5 Chick Lit Books That Perfect for a Long Weekend

I am currently enjoying a long weekend myself right now (Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!) and I plan to dive headfirst into books. While I am finishing up a books for different book clubs, I also plan on enjoying some easy-reading chick lit. There are times in your life that you just need to escape and not think, and chick lit can be the perfect escape! These are the 5 chick lit books that I think are perfect for a long weekend- they will provide you will lovable heroines, evil villains, and fun plot lines so that you can make the most of the extra day off that you have. Life is all about balance and sometimes you need to have some relaxation!

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Stately Pursuits, Katie Fforde

Hetty Longden’s mother thinks that looking after Great Uncle Samuel’s crumbling stately home will be just the thing for Hetty’s broken heart. Hetty doesn’t mind; at least she can be miserable in private. But ‘private’ is a relative term in a village which revolves around the big house. Particularly when you are expected to thwart Great Uncle Samuel’s awful heir, and his nefarious plans for his inheritance.

Pitchforked into the community’s fight to save the manor, Hetty has no time to wallow. And once she has shared her troubles with one neighbour (Caroline: a very understanding shoulder, despite her glamorous appearance and impossibly long legs), and cast an appreciative eye over another (Peter: equally long-legged, but offering rather more practical help), she wonders if her heart is irretrievably broken after all…

Via Goodreads

Katie Fforde is about as experienced as it gets for chick lit authors- with 22 years of publishing and  24 novels, she has got this down pat. Katie does such an absolutely lovely job of building the setting and location into a main character of the story, and it is no different in Stately Pursuits! Uncle Samuel’s crumbling house is as much of a character as Hattie is. I also love that you meet enough secondary and tertiary characters to feel like it is a fully fleshed out story and not just “girl meets boy but they can’t be together”. The only thing is that you will finish the book wanting to restore a heritage home, but dreaming of that is it’s own escape! Never have home repair and building codes been so much fun…

Breakfast at Darcy’s, Ali McNamara

When Darcy McCall loses her beloved Aunt Molly, she doesn’t expect any sort of inheritance – let alone a small island! Located off the west coast of Ireland, Tara hasn’t been lived on for years, but according to Molly’s will, Darcy must stay there for twelve months in order to fully inherit. It’s a big shock. And she’s even more shocked to hear that she needs to persuade a village full of people to settle there, too. Darcy has to leave behind her independent city life and swap stylish heels for muddy wellies. Between sorting everything from the plumbing to the pub, Darcy meets confident, charming Conor and sensible, stubborn Dermot – but who will make her feel really at home?

Via Goodreads

Breakfast at Darcy’s was very much of a surprise find for me- I bought it on a whim in my first month living in Ireland from Eason’s, and fell in love with Ali McNamara’s writing. (So much so that I actually brought it home with me from Dublin and still have it!) I appreciated the fish out of water-ness of the story, especially taking place in Ireland! Life in Ireland, even in a city like Dublin, is different from Canada- everything moves at a slower pace, people are storytellers, and there is no direct answer to anything. While it takes a bit to adjust, it is also what makes it magical! Which is all a very long way to say, Darcy’s story will make you laugh and hope and worry along with her, and you can’t put it down without finding out what happens to her and her island!

The Runaway Princess, Hester Browne

If Amy Wilde’s new boyfriend, Leo, treats her like a queen, that’s because he’s secretly a prince himself: Leopold William Victor Wolfsburg of Nirona, the ninth most eligible royal bachelor in the world. Amy soon discovers that dating an heir to a throne has many charms—intimate dinners, glittering galas, and a dazzling new wardrobe with tiaras to match. But there are also drawbacks: imagine the anxiety of meeting your boyfriend’s parents multiplied by “riding in a private jet,” “staying in a castle,” and “discussing the line of succession over lunch.” Not to mention the sudden press interest in your very un-royal family. Amy would do anything for Leo, but is finding her Prince Charming worth the price of losing herself?

Via Goodreads

Hester Browne’s The Runaway Princess has never been so of-the-moment as it is right now- with both the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex hailing from outside the aristocracy, we have now seen the process of a commoner integrating into a royal family twice now in England alone, and it never fails to provide interesting material. Hester’s heroines are always three dimensional and you want to root for them. Sure, Amy makes some questionable choices but if you were about to marry into a royal family you might be questioning some things about yourself and your relationship as well. I think we all know that meeting an undercover prince just isn’t going to happen to us, but it is a good time being along for the ride! (I would recommend all of Hester’s books, as I own every single one of them- let me know if you want more recommendations!)

Love Me or Leave Me, Claudia Carroll

‘Welcome to the Hope Street Hotel – where you check in married, and check out single.’

Two years ago Chloe Townsend was dumped at the altar and had to leave behind everything that mattered to her. Even now she’s finding it hard to move forward. That is until she lands an incredible job, running a brand new boutique hotel. Suddenly she’s starting to put her life back together, and, apart from the fact that her hard-to-please new boss is breathing down her neck, things are looking good.

But what goes on in the Hope Street Hotel is a far cry from anything she’s ever dealt with before. This is a pioneering ‘divorce hotel’ designed to make every aspect of breaking up efficient and pain-free. In one single weekend, Chloe’s team promises to take care of everything – legal, technical, emotional – and guests check out carefree and single.

No one is better qualified than Chloe to understand what couples need when their relationship is at breaking point, but she soon finds herself having to tackle the heartbreak she’s tried to bury. In particular three couples need her help – Jo and Dave, Lucy and Andrew, and Kirk and Dawn – and the opening weekend is full of revelation, trouble, memories happy and sad, facts that need facing, and some very big surprises.

It’s time to move on. And it soon becomes clear that some endings are, in fact, very exciting new beginnings …

Via Goodreads

Claudia Carroll is another wonderful Irish author who writes smashing chick lit! I also bought this in Ireland, though it was on a later trip, and was more than worth making room in my luggage for. I found Love Me or Leave Me to be such a unique concept, I had to read it! I feel like we are definitely going to be seeing divorce hotels (and divorce restaurants and divorce spas and anything else you could imagine) in the near future and of course there are going to have to be people who work there. I found it particularly interesting- I am slow to commit to something (I take a lot of time to feel comfortable), but once I am in, I am all in, and I find it psychologically fascinating that so many people need break ups and divorces. Claudia takes what can be a difficult subject and makes it funny and endearing and enjoyable, and that is no easy feat. She doesn’t take herself too seriously but also gives the right amount of heart when needed. I am looking forward to re-reading this in November!

Christmas at Carrington’s, Alexandra Brown

A deliciously indulgent read and the follow up to Cupcakes at Carrington’s. Set in Carrington’s Department Store this is perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan.

Carrington’s Department store is thrown into a spin when the staff learn that a hot new reality TV show is to be filmed in-store, featuring the formidable retail guru, Kelly Cooper. Georgie Hart, in charge of Luxury Handbags, is reluctant, but quickly realises that the show could give Carrington’s a new lease of life. With Christmas around the corner, she’s also hoping that the season will deliver her the perfect Christmas present, in the form of Tom, the store’s dishy boss.

When the film crew arrive, things start to go wrong. One of Tom’s old flames, Zara, is working on the show and then, to top things off, Tom and Zara are sent off to Paris and New York for a spot of extra filming. When Georgie settles down in front of the box to watch the first show, worse it to come – Georgie is shown in a far from flattering light and she is horrified to learn what Tom has been up to.

Georgie fears this is turning out to be the worst Christmas ever, but Santa might have a got a little surprise in store for her stocking this year – but she’ll just have to wait until Christmas to find out!

Via Goodreads 

You had to know that I would include at least one holiday related book, the season is coming after all! Christmas at Carrington’s is one of my favourites of all time, because it checks all of the boxes for me. A department store and a retail worker? Check. Luxury goods? Check. The holiday season? Check. A heart of gold heroine? CHECK. I am all in for this! Georgie is just so lovely and she wants to make sure that Carrington’s success, not just for her job but for the store and the community. I will admit to not dedicating my whole life to my past retail jobs but I loved seeing someone who cared so much. In some chick lit, women are giving no other role other than pining but Georgie has a PURPOSE. Cupcakes and Carrington’s, the first in the series, is a lot of fun, but I think that Alexandra Brown hits her stride with Christmas!

What do you like to read on a long weekend? What is your number one recommendation?

Cheers,
The Historian
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