Books like Pack up the moon by Rachael Herron

When ten‑year‑old Opal arrives in Naomi, Florida, she discovers friendship, community, and the healing power of a big ugly dog named Winn‑Dixie during her first summer in town.

A devoted dog reflects on life, love, and racing while watching his owner, a race car driver, navigate family trials and professional ambition.

After losing her little boy Joey, Arden Gentry turns to the son she had given up at birth, hoping his presence might fill the void left by grief.

After being rescued from an abandoned building, a puppy named Bella becomes Lucas Ray’s loyal companion, but when animal‑control laws in Denver force her into a foster home, she embarks on a perilous 400‑mile trek through Colorado’s wilderness to return home.

On a day she vows to change, Eleanor’s plans unravel as her son fakes illness, her husband hides a vacation, and a former colleague’s memoir threatens to expose a family secret, forcing her to confront her past and reinvent herself.

Josh, a shy scientist, discovers a month‑by‑month plan left by his late wife Lauren that guides him through grief, unexpected friendships, and the quiet joys of everyday life.

A woman secretly raises a stolen baby for twenty‑one years; when her daughter discovers the truth, the ripple of revelations forces a mother‑daughter reunion and a desperate flight to China.

The story of a family in the making and the wondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life. Is it possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a bigger-than-life, bad-boy dog? Just ask the Grogans. John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wriggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same. Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound streamroller of a Labrador retriever. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, and stole women's undergarments. Obedience school did no good--Marley was expelled. And yet his heart was pure. Just as Marley joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. A dog like no other, Marley remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit's end. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms.

Shortlisted for the 1993 Booker Prize.

Molly Arnette, a San Diego adoptions hopeful, struggles to keep her guarded past hidden while facing the scrutiny of the adoption process and the looming reveal of a family secret from her North Carolina upbringing.

A 17‑year‑old brother faces his own mortality as he spends his final weeks with his older sibling on death row in Texas.