Chick Lit/Women's Fiction Recommendations for Best of 2013?

LinnieGayl: One of my favorite categories in AAR’s Annual Poll is Best Chick Lit/Women’s Fiction. In most years I’ve read several books in the category and have a hard time deciding which book to vote for. This year is different. With just one month before polling begins on January 13, I realize that I haven’t read a single chick lit or women’s fiction book that I would consider voting for in the 2013 Annual Poll.

So I decided to take the advice we give readers: Do a power search at AAR. For Chick Lit titles published in 2013 that didn’t produce very helpful results; only Katie Fforde’s A Perfect Proposal, which received a B- from Maggie, has been reviewed this year at AAR.

A power search for best Women’s Fiction yields more titles published in 2013, including the following that interest me:

* Shadows on the Nile by Kate Furnivall (B-) (This sounds like historical fiction or historical romance to me, so would love to hear from anyone about it because the description at Amazon says for fans of Amelia Peabody!)
* Just Like Other Daughters by Colleen Faulkner (B+)
* Teatime for the Firefly by Shona Patel (B+)
* Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi (B)
* The Time Between by Karen White (B+)
* Meet Me at the Cupcake Café by Jenny Colgan (B+)
* The Secret of Happy Ever After by Lucy Dillon (B)

I’ve liked books by Lucy Dillon before so am adding her The Secret of Happy Ever After to my list of books to try and read over the next month. And I’ve also heard good things about Jenny Colgan’s Meet Me at the Cupcake Café so that’s another possibility. But what else? I decided to ask my fellow pollster LeeB, who I know reads a lot of Chick Lit and Women’s Fiction, for her assessment. Here’s what she has to say:

LeeB: I’m a huge fan of UK authors, some of whose books are published in the US (usually a year or so after the UK release) or available via ebook. Other times I order from bookdepository.co.uk, not knowing if or when the book might be released in the US. Below are several books I really enjoyed.

Three Little Words by Jessica Thompson is definitely women’s fiction and is about forgiveness. Yes, there is a happy ending, but at times it was incredibly sad. Jenny Colgan’s The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris also will make you sniffle a time or two regarding one character but it’s an excellent read about a woman who starts a new career in Paris learning about chocolates. Definitely need candy on hand while reading it. I’m a huge fan of Cathy Lamb, and her latest book, If You Could See What I See, continues in her tradition of crafting funny and moving stories about families.

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella is definitely chick lit and though it may not be her best book, I still laughed and enjoyed the characters. Other definite chick lit books that I enjoyed were About A Girl by Lindsey Kelk (a young woman pretends to be her photographer flatmate to take on an assignment in Hawaii); The Bride Wore Size 12 by Meg Cabot (what seems to be the concluding title in Ms. Cabot’s Heather Well mysteries); A Passionate Love Affair with a Total Stranger by Lucy Robinson (while recuperating at home after breaking her leg, a woman helps out friends at internet dating); Could It Be I’m Falling in Love by Eleanor Prescott (a former TV presenter joins in with other former celebs as they try to cope out of the spotlight).

LinnieGayl: Well, I did listen to Kinsella’s Wedding Night and didn’t like it much so will have to reject that one for me. But I’ve heard great things about The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris so that’s a definite possibility to add to my list.

How about you? Have you read any great Chick Lit or Women’s Fiction published in 2013? If so, what are you going to vote for in the Annual Poll? Any and all recommendations would be greatly appreciated. We’ve still got a little reading time left before the poll opens!

– LinnieGayl Kimmel and Lee Brewer