I recently shared on Instagram that even though I’ve written my next novel — a light, fast-paced, contemporary story about a midlife mom and her antics called Overheard — I’ve decided not to publish it. Why? Because there are already so many smart, funny, “mom-coms” with a message that I’d rather recommend than mine. So here’s a list of them: Books that incorporate romance, motherhood, some light intrigue, and plenty of flirting. Read these if you need something light to get through the heaviness of the world — or just the chaos of back-to-school season.
And if you’re craving even more info about these irresistible books, check out my podcast, Totally Booked, where I interview the authors about the stories behind their stories. (I included episode links below, since no busy mom should have to hunt for them herself.)
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey
Kate lost her husband two years ago and is still stumbling through life as a single, grieving mom to a five-year-old. If something can go wrong in her life, it inevitably does. But when her flight with a colleague gets diverted on a business trip, everything changes. Funny, sad, heartfelt, and soulful, this Target Book Club and Book of the Month pick is one of my all-time favorites.
Listen to the podcast here
It’s Getting Hot in Here by Jane Costello
Who says a school event can’t double as a dating playground? Twice-divorced Lisa Darling is juggling her best friend’s breast cancer diagnosis, an overflowing to-do list, and a new hotshot at work gunning for her job. As Lisa learns why her new colleague seems to be turning up the heat, we get a steamy, fan-yourself-worthy mom-com.
Listen to the podcast here
The Good Part by Sophie Cousens
After making a wish to skip over the uncertainty and tumult of her twenties, Lucy Young goes to bed at age 26 and wakes up as a 40-something with a gorgeous husband and two children. Are those kids really hers? And what exactly happened overnight? Poignant and revealing, Sophie Cousens’s novel captures the whiplash of adulthood — and how quickly it can sneak up on you.
Listen to the podcast here
Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens
Kids don’t make great matchmakers, but that doesn’t stop divorced writer Anna Appleby from letting her two children set her up with all manner of men. She says she’ll go on the dates they set up for her, no matter what — but what happens next is something none of them saw coming.
Listen to the podcast here
Love, Me by Jessica Saunders
Mother of two Rachel Miller is living a suburban life that is perfectly…fine. But when pictures (and photos) surface from her high school relationship with a boy who later became a celebrity, everything changes, fast. This hijinks-filled novel is full of heart.
Listen to the podcast here
Mean Moms by Emma Rosenblum
The four queen bees of the Manhattan mom set rule the school until a Miami transplant, Sofia, joins their circle. Then they’re each plagued by different accidents and career-ending dramas. Is somebody out to get them? In this satire, Emma Rosenblum does what she does best: skewers the community she’s a part of IRL — making this as biting as it is entertaining.
Listen to the podcast here
Someone’s Gotta Give by Alisha Fernandez Miranda
While an expat in the UK, Lucia gets a glamorous job in fundraising — while dealing with a teething one-year-old at home. What could possibly go wrong? This USA Today bestseller delights as it takes us from Buckingham Palace to the innermost circles of the London elite and into the impossible world of juggling motherhood, relationships, and work.
Listen to the podcast here
Moms Like Us by Jordan Roter
Los Angeles private school moms are a naughty bunch in Moms Like Us, the debut novel by screenwriter Jordan Roter. From the new science teacher to the head of school, everyone is jockeying for position — and the machinations of their complicated social pecking order are only made more complicated by a murder on a school trip.
Listen to the podcast here
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
Who better than a romance screenwriter to script the perfect relationship? Nora Hamilton agrees to have her home used as a movie set after her husband unexpectedly leaves her and her two children. She just didn’t realize she’d get to know the movie star of the film — intimately. One of my favorite mom-coms, this clever plot has everything from surviving daily #momlife to the flush of new love.
Listen to the podcast here
Alternate Endings by Ali Rosen
A divorced mom of a 6-year-old, Beatrice Leal has to travel to Ireland twice a month for work, leaving her ex in their shared NYC brownstone. To make matters more complicated, Bea’s working with Jack, who long ago broke her heart. And suddenly, work trips have a little added spice. Note: The imagery in this book was so compelling, I ended up taking my family to the castle it was based on for our family vacation.
Listen to the podcast here
Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
Ali Morris, a professional organizer, is grieving her mom, was left by her husband, and just can’t seem to get her own life in order. That is, until a chance encounter while walking the dog brings her to Ethan, who just might turn her life around. This emotional, fresh tale — Monaghan’s third novel — explores the ins and outs of grief, love, motherhood, and family.
Listen to the podcast here
Blank by Zibby Owens
Fortysomething former literary star Pippa Jones can’t think of what to write her next book about, and may have to pay her publisher back for her advance — but she needs the funds for her family, who’s living in the Pacific Palisades way beyond their means. (If only her deadbeat husband would contribute more.) Her 12-year-old son and teenage daughter help her hatch plan: Publish a completely blank book as a commentary on the publishing industry. Set across L.A., from Malibu to Beverly Hills and from literary boardrooms to school parking lots, Blank is a thought-provoking, timeless take on the book world, parenthood, friendship, betrayal, and might involve a certain Hebrew school tutor. And OK fine: I wrote it.
Listen to the podcast here
Pick-Up by Nora Dahlia
Enemies-to-lovers, anyone? Mother Sasha Rubinstein feels perpetually judged at her kid’s school, while dealing with her terrible, absentee-father ex. And why does this one new dad at pick-up seem to have it in for her? Eventually that dad enters her work sphere, and after the two jet off to a tropical island for a job, Sasha learns that he might not be so awful after all.
Listen to the podcast here
Eliza Starts a Rumor by Jane Rosen
While happily married in the suburbs with twin five-year-olds, Eliza Hunt creates the online Hudson Valley Ladies’ Bulletin Board, just for fun. But years later as an empty-nester, she relies on it as her main source of connection. That’s why she absolutely can’t let a rival forum take over, and decides to start a little rumor to spice things up. This novel by Jane L. Rosen sparked some controversy on the Upper East Side moms community sites, which only prompted many to cheer for it even more loudly.
Listen to the podcast here
Olivia Strauss is Running Out of Time by Angela Brown
What if you could know the date of your death? That’s the “gift” Olivia Strauss’s best friend gives her for her 39th birthday: a trip to a spa offering a test that can predict the day of your demise. Olivia heads to downtown NYC to get the news, but what follows is anything but predictable. This surprising novel will make you think about time, life, and how best to spend both.
Listen to the podcast here
Gracie Harris Is Under Construction by Kate Hash
When her kids go to sleepaway camp, Gracie Jones heads to her happy place, a new mountain house she and her late husband were determined to fix up before he passed away. Thanks to an online essay she wrote going viral, Gracie gets a book deal and has the summer to write it, while working with a contractor to fix up her house. Little does she know, she’ll soon be rewriting her story in real time. I’m certain Kate Hash, a fresh new voice, will soon be a mainstay of the modern fiction scene.
Listen to the podcast here
Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes
In the Cotswolds, Tata Hawkins is desperately trying to climb the social ladder of this UK-set, using her daughter Minty — as well as their butler Ian — as fodder for acceptance. But when she gets into a fight with her husband Bryan and moves out of the “manor” into the “old Coach House,” things go downhill as her dreams of society acceptance fade. Witty, acerbic, and unique, this insider’s look into the Cotswolds scene from Vogue star journalist and bestselling author Plum Sykes is absolutely riveting.
Listen to the podcast here
Zibby Owens is the bestselling author of Blank: A Novel, host of award-winning podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, CEO of Zibby Books publishing house, and owner of Zibby’s Bookshop in Santa Monica, CA. Follow her on Substack and Instagram, where she tells it like it is.
