Women's Health October 3, 2026 0 Comments

Unlock These 5 Page-Turning Goodreads Gems That’ll Supercharge Your Reading List Before Kristin Hannah’s Next Release Drops!

So, Kristin Hannah is back in the game, folks—and not just with any book, but with her first contemporary novel in a good while! Last month, she dropped the news about her upcoming release, The Fire, hitting shelves on May 4, 2027. The story? Merritt Locke, a fiercely devoted mother and wife, makes a cross-country journey to reconnect with her estranged daughter after a scandal shakes their world. Honestly, it’s got all the ingredients for a heart-tugging, rollercoaster read. I don’t know about you, but waiting nearly three years feels like forever! If you’re anything like me, the anticipation might just set your mind racing—why not dive into some other mother-daughter tales that readers can’t stop talking about on Goodreads? Stick around because I’m about to lay down a list of page-turners that’ll tide you over until The Fire lights up the literary world. Trust me, these picks will spark all kinds of emotions — from laughter to the sniffles. Ready? Let’s dive in! LEARN MORE

Last month, best-selling author Kristin Hannah announced her upcoming novel, The Fire, which follows Merritt Locke, a devoted mother and wife who travels across the country to reunite with her estranged daughter after facing a major scandal. It’s Hannah’s first contemporary fiction novel in years.

“I am so excited to have a book out in the world again,” Hannah told Elle magazine earlier this year. “Every time I do this, I’m amazed and thrilled all over again and I can’t wait to finally be able to tell my readers that it’s coming and to see what kind of conversation it sparks among them.”

Since The Fire doesn’t come out until May 4, 2027, readers have some time to kill before they can get lost in what’s sure to be an immersive, emotional read. To keep you entertained until then, we recommend checking out these five books popular with readers on the reading app Goodreads that have similar mother/daughter themes. Keep scrolling for our list of must-reads!

‘Winter Garden’ by Kristin Hannah

Hannah’s 2010 bestselling dual-timeline novel explores the same themes of mothers and daughters. Set in 1944 Leningrad, Russia, and modern-day Washington state, the plot follows Meredith and Nina Whitson, sisters who reunite after learning that their father is dying. His dying wish is for them to learn more about their mother Anya’s story. Anya has always been distant and cold as a mother, but she often told the girls the same childhood fairy tale. As they listen to it again, both sisters begin to wonder if the tragic story is not a fictional tale after all.

What Goodreads users are saying: “Once again, I find myself in awe of the power and beauty of Kristin Hannah’s words. Interlaced with a Russian fairytale that changes absolutely everything, this story is harrowing and heartbreaking, in so many ways. It’s the buried resentments that get unearthed, the hidden regrets that are revealed and the realization that there is more to everyone’s story that provides the much needed answers.”

‘Tom Lake’ by Ann Patchett

From bestselling author Ann Patchett comes an emotional tale about a mother and her three daughters. In the spring of 2020, Lara and Joe’s three daughters return home to their family’s cherry farm in Michigan to help with the harvest. During the long days out in the orchard, the girls decide to get to know their mother better. During one particularly long day, they even get her talking about her first love, who changed Lara’s life.

What Goodreads users are saying: “This book was exquisite. The writing was so lovely, and I found myself fully immersed in this story. It’s not a love story in the conventional sense, but it is a love story between a woman and her daughters, her life, her husband and her past. It’s brimming with love and contains so much honesty when it comes to mother-daughter relationships. It made me want to call my mom and yearn for a daughter one day. I thought it was just such an excellent portrayal of family and love.”

‘My Name is Lucy Barton’ by Elizabeth Strout

This novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout begins with Lucy Barton lying in a hospital bed post-surgery. Soon, her estranged mother arrives without warning and fills the silence by telling her daughter small-town gossip from their Illinois hometown. As Lucy listens, she begins to wonder if now is the time for her to tell her mother her own secrets, which could rebuild or ruin their relationship.

What Goodreads users are saying: “This is such a masterpiece. Everything is understated: all of the trauma is less spoken about, but felt clearly, like knowing there are rough waters underneath an illusion of a calm surface. Rather than taking the easy way out and acquiescing to the demands of the average reader by spelling it out for us, Elizabeth Strout’s respectful enough to believe that we can see things clearly on our own. Not enough writers do that.”

‘Like Mother, Like Mother’ by Susan Rieger

This enthralling tale follows three generations of women, all of whom have secrets and all of whom have a story to tell. In 1960, Lila Pereira’s mother is taken to an asylum by her abusive husband. Three decades later, Lila has left home and created quite a name for herself in the journalism world. She has had children of her own, one of whom is named Grace. Grace grew up feeling abandoned by her mother and wants nothing more than to build her own life. When she becomes a reporter, she writes a book about her mother. In the process, Grace discovers a secret about Lila’s mother, and it could change everything.

What Goodreads users are saying: “It’s a beautiful, multiple POV family drama full of rich, unforgiving, honest, flawed characters navigating the complexities of family. As someone with a fraught relationship with her own mother, this one spoke to me in so many ways.”

‘Handle with Care’ by Jodi Picoult

From bestselling author Jodi Picoult comes a moving tale of Willow O’Keefe, a 5-year-old born with a rare genetic disease called osteogenesis imperfecta, which causes her bones to break very easily. As a result, her parents, Charlotte and Sean, deal with mounds of medical bills, a ton of anxiety and loads of stress. The two wonder: What if Charlotte knew about Willow’s illness earlier? Would they have had the child? Would they have done things to be better prepared? As the questions linger, Willow and Charlotte’s mother-daughter bond is put to the test.

What Goodreads users are saying: “Oh my, what a story. I’m sure there are parts of this story that are true, but this is a work of fiction. A family broken apart by a child’s birth and that same child’s handicap, best friends lost, an eminent divorce. This is the story of a family whose only hope is to be able to give both of their daughters what they need and to live a normal life. What they are dealt, however, is everlasting loss. Jodi Picoult has outdone herself once again.”

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