The Appeal by Janice Hallett

When Poppy, the granddaughter of Martin Hayward (the director of the local drama group), is diagnosed with brain cancer, the community rallies around the family, raising money for a very costly overseas treatment. However, we, as the reader, know that all is not what it seems. Told through texts, emails, and letters, we are following along with two lawyers as they attempt to sift through the correspondence to discover both the victim and murderer in the group. Who is telling the truth? Is someone using the money raised for other means? And most disturbing, is Poppy as ill as her family says? The Appeal keeps the reader guessing until the end.

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

When Frida leaves her young daughter, Harriet, home alone for a few hours, someone calls the police. Harriet is placed with Frida's ex-husband, Gust, and his girlfriend Susanna while it's decided if Frida will lose joint custody. In order to possibly get Harriet back, Frida has to participate in a year-long residence rehabilitation program to learn to be a better mother. She and the other mothers will be watched and graded throughout their time there. The program itself is isolating, with the mothers only being allowed weekly phone calls with their children if they have earned it--the standards set being impossibly high. Those standards ultimately determine whether they will get their children back, which sets the women even more on edge. The School for Good Mothers soon becomes a chilling dystopian tale that's unputdownable and gives the reader a lot to ponder.

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

In the months leading up to Hurricane Maria's devastation of Puerto Rico, high-end wedding planner Olga is living in Brooklyn and has just met Matteo, the man who could finally be "the one". Matteo's presence in her life might also help Olga get past the trauma of her mother, Bianca, abandoning the family when Olga was a teenager. Bianca was always committed more to fighting for a free Puerto Rico than being a mother to Olga and her brother Prieto (now a U.S. congressman). Bianca, in fact, hasn't seen Olga and Prieto for over twenty-five years. After the hurricane, however, it's inevitable that the trio's lives collide.

The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals by Becky Mandelbaum

Ariel has been estranged from her mother, Mona, for six years--ever since she left for college against Mona's wishes. When Ariel hears that Mona's animal sanctuary has had a fire, she decides to travel back to the small town in Kansas where she was raised to try and mend things with her mother. Growing up at the sanctuary was an unusual life for Ariel, and she didn't have lots of friends. It was basically Mona, Ariel, and Gideon (a young worker that Mona had hired after Ariel's father and Mona's husband, Daniel, left one day without a word). Ariel and Gideon also were a couple before she left for university--he supported her decision to leave. The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals recounts the lives of Mona, Ariel, and Gideon, along with Ariel's boyfriend, Dex, who follows her to Bright Side. It's a great read-alike for those who've enjoyed the novels of Jo-Ann Mapson, Judith Ryan Hendricks, and The Blessings of the Animals by Katrina Kittle.

Love & Saffron: a Novel of Friendship, Food, and Love by Kim Fay

When Joan writes a fan letter to one of her favorite magazine columnists, Imogen Fortier, congratulating Imogen on the tenth anniversary of her column, "Letter from the Island," it is the start of a deep friendship. Single and living in Los Angeles, Joan shares a recipe for steamed mussels with Imogen, who lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Francis. Soon, they are sharing their adventurous cooking ideas and supporting each other in their personal lives. Told through letters written over three years in the 1960's, Love and Saffron is an emotionally rich celebration of food and friendship. It will be published in February.