18 books like When the Jessamine Grows

What to read after When the Jessamine Grows — books similar to it, matched on shared themes.

The Mad Wife Meagan Church · 321p · ≈ 10h · Moderate THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From bestselling author Meagan Church comes a haunting exploration of identity, motherhood, and the suffocating grip of societal expectations that will leave you questioning the lives we build—and the lies we live. They called it hysteria. She called it survival. Lulu Mayfield has spent the last five years molding herself into the perfect 1950s housewife.… Shares: Romance

The Frozen River: A GMA Book Club Pick Ariel Lawhon NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GMA BOOK CLUB PICK • AN NPR BOOK OF THE YEAR • From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history. "Fans of Outlander… Shares: Romance

The Lion Women of Tehran Marjan Kamali · 2025 In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams of a friend to alleviate her isolation. Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind, passionate girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit.… Shares: Romance

Daughters of the Sun and Moon Lisa See · ★ 4.2 In 1870, three Chinese women arrive in the small, dusty, and violent pueblo of Los Angeles. Dove, the bound-footed daughter of an imperial scholar, is entrancing and innocent. These characteristics should bring her great rewards, beginning with her arranged marriage to a much older merchant. Petal, the big-footed daughter of peasants, has grown up hungry and with dirt between her toes. In a… Shares: Romance

The Sweet Blue Distance Sara Donati · 801p · ≈ 26h · Moderate A young midwife travels west to the New Mexico Territory to care for women in need and faces dangers more harrowing than the ones she’s fleeing in this epic tale of survival, redemption, and love from Sara Donati, the international bestselling author of the Wilderness series. 1857: In a bid to outrun her past, Carrie Ballentyne accepts a nursing position with a doctor in the New Mexico Territory.… Shares: Romance

A Pair of Aces: Reese's Book Club Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • A gripping novel about two trailblazing women on opposite sides of the law—a prosecutor and a madam—who team up to bring down notorious Mob boss Lucky Luciano in 1930s New York, from the New York Times bestselling authors of the million-copy bestseller The Personal Librarian. Eunice Carter, assistant district attorney for the City of New York and Manhattan’s first Black… Shares: Romance

A Founding Mother Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK In time for the 250th Anniversary of the birth of the United States comes a sweeping, intimate portrayal of Abigail Adams—wife of one president and mother to another—whose wit, willpower, and wisdom helped shape the fledgling republic. A stunning historical novel with modern-day implications from the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter and My… Shares: Romance

Clytemnestra Costanza Casati · 2023 · ★ 4.4 · 450p · ≈ 15h · Moderate Clytemnestra is a 2023 novel, the debut novel by Italian author Costanza Casati. It is a feminist retelling of the story of Clytemnestra, a character from Greek mythology. The original Clytemnestra has been maligned for her betrayal and murder of her husband Agamemnon. Casatis novel tells Clytemnestras story from her own perspective. Shares: Romance

All the Broken Places John Boyne · 2022 · ★ 4.5 · 368p · ≈ 12h · Moderate All the Broken Places is a historical fiction novel by John Boyne. It was published on 15 September 2022 by Doubleday. A sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2006), the book follows Gretel, a now-elderly woman living in London, who is forced to face her past in Nazi Germany after a new family moves in downstairs. The story is split into three parts, each taking place in two time periods and… Shares: Romance

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau Kristin Harmel · 416p · ≈ 13h · Moderate INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Kristin Harmel, the New York Times bestselling author who “is the best there is at sweeping historical drama” (Kelly Harms, author of The Seven Day Switch ), returns with an electrifying new novel about two jewel thieves, a priceless bracelet that disappears in 1940s Paris, and a quest for answers in a decades-old murder. Colette Marceau has been stealing jewels… Shares: Romance

The Second Mrs. Astor Shana Abé · 2021 · 418p · ≈ 13h · Moderate "Abé is an exquisite storyteller. Rich in detail and deeply moving." —Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnolia Palace "One of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. A gorgeous, phenomenal novel I won’t soon forget.” —Ellen Marie Wiseman New York Times bestselling Author of The Orphan Collector Perfect for fans of Jennifer Chiaverini and Marie… Shares: Romance

James (Pulitzer Prize Winner) Percival Everett · 321p · ≈ 10h · Moderate PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view • In development as a feature film to be produced by Steven Spielberg KIRKUS PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST • SHORTLISTED FOR THE… Shares: Romance

Tom Lake Ann Patchett · 2023 · ★ 3.9 · 320p · ≈ 10h · Moderate Tom Lake is a 2023 novel by Ann Patchett. It was published by Harper on August 1, 2023. The book relates the story of three daughters who yearn to know about their mothers youthful relationship with a famous actor. Upon its release, the book was met with mostly positive reviews from book critics, who praised it as the authors prime material. Shares: Romance

The Last Carolina Girl Meagan Church · 284p · ≈ 9h · Moderate "Unforgettable, this a powerful debut to savor." — Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek A searing book club novel for fans of Where the Crawdad's Sing and The Girls in the Stilt House following one girl fighting for her family, her body, and her right to create a future all her own Some folks will do anything to control the wild spirit… Shares: Romance

Menewood Nicola Griffith · 2023 · ★ 4.5 Menewood is a 2023 historical novel by Nicola Griffith and the second installment in The Hild Sequence, which tells a fictionalized version of the life of Hilda of Whitby, a saint, abbess, and major figure in Anglo-Saxon England. In contrast to ''Hild'', the first novel in the series, Menewood only covers four years of Hilds life. It also includes supplementary material such as a family tree,… Shares: Romance

The Clan of the Cave Bear (with Bonus Content) Jean M. Auel · 529p · ≈ 17h · Moderate This novel of awesome beauty and power is a moving saga about people, relationships, and the boundaries of love. Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s  The Great American Read Through Jean M. Auel’s magnificent storytelling we are taken back to the dawn of modern humans, and with a girl named Ayla we are swept up in the harsh and beautiful Ice Age world they shared with… Shares: Romance

A Fortune of Sand Ruta Sepetys · 2026 The daughter of an automotive magnate escapes to an artistic retreat that holds more secrets—and more intrigue—than she could have ever imagined, in this Prohibition-era novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea. Detroit, 1927. A city of smoke and ambition, where glittering wealth conceals a graveyard of secrets. Marjorie Lennox is the youngest daughter of a powerful… Shares: Romance

Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist) Min Jin Lee One of the New York Times’ 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. In this New York Times bestseller, four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family fight to control their destiny in 20th-century Japan. “Stunning.” — New York Times Book Review In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger. When she discovers she is pregnant—and that… Shares: Romance

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