Lauren Fox is the author of Still Life with Husband. She earned her MFA from the University of Minnesota in 1998, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Marie Claire, Seventeen, Glamour, and Salon. She lives in Milwaukee with her husband and two daughters.
The Lost Baker of Vienna (2025) Sharon Kurtzman "The Lost Baker of Vienna hits the historical novel sweet spot: it's huge-hearted and keenly detailed, but it's also a straight-up page-turner. When I say I couldn't put this book down, I mean I ignored my life for a solid week. Sharon Kurtzman's characters will live in my head for a long time. Her debut is an absolute stunner."
One Good Thing (2025) Georgia Hunter "In One Good Thing, Georgia Hunter builds a whole world from the complicated sweep of history and the heartbeat of one young woman's struggle to survive. The novel is a fascinating glimpse into a piece of WWII history I knew very little about, and a truly moving portrait of what it means to be brave. Lili's journey is thrilling and intimate: I made myself read slowly in order to savor it. It entered my dreams. I did not want this beautiful book to end."
We Must Not Think of Ourselves (2023) Lauren Grodstein "In We Must Not Think of Ourselves, Lauren Grodstein writes with such a blazing commitment to the truth of the Warsaw Ghetto that sometimes I had to stop reading and catch my breath. But in the midst of the brutality, she clears a path for the parallel stories of love and decency. Make no mistake: this is a heartbreaking portrait of a dark moment. But this novel shimmers with light."
Trouble the Living (2023) Francesca McDonnell Capossela "Trouble the Living is an exquisite meditation on violence'a contradiction that kept me riveted from start to finish. On every page, the intimate and the political are enmeshed and inextricable, brought to life by the novel's mothers and daughters who love and damage one another in equal measure. Francesca McDonnell Capossela's debut is an absolute stunner."
Three Holidays and a Wedding (2023) Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley "A festive fairytale. This sweet, sparkling novel is as fun and surprising as a perfect snow day. Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley have proven that wherever you may find yourself, community is the people you love."
When in Rome (2023) Liam Callanan "When in Rome is a love story, a tug-of-war between fate and faith, and Claire is its funny, thoughtful, searching guide. In fact, she's one of the most delightful narrators I've encountered in recent fiction, full of genuine curiosity and relatable contradictions. I happily followed her through the winding streets of Rome, and I'd go anywhere else she'd care to take me."
Once We Were Home (2023) Jennifer Rosner "Once We Were Home is the rarest literary bird: breathlessly tense and gorgeously lyrical at the same time (that sweet spot most authors can only dream of!). Rosner immerses her reader in a world full of loss, longing, and mystery, and all the while her ear is tuned to the music of language. I'm in awe of this beautiful novel."
How to Fall Out of Love Madly (2022) Jana Casale "With wit, brains, and empathy, Jana Casale throws open the curtain on the inner lives of three young women and illuminates their pain and beauty. How to Fall Out of Love Madly is a literary triumph, and it's also an absolute delight."
Shoulder Season (2021) Christina Clancy "Shoulder Season shines a bright light on a neglected moment in history and tells a coming-of-age story I've truly never read before. In Sherri, Clancy rescues the Playboy Bunny from ridicule and illuminates her inner life with all of the richness and complexity she deserves."
The Cape Doctor (2021) E J Levy "The Cape Doctor is a rare achievement: equal parts brains and heart, a page-turner and a deeply moving exploration of precisely what it means to be human. E. J. Levy breaks open what we think we know about gender, identity, and love and shines a light on the devastating limits of each. I can’t stop thinking about this gorgeous, thoughtful, heartbreaking book."
Indecent (2018) Corinne Sullivan "Indecent is so astutely observed, so expertly crafted, I didn't realize I was riding a roller coaster until I was already buckled in and halfway to the top. A fractured coming-of-age story, a one-two punch about self-sabotage and obsessive love, Indecent is a page-turner of a debut by a ridiculously talented young writer."
Things to Do When It's Raining (2018) Marissa Stapley "A generous book about imperfect people, a novel about the family we choose, the mistakes we make, and how love, flawed and searching and messy, is the only path to forgiveness. It’s also a gorgeously written page-turner, and when I finished it, I flipped right back to page one to savor it just a little bit more."
The Way Life Should Be (2007) Christina Baker Kline "Warm, witty and wise, THE WAY LIFE SHOULD BE is a glimpse into the heart of a woman who takes the kind of leap of faith that most of us only dream of. Christina Baker Kline has written a book about love and disappointment and risk and risotto, utterly appealing on every level."
