Cover of Message in a Bottle

Message in a Bottle

Nicholas Sparks

contemporary romance(249k)

A divorced woman tracks down the grieving sailor who wrote a love letter sealed in a bottle — and falls for him.

Content Warnings
griefdeath of loved one

Description

In this New York Times bestseller by the author of The Notebook, a single mother sets out to find the North Carolina man who sent a message meant for someone else . . . and the journey may change her life forever. Divorced and disillusioned about relationships, Theresa Osborne is jogging when she finds a bottle on the beach. Inside is a letter of love and longing to "Catherine," signed simply "Garrett." Pulled by emotions she doesn't fully understand, Theresa begins a search for this man that will change her life. What happens to her is unexpected, perhaps miraculous—an encounter that embraces all our hopes for finding someone special, for having a love that is timeless and everlasting.... Nicholas Sparks chronicles the human heart, renewing our faith in destiny and the ability of lovers to find each other no matter where, no matter when...

Books like this

Cover of Reminders of Him

Reminders of Him

Colleen Hoover

contemporary romance
(1.7M)

Fresh out of prison, a mother risks everything when she falls for the one man standing between her and her daughter.

small townstrangers to loverscinnamon roll hero

8 tropes in common

Cover of Redeeming Love

Redeeming Love

Francine Rivers

historical romance
(377k)

A God-fearing man marries a broken prostitute and loves her unconditionally — even as she keeps running away.

second chancesmall towncinnamon roll hero

9 tropes in common

Cover of Heart Bones

Heart Bones

Colleen Hoover

new adult romance
(685k)

A girl escaping poverty spends one last summer with a brooding rich stranger — and both their hearts pay the price.

island/beachsmall townstrangers to lovers

8 tropes in common

Cover of Safe Haven

Safe Haven

Nicholas Sparks

contemporary romance
(403k)

A woman fleeing her dark past finds love with a gentle widower in a quiet coastal town — but danger followed her.

small townstrangers to loverscinnamon roll hero

7 tropes in common

Cover of Falling Like Snowflakes (Summer Harbor, #1)

Falling Like Snowflakes (Summer Harbor, #1)

Denise Hunter

contemporary romanceSummer Harbor #1
(4k)

Three Callahan brothers, three Christmas love stories set in a charming Maine harbour town.

second chancesmall townstrangers to lovers

7 tropes in common

Cover of Happy Place

Happy Place

Emily Henry

contemporary romance
(1.5M)

Broken up for five months but still pretending to be together — for one last week at the cottage they both love.

island/beachsecond chancesmall town

7 tropes in common

Cover of Ruin (Ruin, #1)

Ruin (Ruin, #1)

Rachel Van Dyken

new adult romanceRuin #1
(41k)

A boy racing against time offers a girl haunted by depression something she never expected — hope.

strangers to loverscinnamon roll herowallflower heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of Love and Other Words

Love and Other Words

Christina Lauren

contemporary romance
(834k)

A decade of silence, one chance reunion, and the first love she never stopped carrying.

second chancesmall towncinnamon roll hero

7 tropes in common

Cover of Charade (Games, #1)

Charade (Games, #1)

Nyrae Dawn

new adult romanceGames #1
(37k)

A fake boyfriend deal between two broken college kids turns into the only real thing either of them has.

strangers to loverscinnamon roll herowallflower heroine

8 tropes in common

Cover of Nights in Rodanthe

Nights in Rodanthe

Nicholas Sparks

contemporary romance
(183k)

Two wounded strangers find unexpected love in a coastal inn as a storm closes in around them.

small townstrangers to loverswallflower heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of Keeping Promise Rock (Promises, #1)

Keeping Promise Rock (Promises, #1)

Amy Lane

contemporary romancePromises #1
(6k)

A reckless boy and the quietly devoted man who raised him up must fight to find their way back to each other.

second chancesmall towncinnamon roll hero

8 tropes in common

Cover of Baby Love (Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan, #1)

Baby Love (Kendrick/Coulter/Harrigan, #1)

Catherine Anderson

contemporary romanceKendrick/Coulter/Harrigan #1
(8k)

A woman fleeing abuse finds unexpected shelter — and love — in the arms of a wounded, secretive stranger.

small townstrangers to loverscinnamon roll hero

6 tropes in common

Cover of All the Bright Places

All the Bright Places

Jennifer Niven

young adult romance
(633k)

Two broken teens find each other on a bell tower ledge — but not both of them will make it through.

small townstrangers to loverscinnamon roll hero

9 tropes in common

Cover of Jewels of the Sun (Gallaghers of Ardmore, #1)

Jewels of the Sun (Gallaghers of Ardmore, #1)

Nora Roberts

contemporary romanceGallaghers of Ardmore #1
(69k)

A lost American woman finds herself — and love — in a cozy Irish village steeped in folklore and magic.

small townstrangers to loverscinnamon roll hero

7 tropes in common

Cover of On Mystic Lake

On Mystic Lake

Kristin Hannah

contemporary romance
(96k)

Blindsided by divorce, a woman returns to her hometown and finds healing in a widowed old friend and his lost little gir

second chancesmall towncinnamon roll hero

5 tropes in common

Cover of Making Faces

Making Faces

Amy Harmon

new adult romance
(81k)

A girl who always loved the golden boy finally gets his attention — after war leaves him unrecognisable.

second chancesmall townwallflower heroine

7 tropes in common

Cover of The Longest Ride

The Longest Ride

Nicholas Sparks

contemporary romance
(159k)

Two love stories decades apart — a dying man's memories and a young woman's risky new love — collide in one unforgettabl

second chancesmall townstrangers to lovers

7 tropes in common

Cover of Over The Fence

Over The Fence

Melanie Moreland

contemporary romance
(4k)

Two guarded neighbors fall in love talking over a fence — but can they survive without it between them?

small townstrangers to loverscinnamon roll hero

7 tropes in common

Cover of Second Chance Magic

Second Chance Magic

Michelle M. Pillow

paranormal romanceOrder of Magic #1
(2k)

A humiliated widow séances her dead husband for closure — and finds herself falling for someone new.

second chancesmall townstrangers to lovers

6 tropes in common

Cover of This Summer Will Be Different

This Summer Will Be Different

Carley Fortune

contemporary romance
(370k)

Every summer she promises herself she won't end up in her best friend's brother's bed. Again.

island/beachsmall towncinnamon roll hero

7 tropes in common