books that altered me as a person

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky • 2012

Book Lovers

Emily Henry • 2022

<b><b>An insightful, delightful, instant #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestseller from the author of <i>Funny Story</i>.</b> <br><br>“One of my favorite authors.”—Colleen Hoover<br><br></b><i>One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming...</i><br><br>Nora Stephens' life is books—she’s read them all—and she is <i>not</i> that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora <i>is</i> a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.<br><br>Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.<br><br>If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

The Pumpkin Spice Café (Dream Harbor, Book 1)

Laurie Gilmore • 2023

Better Than the Movies

Lynn Painter • 2024

<b>Perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood, this “sweet and funny” (Kerry Winfrey, author of <i>Waiting for Tom Hanks</i>) teen rom-com is hopelessly romantic with enemies to lovers and grumpy x sunshine energy!</b><br>  <br><b>Liz hates her annoyingly attractive neighbour but he’s the only in with her long-term crush…</b><br><br> Perpetual daydreamer and hopeless romantic Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar—and maybe snag him as a prom date—even befriend Wes Bennet.<br><br> The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbour might seem like a prime candidate for romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.<br><br> But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must re-examine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own ideas of what Happily Ever After should look like.<br>  <br><b><i>Better Than the Movies</i></b><b> features quotes from the best-loved rom-coms of cinema and takes you on a rollercoaster of romance that isn’t movie-perfect but jaw-dropping and heart-stopping in unexpected ways.</b><br>  <br><b><b>Pre-order </b><i>Nothing Like the Movies, </i><b>the swoony sequel to </b><i>Better than the Movies </i><b>and don't miss out on </b><i>The Do-Over</i><b> and <i>Betting On You </i>from Lynn Painter!</b></b>