At Vermont's coziest, most popular book lover's holiday destination, four women reflect on the circumstances and expectations that have led them to this Christmas season feeling uncertain about their futures.

"Throwing herself into her work to maintain her position as the news station's weekend anchor, new mother Tabitha Walker, when her husband issues her an ultimatum, turns to her friends for support as she comes to terms with her new life and faces her biggest challenge yet--choosing herself"--

"Since her mother's death, Kit Crockett has lived alone with her grief-stricken father, spending lonely days far out in the country tending the garden, fishing in a local stream, and reading Nancy Drew mysteries from the library bookmobile. One day when Kit discovers a mysterious and beautiful woman has moved in just down the road, she is intrigued. Kit and her new neighbor Bella become fast friends. Both outsiders, they take comfort in each other's...

In the small town of Los Lobos, California, three women join a local indie bookstore’s summer book club—devoted entirely to romance novels—and become life-long friends as they navigate the messiness of motherhood, second chances and becoming the person you’ve always wanted to be.

"For fans of My Brilliant Friend and Mexican Gothic, Julia Fine's Maddalena and the Dark is a novel set in 18th-century Venice at a prestigious music school, about two girls drawn together by a dangerous wager..."--

"Celebrity cooking show host Marni McGuire has seen it all. She's been married--twice. Now in her midfifties, she's single. Happily so. She just needs to convince her pregnant daughter, Bella, of this fact. Similarly single, Marni's best friend and colleague is confident she's content without a man, but both older women soon find themselves leading by example as the young intern on their show appears caught in a toxic relationship--and Bella reveals...

Mariah Ellison, Charlotte Pitt's grandmother, accepts her long-time friend Sadie's gracious invitation to spend Christmas with her and her husband, Barton, in their picturesque village. But upon arrival, Mariah discovers that Sadie has vanished without a trace, and Barton rudely rescinds the invitation. Once Mariah finds another acquaintance to stay with during the holiday season, she begins investigating Sadie's disappearance. Mariah's uncanny knack...

"On a remote archaeological site in Greece, the mythic home of the first Olympics, four women discover an unusual artifact. It's a piece of history that definitely shouldn't exist. And for the head archaeologist in charge, a relic himself, it means something's gone horribly wrong. Elise, Kara, Z, and Patty all find themselves digging here together, but they couldn't be farther apart. Kara's a polished conservator calling off her wedding. Patty and...

"In Singapore, three very different women--Dara, a workaholic lawyer from the UK; Amaka, a sharp-tongued banker from Nigeria; and Lillian, a pianist turned "trailing spouse" from the United States--find their lives inexplicably intertwined upon the arrival of a handsome and mysterious man from Geneva who brings their worlds crashing down"--