17 Books To Read This Winter That Feel Like A Warm Hug

“Mystical and romantic, A Love Song For Ricki Wilde is such a cozy and special book about lost love and finding yourself again in New York! Any book where half the story takes place in a flower shop is automatically on my TBR.” — Katie Garrity, Social & News Editor

“OK, so, a lady orc decides to stop murdering people and open a coffee shop... and along the way she meets a cast of delightful friends as well as a new love interest. It’s hard giving up a lifetime of bloodlust and crime, but she wants to leave it all behind and build community. This book is filled with music, food, friends, and the hope that you can start a new chapter no matter what your life has been before.” — Sarah Aswell, Deputy Editor of News & Social

“Trigger warning: This book begins with a woman who has come to a seaside hotel to kill herself. But if you can read past that opening chapter, you’ll find yourself in a story that I can’t forget because it is so lovely. Phoebe doesn’t see a reason to continue until she’s swept up into a weeklong wedding that welcomes her with open arms. After thinking that life doesn’t make much sense to her, she discovers that a whole new community might be there for her... including some lifelong friends and perhaps the love that she’s never thought possible.” — Sarah Aswell

“Taylor Jenkins Reid can do no wrong in my book. Her latest, about a crew of astronauts in the 1980s, is an unexpected love story that is so beautiful it will take your breath away. I won't lie, it is an emotional ride, but Jenkins Reid has some really beautiful, poignant, thought-provoking lines throughout this book that had me pausing to reflect. I sobbed at the end, and, OK sure, maybe not everyone wants to be even more of an emotional mess right now, but I found it really beautiful and life-affirming and had me thinking about it long after I put it down. That's the sign of a good hug if you ask me.” — Kate Auletta, Editor in Chief

“If Studio Ghibli movies make you feel like you're in a warm embrace, you have to read Water Moon (or really any Samantha Soto Yambao novel). They're a magical realism trip into completely unique worlds, where the stakes feel high at times, but you know the ending will be happy nonetheless. Her latest, The Elsewhere Express, is high on my TBR.” — Katie McPherson, Associate Editor of Lifestyle & Entertainment

“B.K. Borrison became an auto buy for me after I read First Time Caller. A ‘love is for suckers’-type radio host finds himself awestruck when a young girl calls into his radio show, wondering how to get her mom a date. It’s giving Sleepless in Seattle for the new age. By the end of this one, I was kicking my feet and loving love!” — Katie Garrity

“Patrick is a washed-up Hollywood star who mopes around his Palm Springs mansion telling himself that he's happy. Masie and Grant, his niece and nephew, suddenly need a caregiver after they lose their mother and their father has a mental health crisis. When they move in with their gay uncle (Guncle!), life changes for all three of them. Can Patrick get his stuff together enough to care for living, breathing children? Can the kids let someone else into their heart after tragedy? Could there ever be a funnier book than this?” — Sarah Aswell

“A group of people all ride the same commuter train car at the same time every morning. And none of them ever talk to one another until one day one of them chokes on a grape, and everyone else jumps into action. At that moment, they begin to realize that even though they don't have that much in common on the surface, they can still be friends... and more. This is a super funny British novel about the things that bring us together and what the world would be like if we stopped to talk to the people we saw every day in our communities.” — Sarah Aswell

“This is one of those books where you can judge it by the cover! Sophie Sullivan totally nails the fake engagement trope while simultaneously making you feel all the feels. I love this one because, yes, there's some romance, but it's all heart!” — Katie Garrity

“This book is pure family drama, but it's light and fun and moving without being heavy. I read this last spring when I started my whole ‘warm hugs-type books’ journey in life, and it was a lovely one to kick off with. It's a fun one, promise.” — Kate Auletta

“This book reads like a fairytale for adults! It also feels like a lovely, chill version of Charley and the Chocolate Factory. Four people are invited to the island home of a famed children's book author — but only one of them will win the contest that will take place there. This is such a charming and enchanting read, with a lovely touch of romance, too.” — Sarah Aswell

“A middle-aged single mom doesn’t even have romance on her radar after her painful divorce. But when her screenplay is turned into a movie and the director wants to shoot it at her idyllic house, she finds herself face-to-face with the Sexiest Man Alive, also known as the male lead to the movie she wrote. What would this Hollywood star ever want to do with her and her mess of a life? It turns out... a lot.” — Sarah Aswell

“Kennedy Ryan is one of my favorite romance writers — all of her books create these very real and deep worlds that you want to stay in all day. In Can't Get Enough, Hendrix is a powerful businesswoman who also spends her spare time helping other women succeed and caring for her mother, who suffers from dementia. She doesn't think she needs a man, but when she meets Maverick, she feels a spark even though he's spectacularly off-limits to her. What will happen when these two very large personalities collide? You'll have to read on.” — Sarah Aswell

“Abby Jimenez hive, rise up! In the first installment of her Part of Your World series, Jimenez takes us to a small town where a cute, lumberjack-type man runs an inn, and a big city girl falls in love with more than just his small town. Yes, yes, and yes!” — Katie Garrity

“This is one of my favorite books of all time, and I don't know why more people haven't heard of it! In this coming-of-age story about a girl named Mary Jane who has very strict and unloving parents, everything changes for her when she takes a summer job as a nanny for a local family. A week into her job, a rock star and his movie star wife move into the house, bringing an entirely new culture and lifestyle into Mary's world. Suddenly, she sees that life doesn't have to be dull or without feeling — it can be bright, beautiful, and exciting (even if it is also complicated). This book is a joy, and one I plan on reading again and again.” — Sarah Aswell

“There is something so warm and fuzzy about a grumpy/sunshine trope where the guy is the sunshine! I feel like it doesn't happen that often in romance novels. Also, if the cover of If It Makes You Happy doesn't scream ‘WARM HUG!!!!’ at the top of its lungs, then I don't know what will!” — Katie Garrity

“OK, this book just got on my radar this week, but I fully intend to dive into it tonight because it sounds like the coziest. Takako has never loved reading, even though her family has owned the Morisaki bookshop in Tokyo for generations. When her boyfriend reveals he's marrying someone else, she moves into the tiny apartment above the shop to help her uncle, Satoru, run the place. Here the pair learn about all they have in common, and connect with their customers over new reads and hot coffee. These are the low stakes we need right now.” — Katie McPherson