Entertaining Books With Upbeat Endings

There’s nothing quite like “The House in the Cerulean Sea” — wonderfully weird, quietly romantic, and full of magic and queerness. Caseworker Linus Baker doesn’t push boundaries; he meticulously reports about orphanages taking care of children with supernatural powers. But his worldview is taken for a spin when he’s assigned to work at Marsyas Island Orphanage, where the children are particularly monstrous and the caretaker extremely mysterious. One of the finest found family stories around.

Happily married couple Liv and Eliot run a successful Brooklyn-based wedding planning service. However, after Eliot’s untimely death, Liv discovers that things weren’t so happy after all: Not only did Eliot have a secret girlfriend, Savannah, he left half of their business to her! While the premise may sound far from upbeat, trust us when we say you don’t want to miss this sweet and swoon worthy rom-com that weaves together tales of an unexpected friendship, second chances at love, and various romantic relationships in a style reminiscent of “Love Actually” and “Valentine’s Day.”

Noah Ramirez is a trans boy in love with love, and he wants to keep the dream of a happily ever after open for other teens like him. So he starts a blog about cute trans relationships. But a troll insists that all the stories are fake — which they are. In swoops Drew with a fake-dating proposal to save Noah’s blog — and steal his heart. This is a meet-cute story for the ages that’s been blurbed by pretty much every notable YA author in the LGBTQIA+ space (Kacen Callender, Aiden Thomas, and Becky Albertalli, to name just a few).

Miranda inherits her estranged uncle Billy’s bookshop, Prospero Books, after his passing. While she’s working to save the struggling store, she’s also trying to figure out why her uncle fell out of her life so suddenly. Luckily, he’s left clues to help her figure it out. Meyereson’s debut is a charming read that explores themes of self-discovery, love and loss, and the power of forgiveness.

“Braiding Sweetgrass” has been a mainstay on the New York Times bestseller list since its release, and Literary Hub named it one of the top 10 best essay collections of the decade (2010-2019). Kimmerer builds bridges with this book — between modern science and Potawatomi traditions, and between humankind and the natural world. Recharge with this read filled with hope and the joys that come from engaging with nature.

Nina had a knack as a librarian for helping people find the perfect book to read. But when the library system pivots into other types of media and asks if she can assume a social media role, Nina decides to operate her own bookmobile instead. It’s a cute tale of friendships formed and love found through books. (Yes, we’re massively jealous of Nina.)

Lose yourself in the sweet loveliness that is “You Should See Me In a Crown.” This YA novel is a perfectly executed rom-com starring a queer, Black teen running for prom queen. Wallflower Liz Lighty is determined to win the crown and take home the $10,000 scholarship prize associated with the honor so she can afford to go to an elite college. The biggest problem? Liz is in love with one of her competitors.