Don't You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane (2019)

Really fun but substantial chick lit about a woman who is a bit lost who gets a job as a barmaid for her high school boyfriend. 

Strong, vivid characters abound and the romance itself is a lovely slow burn. 

Really quite good.

One in a Million by Lindsey Kelk (2018)

Really liked this adorable Brit Chick Lit about Annie, who owns a social media start up with her best friends. She makes a bet with her landlords that she can make someone Instagram famous in 30 days and the random stranger selected is hapless historian Dr. Samuel Page, whose girlfriend has just dumped him. 

In addition to the social media bet, Annie goes about putting Sam through Boyfriend Bootcamp, which includes a makeover, social skills, conversation and getting him into the outside world. The delight of this book is in the charming characters and their very realistic relationships, especially between Annie and her friends and family. And the relationship between Annie and Sam is a lovely slow burn. 

Am definitely checking out more Lindsey Kelk books! And she has a bunch, yay!

Mr. Lynch's Holiday by Catherine O'Flynn (2013)

Despite the fact that she's only written a few books, Catherine O'Flynn is one of those authors that I will request and read her books without reading a single word of the description.  (See also her amazing What Was Lost.)

This short novel is about Dermot Lynch, a widower who travels to a town in Spain where his son Eamonn has purchased a condo and emigrated with his wife.  As the novel begins, Eamonn's wife has just left him and he is unemployed when his father drops in for a visit from England.

Terribly poignant and just a lovely, lovely story of the complex relationship between an adult child and his father (and vice versa).  As always with O'Flynn you get a little something extra, and this time, it's a fascinating look at expatriate communities, not just the one Eamonn lives in Spain, but also his father's in England and so on. Just lovely.

Meet Me At the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan (2013)

Back in the days when I couldn't pass up a British chick lit title, Jenny Colgan was one of my very favorite authors.  She'd been a bit off my radar for a few years, though apparently she'd kept writing--including a Doctor Who novelization, interestingly enough.

I happened upon her new title in our catalog and requested it for old times' sake.  Like the heroines of her books, Colgan has grown up.  It's just lovely to read a good, dishy novel about a woman in her thirties.

Issy Randal gets laid off from her office job, gets ditched by her ex-boss/secret lover, and decides to use her severance money to open a cupcake cafe in her charming neighborhood of Stoke Newington.  Issy loves to bake and was taught by her grandfather, who is growing senile in a nearby care facility.  Recipes sent to her by her grandfather are interspersed through the book (and look quite tempting). 

Colgan's great gift is her characterizations--every character is drawn beautifully, from her bossy nurse roommate Helena to her employee, single mother Pearl, to her baker grandfather and everyone in between.  And the inevitable romantic interest?  Surprisingly imperfect.  Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe is lightly and dryly funny, while at the same time very heartfelt and moving.  Just lovely. 

I've recommended this to tons of people, and I hate that the title sounds so twee.  It's much more substantial than it sounds, although it really is .... delicious.

One Day by David Nicholls (2001)

British, witty and charming novel about two friends who hook up after university and then have a Harry and Sallyish friendship. The novel checks in on their lives on the same day every day for twenty years. Great characters, insightful, realistic relationships. Really, really well written and lovely. Love this quote: “At the best of times she feels like a character in a Muriel Spark novel -- independent, bookish, sharp-minded, secretly romantic.”

Girl, 15, Charming But Insane by Sue Limb (2004)

Absolutely adorable young adult novel about a young British girl living with her mum and struggling with all the usual teen troubles--boys, friends, etc, but the dialogue (mostly in the voice of the heroine Jess Jordan) is beyond witty. Plus, Mom's a librarian! See awesome quote.

“Unfortunately she met her mum by the gate, and she could tell by her face that Mum had had one of those days. Occasionally people came into the library and peed, pooed, or got drunk and starting shouting abuse. Drunks and vagrants went to sleep in the reference section. Once a very old man who lived on the streets had died on the Oxford English Dictionary. You might think that being a librarian would be a quiet, cushy job, but sometimes it seemed that the library was really a nightmarish extension of the mean streets and that librarians were just cops and paramedics disguised in tweedy cardigans and long dangly parrot earrings from the charity shop.”

Tuscany for Beginners by Imogen Edwards-Jones (2004)

Enchanting novel (by the author of Hotel Babylon) about a woman who runs a B & B in Tuscany and models herself after Frances Mayes. For those who read Under the Tuscan Sun and found Mayes insufferable, this clueless character is especially hilarious and delightful. Great characterizations all around especially the expat community (Derek and Barbara) in her valley, her long-suffering daughter, and the American who moves in to start a hotel of her own. Plus, hilarious recipes—yes, hilarious recipes! So witty, so British, and such dishy, soapy fun!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (2003)

Christopher is fifteen and autistic. This story is told through his unique viewpoint as he tries to solve the mystery of who killed his neighbor's dog, pass his A-levels and deal with everyday life. Compulsively readable and completely original, Haddon sucks the reader right into Christopher's world.

Windfallen by Jojo Moyes (2003)

Although the cover and title seem very pedestrian, this novel is surprisingly delightful.  A sprawling family history centers around an unusual house and its inhabitants on the British coast. Amazing characters and complex relationships. Very Maeve Binchy-like, and that's high praise.

The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne (2005)

British novel about a slightly posh, unemployable girl who sets up her own temp agency for the purpose of providing fake girlfriends, help for men who need help (hair, clothing, etc.), sort of a "posh Mary Poppins in silk stockings."  Delightful and funny.  Followed by a couple of sequels.

The Queen and I by Sue Townsend (2002)

What happens when the royal family is voted out of power and goes on the dole? Hilarity ensues.  Hilarious and affectionate novel by the author of the Adrian Mole diaries.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (1938)

Adorable old British book about a governess who ends up being befriended by a young and beautiful starlet/singer. And happens to have some very exciting adventures along the way.  Sparkly, witty and so charming.  Also made into a charming movie starring Frances McDormand.

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (2007)

Short, and precisely written, this adorable and funny novel is about what happens when Queen Elizabeth (the current one) takes up reading.  So much royal charm that reminds one of the film The Queen.  For more Bennett fun, see also The Clothes They Stood Up In.  This story of a couple whose belongings are stolen while they are at the opera is told in incredibly clean, concise prose. Deadpan and amusing, but also quite thought-provoking.

Jenny Colgan - Adored Author

One of the most genuinely funny authors of British chick lit, Colgan creates interesting, believable, quirky (but not too quirky) characters relationships and writes truly hilarious dialogue. I loved Amanda's Wedding, wherein our heroine's snobby, bitchy friend is marrying her longtime crush. Wedding sabotage attempts, much drinking, and yes, hilarity ensues.  In Looking for Andrew McCarthy, our heroine hits 30 and wonders why life is not a John Hughes movie. Thinks a road trip in America to find Andrew McCarthy is a good solution.  And The Boy I Loved Before is a cute romantic comedy fantasy. Flora attends her friend's wedding with her boyfriend, runs into her high school ex, makes a wish, and wakes up the next day as her sixteen-year-old self.  All are fun and funny reads.

Maeve Binchy - Adored Author

Maeve Binchy writes sweet, Irish tales people with heaps of memorable characters. Like a big, cozy quilt in book form. I love all of her books, but can't always remember exactly what they were about after reading them.  I adore This Year It Will Be Different: the best Christmas short story collection ever. These stories have a definite edge and are infused with dark humor. Mothers who feel that their hard holiday work goes unappreciated should definitely check this collection out.  Other outstanding Binchy novels include Circle of Friends, Evening Class, Tara Road, and, especially, Night of Rain and Stars, which is set on a Greek island and revolves around four tourists from England, America, Germany and, of course, Ireland. After a tragedy occurs on the island, the four find themselves caught up in island life and reluctant to leave. Love blossoms, family troubles spark and are resolved, colorful island folk add their two cents and the whole novel is just delightful.

Atonement by Ian McEwan (2001)

Set in three time periods and surrounding an English family and their house in the country, this novel is filled with beautifully written meditations on writing and love. There was a lovely bit about how control freaks love to write, because they can have control over the events and people they write about. (McEwan put it more beautifully, of course.)

The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver (2007)

Novel about a woman in a ten-year relationship who either kisses an attractive acquaintance or doesn't. Alternating chapters follow each decision,and the story goes on from there in two directions. Although it sounds gimmicky, it contains lots of interesting observations on married life, as well as American and British life.