26 Books You Should Read This Spring

Ah, Spring. The temperature's warming up and there's nothing better than reading a good book outside. Unless, of course, it's Spring showers, in which case there's nothing better than curling up with a good book while you stay dry inside. I'm Brenda Janowitz, author of four novels (five, if you count The Dinner Party, which is on this list because it comes out this month!), and there's nothing I love more than a good read. Here are the 26 books that are must reads for this Spring. Check them out, and then be sure to take POPSUGAR's 2016 reading challenge!

01
The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell

The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell

In The Madwoman Upstairs, Samantha Whipple is the last remaining descendant of the Bronte sisters. When she enrolls at her father's alma mater, Oxford University, long-forgotten objects from her past reappear, and she sets off on a literary treasure hunt with her handsome but inscrutable professor to find her family's legacy. An impossibly smart and original debut.

02
I’m Glad About You by Theresa Rebeck

I’m Glad About You by Theresa Rebeck

I'm Glad About You tells the story of two people, Kyle and Alison, who were high-school sweethearts, but whose lives went in drastically different directions after graduation. With searing insights about the world of show business from industry insider Theresa Rebeck, this book is about relationships, and what we do in order to make our dreams come true.

03
Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War, various authors

Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War, various authors

Your favorite authors team up in Fall of Poppies, a collection of short stories set in the aftermath of World War I. Read stories by Jessica Brockmole, Hazel Gaynor, Evangeline Holland, Marci Jefferson, Kate Kerrigan, Jennifer Robson, Heather Webb, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig in this beautiful collection.

04
Nowhere Girl by Susan Strecker

Nowhere Girl by Susan Strecker

When her twin sister is murdered, it changes Cady Martino’s life. In Nowhere Girl, Cady finds, years later, that her sister’s case has been reopened and there is new evidence. But will retracing the past help her to find out the truth?

05
The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman

The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman

Two babies born, minutes apart, to two sisters-in-law whose families live together in a two-family brownstone in 1947 Brooklyn.The Two-Family House is a complex story about love, family, and the secrets behind us.

06
Somewhere Out There by Amy Hatvany

Somewhere Out There by Amy Hatvany

When a single mother Jennifer gives up parental rights to her two daughters, she assumes they'll be adopted together into a loving home with safety and security, two things she's unable to give them. Baby Natalie does get adopted into a loving home, but four-year-old Brooke remains in the system, bouncing from group home to foster home and back. Somewhere Out There is a moving novel that asks: how do our early experiences define us as adults?

07
The Total Package by Stephanie Evanovich

The Total Package by Stephanie Evanovich

The story about a hot-shot quarterback and the woman from college he forgot all about long ago. A novel about second chances from the author of Big Girl Panties.

08
The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

Three siblings meet in Manhattan to confront their freshly-released-from-rehab older brother whose reckless actions have endangered their joint trust fund, affectionately known as "The Nest." You’ll devour this story of family dysfunction and dynamics whole. A compulsively readable novel that will keep you thinking about how expectations can shape our lives, and what happens when we can no longer rely on them.

09
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

"Reader, I murdered him." So begins Jane Steele, Edgar-nominated Lyndsay Faye's modern retelling of Jane Eyre. Like the protagonist of her favorite novel, Jane Steele is an orphan who suffers at the hand of her cruel aunt and then later becomes a governess. But Jane Steele is different than Jane Eyre — when her cousin knocks her down, she kills him.

10
The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman

The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman

The Charm Bracelet is the story of three generations of women and the charm bracelets that unite them. When Lolly's daughter Arden and her granddaughter Lauren rush home to be with her after a health scare, it gives Lolly the chance to tell them the meaning behind each of the treasured charms. A sentimental story about family and faith.

11
Just Fall by Nina Sadowsky

Just Fall by Nina Sadowsky

What would you do if your husband revealed his darkest secret to you on your wedding day? Set against the vibrant backdrop of St. Lucia, Just Fall is an un-put-downable sexy psychological thriller about how far we will go to protect the ones that we love, and figuring out who we can trust.

12
Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum, April 5

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum, April 5

After losing her mother, Jessie’s father remarries and moves them from Chicago to chi-chi L.A., where she doesn’t fit in at her intimidating new prep school. When she gets an anonymous email from Somebody/Nobody, has Jessie found a new friend or could it be an elaborate hoax? Tell Me Three Things is a compulsively readable story that’s equal parts funny, moving, and mysterious.

13
Some Women by Emily Liebert, April 5

Some Women by Emily Liebert, April 5

When the lives of three very different women are thrown off course in drastically different ways. they find each other through barre class and come to rely on each other for strength to find their way back. Some Women is a beautiful homage to the redemptive power of female friendship.

14
Sunday's on the Phone to Monday by Christine Reilly, April 5

Sunday's on the Phone to Monday by Christine Reilly, April 5

This debut novel is lyrical and poetic look at family, love, and loss. In Sunday's on the Phone to Monday, we meet Mathilde and Claudio, two New York City bohemians who fall madly in love. They settle in the suburbs and raise three girls, where their tight-knit family bond is threatened by illness, mental and physical, and deeply held secrets.

15
The Dinner Party by Brenda Janowitz, April 12

The Dinner Party by Brenda Janowitz, April 12

When three very different families come together for the Gold family Passover Seder, it will be a night different from all other nights. The holidays are about family, when long forgotten memories come to the surface, old grievances play out, and in Brenda Janowitz's fifth novel, The Dinner Party, these families will learn that the only way to move forward with your future is to let go of your past. A thought-provoking story about family dynamics, acceptance, and forgiveness.

16
Island in the Sea by Anita Hughes, April 12

Island in the Sea by Anita Hughes, April 12

Reading an Anita Hughes novel makes you feel on vacation, and in Island in the Sea, she takes us to Majorca, the island off the coast of Spain. When record exec Julia Lyman goes to see award-winning songwriter Lionel Harding, she thinks she’s just there to retrieve his latest lyrics. Instead, she learns about love long lost, the power of music, and figuring out what you want in life.

17
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, April 19

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, April 19

A modern retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice by the acclaimed author of Prep and American Wife. Need I say more? You'll gobble Eligible up whole — fans of Austen will marvel at this thoroughly modern remake, but you don't have to know the original to fall in love with this hilarious and clever story of reality TV dating, real life fix-ups, and family.

18
Maestra by L.S. Hilton, April 19

Maestra by L.S. Hilton, April 19

Meet Judith Rashleigh: London art house assistant by day, London champagne house
"hostess" by night. When Judith gets fired after discovering an art fraud, she sets off on a course of action with dire consequences. Maestra is utterly un-put-down-able, a shocking and sexy psychological thriller that is the first in a trilogy. Film rights have already been sold.

19
The Summer of Me by Angela Benson, April 19

The Summer of Me by Angela Benson, April 19

Bestselling author Angela Benson returns with The Summer of Me, a moving story about a single mother who does everything for her children. When they go away to spend the Summer with their father and stepmother, Destiny plans to do some things for herself, like finishing her college degree. But Destiny's friends think her plans should include romance . . .

20
Will You Won't You Want Me? by Nora Zelevansky, April 19

Will You Won't You Want Me? by Nora Zelevansky, April 19

Marjorie "Madgesty" Plum was the "it" girl of her high school. Only problem? High school's over. Now, she needs to grow up . . . with the help of a new roommate, a new boss, and an 11-year-old girl. Will You Won't You Want Me? asks the question: who does Madge want to be?

21
The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, April 26

The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, April 26

In The Year We Turned Forty, three friends get the chance to go back and relive the year of their lives that changed everything, their fortieth year. Will they make the same mistakes or will they do it right this time around? And more important: will they choose to come back? Another page turner from Liz and Lisa.

22
The Assistants by Camille Perri, May 3

The Assistants by Camille Perri, May 3

Imagine you erroneously get a check from your employer. The amount is nothing to your billionaire boss, but it's everything to you — it will pay off your student loans in full. You'd cash it, wouldn't you? That's exactly what happens to Tina Fontana in The Assistants. What could possibly go wrong? An insanely fun ride that is as hilarious as it is smart.

23
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh, May 3

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh, May 3

A horrible car accident takes the life of a 5-year-old child. Jenna flees, and tries to start over from the heartbreak. You'll be shocked by the twist in the middle of I Let You Go — just don't spoil it for everyone else!

24
The After Party by Anton DiSclafani, May 16

The After Party by Anton DiSclafani, May 16

The acclaimed author of The Yonahlossee Riding Camp For Girls is back with The After Party, a gorgeous novel about female friendship, and how our mothers shape our lives. Joan Fortier is the center of the glamorous social scene in 1950s Houston, and her lifelong friend, CeCe, is always right there, by her side. But the insular world is not big enough for Joan, she wants more, leaving CeCe behind to figure out her unknowable best friend. A smart, thoughtful must read.

25
Dear Fang, With Love by Rufi Thorpe, May 24

Dear Fang, With Love by Rufi Thorpe, May 24

When his daughter Vera suffers a psychotic break, barely there dad Lucas takes her on a trip to Lithuania, his grandmother's homeland, for the Summer. As Lucas discovers what really happened on the night of Vera's breakdown and the truth about his grandmother's past, Vera searches for answers about herself and her family on her own. Dear Fang, With Love is a beautiful story about mental illness and love.

26
Flight Patterns by Karen White, May 31

Flight Patterns by Karen White, May 31

Can you ever go back home again? In Flight Patterns, Queen of Southern fiction Karen White introduces us to Georgia, an expert of fine china, who makes her living sifting through the old memories of other families. But when a rare Limoges soup bowl comes across her desk, she'll need to go back to the one place she never wanted to return: her family home.

27