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35 Popular Chick Lit Books That You Won’t Be Able To Put Down
Top chick lit books
When I turned into a bookworm at the age of 27, chick lit was one of the genres that helped to read more. Although I had heard about that term up until then, I loved reading them ever since.
I am not really a fan of the term “chick lit” as they tend to give away the impressions of sweet and fluffy reads. But these chick lit books, also known as humorous women’s fiction, are character driven books in an urban setting that discuss issues of modern women. These novels also address the themes of consumerism or self identity. And most importantly chick-lit books are written by women for women. Some of the most popular books that fit in the chick lit fiction genre are Helen Fielding’s ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ and Sophie Kinsella’s ‘Shopaholic series’.
You might find similarities between a rom-com and a chick-lit or light women’s fiction. As both of these genres include swoon worthy romance, heroic characters and humour. Infact, some books in this list can belong to both genres. Nevertheless, I always enjoy reading the latter genre more. Reading uplifting tales of brave and ambitious women and female friendships always put me in a good mood. Besides, chick-lit novels have the prettiest book covers after all! So who wouldn’t want to read them.
So if you are like me and love reading funny women’s fiction, here are 35 of the best chick-lit books to enjoy in 2022.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Elizabeth Zott is an ambitious young chemist in 1960’s male dominated research institute, where they treat her as a secretary and mostly took credit for her achievements. But when the Nobel-prize nominated, Calvin Evans arrives, he turns out to be someone who recognizes her talent. However, a few years after Elizabeth Zott is a single mom and a cooking show host, yet in deep down she still yearns to be a chemist…
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Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
When bestselling author Vivian Howe is killed in an accident she ascends to the Beyond and meets Martha, a mysterious individual who grants permission to view the events of one summer, after her death. She also allows her “three nudges” which Vivian can use to change the outcome of any situation. But will she be able to use them wisely?
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Lease on Love by Falon Ballard
Sadie Green is a twenty something, funny and hardworking woman who is desperately looking for a one-night stand. But when she accidentally swipes right on a roommate finding app, instead of a dating app, she finds herself on the doorsteps of Jack Thomas’s Brooklyn townhouse. Luckily, introvert Jack is willing to offer her a room. Find out what happens when these two polar opposites start to live together.
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The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
Tiffy and Leon are sharing a flat and a bed but they don’t see each other at all. Whenever Tiffany leaves for work, Leon comes home from work, and that’s how they agree to follow this uncommon agreement. They also often exchange little notes with each other. And once their lives intersect, they are about to discover something special.
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The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E. Smith
Greta James is an emerging indie-rock star who is going through a family and identity crisis. Her mother has been her cheerleader since childhood, but since her unexpected demise, Greta isn’t able to perform. Unable to overcome her grief, she decides to accompany her estranged father on a week-long Alaskan cruise, expecting to connect with him.
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A Riviera Retreat by Jennifer Bohnet
This delightful novel is a story of four women who meet at a retreat centre. The three women Chelse, Victoria and Matilda are the winners of a lucky competition organised by the centre’s owner Amy. As women spend time together in the Cote d’Azur they form a life-changing bond of friendship.
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Deconstructed by Liz Talley
When Cricket learned about her husband’s affair she didn’t waste much time crying over it. Instead she hired an assistant named Ruby to investigate the matter and make her husband pay. And Ruby is determined to help her boss and reinvents herself as a designer along the way. An uplifting tale about female friendships.
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Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane
When an unexpected tragedy hits a group of four friends, their life is changed forever. The story is told from Eve’s view (one of four friends). When the terrible accident happened, Eve begins to question her life along with others. There is grief, loss and love. Compared to other novels in the list, Mhairi McFarlane’s novel deals with some very dark themes.
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The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon
Hannah has gone through a lot in her life and wasn’t interested in any relationship until she met Sonny. They both knew there was an instant connection and the chemistry was undeniable. However, weeks later, Sonny seems to be a different person, so Hannah is no longer sure about the possibility of a future together.
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Messy, Wonderful Us by Catherine Isaac
When young researcher Allie finds a letter from her grandmother’s cupboard, she discovers a secret about her deceased mother’s past and herself. Although she tries to ask several questions regarding the matter, her grandmother refuses to talk about it. So Allie decides to hire a detective to find out about the contents of the letter.
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By Any Other Name by Lauren Kate
Successful romance editor Lanie has just been offered the promotion she deserves, but it comes with a challenge. She has to get Noa Callaway, the world-renowned author, to publish a bestselling book. The manuscript is already late and Lanie has no clue about the author’s whereabouts. Yet she is certain that she will be able to do it.
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The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery
Robyn is a single mother, trying to figure out her life beyond her failed marriage. Her children don’t want her to interfere in their life. So she decides to travel to her great aunt Lillian. But then slowly her family begins to knock on her door asking for comfort. Will she ever be able to live for herself?
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It Started with a Secret by Jill Mansell
Lainey and her best friend Kit have found a new job, they pretend to be a couple and live in a beautiful house by the sea. The job is to help a retiring actor to organise his chaotic family. But soon she finds herself attracted towards the actor’s grandson. But she is unable to declare her love to him, as everyone thinks that she is in a relationship with Kit.
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A Wedding in Provence by Katie Fforde
After completing a cookery course, Alexandra is on her way to enrol in a finishing school in Switzerland. She makes a stop in Paris en route to Switzerland and takes up a temporary job as a nanny in the Provence. But soon she realises that taking care of three hostile children isn’t an easy task.
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The Staycation by Cressida McLaughlin
The luxury travel agent Hester Monday is terrified of flying and isn’t keen on taking a work trip. But she is the best at her job, organising the best holidays for her clients. Now her new client, Jake Oakenfield is something different. He wants her to plan a vacation without leaving his hotel suite.
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What You Wish For by Katherine Centre
Sam is an elementary school librarian at a private school and enjoys her job and loves the community she lives in. But the unexpected death of the school’s principal brings in the new replacement, and of all people, it’s Duncan. Duncan and she had worked together in another school and she had a secret crush on him. She actually left that school because of him. However, this “new” Duncan seems to have changed a lot.
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The Beach House by Rachel Hanna
At the age of forty three, Julie is forced to start all over again. As her husband after twenty-one years has ended the marriage with her. She is alone and clueless about her future, yet she picks up the courage and sets off to the coast of South Carolina, all by herself.
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Life’s a Beach by Portia MacIntosh
Peach is thrilled to travel to Naples to attend her sister’s wedding. Although she isn’t happy about the prospect of impromptu weddings, she isn’t going to miss a destination wedding. But the wedding guests include some unexpected people from Peach’s past. A perfect page-turner for the lover’s of feel-good chick lits.
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The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall
In this heartwarming and hilarious tale we meet Sophie, a professional bridesmaid. Her job is to plan the perfect wedding for London brides, while posing as the right-hand woman. When a former model and current Marchioness of Meade, hires her to do the society wedding of the year, Sophie has to prove to everyone, once again, that she is the best at her job.
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The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser
Life is not going well for Thea Mottram at the moment. Her husband has left her for one of her friends and she just lost her job. When she learns about a distant uncle and the inheritance that he has left for her in Scotland, she decides to leave her own home for a while. Will Thea be able to find a new life in the coastal town of Scotland?
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One Summer Sunrise by Shari Low
There are several characters in this book whose lives are connected in some ways. We meet Maisie McTeer who is trying to track down her ex, 80 year old Harriet who struggles to cope with loneliness and a couple Scott and Kelly, who are hiding secrets from each other!
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Sunshine and Sweet Peas in Nightingale Square by Heidi Swain
Kate is moving away from her house in London to a little cottage in Nightingale Square in Norwich. She considers it to be a perfect location for someone who is running away from a failed marriage. But the small-town life is nothing like she had imagined. Not only is she busy with her new job but also other responsibilities related to saving the community.
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Love for Beginners by Jill Shalvis
When Emma Harris survives a tragic accident, she is waking up to a whole new life. While she was in coma, her boyfriend left her for her best friend and she lost her job. But she has always been a fighter, so despite the hardships she decides to start from scratch.
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Always the Bridesmaid by Lindsey Kelk
Maddie is an assistant event planner and loves her job but not her evil boss. She has two best friends who always want Maddie to do things for them. Lauren, one of her friends, wants her to do the event planning for free and her other friend Sarah wants the new job position at Maddie’s office, which could be the perfect fit for Maddie herself.
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The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan
Maggie, Eliza, and Tricia are the daughters of the renowned author Bill Sweeney. After their mother’s death, the sisters have been brought up by their father in a small seaside town. When the housekeeper informs the sisters about their father’s death, three of them return to their childhood home. However, their lawyer informs them about a fourth sister they never knew existed.
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The Bette Davis Club by Jane Lotter
Fifty-something year old Margo is attending her niece’s wedding in Malibu. As she is pondering the many mistakes that she has made, she is offered a chance to win a lot of money. Her task is to chase the bride who just ran away from the wedding! Margo and the groom (Tuli) begin their journey in a borrowed 1955 red MG.
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The Bright Side of Going Dark by Kelly Harms
Mia Bell is a social media influencer and a yoga instructor and has been living her life online. Her online presence has helped her build a successful business and now she is planning her perfect wedding. But her life offline is completely different. It’s so terrible that she throws her phone off a mountain. And there is a techie named Paige who hacks Mia’s account to save her sister.
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The Survivor’s Guide to Family Happiness
After losing her adopted mother, 35-year old Nina Popkin wants to find out about her biological mother. During the process she comes to know about her sister, who was also adopted into another family. Lindy McIntyre has no intention of joining Nina as she is too busy in her own life. However, Nina is determined to reconnect with her birth family.
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Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties by Camille Noe Pagán
When her husband after 28 years announces that he has found another woman, Maggie’s world turns upside down. As her kids have grown up, she couldn’t imagine a life without her husband. After grieving about her failed marriage, fifty-three year old Maggie decides to travel to Rome to rediscover herself.
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I Thought You Said This Would Work by Ann Wertz Garvin
In this novel we meet three best friends from college who are now in different phases of their lives. One of the friends, Katie is suffering from ovarian cancer and she seeks the help of the other two- Samantha and Holly to help her dognap her beloved dog from her ex-husband. Although the job seems quite simple, for Samatha and Holly it isn’t. Though they haven’t spoken to each other in years, their mutual love for Katie brings the former friends together for the task.
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The Apology Project by Jeanette Escudero
On her fortieth birthday, former litigator Amelia Montgomery looks back at her life and ponders over the mistakes she has made in her relationships. She wonders whether losing her job and friends are the result of her careless behaviour. With the help of John Ellis, the stranger who showed up at her party, she decides to give second chances to people in her life.
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See Jane Snap by Bethany Crandell
On the surface, Jane Osborne has a perfect life. She is the chairman of PTA, her daughter attends a private school and her husband is a well-known surgeon. But in reality, she is hiding a lot from the real world, including that her husband is cheating on her with another man and her daughter is often getting into trouble. How long can she hold on to these?
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For the Love of Friends by Sara Goodman Confino
Lily Weiss is a friend everyone would love to have. She is dependable, considerate and supportive and her friends know this very well. Which is why they all want her to be their bridesmaid. Not only that, she is also the bridesmaid for the two younger siblings’ marriage in just six weeks. All of a sudden it’s too much to handle for Lily and she decides to start an anonymous blog to express her frustration. After all…she is a talented writer.
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Life, Unscheduled by Kristin Rockaway
In Nicola’s life, the term work-life balance is non-existent. As a user experienced designer, she is fully committed to her job and has no time for a life of her own. But when her best friend Parisa Shahin asks her to be the maid of honor, Nicola decides to take charge of her life. She begins to plan her entire life from project deadlines to dress fitting appointments.
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Primrose Park by Christie Barlow
Christie Barlow’s charming novel is part of her Love Heart Lane series and this time the story follows the career driven veterinarian Molly. While attending a conference she ends up in a one-night-stand with a Mysterious Man. However, once back in the village, she meets the same man she had spent the night with. But their meeting wasn’t as cute as she thought.
Ready to start reading these popular chick-lit books in your 2022 reading list?
What are some of your all time favorite chick-lit books? Let me know in the comments,
Stephy
More popular books to read in 2022
