If you’re feeling down, these feel-good novels will instantly uplift your mood. Feel-good fiction is something I hear readers so often craving because it’s optimistic and features charming characters and heartwarming themes like kindness, personal growth, hope, and joy despite life’s greatest difficulties. Reading inspiring stories like these are “palate cleansers” that make you feel better. So, let’s make you smile, too, as you turn the pages of one of my top picks in this genre book list!
Best Feel Good Novels of All-Time
3 MOST POPULAR PICKS
The best feel-good books include these celebrity book club books that have been some of the bestselling and best loved novel of the past several years worldwide: The Maid by Nita Prose, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, and Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.
TAKE THE POLL & RECOMMEND THESE BOOKS TO READERS
- American Royals by Katharine McGee
- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
- Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
- Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
- The Guncle by Steven Rowley
- The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
- The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
- Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland
- The Maid by Nita Prose
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
- The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
- The Wedding People by Allison Espach
- Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Marie Semple
My Reviews of Feel Good Fiction For Adults
American Royals by Katharine McGee
Plot: The American Royals book series is about what could have happened if George Washington had become King instead of President, and his descendants were ruling over modern-day America.
It’s drama-filled as Princess Beatrice inches closer to becoming America’s first queen. Meanwhile, Princess Samantha is dealing with boy problems. Then there’s Samantha’s twin, Prince Jefferson, adored by two very different girls vying for his heart.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: These made-up royals and their relationship drama make American Royals about as light as it gets! It’s a juicy series of escape books for those who get a kick out of “rich people problems” and tabloid gossip.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Plot: The Anne of Green Gables books follow the 11-year-old red-headed orphaned spitfire named Anne Shirley. She mistakenly arrives at the Green Gables house of aging adult siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, as they had asked for a boy to help on their farm in the town of Avonlea in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
However, with a fierce temper and colorful imagination, Anne makes an impression on the Cuthberts and the townspeople of Avonlea as she comes of age.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: Anne is charming to kids and adults alike to read, especially or a spring reading challenge. This light academia novel makes you yearn for simpler times and places, from its educational themes to its beautiful, historic settings.
Anxious People by Fredrick Backman
Plot: Anxious People is a quirky book about an open house that goes awry when a failed bank robber runs in and takes everyone hostage.
They’re “a bunch of idiots” — a retired couple who fix up houses but can’t fix their marriage, a wealthy bank director, a conflicted young couple about to have their first child, an elderly woman unafraid of a gun but still afraid of the real estate deal, and a mysterious man who has locked himself in the bathroom.
These hostages set an unexpected chain of events in motion and reveal truths about themselves.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: This book is a uniquely nuanced glimpse into human nature, making you laugh through your tears. That’s human psychology in a nutshell, isn’t it?!
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Plot: Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine follows a socially awkward, isolated woman whose rigid routine is upended when she forms an unexpected friendship with a quirky coworker. Together, they help an elderly man in need, and through this bond, Eleanor slowly opens up to the possibility of healing from her past and embracing human connection.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: It’s a heartwarming story that explores the power of friendship in overcoming loneliness and emotional wounds. Readers worldwide also fell in love with Eleanor!
Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
Plot: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It begins the Finlay Donovan book series in a Panera Bread. A tired and frantic, recently divorced single mother of two and down-on-her-luck writer, Finlay, is mistaken for a contract killer and offers her payment in exchange for murdering her evil husband.
When she meets the woman’s husband in real life, she becomes entangled in a murder mystery bigger than she ever expected.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: Murder mystery, but make it funny! It’s hard not to root for Finlay, her assistant Vero, and the men who vie for her heart.
The Guncle by Steven Rowley
Plot: The Guncle is about a former Hollywood star, “Gay Uncle Patrick” (aka “GUP”), and how he becomes the caretaker for his young niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant, during one Palm Springs summer.
This occurs after the death of their ill mother while their father, Greg (Patrick’s brother), battles addiction. Patrick is also coping with his own grief — the tragic loss of his beloved boyfriend.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: Hold your tears for your laughter because The Guncle book series finds humor and humanity in grief. This cast is playful and lovable as they work through real-life sadness.
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Plot: In The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, a young, deaf, and orphaned Black boy named Dodo is institutionalized at a local asylum, Pennhurst. So, his Jewish neighbors and extended family members plan to rescue him.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: While this book deals with very difficult topics that broke my heart, it also actually made my heart swell. The powerful ending leaves you with the kind of book hangover only the most meaningful books can. It’s one of the most well-written books I’ve read — ever.
Related Posts: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store Characters | The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store Book Club Questions
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
Plot: The House in the Cerulean Sea follows Linus Baker, a rule-abiding case worker assigned to assess the potential danger posed by six magical children living in an orphanage. As he becomes more involved with the children and their protective guardian, Arthur Parnassus, Linus uncovers secrets that challenge his beliefs about family, love, and the world.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: This book is often referred to as feeling like a warm hug. It explores the transformative power of discovering where you truly belong. If you love Shrek, you’ll probably love this too.
Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland
Plot: Last Summer at the Golden Hotel is the story of two families who come together to decide whether to sell their once-famed Catskills Summer resort. The generations collide as they attempt to modernize the facilities. There’s lots of funny and light drama as they debate things like goat yoga and CBD products.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: It’s a summer themed book about sunny days that mixes Dirty Dancing and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, evoking your nostalgia at the same time.
The Maid by Nita Prose
Plot: In The Maid book series, Molly Gray is a young hotel maid at the five-star Grand Regency Hotel. She struggles with social skills like communication and interpretation, especially since her beloved Gran died.
Her life and career are upended when she enters the suite of a wealthy guest only to find him dead. Thanks to her unique mannerisms, she becomes the lead suspect for murder.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: Molly is smarter than her social skills imply, and the people in her life rally around and support her in a way that makes you feel the power of community. This Clue-like mystery was oddly light and charming and a reader favorite!
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Plot: In The Midnight Library, thirty-five-year-old Nora Seed experiences a pileup of sad life events that leave her feeling unneeded. She wakes up at midnight in a magical library in which she may choose from books to see the alternative lives she may have lived. This forces Nora to grapple with the state of her real life.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: While this book begins on a sad note, it becomes life-affirming as Nora learns the value in her real-life experiences, including highs and lows. It urges readers to be content in the present and understand that life’s imperfections contribute to its beauty in a way that makes you feel a renewed zest for life.
Related Post: The Midnight Library Book Club Ideas
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Plot: Remarkably Bright Creatures follows Tova Sullivan, a widow coping with the loss of her son by working the night shift at an aquarium, where she forms an unexpected friendship with Marcellus, a sharp-witted giant Pacific octopus.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: This heartwarming story explores the healing power of human and animal friendships and the hope that can grow from them. Readers worldwide absolutely love Marcellus.
Related Post: Remarkably Bright Creatures Book Club Reading Guide
The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett
Plot: In The Road to Tender Hearts, PJ Halliday, a 63-year-old lottery winner haunted by loss finds new purpose when his high school sweetheart becomes single. As he plans a cross-country road trip to her retirement community to win her back, he unexpectedly becomes guardian to his late brother’s grandkids. He also invites his adult daughter and a death-predicting cat, Pancakes, to join.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: This book felt like the perfectly unexpected mix of the book The Guncle and the movie Little Miss Sunshine. And PJ felt as quirky and memorable as his story tackled grief and “the hard stuff” with humor and heart. This is one zany road trip that will leave a meaningful mark on you simultaneously.
The Wedding People by Allison Espach
Plot: The Wedding People brings together two unlikely women at Rhode Island nuptials. Phoebe, the only hotel guest not attending the wedding, is there after a terrible divorce, which interferes with Lila’s perfectly planned day.
However, Lila and the other guests begin to confide in Phoebe, which changes everything for them.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: While this book set at a wedding may sound sad and depressing, it’s not! It actually makes a good beach read. It’s so sharply written, and the cast of wedding guests is a joy to get to know.
Related Post: The Wedding People Discussion Questions
Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Marie Semple
Plot: Bernadette has lost it. Or, so her family and neighbors think after a series of events go hilariously wrong in Where’d You Go, Bernadette?. In one final theatrical event, she disappears on a quest to regain the creativity and purpose she once had but lost over the years as a mother and wife.
Why It Will Make You Feel Good: Bernadette is one of the most quirky and funny characters I’ve read. It’s a slapstick novel about an exhausted mother finding her creativity again.
Recap: Where to Start
THE MOST POPULAR FEEL GOOD NOVELS
Unsure where to start? These books have been some of the bestselling and best loved novel of the past several years worldwide:
- The Maid by Nita Prose
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
