This book disappointed me, not because it was bad, but because it had the potential to be outstanding. While Hannah does a wonderful job portraying the state of occupied France in World War II, the characters felt like types. Many reviewers praise the sheer originality of the book for its portrayal of French women in WWII, but I kept thinking of Jojo Moyes's stronger novel The Girl You Left Behind. Release date: February 3.

I first discovered Hannah when so many of you recommended her as a sweet spot author. You recommended this as one of her best, and I enjoyed it. The poignant story sucks you right in, and I especially admired Hannah’s depiction of female relationships: mothers, daughters, sisters, friends. But I cried like a baby during the last two chapters, and I don’t think a good beach read should make you cry. At least not a whole box of tissues’ worth.

Hannah is one of your favorite sweet spot authors.

This is from the author of <a href=https://modernmrsdarcy.com/books/the-great-alone/><em>The Great Alone</em></a> and the popular <a href=https://modernmrsdarcy.com/books/the-nightingale/><em>The Nightingale</em></a>. From <em>Library Journal</em>: "A warm and touching story about very human characters whose personal situations come to life with realism and sensitivity."

I first discovered Hannah when you all recommended her to me as a sweet spot author (though I haven't read this title yet). The Romantic Times calls this “a heartwarming holiday tale [that] resonates with poignancy and deep emotion.”

Many of you call this your favorite Hannah novel—and that's saying something, considering this is from the author of The Nightingale. The publisher calls this "a powerful, heartbreaking novel that illuminates the intricate mother-daughter bond and explores the enduring links between the present and the past."

Kristin Hannah is an author worth binge reading. From the publisher: "Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives."

From the publisher: "Elizabeth and Jackson Shore married young, raised two daughters, and weathered the storms of youth as they built a family. From a distance, their lives look picture perfect. But after the girls leave home, Jack and Elizabeth quietly drift apart. When Jack accepts a wonderful new job, Elizabeth puts her own needs aside to follow him across the country. Then tragedy turns Elizabeth's world upside down. In the aftermath, she questions everything about her life—her choices, her marriage, even her long-forgotten dreams. In a daring move that shocks her husband, friends, and daughters, she lets go of the woman she has become—and reaches out for the woman she wants to be."

From Kristin Hannah, author of The Nightingale, a novel that explores a portrait of two women of different ages and backgrounds. From the publisher: "Years of trying unsuccessfully to conceive a child have broken more than Angie DeSaria's heart. Following a painful divorce, she moves back to her small Pacific Northwest hometown and takes over management of her family’s restaurant. In West End, where life rises and falls like the tides, Angie’s fortunes will drastically change yet again when she meets and befriends a troubled young woman. Nothing could have prepared Angie for the far-reaching repercussions of this act of kindness. Together, these two women—one who longs for a child and the other who longs for a mother's love—will be tested in ways that neither could have imagined."

From the author of The Nightingale, "an emotionally complex, heart-wrenching novel about love, motherhood, loss, and new beginnings, Fly Away reminds us that where there is life, there is hope, and where there is love, there is forgiveness."

From the publisher: "Claire Cavenaugh has fallen in love for the first time in her life. As her wedding day approaches, she prepares to face her harsh, judgmental older sister and their self-absorbed mother. It is the first time they have been together in more than two decades. Over the course of a hot Pacific Northwest summer, these three women who believe they have nothing in common will try to become what they never were: a family."

From the publisher: "For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children's needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. Jude does everything to keep her kids out of harm's way. But senior year of high school tests them all. It's a dangerous, explosive season of drinking, driving, parties, and kids who want to let loose. And then on a hot summer's night, one bad decision is made. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget…or the courage to forgive."