Books like The beach house by Mary Alice Monroe

Twenty‑five year‑old Belly Conklin returns to the family summer home on the coast, where a cancer diagnosis forces her to confront love, loss, and growing up amid the familiar rhythm of beach life.

A novel about Emma Woodhouse, a young woman's struggles with matchmaking, misplaced pride, and the dangers of meddling in others' lives in 18th-century England.

Sarah Addison Allen’s charming follow‑up to *Garden Spells* follows 27‑year‑old Josey Cirrini as waitress Della Lee’s unexpected arrival turns her sugary‑cluttered life into a journey of friendship, romance, and quirky magic.

Kate Croy, a young American woman in London, schemes to secure a future with the amateur financier Merton Densher by courting the wealthy, ill Milly Theale; her plan highlights ambition, love, and tragedy.

Three sisters struggle to reconcile their faith with the world outside the convent.

A remarkable friendship and its enduring journey of two remarkable women from the postwar era of the 1950s, told with vividly descriptive language and a relatable narrative.

May Taylor, a wedding planner and devoted single mother, learns that love and family can be magical even when life seems to deny them. With the help of an extraordinary daughter and a heroic hockey legend, she must restore faith in the heart’s true gifts.

Mary Alice Monroe’s newest entry in her popular Beach House series offers another heartfelt escape to the coast, weaving family, romance, and the quiet joys of South Carolina life.

Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author of the Lowcountry Summer trilogy, returns to her beloved South with Beach House Memories, the sequel to The Beach House! Autumn brings haunting beauty to the sun-soaked dunes on Isle of Palms, where Olivia “Lovie” Rutledge lives in her beloved Primrose Cottage. As the seasons change, Lovie remembers one special summer… In 1974, America is changing, but Charleston remains eternally the same. When Lovie married aristocratic, well-connected businessman Stratton Rutledge, she turned over her fortune and fate to his control. But she refused to relinquish one thing: her family’s old seaside cottage. Precious summers with her children on the barrier island are Lovie’s refuge from social expectations and her overbearing husband’s philandering. Here, she is the “Turtle Lady,” tending the loggerhead turtles that lay their eggs in the warm night sand and then slip back into the sea. Then, in the summer of ‘74, biologist Russell Bennett visits to research the loggerheads. Their shared interest brings them together, and soon it blooms into a passionate, profound love—forcing Lovie to face an agonizing decision. Stratton’s influence is far-reaching, and if she dares to dream beyond a summer affair, she risks losing her reputation, her wealth, even her children. This emotional tale of a strong woman torn between duty and desire, between tradition and change, is an empowering journey through the seasons of self-discovery. Until this autumn, this time of winds and tides, of holding on and letting go…

A mother-daughter team from Louisiana's past reappears six decades later, solving past misunderstandings and forging new alliances.

When Patrick Devaney learns a buried family secret, he shuts his heart away. The sharp‑witted kindergarten teacher Alice Newberry pulls him back into life, teaching him that love and forgiveness can heal even the deepest wounds.

In her boutique, the Peacock Emporium, Suzanna Peacock discovers friendship, a haven from her mother’s shameful past, and a love she never expected, while learning to confront the legacy that has shaped her life.

Three interwoven stories of love, loss, and hope explore how past choices shape present lives, as a man, a war‑correspondent, and a college student seek meaning, connection, and answers to lingering questions of identity and faith.

A story of love, loss, and reconnecting with family.

Alzheimer’s threatens the life of famed advice columnist Grace Dorian, forcing her daughter Francine to step into the spotlight, manage the family business, and navigate a growing romantic interest, all while keeping Grace’s condition a secret.