get better.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon