Here are 61 books that Chasing Lucky fans have personally recommended if you like Chasing Lucky. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Summer of Broken Rules

Lexi Kingston Author Of Fall for Me

From my list on romance with swoon-worthy characters.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since I was a child, my imagination would run rampant with ideas and fantasies I had no idea how to channel. Then, when I was fifteen, I joined my high school’s creative writing class, and suddenly, every fantasy I’d ever concocted in my head had somewhere to develop. Sweet romance books have always fulfilled me, and I love it when, from the first page, you can feel the sparks between the main characters. They have a wholesomeness that leaves me feeling refreshed and hopeful, and I love that, for a few hundred pages, I can dive into another world and experience love through someone else’s eyes. 

Lexi's book list on romance with swoon-worthy characters

Lexi Kingston Why Lexi loves this book

Sometimes I just want to read a book that is lighthearted and adventurous—no angst or tragic happenstances—and this book checked that box for me. The characters’ banter and youthful tones had me smiling frequently. This book was a great summer read, and having the plotline center around a game of Assassins made for a lot of laughs.

By K. L. Walther ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Summer of Broken Rules as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

"The feel-good summer read of my dreams!"-Alicia, Goodreads Reviewer
"Boy, did it also give me all the summer feels."-Larissa, Goodreads Reviewer
"This book is bound to become a favorite of all who love contemporary romance."-Kelly, Goodreads Reviewer
"If beachy contemporary romances are your jam, then trust me-you do NOT want to miss this book."-Jessica, Goodreads Reviewer
Meredith's family's annual game of assassin at Martha's Vineyard during a summer wedding is the perfect chance to honor her sister's legacy, and finally join the world again. But when she forms an alliance with a cute groomsman, she's at risk of losing both…


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Book cover of We Are Made of Stars

We Are Made of Stars by Rochelle B. Weinstein,

Secrets, lies, and second chances are served up beneath the stars in this moving novel by the bestselling author of This Is Not How It EndsThink White Lotus meets Virgin River set at a picturesque mountain inn.

Seven days in summer. Eight lives forever changed. The stage is…

Book cover of Slammed

Lexi Kingston Author Of Fall for Me

From my list on romance with swoon-worthy characters.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since I was a child, my imagination would run rampant with ideas and fantasies I had no idea how to channel. Then, when I was fifteen, I joined my high school’s creative writing class, and suddenly, every fantasy I’d ever concocted in my head had somewhere to develop. Sweet romance books have always fulfilled me, and I love it when, from the first page, you can feel the sparks between the main characters. They have a wholesomeness that leaves me feeling refreshed and hopeful, and I love that, for a few hundred pages, I can dive into another world and experience love through someone else’s eyes. 

Lexi's book list on romance with swoon-worthy characters

Lexi Kingston Why Lexi loves this book

I loved the immediate connection between Layken and Will in this book. They had such strong chemistry from the start—the kind where I knew something would go wrong very soon.

For me, it was a perfect combination of sweet with some light angst amidst the forbidden lovers. I also found the slam poetry angle incredibly unique and unlike anything I’ve read before. 

By Colleen Hoover ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Slammed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Starts with Us and It Ends with Us, Colleen Hoover’s romantic, emotion-packed debut novel unforgettably captures all the magic and confusion of first love, as two young people forge an unlikely bond before discovering that fate has other plans for them.

Following the unexpected death of her father, eighteen-year-old Layken becomes the rock for both her mother and younger brother. She appears resilient and tenacious, but inside, she's losing hope. Then she meets her new neighbor Will, a handsome twenty-one-year-old whose mere presence leaves her flustered and whose passion for poetry…


Book cover of Every Summer After

Noreen Nanja Author Of The Summers Between Us

From my list on dual-timeline romances.

Why am I passionate about this?

Why do I love dual-timeline romance so much? Because, for me, it’s all about character depth. I’m fascinated by what makes characters tick—those defining moments in their past that shape their inner wounds, their dreams, and subsequently, their reactions in the present. When a dual timeline is done right, I am fully invested in both narratives. And being able to watch the main characters fall in love not just once but twice doubles the emotional impact and makes their happily ever after even sweeter. Witnessing them fall in love initially and then earn their second chance in the present always keeps me riveted!

Noreen's book list on dual-timeline romances

Noreen Nanja Why Noreen loves this book

This book is the Canadian romance of my dreams. It features Percy and Sam as they meet and fall in love as teenagers and again as they reunite in the present over a tragic loss. I love how this book features beautiful Barry’s Bay in a way that makes cottage country feel like a character in the novel, and I absolutely loved the vivid, descriptive writing.

Percy feels like a fully fleshed-out person. While there was a terrible mistake in her past, I could really feel how it weighed on her for so many years. I couldn’t help but root for her to find her second-chance happy ending with Sam. What I love most about this book is the perfect mix of longing, earnest friendship, and angst. It kept me turning the pages until late in the night!

By Carley Fortune ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Every Summer After as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A radiant debut' EMILY HENRY

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.

They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser that has felt too true for the last decade, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.

Until the day she gets a call that sends…


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Book cover of A Darling Handyman

A Darling Handyman by Lark Holiday,

She’s hiding from pain. He’s lost everything but his dog. When fresh air and second chances bring them together, can they rediscover true love?

If you enjoy kind-hearted heroes, small towns, and more humor than heat, you’ll adore this contemporary Alaskan romance! A Darling Handyman is the feel-good first book…

Book cover of Moment of Truth

Lexi Kingston Author Of Fall for Me

From my list on romance with swoon-worthy characters.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since I was a child, my imagination would run rampant with ideas and fantasies I had no idea how to channel. Then, when I was fifteen, I joined my high school’s creative writing class, and suddenly, every fantasy I’d ever concocted in my head had somewhere to develop. Sweet romance books have always fulfilled me, and I love it when, from the first page, you can feel the sparks between the main characters. They have a wholesomeness that leaves me feeling refreshed and hopeful, and I love that, for a few hundred pages, I can dive into another world and experience love through someone else’s eyes. 

Lexi's book list on romance with swoon-worthy characters

Lexi Kingston Why Lexi loves this book

I found this book truly inspiring. Hadley’s dedication to swimming was motivating in itself and reminded me much of when I was a teenager, locking myself in my room to write whatever story idea was on my heart that day.

I loved how this book dealt with the real challenges of youth. It was interesting how the characters unburdened themselves by facing their greatest fears. The romance was also beautifully written, and I found myself rooting for both characters on their own paths and together.

By Kasie West ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Moment of Truth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Beloved author Kasie West once again delivers a witty, lighthearted romance that will charm her legions of fans and is perfect for readers of Jenny Han and Huntley Fitzpatrick.

At sixteen, Hadley Moore knows exactly who she is—a swimmer who will earn a scholarship to college. Totally worth all the hard work, even if her aching shoulders don’t agree.

So when a guy dressed as Hollywood’s latest action hero, Heath Hall, crashes her swim meet, she isn’t amused. Instead, she’s determined to make sure he doesn’t bother her again. Only she’s not sure exactly who he is. 

The swim meet…


Book cover of Hunted by the Sky

Jodi Meadows Author Of Nightrender

From my list on to transport you into another world.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love books that take you to another world, stories that show you bits of our reality while exploring another. It’s thrilling to step into a world where anything can happen, where dragons exist, where our laws of nature may not apply. But also, I love seeing the familiar in fantastical places: love, friendship, and hope. Though the characters in books may inhabit worlds made mostly out of paper, ink, and imagination, their stories are universal.

Jodi's book list on to transport you into another world

Jodi Meadows Why Jodi loves this book

Filled with magic, prophecy, and ancient goddesses, Hunted By the Sky transports you to a world where a girl with a star-shaped birthmark seeks revenge for the murder of her parents, and a boy who is willing to do anything to save his father will soon meet. In this beautiful novel, you will find thoughtful worldbuilding and fantastical mirrors to our own reality, exploring identity, class, and love. 

By Tanaz Bhathena ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hunted by the Sky as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Gul has a star-shaped birthmark on her arm, and in her kingdom, marked girls are disappearing. Gul's mark caused her parents murder at the hands of the king's army, and forced her into hiding. When a group of rebel women rescue her to train her in warrior magic, Gul only wants one thing: revenge.

Cavas is ready to sign his life over to the king's army in exchange for money and medicine for his sick father. But when he meets Gul in the capital's bazaar, their chemistry grows, and he becomes entangled in a mission of vengeance - and discovers…


Book cover of The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic

Elizabeth Wambheim Author Of More Than Enough

From my list on queer fairy tale retellings for teens.

Why am I passionate about this?

Fairy tales are some of my favorite stories: each time we touch them, we change them. Before we began writing them down, fairy tales were passed from speaker to listener, always changing with the teller, the audience, the culture. I’m fascinated by how often we revisit them, by what we change, and what we decide to keep. I think there are as many ways to tell a story as there are folks who are interested in telling it, and I like to see what authors and illustrators will cook up from our communal pot of stories.  

Elizabeth's book list on queer fairy tale retellings for teens

Elizabeth Wambheim Why Elizabeth loves this book

This is a collection of short stories that mixes fairy tales and myths to create six spooky, atmospheric retellings.

A few of the short stories, like “The Witch of Duva” (which borrows from “Hansel and Gretel”) deal with some dark themes, and “When Water Sang Fire,” is a deeply tragic, sapphic work inspired by “The Little Mermaid.”

My favorite of the collection is “The Soldier Prince” which combines “The Nutcracker” and “The Velveteen Rabbit” to produce a story with a fascinating take on agency, love, and self-awareness.

It’s queer in a way I don’t think I can define; I was still thinking about that story weeks after I finished it, and I would—in a heartbeat—read a whole novel about that particular nutcracker.

By Leigh Bardugo , Sara Kipin (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Language of Thorns as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, no. 1 New York Times-bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.
Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both…


Book cover of The Wicked Deep

Amanda Quain Author Of Ghosted: A Northanger Abbey Novel

From my list on cozying up with beside a fireplace with a cup of tea.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love being cozy more than just about anything – that’s why I keep writing books set in boarding schools in the fall! My books are best served with a cup of tea and a purring kitten to get you through the sad bits – which, as we all know, just make romantic endings even more satisfying.

Amanda's book list on cozying up with beside a fireplace with a cup of tea

Amanda Quain Why Amanda loves this book

This book is the equivalent of eating a batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies inside a drafty and most definitely haunted lighthouse on the Oregon coast as the waves crash against the shore and you pull your blanket a little tighter around you.

No one does atmosphere like Shea Earnshaw (No one, I said it) and this story of drowned girls off the Oregon coast will send a chill up your spine even as you’re reaching for your next cup of tea.

By Shea Ernshaw ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Wicked Deep as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic meets the Salem Witch trials in this haunting story about three sisters on a quest for revenge - and how love may be the only thing powerful enough to stop them.

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow...

Two centuries ago, in the small, isolated town, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town. Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return from the depths, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may…


Book cover of Assassin's Quest

J.D.L. Rosell Author Of A King's Bargain

From my list on fantasy that makes you want to go on an adventure.

Why am I passionate about this?

Like many people, The Lord of the Rings captivated me as a child. I read those books as well as The Hobbit half a dozen times before I was twelve, and a couple of times more since. What’s more, I was lucky enough to be nine when the first movie came out, which only furthered my childhood obsession. Though I’m less enthralled by the series now, the classic quest it represents still has a place in my heart. I’ve tried to reproduce the grandeur and adventure of that story in my writing, and I’ve found a good portion of it in the books I recommend below. May they take you on captivating new journeys!

J.D.L.'s book list on fantasy that makes you want to go on an adventure

J.D.L. Rosell Why J.D.L. loves this book

Quest is in the name, and does it ever live up to it! As the culmination of The Farseer Trilogy, it does the previous books justice. The journey is arduous, full of twists and turns, and the reader feels every wound Fitz suffers. Yet as in every good quest, in the end, he achieves what he aims to do though not in the way he expects, and at an unimaginable cost. This is Hobb at her finest, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

By Robin Hobb ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Assassin's Quest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Fantasy as it ought to be written' George R.R. Martin

The gripping finale to Robin Hobb's classic Farseer Trilogy.

With the king no longer living and the heir, Verity, missing and declared dead, Prince Regal has treacherously seized the throne.

Regal's torture has left Fitz more dead than alive, and more closely than ever bonded with his wolf. All who once loved him believe him dead: even Molly, now pregnant with his child. But he cannot go to her without placing her in terrible danger.

With nothing to lose, Fitz sets out for Tradeford, where Regal has withdrawn, having heartlessly…


Book cover of Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less

Paddy Hirsch Author Of The Devil's Half Mile

From my list on glimpse into the dark heart of the financial markets (without being bored to tears).

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a career financial and business journalist, only recently turned novelist. I’m obsessed with the way that history repeats itself in the financial markets and that we never seem to learn our lessons. Fear and greed have always driven the behavior of bankers, traders, and investors; and they still do today, only barely inhibited by our regulatory system. I want to help people understand how markets work, and I like combining fiction with fact to explain these systems and how they’re abused. With that in mind, I work during the day as a reporter at NPR and by night as a scribbler of historical fiction with a financial twist.

Paddy's book list on glimpse into the dark heart of the financial markets (without being bored to tears)

Paddy Hirsch Why Paddy loves this book

I love the way that Archer turns the dry ins and outs of the workings of the British stock market into an adventure tale. I can’t quite believe how many explanations of market activities he manages to describe and explain in the simplest, most easy to understand terms. All while keeping the action going.

I learned from Archer what short selling is, how Ponzi schemes work, the meaning of insider trading, and how pump and dump schemes are set up and executed. I also learned how flawed the British financial markets were until their reform. A fascinating, highly entertaining romp through the city of London.

By Jeffrey Archer ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Jeffrey Archer's first novel, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, is page-turning tale of fraud, revenge and determination as four men stop at nothing to get back what was stolen from them.

One million dollars - that's what Harvey Metcalfe, lifelong king of shady deals, has pulled off with empty promises of an oil bonanza and instant riches. Overnight, four men - the heir to an earldom, a Harley Street doctor, a Bond Street art dealer and an Oxford don - find themselves penniless. But this time Harvey has swindled the wrong men. They band together and shadow…


Book cover of The Fifty Year Sword

Andy Lockwood Author Of Threshold

From my list on gateway into the horror genre.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been ensconced in horror since childhood—from the Monster Double Feature to Creepy and Tomb of Dracula. I’m part of the Monster Squad; I’m what goes bump in the night. I live for the scare. My love for all things spooky started young, growing up with Bradbury and Matheson, before graduating to King, Koontz, and Straub. I continued to absorb horror wherever I could: books, films, and comics, drinking it in as quickly as it came out. Eventually, I found that I’d absorbed so many stories, I had one or two of my own to contributeso I began writing short stories and novels to terrorize the genre myself!

Andy's book list on gateway into the horror genre

Andy Lockwood Why Andy loves this book

Danielewski is as much an artist as he is a storyteller. The Fifty Year Sword is a work of literal—and literary—art. The story is brief, haunting, and beautifully told. The book is a labor of love beyond words on the page. The art accents the story, propelling it forward and assisting the tension that grows as the unread pages dwindle. It is neither grotesque, nor leave-the-lights-on scary, but it is fantastically memorable and shocking, making it a wonderful introduction to the fun-filled intensity the genre offers. For all its simplicity, it’s an unforgettable read, worth picking up for repeat visits to admire the way story and art meld into this single binding. It’s an every-October treat for me that sets the mood for Spooky Season.

By Mark Z. Danielewski ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Fifty Year Sword as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this story set in East Texas, a local seamstress named Chintana finds herself responsible for five orphans who are not only captivated by a storyteller’s tale of vengeance but by the long black box he sets before them. As midnight approaches, the box is opened, a fateful dare is made, and the children as well as Chintana come face to face with the consequences of a malice retold and now foretold.

The blank pages in this book are a deliberate design element. 


Book cover of The Summer of Broken Rules
Book cover of Slammed
Book cover of Every Summer After

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Interested in revenge, self-actualization, and romantic love?

Revenge 133 books
Self-Actualization 249 books
Romantic Love 985 books