If you enjoy reading Kristin Hannah’s books then you are familiar with her writing style: character-driven stories with a focus on familial relationships. Her characters are relatable and you feel like you know them in real life. She also tosses in some type of situation that the family/main character(s) has to overcome which gives you as the reader, a feeling of hope.
So if you really enjoy her books, then here are five books to try that are similar to her style.
The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve
I personally have yet to read this book, darn TBR pile – but I have had a lot of readers recommend this book to me making it one worth noting in this recommendation list.
Summary of the book from the publisher:
In October 1947, after a summer-long drought, fires break out all along the Maine coast from Bar Harbor to Kittery and are soon racing out of control from town to village. Five months pregnant, Grace Holland is left alone to protect her two toddlers when her husband, Gene, joins the volunteer firefighters. Along with her best friend, Rosie, and Rosie’s two young children, Grace watches helplessly as their houses burn to the ground, the flames finally forcing them all into the ocean as a last resort. They spend the night frantically protecting their children and in the morning find their lives forever changed: homeless, penniless, awaiting news of their husbands’ fate, and left to face an uncertain future in a town that no longer exists. In the midst of this devastating loss, Grace discovers glorious new freedoms–joys and triumphs she could never have expected her narrow life with Gene could contain–and her spirit soars. Then the unthinkable happens and Grace’s bravery is tested as never before.
House Rules by Jodi Picoult
This is probably, to this day, still my favorite Jodi Picoult book. I remember reading it and feeling a turmoil of emotions throughout the journey. This book is still one that I love to recommend to anyone looking for a book that is so multi-faceted.
Summary of the book from the publisher:
Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. But he has a special focus on one subject – forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he’s always showing up and telling the cops what to do. And he’s usually right.
But when Jacob’s small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. Jacob’s behaviors are hallmark Asperger’s, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police. Suddenly the Hunt family, who only want to fit in, are directly in the spotlight. For Jacob’s mother, Emma, it’s a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it’s another indication why nothing is normal because of Jacob
The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
I’m sure you know Jojo Moyes for Me Before You or Me After You, but here is another story that will have you wanting to discover the story through each chapter.
Summary of the book from the publisher:
Paris, World War I. Sophie Lefèvre must keep her family safe while her adored husband, Édouard, fights at the front. When their town falls to the Germans, Sophie is forced to serve them every evening at her hotel. From the moment the new Kommandant sets eyes on Sophie’s portrait—painted by her artist husband—a dangerous obsession is born.
Almost a century later in London, Sophie’s portrait hangs in the home of Liv Halston, a wedding gift from her young husband before his sudden death. After a chance encounter reveals the portrait’s true worth, a battle begins over its troubled history and Liv’s world is turned upside all over again.
Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks
I “read” this book using an audiobook format and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t read the synopsis about this book prior to checking it out and I really enjoyed this book. As per usual, Nicholas Sparks does an amazing job with pulling you into the life of the main character and making you empathize with his abrupt life changes and how he has to learn to adapt.
Summary of the book from the publisher:
At 32, Russell Green has it all: a stunning wife, a lovable six year-old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive and an expansive home in Charlotte. He is living the dream, and his marriage to the bewitching Vivian is the center of that. But underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence, fault lines are beginning to appear…and no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspect of the life he took for granted turned upside down. In a matter of months, Russ finds himself without a job or wife, caring for his young daughter while struggling to adapt to a new and baffling reality. Throwing himself into the wilderness of single parenting, Russ embarks on a journey at once terrifying and rewarding—one that will test his abilities and his emotional resources beyond anything he ever imagined.
Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins
This story will be pulling at your heart strings as you learn more about Emma as she learns about her grandmother’s story. Other readers have said that this story will give you all of the feels. So you should make sure to keep a box of tissues near by, just in case.
Summary of the book from the publisher:
Emma London never thought she had anything in common with her grandmother Genevieve London. The regal old woman came from wealthy and bluest-blood New England stock, but that didn’t protect her from life’s cruelest blows: the disappearance of Genevieve’s young son, followed by the premature death of her husband. But Genevieve rose from those ashes of grief and built a fashion empire that was respected the world over, even when it meant neglecting her other son.
When Emma’s own mother died, her father abandoned her on his mother’s doorstep. Genevieve took Emma in and reluctantly raised her–until Emma got pregnant her senior year of high school. Genevieve kicked her out with nothing but the clothes on her back…but Emma took with her the most important London possession: the strength not just to survive but to thrive. And indeed, Emma has built a wonderful life for herself and her teenage daughter, Riley.
So what is Emma to do when Genevieve does the one thing Emma never expected of her and, after not speaking to her for nearly two decades, calls and asks for help?