Kennedy Ryan discusses her rise to the NYT bestseller list as a Black romance writer with moving advocacy for autism representation in This Could Be Us.
There is a reason everyone wants to be a part of Kennedy Ryan’s story—her joy is infectious.
Today, we offer listeners a front-row seat to her romance Booktok fandom, sold-out book tours, and moving victory as a Black romance writer on the New York Times bestseller list.
Ryan openly discusses her connection to the autism community and the beauty and challenge of capturing that on a page for the reader in her latest novel.
Representing autism authentically meant the writer took surprising steps to ensure an accurate and respectful portrayal of family life in This Could Be Us.
Readers will get a 2-for-1 conversation as we also discuss the rerelease of Reeland details on the upcoming books in the Hollywood Renaissance series.
We discuss what it means to be a hybrid author and her commitment to immersive research, ensuring her stories resonate authentically with readers no matter where you find her stories.
Today’s BONUS book celebrates Autism Acceptance Month! I’ve featured 13 books with autistic characters filled with heartwarming love stories, mystery, and family drama.
The list features many #ownvoices books, including the authors’ diagnosis stories and the characters they developed to offer readers insights into their journeys. As a parent in the community, I hope I’ve crafted a list that will allow you to immerse yourself in these stories.
Meet Kennedy Ryan
USA Today’s bestselling author and Audie Award-winner, Kennedy Ryan, writes for women from all walks of life, empowering them and placing them firmly at the center of each story and in charge of their own destinies. The co-founder of Lift 4 Autism, an annual charitable book auction, she has a passion for raising Autism awareness. Kennedy is a wife to her “lifetime lover” and mother to an extraordinary son.
The Kennedy Ryan Phenomenon: Inclusive Narratives With Heart
Listen to the Book Gang Podcast:
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Mentioned in this episode:
Joining the Patreon community is an affordable way to support the show and gain access to a wealth of resources, including access to our 2024 MomAdvice Book Club, the FULLY BOOKED buzzy new release show, exclusive author interviews, music playlists, and more!
Celebrate Autism Acceptance Month with these moving books with autistic characters. This book list offers heartwarming love stories, mystery, and family drama.
April may be Autism Acceptance Month, but Kennedy Ryan, our Book Gang guest, refers to this holiday as Autism ADORATION Month instead.
I can support FULLY support this description. We are both proud parents of autistic children and are excited to celebrate this in your book stack today. This month is meant to help facilitate awareness, understanding, and acceptance of autism and support for individuals with ASD and their families.
Listen to the full episode below and subscribe to the Book Gang podcast for more episodes like this (show notes).
Today’s book list includes many autistic authors (#ownvoices) and parents like me who feel called to stacks that mirror our journey as a family.
If you love this book list, you can support my work through a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee or join our Patreon community for book fun all year long.
Patrons will receive a free printable copy checklist for today’s book list to celebrate Autism Acceptance Month. The financial support helps us keep the lights on in our online space.
Books With Autistic Characters For Autism Acceptance Month
We are celebrating autism in fiction with these compelling reads for Autism Acceptance Month.
I've split today's book list into two sections: autistic authors and other fiction novels that I found to be beautifully inclusive and well-developed.
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
AUTISTIC AUTHORS TO READ
These book recommendations offer #ownvoices perspectives that celebrate autism in fiction.
Mazzy Eddings is a neurodivergent author who crafted this sweet YA debut love story between two neurodivergent teens.
In an interview for Nerd Daily, she shared her motivation for writing this story:
"Growing up, I didn't see a lot of media with autistic and/or ADHD characters, and what was out there often villainized and infantilized those characters.
I wanted to create a story of unfettered neurodivergent joy. I wanted to show special interests, hyperfocus, inattention, and stimming on the page in a beautiful light. "
Eddings achieved what she was after as so many teens have found Tilly, a girl with ADHD, and Oliver, a boy on the autism spectrum, relatable in this young adult romance story.
If you want to share this with your teen reader, the recommended reading age for this novel is 13-18 years old.
Schillace shared her autism diagnosis with the world in 2021 and penned an article for Scientific America about the process she went through to explain the unexpected coming out process to readers.
After writing nonfiction, the writer moved into cozy mystery featuring an autistic editor who unexpectedly inherits a dilapidated English estate.
When a valuable family portrait goes missing and a body is discovered, she finds herself propelled into a murder investigation, unraveling secrets and deception hidden within the estate's walls.
The author has shared in past interviews that being on the spectrum gives her main character, Jo Jones, an edge in solving the book's mystery.
She feels like many of our favorite mystery solvers are on the spectrum because they notice the details others don't.
Helen Hoang received her autism diagnosis in 2016, and her journey inspired this steamy romance book.
A surprising detail I uncovered is that this novel's depiction inspired other published romance novelists to begin writing romances with autistic characters, including another book featured on today's list.
In this reverse Pretty Woman story, Stella is autistic and feels pressured by her parents to get married. Lacking knowledge about dating, she prefers to dedicate her free time to her work developing algorithms rather than love.
So she hires Michael Phan, a professional escort who can guide her through a lesson plan that teaches her everything from kissing to beyond in this open-door romance.
Before long, Stella has overcome her intimacy issues, but the professional relationship starts blurring into a real one as they catch feelings for each other.
This novel won the GoodReads Choice Romance Award for 2018.
If you fall in love with this book, you can continue the Kiss Quotient Series with The Bride Test (Book #2) and The Heart Principle (Book #3).
This revelation led her to create the character of Cassie—an undiagnosed autistic woman who uses time travel to navigate her struggles with connection and self-acceptance.
After a breakup, a job loss, and a banana muffin shortage, Cassandra discovers an extraordinary power—to rewind time on this frustrating day.
As she embraces the chance to rewrite her fate, she learns that altering the past doesn't guarantee a smooth future in this charming blend of romance, time travel, and mythos.
As someone who is part of the autistic community, Hibbert shared in past interviews that "autism informs everything I write."
The third book in the Brown Sisters series offers a unique slow-burn romance plot while hitting the romance beats readers have come to love and expect.
In this steamy story, Jacob is a white man who has an autism diagnosis, and Eve, a Black woman without one, both navigate a world that fails to understand them.
Eve Brown, the youngest in her family, drifts between jobs, living off her family trust fund until her parents issue a harsh ultimatum: hold down a job for a year and find a place, or lose financial support.
Landing at a charming B&B with a vacancy, she encounters a boss who's both attractive and exasperatingly grumpy. As you can imagine, shenanigans do ensue.
Hibbert has shared that she wanted to explore the contrast between these characters where Jacob's struggles are acknowledged, but Eve's can be overlooked.
Readers may be surprised that Liese pursued her autism diagnosis after reading Helen Hoang's #OwnVoices romance The Kiss Quotient.
In a statement posted on Instagram, she described the experience of writing and publishing her first autistic characters as "a pride & a vulnerability—it's not just gazing at my bandaged place but inviting you to gaze there, too."
In this second book in the Bergman Brothers series, a love story develops between an autistic woman battling arthritis and chronic pain and a man navigating the challenges of toxic masculinity in professional sports.
As they embrace who they are, they discover the power of found family and healing in finally being seen.
The Bergman Brothers series consists of interconnected standalone novels, allowing readers to enjoy them in any order.
However, reading out of sequence may reveal minor spoilers about previous couples' stories.
While this is the third book in the Dangerous Damsels series, it can be read as a standalone, with some small overlapping characters.
I chose book 3 for you because Alice Dearlove is one of India Holton's most beloved characters.
In a statement on Instagram, she shared, "I am exceedingly fond of Alice Dearlove. Although she and I experience autism in different ways, I can relate to her on some levels - primary amongst them being an appreciation of books and Daniel Bixby!
I especially enjoyed how her confusion around sarcasm, idiom, and innuendo allowed me to play with irony and other literary elements, mainly for my own amusement. For example, I don't employ innuendo as just innuendo.
For me, it's a joke about how language can mean anything or nothing, and about how perception changes reality - which is a running theme of all the books."
Alice, known as Agent A, is a top spy in a secret government agency.
When rumors of an assassination plot arise, she's paired with her rival, Agent B (Daniel), to go undercover as a married couple.
As she infiltrates a pirate party to stop the threat, they must also navigate their growing attraction while keeping their mission on track.
Will they succeed in saving the day, or will their feelings get in the way? You must read to find out!
WELL-RESEARCHED BOOKS WITH AUTISTIC CHARACTERS
Many of these writers have autistic family members or dear friends who are part of this community, but most went beyond personal experience to develop their plots.
This small list of standout novels offers incredible research and authentic representation.
Today's book list is inspired by our incredible Book Gang podcast guest, Kennedy Ryan.
She is the proud mother of an autistic child. Ryan hosts the Lift 4 Autism fundraiser, which brings the romance community together to raise funds for support therapy, services, and medical expenses for the community every year.
While she is a seasoned author, this is the first time she has encompassed her parenting journey through her second book in the Skyland series.
To showcase how different this experience can look even between families, she crafted identical teenage twins who face different challenges.
Although she had much personal experience to garner from, she interviewed the autism community to encompass other's experiences. She also included an autistic editor in the process to read her story line by line to ensure that she captured this experience as authentically as possible.
This story is a slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance, but I marveled at her authentic depiction of our daily lives, which I had never seen in my literature before.
Rimmer embeds an autism story in the modern timeline of this moving historical fiction novel that made my best books of the year list.
The author has two autistic nephews and wanted to enhance this viewpoint with more research for her book. She spent a week with a friend who had undertaken her postgrad degree in autism studies to craft a well-developed viewpoint from the mother.
In this dual timeline story, Alina has known she would marry her best friend Tomaz since the tender age of nine.
At fifteen, she is engaged as planned and unconcerned about the reports of Nazi soldiers at the Polish border, believing that they are her neighbors and not a threat.
She could never know, though, how the Nazi occupation would take over her rural village and how it had the power to destroy her relationship with her one true love.
Presently, Alice is navigating the daily challenges of parenting with an autistic child, a husband who doesn't get the work that goes into keeping their family floating, and a grandmother in the hospital.
When her grandmother begs her to return to her childhood hometown, Alice begins to realize there is more to her grandmother's story than meets the eye.
Katherine Heiny is a consistently quirky storyteller who brings together a hilarious family raising their autistic son together.
Graham divorced his first wife to marry his girlfriend, Audra. Audra is a hilarious, chatty busybody whom Graham has found challenging as a more private introvert.
He is often forced to be social because of unusual gatherings between Audra's mismatched circles—neighbors, friends, and his son's origami club participants.
When Audra decides to befriend his ex-wife, Graham's world is rocked. This relationship brings to the forefront the contrasts between the two women he has loved as he contemplates why he let his first wife go.
While there isn't much plot in this story, you'll feel pulled into the dinner table with this family, mainly as Audra builds an unlikely family among everyone in her life.
Their son's origami club is one you'll want to be part of.
Benjamin Ludgwig's debut novel was inspired by his role as a foster parent of an autistic teenager and enhanced through the stories of fellow parents of autistic children.
Ginny's removal from her home stemmed from her neglectful mother, but she now feels she has found her forever family.
As their family expands with a new baby, she begins to worry that she has placed too much strain on her foster parents.
So, when Ginny's birth mother starts creeping back into her life, she will stop at nothing to get back to where she believes she belongs. But the reader will uncover a rather surprising reason why.
Ludwig's novel beautifully showcases the challenges of finding teen adoptive families while taking readers on a heartwarming turn with an unforgettable character. I adored Ginny!
Graves created a tagline for her novels describing them as "contemporary fiction with a happily-ever-after."
This 5-star neurodiverse love story follows Annika, an English major at the University of Illinois. She struggles to make sense of social situations, so navigating her early college days is an incredibly challenging time.
When she joins the chess club, she immediately beats Jonathan, who can't help but adore Annika.
They begin a beautiful relationship, but an unforeseen tragedy forces them apart and ends their relationship.
Annika and Jonathan reunite one decade later when they discover they live in the same town. The two begin rekindling what was lost but must also address why they lost each other in the first place.
I loved the supportive characters that helped Anika navigate the world. As Kirkus Reviews aptly describes, "Graves creates a believable love affair in which Annika is not infantilized..."
In past interviews, Graves expressed her commitment to highlighting Annika's strengths and challenges, emphasizing the importance of giving her character a voice and conveying the complexities of autism.
Greenwood's novel might take a minute to sink your teeth into her character Gentry's magical voice, but I promise that your efforts will pay off in this unlikely love story.
Zee is navigating life with chronic pain after a motorcycle accident. She is immediately intrigued when she encounters Gentry at her physical therapist's office- a man fascinated with medieval culture, which shapes how he engages with his world.
A 24-year-old autistic man, he is guided by the voices of Gawen, Hildegard, and the Witch, whom he affectionately dubs "Hag, Nag, and Douchebag" on what to do in life.
As he feels called to all things knightly, he quickly realizes all his chivalrous training might be to champion and protect Zee from harm.
As the two navigate life's challenges, including Zee's sister's abduction, Gentry's unique perspective and unwavering loyalty are brought to life through pitch-perfect narration.
Somehow, Greenwood effortlessly navigates nine different narrators with their distinctive voices. In past interviews, she described sharing the same fascinations as Gentry and said she shares space with many in the autistic community. Gentry's voice, in that way, came quite naturally.
The Middle English brings unique charm and a fairytale quality to this grit-lit selection that I wish more people would read.
Readers seeking #ownvoices middle grade selections, I encourage you to try these:
In today’s podcast, escape in a time loop novel. We discuss Groundhog Day books and the comforting ways repeating time travel can charm us in our book stack.
When we say “time loop,” readers immediately react to this statement. Whether it is a no or a yes, Jessica and I have you covered in today’s podcast.
We discuss why repeating cycles of events work for us or don’t and how some of the storytellers featured today nailed moving the time loop plot forward in new ways.
Plus, I’m revealing a treasure trove of new time travel resources, including new time travel books, TV, and movies you can stream this weekend to explore a new world that won’t break the bank.
I hope it brings unlimited joy to your weekend, as was the intention of this creator who lovingly created these spaces for you.
Today’s BONUS book list celebrates the14 time loop books to read now. This list includes new releases, thrillers, mysteries, YA, and holiday books.
But wait, there’s more!
Our incredible super-expansion pack of time travel adventures is linked to today’s show notes. These include a massive refresh on new time travel books, alternate realities, and parallel lives, and explorations of parallel worlds and the multiverse.
Meet Jessica Bearak
Jessica is a lifelong book lover who embarked on her literary journey at three, immersing herself in childhood classics like “The Velveteen Rabbit” and “The Phantom Tollbooth.”
Jessica actively participates in two in-person book clubs and many online discussions regularly. She has been an invaluable member of the MomAdvice Book Club and joins us as a regular contributing voice.
Trapped in a Time Loop Novel
Listen to the Book Gang Podcast:
Listen below or listen on your favorite podcast listening platform!
Mentioned in this episode:
Joining the Patreon community is an affordable way to support the show and gain access to a wealth of resources, including access to our 2024 MomAdvice Book Club, the FULLY BOOKED buzzy new release show, exclusive author interviews, music playlists, and more!
NEW Resources for Readers (I did something I promised- gold star!!):
Let’s explore books about parallel universes and multiverse stories with this new book list. These fun books for adults will make you feel like a kid again!
This final article in our time travel series explores the world of parallel universes and the multiverse. This is one of my favorite book playgrounds because there are so many places to visit in a single book.
Are Parallel Universes Time Travel?
Books about parallel universes or the multiverse often involve elements of time travel. Still, not all of them are strictly categorized as time travel books.
While time travel may play a role in some narratives, the primary focus of these books is typically on exploring alternate realities and the concept of multiple universes coexisting simultaneously.
These are wonderful time travel adjacent stories, and much like magical realism books, they have some beautiful overlaps for readers.
In these parallel world books, the concept of multiple realities exists alongside our own. These stories often feature characters traveling between different dimensions and encountering alternate versions of themselves and their worlds.
What is the Difference Between Parallel Universes and Parallel Lives?
I have an incredible book list on alternate realities and parallel lives (linked below).
Still, for point of reference, a parallel universe typically refers to entire alternate realities with different laws of physics and even history.
But in a story of parallel lives, you typically encounter different opportunities that take a character on a different path. Books like Sliding Doors include variations of a person’s life within the same universe.
What is the Difference Between Multiverse and Parallel Universe?
In contrast, the multiverse can encompass many versions of parallel universes, each with unique circumstances and possibilities in each world. When these different versions are combined, they can create movie magic AND book magic.
My favorite examples of this would be Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, and Into the Spiderverse for incredible movie contexts.
So, today, we head into the world of the parallel world and multiverse with this new book list.
If you love this book list, you can support my work through a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee or join our Patreon community for book fun all year long.
Patrons will receive a free printable copy checklist for today’s multiverse books and parallel universe reading assignment. The financial support helps us keep the lights on in our online space.
Books About Parallel Universes or the Multiverse
From mind-bending twists to epic quests across worlds, these books will keep you on the edge of your seat as you journey through multiple universes.
This debut novel follows a scientist named Raffi as they travel into the multiverse to search for the woman they love.
Raffi can't stop thinking about Britt and the unique connection they shared many years ago.
Driven by the possibility of a multiverse, they quit their jobs to study parallel worlds, hoping to find themselves at 13 and finally tell Britt how they feel.
Each chapter offers a different parallel world as the characters encounter different versions of themselves, which adds speculative fiction elements to enhance the story.
For readers seeking an LGBT time travel story, this will fit the bill perfectly.
This novel is set during the pandemic, although you can quickly escape from the sadness through a parallel universe thanks to Scalzi’s imaginative science-fiction plot.
Jamie is stuck in the rat race of trying to make ends meet through his job as a gig worker delivering food.
During one delivery to a regular, the man extends a job opportunity at an "animal rights organization."
Intrigued, Jamie accepts, only to discover that KPS, the "animal rights group," operates clandestinely to safeguard the secrets of an alternate Earth populated by monstrous kaiju.
If you're unfamiliar with the term, these are giant Godzilla monsters.
It is a hilarious adventure novel filled with boy humor that I quickly passed on to my husband, who adored it as much as I did in this blockbuster movie of a book that offers a light reading escape.
All horror novels offer a parallel universe, don't they?
But I wanted to highlight one so evocative in detail that I now read it annually and get something out of it each time.
Hamill embraces Lovecraftian details, and hearing him discuss them was one of my most memorable experiences as a book club host.
At its root, the story is about a family haunted house visited by a monster.
No family member has let it in until Noah, and it follows a story reminiscent of The Shape of Water in scope as the two attempt to live in each other’s worlds throughout Noah’s life.
But speaking to the parallel universe, readers are pulled into the City depicted in the book, where reality takes on a surreal and dream-like quality.
In this world, buildings constantly shift and relocate, creating a disorienting landscape where nothing stays the same for long.
Scenes from the familiar "normal world" become distorted and altered as dimensions warp and ordinary objects take on strange new qualities.
It was our first dip into weird fiction as a book club, and I loved every minute.
This novel, the first in The Space Between Worlds series, was a GoodReads Choice nominee for Best Science Fiction in 2020.
In this world, people can travel between universes, but there's a rule: no one can go to a world where they're still alive.
Luckily (or unluckily), Cara is an exception—her other selves have all died in various ways on 372 different worlds.
However, Cara's journey reveals her hidden truths and the secrets of those around her, leading readers on a gripping exploration of identity and consequence across the multiverse.
Among the novels on this list, this novel has the most polarizing reviews among readers, but most science fiction fans fell in love with this creative multiverse concept.
Micaiah Johnson recently published her second book in The Space Between Worlds series called Those Beyond the Wall.
Book two is set a decade after the first novel's events in Wiley City and Ashtown.
When I read this novel in 2016, I gave it five stars! Described as Cloud Atlas meets Orphan Black, it filled the void in my Hunger Games era.
Marguerite is the daughter of two scientists who have found a way to unlock different dimensions through a high-tech necklace called the Firebird.
This necklace allows you to step into alternate worlds, both past and present.
When her father is murdered, the murderer turns out to be a trusted lab assistant who has used the Firebird to leave and hop in another parallel dimension.
Hot on his heels, though, are Marguerite and Theo, another research assistant on the team, to try to avenge his death.
Time travel magic unfolds as Marguerite plays a game of cat and mouse from one dimension to another.
What she doesn’t expect is the awaiting love triangle or the truth behind her father’s death in a surprising little plot twist.
You can continue the Firebird series with Ten Thousand Skies Above You and A Million Worlds With You in this trilogy from Claudia Gray!
We are excited to be reading our second V.E. Schwab novel for book club next month and discuss Schwab’s extensive backlist. Please join us for our Vicious discussion in April!
In A Darker Shade of Magic, readers escape into this fantasy story of parallel universes, the first novel in the Shades of Magic series.
Kell is a rare and powerful magician capable of traveling between the four distinct Londons: Grey, Red, White, and the perilous Black.
As he navigates the intricate web of magic that binds these realms together, he finds himself entangled in a deadly conspiracy that threatens these worlds.
If you fall in love with this story, you can continue the journey in the Shades of Magic series with A Gathering of Shadows and A Conjuring of Night—both highly rated and adored by fans of the author.
Crouch creatively explores the concept of living multiple timelines in this gripping science fiction selection.
NYPD detective Barry finds himself drawn into a world of False Memory Syndrome when he encounters a woman on the brink of tragedy.
Meanwhile, researcher Helena's quest to preserve memories takes a dangerous turn when her work falls into the hands of a sinister billionaire.
As the boundaries of reality blur, the novel explores the repercussions of altering the past and the unsettling consequences of manipulating memories.
This novel also appeared on our book list for alternate realities because of the False Memory Syndrome concept, highlighting the explored worlds that these characters thought they lived.
MULTIVERSE BOOKS
Explore the multiverse through these books that alter our realities in parallel worlds.
Alix Harrow describes her novella as "the spider-verse but with sleeping beauties." This short 119-page book offers readers a quick escape between heavier books.
On Zinnia Gray's twenty-first birthday, she faces the bittersweet reality of her rare condition called General Roseville Malady that will end her life.
When her best friend throws her an elaborate Sleeping Beauty-themed celebration, Zinnia anticipates a memorable farewell.
Yet, through a twist of fate involving a spinning wheel, Zinnia is thrown into a whirlwind of parallel worlds, where she encounters another Sleeping Beauty in dire need of salvation.
This first novel in the Fractured Fables series offers readers a refreshing feminist approach to familiar fairy tales.
If you love this novella, you can continue with book two, A Mirror Mended.
Described as Dark Matter meets The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, this suspenseful multiverse novel offers a serial killer book with a mind-bending twist.
Clay is fixated on killing multiple versions of the same woman across parallel universes.
As political reporter Felicity Stapler becomes involved in the investigation, she navigates a labyrinth of clues and dangers, racing against time to save the unsuspecting victims.
With each universe holding its secrets, Felicity must outwit Clay before he strikes again,
With echoes of You, you'll be captivated by Barry's clever multiverse concept.
If Everything Everywhere All At Once was your favorite film, this novel will launch you back into a multiverse motherhood story.
Hannah has been struggling since her son’s traumatic birth, and she can't shake the feeling that it could have gone the other way.
As this new mom develops a fixation on the "what if," the storyline takes a science-fiction bend when her worst nightmares do come true.
Her child, at random, seemingly disappears into thin air, and through this element, readers are left holding their breath in some of the most unlikely places.
As Hannah isn't in great shape mentally or physically after, she is shaken when people begin to tell her that Jack never made it to this birthday and that the memories she harbors of him not surviving are real.
But what if Hannah could stop this from happening and save her son in another dimension?
Readers might not know that Emily St. James Mandel created her own multiverse through her novels. In honor of the time travel theme, I wanted to spotlight one of these books.
Sea of Tranquility chronicles a 500-year journey through time, where far-future time travelers uncover a potential 'file corruption' that challenges their simulation hypothesis.
As the author's characters grapple with the blurred lines between reality and simulation, echoes from previous works resurface, and the author herself becomes part of the narrative.
She explores her story through autofiction in an avatar named Olive Llewellyn, who happens to be embarking on a book tour in the year 2203 amidst a pandemic.
His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass)
If you crave more time travel moments like this, don’t miss these book lists:
Time Travel Books—If you like to move forward or backward through time travel- this is your perfect book list. I’ve included many new release books and classics like Stephen King (11/22/63), The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, or The Time Traveler’s Wife.
Books About Alternate Realities or Parallel Lives—Books like Sliding Doors offer glimpses into second chances…or sometimes three, four, or nine pivotal life moments. This book list includes Maybe Next Time and The Midnight Library.
The Best Time Travel TV & Movies—This TV list celebrates the new TV shows and movies you haven’t heard about yet and can stream for your weekend! Totally Killer topped my list and is perfect for campy time travel fans.
Time Loop Books—This book list is for readers who love Groundhog Day loop stories, which involve time travel repeating in a loop. You can visit this book list or head to the Book Gang podcast to hear us discuss our favorite finds.
What do YOU think are the best books about the parallel universe or multiverse books? Let us know in the comments below what this list needs! Happy time traveling, friends!
Browse this book list filled with the best time loop books. Today’s list includes new release books, thrillers, mystery, young adult, and holiday books.
Time loop books can be the trickiest to engage readers, but they can be one of the most comforting kinds of books as we contemplate how characters can fix their past mistakes to break the loop.
I know there are many moments in our lives that we wish we could do again, and in those ways, these stories can be incredibly therapeutic.
What Are Time Loop Books?
Time loop books are stories where characters repeatedly experience the same events or day, often without initially realizing it.
While many time loop books can fall into the science fiction genre, we wanted to showcase all the other ways time loops can happen in our stories.
In this time travel story, the characters are trapped in a repeating cycle of events that they cannot escape.
These are often called Groundhog Day stories and are among the trickiest to keep readers engaged.
If you missed the Book Gang podcast, we discuss the beauty in these time loop stories through new books that recently hit store shelves and a few great backlist recommendations to get your book stack started.
Listen to the full episode below and subscribe to the Book Gang podcast for more episodes like this one. The show notes are located here.
If you love this book list, you can support my work through a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee or join our Patreon community for book fun all year long.
Patrons will receive a free printable copy checklist for today’s time travel assignment. The financial support helps us keep the lights on in our online space.
Time Loop Books to Read Now
In honor of today’s Book Gang podcast theme, we are excited to share this new collection of time loop books featuring our favorite Groundhog Day stories for time travel enthusiasts.
This week's list was created with @tonightsbookishfeast for this week's Book Gang podcast episode.
Explore this book list, which includes thrillers, mysteries, romances, and young adult books for readers. As we find new books, we will update this list!
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you have been craving a cozy rom-com like Love Actually for your book stack, this is the new time loop story for you.
The novel opens in a bar with Gemma's favorite song playing and a guy ordering a distinctly Gemma drink for her.
It's strangely familiar, and at the end of that first night together, Jack simply pleads, "Please remember me, Gemma."
The reader discovers that Jack has been trapped in a 24-hour time loop that only seems to progress when Gemma begins to fall in love with him.
The problem is that she has no recollection of the encounter each time they wake up.
And so you, as the reader, will hope that 147-time loops will undoubtedly have been enough to finally get to that happily ever after for Jack and Gemma.
I loved every moment of this journey, especially the nods to films likeWhen Harry Met SallyandLove Actually, which are embedded in this book.
This story offers a dual point of view in an imagined future in 2090.
Carter Cho, a technician at a scientific lab, and Neuroscientist Mariana Pineda find themselves trapped in a never-ending time loop.
The initiation of this incident occurs when Mariana, newly grieving the loss of someone in her life, finds herself on an unexpected tour of Carter's secretive facility, where he's tinkering with the Hawke Particle Accelerator.
But their excursion takes a dramatic turn when the reactor unexpectedly detonates, hurling them into a bewildering time loop that spans four days.
As they are the only ones retaining memories from each cycle, they embark on a journey to unravel the mystery behind the loops while discovering some unexpected feelings for each other.
This book is for readers who like thorough explanations of the reason behind the why of the time loop rather than for readers who crave light time travel descriptions.
This novel has great crossover appeal for teen readers who love science fiction.
In this time loop thriller, Jen anxiously waits for her son Todd on a chilling Halloween night, where she witnesses him committing a horrifying act of violence.
But when she wakes up the following day, she's back in time with the opportunity to prevent the murder from happening.
With each new day, Jen finds herself further back in the past, determined to unravel the events leading up to the crime to save her son from a devastating fate.
Agatha Christie mystery fans will adore this fun debut.
One of our book club members shared that this is the first book like Agatha Christi that delivered on these rich comparisons.
There are three rules of Blackheath House:
Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m.
There are eight days and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.
We will only let you escape once you tell us the killer's name.
Readers know that Evelyn Hardcastle will die.
She will die daily until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle.
Aiden wakes up in a different body and repeats the day, armed with new information each time he awakens.
Some of his hosts help him, while others make his job very hard.
Leaving clues for himself to find, he must win the game to leave the property, but it won't be easy.
Turton crafts some unlikeable characters and creates beautiful tension when Aiden has to fight the impulses of the body he inhabits.
Keep in mind his confusion is the reader's confusion, too, so the story keeps the reader on their toes. We recommend reading this as a paper copy to ensure you can access the map and cast of characters to help you solve the case.
If you choose to do the audiobook or a digital copy, take a screenshot of the sample pages for these crucial details that you’ll need to help you solve the crime.
In this Christmas romance from the writing duo Christina Lauren, Mae spends Christmas every year in a beloved Utah cabin with her family and close friends.
But this year, everything feels off: Mae's life is in turmoil, and the cabin is about to be sold.
After a car crash, she repeatedly relives the holiday week, determined to break out of the time loop and find true happiness.
YOUNG ADULT TIME LOOP BOOKS
These time travel books for young adults are some of our favorites. They showcase the joy of those coming-of-age years in an excellent time loop story.
This novel is among the first I’ve seen with the new Reese’s Writer Fellowship LitUp Exists sticker. The writer’s fellowship is offered to unpublished, diverse women and nonbinary individuals.
This young adult story is a celebration of two queer, disabled, Jewish teens who find themselves ensnared in an endless time loop--and unexpectedly falling in love.
For Phoebe Mendel, each day is the same, trapped in an endless time loop cycle. However, Phoebe's routine is shattered when her childhood crush, Jess, becomes entangled in the loop after a car crash.
With Jess by her side, they embrace self-discovery and adventure through these consequence-free days.
But as their bond deepens, Phoebe begins to worry about their future beyond this loop.
This novel is recommended for readers ages 13 and older.
My co-host, Jessica Bearak, shared that this novel is perfect for readers who struggle with time loop stories.
We are pulled into the story 310 days after Clark's first time loop experience.
Clark has been reliving the same mundane day repeatedly, becoming increasingly frustrated with the experience.
When he meets the carefree Beau, his world is turned upside down as the two embark on a whirlwind adventure through Chicago.
As Clark works through assignments from his therapist to help him feel less lonely, he finds Beau might be the perfect connection to help him mentally move forward.
This is more than a YA romance and proves why Robbie Couch is a favorite on our show.
I became a fan of Pessl's writing after reading Night Film and recommend this selection for fans of We Were Liars.
Beatrice and her group of friends all have been devastated by the death of Beatrice's boyfriend, Jim.
She has been estranged from her friends but is invited to celebrate a birthday celebration with the old gang.
After a strained night and a near-miss car crash, they receive a visitor who calls himself "The Keeper."
He says they are now stuck between the worlds of life and death. For them to move on, they must all vote and unanimously choose one of themselves to save.
Given the dynamics of these strained relationships, the reader knows they will be in for a long and bumpy ride.
Stuck in time, they live the same day over and over again until they can come to a decision.
As more secrets come to light surrounding Jim's death, choosing who should be saved becomes a complex plot point.
Don’t forget, we have an incredible best time travel tv shows and movies resource list that include time loop stories for the screen like Russian Doll and Happy Death Day!
If you crave more magical books like this, don’t miss these book lists:
Time Travel Books—Don’t miss this list filled with time travel that moves forward and backward through time. This is the list for books like Stephen King (11/22/63) or The Time Traveler’s Wife.
Books About Parallel Universe and Multiverse Stories– Books like Everything, Everywhere, All At Once are featured in this book list. The list also explores parallel universes in science fiction like Dark Matter or fantasy themes in books like The Ten Thousand Doors of January.
The Best Time Travel TV & Movies—This TV list celebrates the new TV shows and movies you haven’t heard about yet and can stream for your weekend!
Books About Alternate Realities or Parallel Lives– Books like Sliding Doorsimagine the what-if when protagonist’s are given two or more choices that lead the down different paths. This book list includes books like Maybe Next Time and The Midnight Library.
What do YOU think are the best time loop books? Let us know in the comments below what this list needs! Happy time traveling, friends!
Explore the best book list of books about alternate realities or parallel lives that create a world of second chances for readers that love a “what if” book.
Welcome to the time travel world where reality twists and bends, offering readers glimpses into parallel lives and alternate realities.
What Are Books About Alternate Realities and Parallel Lives?
I describe these stories as books like Sliding Doors because that is how I was first attracted to these storylines through the movie’s imaginative theme.
One of my earliest memories of these books was a Taylor Jenkin’s Reid story called Maybe, Next Time, when Women’s Fiction was called “chick-lit”- a trend that, thankfully, has ended.
These books offered complete escapism in my early motherhood, and there were indeed days when I imagined what my world would look like if I had taken different paths.
Sometimes described as ‘what if books,’ they show what happens when characters make different choices, leading to parallel realities with multiple outcomes.
If you love this book list, you can support my work through a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee or join our Patreon community for book fun all year long.
Patrons will receive a free printable copy checklist for today’s time travel assignment. The financial support helps us keep the lights on in our online space.
After you finish this list, visit my other book lists with the best forward and backward time travelers, time loops, parallel universes, and multiverse stories that are shared at the bottom of today’s post.
Books About Alternate Realities and Parallel Lives
Let's celebrate my favorite books about alternate realities and parallel lives with this week's book list.
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
NEW BOOKS ABOUT PARALLEL LIVES AND ALTERNATE REALITIES
For time travel enthusiasts, these new books are perfect for this fun trope.
In this delightful novel of second chances, Frankie McKenzie gets the opportunity to rewrite her story after a freak accident ends her life prematurely.
Like The Midnight Library, Frankie can revisit pivotal moments from her past and explore the endless possibilities of different choices.
From romantic escapades to career pursuits, she navigates the what-ifs of her life.
This feel-good romance novel is being marketed as The Good Place meets Sliding Doors, and early readers loved the witty banter and relatable characters in this story.
In Timothy Janovsky's latest LGBTQ romance, Nolan dreams of making it big in stand-up comedy, but his aspirations aren't matching his reality.
Struggling to make ends meet and hiding his feelings for his best friend, Drew, Nolan's life takes a dramatic turn when he asks Drew to be his date for his sister's wedding.
However, when Drew makes a wish on magical crystals to skip to the good part of his life, he wakes up seven years later as a successful comedian who despises Nolan.
As Nolan grapples with the consequences of his actions and the true meaning of success, he must find a way to win back Drew's affection.
In this charming debut, Gemma attempts to mend her broken heart by casting a spell to erase her ex from her past.
But when she wakes up in an alternate reality where she's lost more than she bargained for, she must navigate a world where her once-best friend, Dax, doesn't even recognize her.
She must convince Dax to kiss her to undo the spell, but as she spends time with him, she starts to question if he might be "The One" after all.
Backlist Books About Alternate Realities and Parallel Lives
Visit your local library to snag my favorite backlist books about alternate realities and parallel lives.
The story's intriguing concept of nine lives came from the timeline of nine months in a pregnancy.
Rose is an academic who loves her career, but her husband's one request is that she give that up to pursue having a child with him.
The opening sequence begins with a fight about prenatal vitamins, and in each variation, Rose approaches this life challenge with a different answer or outcome.
Her story unfolds in nine different ways as she navigates love, loss, betrayal, divorce, death, and her career through these different paths.
It was a treat to have the author participate in our book club discussion and share the motive behind her beautiful story.
Kate never thought she would find love again after the sudden death of her husband over a decade ago, but now she's preparing to walk down the aisle with a kind man.
However, she feels less than excited about the impending nuptials, initially attributing it to stress and lack of sleep.
When her past husband visits her in her dreams, she begins to fall into an alternate universe where the lines between reality and imagination are blurred.
Kate's journey takes her on a path of self-discovery as she balances the line between her reality and dreams.
This, ultimately, leads her to a sign language class and the New York City foster system, where she discovers unexpected rewards.
Fans of Sliding Doors books will be swept away in this novel that is as heartwarming as it is heart-wrenching.
Clare Mackintosh is best known for her thrillers like I Let You Go. But, the writer also wrote this heartstring-pulling contemporary book about a difficult decision she faced in her motherhood journey.
In this emotionally charged novel, the lives of Pip and Max Adams are forever altered when they find themselves in a courtroom, battling over the fate of their son, Dylan.
They are facing a difficult decision on whether to continue life support for their three-year-old child after he's suffered brain damage with no hope for improvement.
As the judge's verdict hangs in the balance, the narrative splits into two alternate realities, exploring the profound consequences of each possible outcome.
Mackintosh weaves in this heartbreaking motherhood story based on her experience going through this trial with one of her twins.
A library exists beyond the edge of the universe, where unlimited books recount the stories of alternate realities.
One describes your present life, while others narrate the paths you could have taken if you had made different choices.
As we often ponder what might have been, what if we could visit this library and see for ourselves?
This is the intriguing premise of this captivating, award-winning bestseller we read together for our book club.
With the option of pursuing a different career, undoing past heartbreaks, or even pursuing her dream of studying glaciers, Nora embarks on a journey through the Midnight Library to discover what truly brings fulfillment to her life.
She can also live out some of her biggest regrets that help her realize the consequences of those choices, for better or worse.
As many of us struggle with the mental health consequences of our busy world, the encouragement to go on and how we can unexpectedly impact others was a beautifully bittersweet reminder that life is tough, but so are we.
Lydia and Freddie had been inseparable for over a decade, and Lydia believed their love was unbreakable.
However, when Freddie dies in a car accident on Lydia's twenty-eighth birthday, her world is shattered.
Emotionally devastated, Lydia's doctor prescribes sleeping pills to help her through this difficult time.
When sleeping, Lydia discovers that Freddie's life continues in her dreams.
In this sleeping world, she is still preparing for her wedding and savoring every continued moment with Freddie.
Lydia's life quickly begins to fracture into two lives- her awake life and her sleeping life.
Silver builds such a beautiful love story in the fissures of these cracks. After all, we do have the ability to immortalize people and erase faults when they pass away.
As Lydia heals, her time in her sleeping life begins to separate, and Lydia discovers that her waking life might be just as beautiful.
So, with the aid of Freddie's best friend Jonah and her sister Elle, Lydia begins to take tentative steps into a new world, prepared to embrace life, and perhaps even love once more.
In Tom Barren's version of 2016, the future that people dreamed of in the 1950s has become a reality.
It's a dazzling, idealistic place with flying cars and moving sidewalks.
Hilariously, avocados never spoil, and punk rock never existed because it wasn't necessary!
Despite this utopian paradise, Tom struggles to find his place in the world, and things only get worse when a time travel mishap turns his life upside down.
Tom is stranded in OUR 2016, the real world that we know, which he sees as a dystopian wasteland.
As Tom adjusts to this new reality, he discovers unexpected versions of his family, career, and even a potential soulmate.
But he faces a difficult choice: should he try to fix the flow of history and restore his utopian world or embrace this messy and unpredictable reality as his new home?
To be transparent, this novel has polarizing reviews on GoodReads, but I loved its execution, and so did my husband.
Even if you don't initially think you'll love this one, stick around for the surprising twist in the second half that makes the time travel journey worth it.
I can't do this book list without including this science fiction novel’s alternate reality concept that introduces a syndrome called “False Memory Syndrome," in which individuals experience false memories.
In these imagined worlds, they believe they have lived entirely different lives.
These false memories can be so convincing that they disrupt the individuals' sense of reality and identity, blurring the lines between real and imagined.
My husband and I highly rated all of Blake Crouch's novels, giving them five beautiful stars for their clever science fiction concepts. This book is no exception!
If you crave more magical books like this, don’t miss these book lists:
Time Travel Books—Don’t miss this list filled with time travel that moves forward and backward through time. This is the list for books like Stephen King (11/22/63), The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, or The Time Traveler’s Wife.
Books About Parallel Universes and Multiverse Stories—This book list features books like Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. It also explores parallel universes in science fiction stories, such as Dark Matter, A Darker Shades of Magic, and The Ten Thousand Doors of January.
The Best Time Travel TV & Movies—This TV list celebrates the new TV shows and movies you haven’t heard about yet and can stream for your weekend!
Time Loop Books—This book list is for readers who love Groundhog Day loop stories, which involve time travel repeating with new lessons each loop.
Don’t forget we have an incredible best time travel TV shows and movies resource list that includes time loop stories for the screen, like Russian Doll and Happy Death Day!
What do YOU think are the best time loop books? Let us know in the comments below what this list needs! Happy time traveling, friends!
Is there anything better than being stuck in an accidental time machine? Be a time traveler with the best time travel books, including new releases in 2024.
If there is one genre I’m a sucker for, it is time travel, and I’m not the only one obsessed with books about time.
From the H.G. Wells classic, The Time Machine to Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife, time travel books have been a popular genre in literature for a long time.
In these books, authors explore the idea of traveling through time, either backward or forwards, and the potential consequences of it.
On the Book Gang podcast, we invited our first time travel writer to share the challenges of writing time travel.
Cesca Major decided to tackle the trickiest literary time machine genres to write- the Groundhog Day story.
She shares her strategies to keep readers engaged and how she used her background writing thrillers to build in a clue sequence. You can learn more about her debut novel below!
Listen to the full episode (the show notes are located here) below and subscribe to the Book Gang podcast for more episodes like this one.
If you love this book list, you can support my work through a one-time donation on Buy Me a Coffee or join our Patreon community for book fun all year long.
Patrons will receive a free printable copy checklist for today’s multiverse books and parallel universe reading assignment. The financial support helps us keep the lights on in our online space.
At the end of today’s post, I’ve also included our book club member favorites for browsing today.
The Best Time Travel Books To Escape Real Life
Whether you’re a fan of science fiction, historical fiction, or romance, this book list has a time travel adventure for you to explore.
Let's take a journey through time in our book stacks!
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
NEW TIME TRAVEL BOOKS
For time travel enthusiasts, these new time travel novels are perfect for your book stack!
This time travel romance offers a premise that readers seeking books like Outlander will love.
In the near future, a civil servant is assigned to a project that involves working with "expats" from across history to uncover whether time travel is possible.
Her assignment as a "bridge" means working closely with an expat named "1847" or Commander Graham Gore.
Commander Gore, who died on Sir John Franklin's Arctic expedition in 1845, is bewildered by living with an unmarried woman in a world of unfamiliar inventions like washing machines and Spotify.
With a colorful cast of characters, this debut novel promises a blend of romance, spy thriller, comedy, and philosophical exploration.
In this thrilling standalone fantasy adventure from Brandon Sanderson, readers are promised a time travel adventure story reminiscent of Jason Bourne with a twist of time travel.
A man wakes up in medieval England with no memory of his past.
Pursued by enemies from his own time, he must rely on his wits and the help of locals to uncover the truth and survive.
With fragments of a guidebook to aid him, he races against time to unlock the secrets of his identity and escape his mysterious predicament.
In Madison's enchanting debut, history professor Cecily Bridge-Davis unearths a haunting family secret: a generational curse that transports one member back in time with each passing generation.
Armed with nothing but a family Bible and a cryptic map, Cecily embarks on a quest to unravel her family's legacy.
Clementine is navigating a devastating loss. To remedy that she vows to stay busy, work hard, and find someone decent to love.
But when she meets a charming man in her late aunt's apartment, she faces a rather unusual dilemma—he exists in the past from seven years ago.
As they navigate their unconventional relationship, Clementine contemplates love and timing in this magical novel that made our best books of the year list.
If 13 Going on 30 was your favorite movie, you will love this new Sophie Cousens novel.
Tired of her mundane life, Lucy Young stumbles upon a wishing machine and makes a wish to skip to the best part of her life.
Lucy is thrilled when she wakes up to find herself in a seemingly perfect future, complete with a handsome husband, a successful career, and adorable children.
However, as she navigates this new reality, she questions whether skipping ahead is the right choice.
In this YA rom-com, Charlotte and JT are thrown into adulthood after a mishap while decorating for prom.
As high school seniors who are transported 13 years into the future, it is a surprise to wake up as a 30-year-old engaged to their high school nemesis.
As they discover more about each other, they question whether they can return to their high school selves and what that might mean for their relationship.
Readers have praised Natalie Naudus's audiobook performance in this Mindy’s Book Studio selection as a delight.
In Arsén's debut, mathematical theory intertwines with time travel, guiding readers through one woman's transformative journey from scientist's daughter to NASA programmer.
When she discovers a wormhole, Annie must navigate the complexities of love and loss through this uniquely created time travel experience.
The story begins with this shimmering line, "The loss of my mother is like a missing tooth: an absence I can feel at all times, but one I can hide as long as I keep my mouth shut."
Faye is a thirtysomething woman with two daughters and a husband training to be a clergyman.
But unlike her husband, Faye doesn't believe in God, and her logical, scientific brain means she struggles with an unusual predicament.
Faye has been reuniting with her mother, whom she lost as a child, through a unique time machine portal...a cardboard box in her attic.
This experience brings her into 1977, the year before her mother's death, where Faye can finally connect with her long-lost mother and her younger self.
Fisher writes time travel sequences in an Alice and Wonderland wayas she slowly (and then dramatically) pulls you into another world.
Tia Williams's new book, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, garnered some of her inspiration from this 1989 romance selection.
A woman finds herself stranded in an English church after a breakup, yearning for a knight in shining armor to rescue her.
Little does she know, her fate is about to take an extraordinary turn when Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck, a dashing knight from the sixteenth century, appears before her.
Many romance readers encourage getting the original published copy if you can. The story was expanded by 50 pages in the newer editions, which slowed down the pacing for many readers.
Alice Stern is approaching her fortieth birthday in this big-hearted novel, and life isn't what she expected.
Despite her comfortable job and friendship with her beloved BFF Sam, she feels like something is missing.
These feelings could be because she's sitting by her father's hospital bed as he nears the end of his life.
After a night of too much drinking, Alice wakes up to find herself in her sixteen-year-old body on the morning of her sixteenth birthday, greeted by her younger and healthier father.
Seeing him through the eyes of her forty-year-old mind, Alice questions whether she genuinely understands her father and finds a new appreciation for who he is.
If you like your time travel light on science and big on heart, this book is for you.
This backlist book is gorgeous, original, and profoundly moving.
In 1975, Lux Lysander is a single mother struggling to make ends meet who spontaneously decides to take a solo trip to Sonoma Valley.
She doesn’t expect to find that just beyond a thick fog on her adventure is a community frozen in time in the year 1906.
Lux is stunned to learn that the residents of Greengage have been stuck in the early twentieth century. She finds herself drawn into their simple world.
The reader follows Lux as she travels back and forth through time, finding love in a different era and learning the consequences of living in parallel worlds.
This novel has many lovely plot twists, and the ending Gideon carves for the end is movie-worthy.
Jake Epping is a high school English teacher who receives a gruesome essay from one of his adult GED students. The chilling story documents a horrific event that occurred fifty years ago.
Shortly after this strange classroom encounter, Jake discovers a portal to 1958 in his friend Al's restaurant.
His friend enlists Jake to travel back in time and prevent the Kennedy assassination. You will be on a suspenseful journey filled with many unexpected plot twists in this Stephen King adventure story.
Once you finish the novel, check out the miniseries from Hulu starring James Franco.
If you are a fan of police procedural stories or love a good serial killer book, this time travel series is for you.
In A Murder in Time, Kendra Donovan, a brilliant FBI agent, suffers a setback in her career after a disastrous raid that leaves her wounded and half her team dead.
Seeking revenge, she travels to England to take out the person responsible, but things take an unexpected turn when she finds herself transported back in time to 1815 and stuck in Aldrich Castle.
Mistaken for a lady's maid, in this new era, Kendra must adapt to her new life in the 19th century and try to figure out how to return to her own time.
However, her investigative skills are tested when a young girl is found dead on the castle grounds, and Kendra realizes that she may have a greater purpose than expected in this new time period.
In the Scottish Highlands of 1945, Claire Randall, a British combat nurse, embarks on a second honeymoon with her husband.
But when she accidentally steps through a standing stone, she finds herself transported to 1743, a time of war where she must navigate as an outlander in a land fraught with danger
Caught between these two eras, Claire must navigate her heart's desires in this historical romance filled with adventures that have made it a beloved modern-day classic.
I loved the first novel in this spicy historical romance series, and hope to continue the Outlander book series with the next eight books.
FORWARD TIME TRAVEL BOOKS
Do you love to imagine the future in your stories?
In forward time travel stories, the characters travel to a future that is often vastly different from their own time.
The characters may be trying to prevent a catastrophe or simply exploring future possibilities.
Here are a few of my favorite forward time travel stories.
In 1970, Carly Sears, a young widow from the Vietnam War, received the devastating news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect with no cure.
However, her brother-in-law physicist proposes a solution that challenges Carly's preconceived beliefs about time.
He shares with her that surgery can be done, but this surgery won't be available until 2001.
With his help, Carly time travels so her child can be part of this experimental surgery.
Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but Carly will do anything to save her daughter.
This historical fiction novel has a surprisingly grounded time travel aspect, approaching the time travel trope with believability, as it fractures relationships with those she left behind.
Searle's version of time travel is light and frothy without a repeating loop sequence, but just a single vision that imagines a different world for our main character in five years.
Dannie Kohan has always been a planner. She lives by the numbers and never strays from her carefully laid path.
So when her job interview goes just as planned, and she accepts her boyfriend's marriage proposal, she knows she is on track to achieve those five-year goals.
But that very successful evening, Dannie had a vivid vision of herself in five years, and her imagined future was turned upside down.
In this sequence, Dannie wakes up in a different apartment with a different engagement ring and a different man by her side.
The year is 2025, five years in the future, and Dannie doesn't even recognize her own life or the man she's with.
This is not a love story but one of great platonic love and the power of our deep, lasting friendships, which sustain us throughout our lives.
This book is a good choice for a reader who needs a quick win that will not ask a lot of you and will not take you too far into elaborate time travel dimensions.
Like many readers, The Time Traveler’s Wife was my first dip into this trope.
I still vividly remember my emotional reaction to the storyline and how much it moved me.
This beautifully written novel explores the unconventional love story between Henry, a man with a rare genetic disorder, and his wife Clare.
This condition causes him to time travel unpredictably, and Clare, must learn to navigate life with a partner constantly disappearing and reappearing in different times and places.
Henry's altered timeline can change the past, but doing so has unpredictable and often negative consequences for the future.
This involuntary time travel experience is what makes this so captivating.
Niffenegger weaves the intricacies of time travel with the emotional depth of the characters' relationship, making this a beloved favorite for any time travel enthusiast.
I still count this among my favorite reads of all time.
Looking for more time travel books? Here is a short list of our book club member favorites:
The Best Time Travel TV & Movies—This TV list celebrates the new TV shows and movies to stream for your best weekend of traveling…on your couch.
Time Loop Books—This book list is for readers who love Groundhog Day loop stories, which involve time travel repeating in a loop. You can visit this book list or head to the Book Gang podcast to hear us discuss our favorite finds.
Books About Parallel Universes and Multiverse Stories—This book list features books like Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. I explore the multiverse and parallel universe through science fiction stories like Dark Matter, A Darker Shades of Magic, and The Ten Thousand Doors of January.
Article Updated: March 14, 2024
What is your favorite time travel story? I’d love to expand our list with your favorites too!
Learn how to access the Amazon Prime Reading library and borrow up to ten titles FREE with your Prime account. This tutorial offers the best books to read now.
I have been promising this tutorial for years and am finally creating a monthly destination to browse the best Prime books available each month.
I am always surprised by how few people know about all the books that are available to them to check out with their Prime membership.
Today’s tutorial, I hope, will help you understand your member benefits better AND I share my top ten book recommendations for this month.
The Best Prime Reading Guide (10 Free Books)
What is Prime Reading?
Prime Reading is a benefit offered to Amazon Prime members that provides access to a rotating selection of ebooks, magazines, comics, and other digital content.
Be sure to scroll down to see the best books available now.
The items in the catalog are available to Prime members to borrow and read various titles at no additional cost.
The concept is just like your digital lending from your local library.
Just like acquiring the books through your Libby app, you can download these items for free directly from the Prime library.
Is Prime Reading Free?
If the book is in the Prime Reading catalog you should see “Read For Free.” It should state that this is included with your membership. If you are not seeing this prompt, make sure you are signed into your account.
You can now choose ten items to borrow for free through the Prime library if you have a Prime membership.
Basically, once you hit your limit of ten borrowed items, you will receive a prompt that looks like this that will alert you.
To borrow another book, you must return a book.
How Do I Return a Prime Library Book?
To return Prime Reading books on Amazon, follow these steps:
Go to Amazon Website: Visit the Amazon website and make sure you are logged in to your Amazon account.
Access Your Content and Devices: Hover over the “Account & Lists” option at the top right corner of the page. From the drop-down menu, click on “Content & Devices.”
Select Your Books: In the “Content & Devices” section, click on the “Content” tab if it’s not already selected. This will display a list of all the books and content you have purchased or borrowed.
Find the Book: Scroll through the list to find the Prime Reading book you want to return.
Actions Menu: On the right side of the book title, you’ll see a button with three dots (ellipsis). Click on it to open the actions menu for that book.
Return This Book: Select “Return this book from the actions menu.” A confirmation pop-up might appear asking if you are sure you want to return the book.
Confirm Return: Confirm that you want to return the book.
Once confirmed, the book will be removed from your device and returned to the Prime Reading catalog.
Remember, once you return it you may not have access to it again. This catalog rotates often.
If you have hit your limit with borrowing, you will receive a prompt to return an item, and Amazon will pull up all the items for you on one page.
Select the item you want to trade out; it will automatically return and check out your new selection.
What is the Due Date on Prime Books?
Unlike your local library, there is no due date for Prime books. You can keep that book as long as you want and return it whenever you finish.
I have held books on my account for years! They do not expire.
For most users, the limit of ten books is what leads to returning their books before they finish them.
As all the books made available are only available for a limited time, you do want to cash in if you find a book in the catalog you do want to read.
It might not be there when you return!
Can I Share Prime Reading With My Family?
You can share Prime benefits at no extra cost through their Amazon Household feature.
This feature allows members of the same family or household to share certain Amazon Prime benefits and digital content while maintaining separate Amazon accounts.
Here are some shared bookish benefits:
Shared Prime Benefits: Prime members within the same household can share benefits like free two-day shipping, Prime Video streaming, Prime Reading, and more.
Family Library: Family members can share ebooks, audiobooks, apps, and games purchased from the Amazon Appstore and Kindle Store.
It’s important to note that Amazon Household has specific eligibility criteria, and not all Prime benefits are shareable.
For example, benefits such as your Kindle Owners’ Lending Library are unavailable for sharing.
Additionally, there are limitations on the number of adults and children that can be included in an Amazon Household.
The current criteria are two adults and up to four teens, and four child profiles may link in a Household.
What is the Difference Between Prime Reading vs Kindle Unlimited?
Kindle Unlimited is a separate subscription service that offers a much more extensive selection of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more.
It provides access to over a million titles, including a mix of popular and independent authors and various genres.
Prime Reading offers a rotating limited catalog that changes periodically. It’s a curated collection, and you can borrow ten titles at a time.
These two catalogs DO overlap at times, and I think that is why there is confusion between these two services.
For many readers, having access to the Prime catalog is enough.
What is the Difference Between Prime Reading vs Kindle First Reads?
The Kindle First Reads program allows you to access and purchase new books a month before they are officially released to the public. This benefit is available to all Prime members!
Each month, Amazon editors select a handful of new, not-yet-released books across various genres, and Prime members can choose one of these books for free or at a significantly discounted price.
Does Your Amazon Prime First Reads Book Count Against Your Borrowed Titles?
No, your Amazon First Reads is an additional reading benefit you can access monthly. Typically, you are offered one book per month, but there are exceptions where they offer TWO!
That means every month, as a Prime member benefit, you have one book for your permanent library and ten books to borrow from the Prime library.
You never have to return your Amazon Prime First Reads book. It is yours forever.
What Subscriptions and Services Do You Recommend for Reading?
I ALWAYS cash in on my Kindle First Reads and always have ten books checked out from the Prime library.
I do not use Kindle Unlimited because the Scribd app offers more reading benefits at an affordable price. That link should also take you to an incredible tutorial on how to use the platform and get every dollar out of the experience.
Here are the BEST Prime Reading Books for this month!
March Prime Reads
Discover a handpicked selection of captivating stories in our March Prime Reads collection. From thrilling mysteries to heartwarming romances, there's something for every reader.
Choose up to ten books with your Prime membership. Remember, these change frequently, so cash in today.
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This powerful collection of short stories is written by bestselling historical fiction authors. The stories offer readers a chance to meet remarkable women who defied barriers in art, war, science, love, and justice.
There are 7 new novellas in the Blaze Collection, and this is one of the highest rated from the 7 books offered.
In this one-hour mystery, Frances Gleser Lee defies societal expectations to become the mother of forensic science.
As a new Harvard instructor, she challenges six male students to solve a murder using her accurate crime scene dioramas, proving that every detail matters in solving a crime.
In this standalone short story, readers can continue through the life of Bubbles from Johnson's novel, House of Eve.
Bubbles, a single mother in segregated Virginia, defies her family's expectations and embraces motherhood despite societal pressures.
With courage and determination, she escapes from the home she was sent to and finds strength in her talent for singing, using it to provide a better life for her daughter.
While connected to her historical fiction novel, you can still read this short story from the Blaze Collection independently.
Howard crafts a heartwarming tale of unlikely companionship between Lewis Madigan, a young gay man down on his luck, and his cantankerous neighbor, Chester Wheeler, who's battling terminal cancer.
Forced together by circumstance, they embark on a life-changing road trip from Buffalo to Arizona, where Chester seeks closure with his ex-wife.
Jacinta is a woman in her forties facing a fresh start after her divorce and her son's departure to college.
When she becomes the caretaker of a mysterious old mansion in a small town, she discovers unexpected magic and embarks on a dangerous adventure that will change her life forever.
With humor, adventure, and relatable characters, this book promises to celebrate midlife women embracing new beginnings and forging new paths.
This icy murder mystery is the first novel in the DC Morgan book series.
This captivating whodunit focuses on a murder investigation that sparks a web of suspicion among residents.
With tensions between Welsh locals and English vacation homeowners at play, detectives Ffion and Leo must navigate personal feelings about the case and each other while solving the case.
Readers should note that this novel has a large cast of characters, but Mackintosh delivers and brings the story together for her readers. You can read more about Mackintosh's process in my interview with the author on her page-turning novel, I Let You Go!
Louisa May Alcott's timeless classic follows the heartwarming tale of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—as they navigate the trials and triumphs of sisterhood, love, and coming of age during the Civil War era.
Grab a digital copy so you can highlight all the sage advice from Marmee!
In this enemies-to-lovers romance, Winslow Covington is Quincy, Montana’s new police chief.
Unexpectedly, she has a passionate night with Griffin Eden, the oldest son of the town’s founding family, which creates unusual dynamics in her role.
As they navigate their complicated relationship, she must also unravel the mystery of a string of suspicious deaths in the town.
With alternating points of view and a steamy romance, this romantic suspense novel is the first in six books in The Edens series that has received glowing reviews from romance readers.
In this slow-burn mystery debut, Silvia is a struggling actress in 1956 Rome who lands a role in a horror movie set on her aunt's sprawling castle property.
When her aunt suddenly disappears, Silvia becomes an amateur sleuth between scenes, investigating the eerie occurrences among the film crew to uncover the truth.
Note that the entire The Improbable Meet-Cute Collection is also available on Prime Audio and can be borrowed as part of your ten Prime library options.
Just in time for Valentine's Day, this 61-page short story is the perfect pick-me-up while you wait for the release of Just for the Summer!
Holly, a hospice nurse, is now bedside for her grandmother's final moments.
On Valentine's Day, a mistaken note left on her windshield sparks a charming exchange between Holly and the sender, leading to an unexpected connection.
Claire Cook's glamorous façade hides a tumultuous reality.
As she plans to escape her controlling husband, a chance airport encounter leads to a daring ticket switch with another desperate woman.
However, a fateful plane crash propels Claire into a new existence, assuming a stranger's identity and confronting the hidden secrets that come with it.
Enter a Freaky Friday switch of identities and watch each of them try to foster new paths.
Of course, not all is as it seems and one might find themselves in just as much danger.
This 5-star thriller is a fast page-turner and should be at the top of your list, especially if you are in a summer reading slump.
After being left at the altar, Lauren struggles as she faces a lot of unexpected disappointment and pain. Amidst this unexpected life twist, Rudy, her compassionate driver, emerges as a thoughtful conversationalist that helps empower Lauren to make significant life changes that reader's loved.
The story opens immediately with a child showing up at a woman's temporary home where she is residing while studying research on nesting birds .
Dirty and sickly looking, Ursa says that she is an alien who has taken over the body of a dead girl and has been granted access to Earth to witness five miracles before returning to her country.
It's Vanderah's eloquent writing that pulled me in to this set-up to find out where this girl really was from and learn more of her story.
A reclusive neighbor is recruited to help, but they don't realize they are both broken in some way, and Ursa really does have the power to bring out these miracles.
This five-star read is a beautiful introduction to Badani's writing.
Jaya is a New York journalist who has suffered her third pregnancy loss and has found herself in a struggling marriage and emotionally drained. Desperate to relieve her anguish, she goes to India to uncover the answers of her family's past.
When she arrives, she is greeted by Ravi, a trusted former servant of her family, and he has been waiting for Jaya to share the beautiful stories of her grandmother's life.
Badani writes with beauty, kindness, and wisdom about Indian customs and the religious beliefs they have built upon. I always learn so much from her writing; she does a phenomenal job of showing India's beauty while acknowledging the harder-to-swallow truths of the caste system.
I highly recommend this fun novel for fans of the Finlay Donovan series craving a light escape this Fall.
Antique store owner Cricket Crosby's world is shattered when she uncovers her husband's affair.
Determined to seek justice, she recruits her resourceful assistant Ruby, who's reinventing herself as a designer as they recruit adorably quirky locals to uncover the truth.
This novel perfectly blends humor and vintage fashion together in one charming read. If you love their adventures, check out the new second book in the series, If the Dress Fits.
Amid World War II, architect Lucien Bernard faces a dangerous commission in Nazi-occupied Paris: designing a secret hiding place for a Jewish man.
As he becomes entangled in the web of deception and moral dilemmas, Lucien's actions take on a personal dimension, forcing him to confront the actual cost of resistance and the value of human lives.
This historical fiction novel was my first book club selection. I loved this book so much that I interviewed the author, and you can read that conversation when you finish.
Young Rhea is a miller’s daughter of low birth, so she is understandably surprised when a mysterious nobleman, Lord Crevan, shows up on her doorstep and proposes marriage.
Lord Crevan demands that Rhea visit his remote manor before their wedding. Upon arrival, she discovers that not only was her betrothed married six times before, but his previous wives were imprisoned in his enchanted castle.
Determined not to share their same fate, Rhea asserts her desire for freedom. To be free, Lord Crevan gives Rhea a series of magical tasks to complete.
With time running out and each task more dangerous and bizarre than the last, Rhea must use her resourcefulness to rally the other wives and defeat the sorcerer.
In search of their dream home, newlyweds Tricia and Ethan become trapped in a remote manor during a brutal winter storm.
As they explore, Tricia stumbles upon a hidden room filled with audio transcripts from Dr. Adrienne Hale's patients, leading her down a chilling path of revelations.
The haunting puzzle of Dr. Hale's disappearance unfolds with each tape, culminating in a final cassette that exposes the spine-tingling truth.
This compelling collection of essays offers a candid and insightful exploration of America's turbulent cultural and political landscape of the 1960s and 1970s.
Through her distinctive prose and keen observations, Didion delves into subjects as diverse as the Manson Family murders, the counterculture, and her personal experiences.
This is one of the highest-rated Joan Didion essay collections based on reader feedback.
Filmmaker Sidney Ryan takes on the task of clearing Grace Sebold, a woman convicted of murder, in the most-watched documentary in television history.
In "The Girl of Sugar Beach," the riveting and record-breaking television documentary takes center stage, posing a captivating question: Did Grace Sebold commit murder on a Spring Break vacation, or is she a victim of a flawed justice system?
This highly-rated thriller is recommended for fans of Alice Feeney and delivers a great final twist.
Taylor Swift's songs inspire this Booktok romance novel.
The story follows Meredith as she navigates a summer wedding on Martha's Vineyard, where their family plays an annual assassin game.
When an alliance with a charming groomsman draws her attention away from the family's game, Meredith must decide between winning the game in honor of her late sister's legacy or risking her heart.
During a pivotal moment during World War II, President Roosevelt orchestrates an unconventional operation utilizing librarians and microfilm specialists as spies.
Among them, Maria Alves, a microfilm expert, is dispatched to Lisbon to gather critical intelligence from Axis publications.
Partnered with Tiago Soares, a Portuguese bookstore owner engaged in aiding Jewish refugees, Maria's path becomes entangled with danger and romance.
In Washington, D.C., Sarah Morgan excels as a powerful defense attorney, while her husband, Adam, struggles as an unsuccessful writer.
As their relationship falters due to Sarah's demanding career, Adam becomes entangled in a passionate affair with Kelly Summers.
Shocking events unfold when Kelly is discovered murdered, thrusting Sarah into her most challenging case: defending her husband against accusations of his mistress's brutal killing.
Can I help you read better this year? Here are some tutorials I recommend checking out!
Discover the best Lynn Painter books to read now. This book list features her young adult books and Painter’s romance novels for adult readers.
We are celebrating Lynn Painter this week with our Better Than the Movies Movie List Printable that we offer as a FREE PDF to celebrate all the iconic rom-com movie moments highlighted in her young adult book.
I had also promised readers that we would create a landing page where you could stay up-to-date on the latest Lynn Painter books and here it is. Cue the confetti!
We have split today’s book list into two sections- books for adults and books for young adult readers.
Lynn Painter is fearless with spicy romance book moments, so make sure you are in the right Lynn Painter book lane for you or your YA reader.
What are the best Lynn Painter books?
My all-time favorite Lynn Painter book is Better Than the Movies!
The Do-Over is also a surprisingly great Groundhog Day Story for readers who love a time loop.
What are the Lynn Painter Series Books?
Lynn Painter has a series for adults and a series for young adults. The adult series is Mr. Wrong Number (two books have been published currently).
The other series is the Better Than the Movies series, with the second novel coming out this Fall.
Is There Any Lynn Painter Movie News?
At this time, I am unaware of any movie adaptation announcements, but please contact me IMMEDIATELY when you hear an announcement.
What are the Lynn Painter Books In Order of Publication?
Better Than the Movies- 2021
Mr. Wrong Number-2022
Accidentally Amy- 2022
The Do-Over- 2022
The Love Wager- 2023
Betting on You- 2023
Happily Never After- 2024
Nothing Like the Movies- 2024 October
Where are the Lynn Painter Short Stories and Novellas?
Lynn Painter offers short story expansions and bonus chapters in the back of her novels, but you can also find many of these on the author’s website. I love that Lynn includes some deleted scenes for her readers.
Here are some of the short stories you will find:
WES BENNETT’S VIVID DREAM (pdf)
BTTM – Wes POV – Basketball NIGHT (pdf)
BTTM – WES POV – PARTY SCENE (pdf)
BONUS CHAPTER – WES POV – LIZ’S PROPOSAL (pdf)
WES AND LIZ’S COLLEGE ROAD TRIP – BTTM Bonus Chapters
THE DO-OVER BONUS CHAPTERS – VALENTINE’S DAY #3 (NICK’S POV) (pdf)
MR. WRONG NUMBER PDF
MR. WRONG NUMBER – BONUS EPILOGUE – WEDDING DAY
MR. WRONG. NUMBER – BONUS EPILOGUE – COLIN’S PROPOSAL (pdf)
Important Note on Lynn Painter Audiobooks
Jesse Vilinsky has narrated all of Lynn Painter’s YA books- The Do-Over, Better Than the Movies, and Betting On You (with Zachary Webber).
If you find yourself in a Lynn Painter marathon, remember that these will all be narrated by the same voice. It might help to space out these books to ensure the characters are clear.
This is, CLEARLY, coming from personal experience- haha!
Lynn Painter Books
Lynn Painter is a New York Times bestselling author living in Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband and pack of wild kids.
She is a community columnist for the Omaha World-Herald and a regular blogger for their parenting section.
LYNN PAINTER BOOKS FOR ADULTS
Lynn Painter's books for adults deliver sizzling romance and steamy encounters.
This is the first book in the Mr. Wrong Number series.
This enemies-to-lovers romance follows the story of a woman who finds an unexpected anonymous relationship through a wrong number text that turns out to be her best friend's brother.
The novel offers witty banter as things get steamy, and Colin has to decide whether he is going to pursue her or ghost her before this relationship gets too messy.
I don't think this should be read as a standalone romance- be sure to read the first book in the Mr. Wrong Number series first as there are overlapping characters.
The book opens with a steamy first night between Hallie and Jack, who end up having a sexy adventure in a hotel bedroom at a wedding reception dinner where Hallie is bartending.
While Hallie claims to be a little fuzzy on the details due to too many drinks, she remembers enough about this one-night stand to find Jack’s profile on a dating app when she finally decides to get serious about her own dating life.
One message leads to another as the two support each other in their online dating lives and gamify the experience to see who can find “the one” first.
Of course, as you might expect, these moments become their favorite part of the night, but what seals their fate is their decision to fake date for an upcoming wedding that blurs the friendship boundaries.
I recommend the audiobook where Kristen DiMercurio and Zachary Webber narrate these shifting POVs that enhance the chemistry between these two characters.
We were so lucky that my co-host @getbookedwithlarry got an advanced copy of this novel, and he praised it for its witty banter and steamy scenes.
Sophie's wedding takes an unexpected turn when Max intervenes, revealing her fiancé's betrayal and calling off the ceremony.
As they navigate the aftermath, Sophie discovers Max's surprising side job as a wedding objector and finds herself drawn to him despite her skepticism about love.
Their encounters become increasingly charged with chemistry, yet they deny romantic feelings until circumstances force them to confront the undeniable attraction.
Join thePatreon to get a monthly reading guide with reviews on the latest upcoming releases. It is our version of the "Scholastic Book Fair" catalog for adults!
Release Date- 12 March 2024
LYNN PAINTER YOUNG ADULT BOOKS
These Lynn Painter YA books are for her younger audience.
Be sure to check the Storygraph App for content warnings for these novels.
This is the first book in the Better Than The Movies series.
It's no secret that this is my favorite Lynn Painter book, and I'm so grateful for the whole summer of memories we created around it.
Liz Buxbaum has always known that her next-door neighbor, Wes Bennett, is not the type of guy she should be interested in.
However, when Liz’s senior year of high school arrives and her crush, Michael, returns to town she realizes that she needs Wes’s help to finally get noticed by Michael.
If all goes according to plan, she could score her dream prom date.
As these two work together to make Liz’s prom dreams come true, she realizes that she actually enjoys being around Wes and begins questioning everything she thought she knew about love.
Please print out our Better Than the Movies PDF printable, which is a one-of-a-kind experience and shares where to stream each iconic film!
This is the second novel in the series, and I ABSOLUTELY think you should read book one first!
In the highly anticipated sequel, Liz & Wes had a few blissful months together, but tragedy strikes just before they head to UCLA for their freshman year.
Now Wes is determined to mend the heartache he caused Liz. And what could woo Liz more than a few grand gestures inspired by her favorite rom-coms?
I have a feeling my movie list will have a sequel, too.
If you love getting the scoop on authors and their books, be sure to subscribe to the Book Gang podcast for more adventures. The podcast celebrates debut novels, backlist books, and under-the-radar book gems!
TELL ME: What do YOU think is the best Lynn Painter book?
Discover emerging book cover trends and what this book cover designer from Faceout Studio has learned about the publishing process from concept to execution.
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Faceout Studio book designer Elisha Zepeda as he takes us on a journey from working in a bookstore to navigating his first year in book cover design.
Elisha navigates the challenges of cover rejection through a unique avenue- his TikTok account, where readers can discuss the rejected and accepted designs with him.
Today he shares what he sees as emerging trend in cover design and the struggles he’s faced with everything from font selection to breaking out of the “girl turning away” cover that we can’t seem to escape from as readers.
If you are entertaining a self-publishing journey, Elisha shares valuable tips on communication, budgeting, and bringing your visions to life in your book covers.
Here are examples of beautiful book cover designs from emerging designer Elisha Zepeda:
We couldn’t have him on the show and not discuss his recommendations for some standout covers that have captured his imagination and hear more about his process of honoring an author’s work through unique details that created reverence for the person who spent months or even years on their books.
Meet Elisha Zepeda
Elisha is a book designer for Faceout Studio in Oregon. He documents his publishing journey on his Tiktok account, where readers can see how his book designs evolve from concept to final product.
When not designing books, he is writing/recording music, toying with a film camera, or defending the merits of decaf over regular coffee. You can view his portfolio on his website, where he curates his work.
This Book Cover Designer Reveals His Surprising Process
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