Reese's Book Club Picks That Feel Like A Warm Hug

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Sometimes you want a thrilling, spooky horror book for the fall that'll give you goosebumps and raise the hair on the back of your neck. Other times, you want a good cry. And then there are times you crave an emotion-stirring tale that feels like you've wrapped yourself in the coziest sweater. Well, Reese Witherspoon's book club gives you just that with several novels that'll transport you to another world. For instance, those looking for something soul-stirring can settle down with titles like Claire Leslie Hall's "Broken Country," the most heartbreaking read from Reese's Book Club.

But then there are some who turn to reading when they want to feel comforted or need a temporary escape. For some people, that comes in the form of a favorite book from childhood — "Charlotte's Web" is one that comes to mind. While there's nothing wrong with indulging in a dose of nostalgia, we've compiled a list of contemporary reads you'll want on your TBR list that will leave you putting down the book with a smile.

Sometimes, romance books are just what we need to cozy up with, and Yulin Kuang's "How to End a Love Story" will hit you with all the feels. There's a past tragedy, tense family dynamics, a behind-the-scenes look into screenwriting, and of course, a slow-burning romance. Centered around author Helen Zhang, she's forced to work with her former classmate, Grant Shepard, who is the last person she wants to see. Somehow, fate brought their lives together, and they must face their past traumas while fighting their feelings for each other. Spoiler alert: they fall in love.

While "How to End a Love Story" has some heavy themes, romantics will find themselves rooting for Zhang and Shepard. One fan of the book wrote on Amazon, "To me, this felt like an 'awww' love story [and] I fell in love with the characters at the same time they fell in love with each other. I was able to relate to her familial struggles, and I could not wait for when she finally realized there was no other way for them but to be together. I yearn for this kind of love." This one is what you'll want to read next if you love popular romance novels like "The Rom-Commers" by Katherine Center.

Many of us have complicated relationships with our parents, and if you fall into that category, you'll totally relate to "Mother-Daughter Murder Night" by Nina Simon. Lana and her daughter Beth don't have the best relationship, but when a murder makes one of their own a suspect, it's time to put their heads together and solve the mystery by themselves. With the help of Beth's teenage daughter, Jack, who gets cleared of any blame, they put on their detective hats while bonding over sleuthing.

"Mother-Daughter Murder Night" is a fun take on whodunnits, and the story behind the book is heartwarming. Simon shared on Goodreads that it was inspired by her own mom, who had cancer and was tough as nails like Lana. "There's murder in this book, but also a lot of love ... Most of all, there's family love between the grandmother, mother, and teen daughter at the center of the story. It isn't always easy to live with our mothers — or our daughters. I hope you find love, in all its messiness, in these pages," she wrote. "Mother-Daughter Murder Night" is a great shared read if you want a bonding experience with your own mother or daughter. One reviewer mused, "[It] has an interesting title. One that gives you the feeling that maybe we need to get ourselves comfortable in front of our television set on a Sunday evening with our mother, ready to watch a murder mystery movie with popcorn." If that isn't the epitome of cozy, we don't know what is!

Readers absorb books with their eyes, ears, and by touch, but rarely by smell, which is what Erica Bauermeister invokes with "The Scent Keeper." Centering around a young girl named Emmeline who is gifted with a keen sense of smell, the book is part fantasy set in the real world. Throughout the story, Bauermeister draws images of scents with her words until the reader can practically smell them off the pages. One fan shared on Goodreads, "The way the Author writes about scents and how they tell a story, how each individual can smell something and be transported back in time, perhaps to a grandmother's kitchen while she was cooking, or to that camp you attended as child, whatever the case may be, all of us have certain scents we enjoy."

Bauermeister revealed on Reese's Book Club that she grew up observing how senses affected those around her. She drew inspiration from a story about a man who dreamed he was a dog and woke up with heightened senses. The author wrote, "It made me wonder — what it would be like for a child to grow up with such a gift? What would our world look like to such a child? What would we look like?" Bauermeister continued, "The Scent Keeper evolved into a novel about growth and compassion and healing. About finding each other through something as ephemeral as the scent on a burning piece of paper. And thus, in its own subliminal way, writing about the sense of smell brought me home."

Tales of a long-lost-love always have readers rooting for an everlasting reunion, which is what Rainbow Rowell's "Slow Dance" does. Shiloh and Cary are BFFS from high school who bond over their big dreams. Unfortunately, life gets in the way of their friendship, and they lose touch for years. When a wedding brings them back together as adults, they must put aside the past and finally learn how to navigate becoming friends to lovers.

Despite their messy past, or perhaps because of it, readers fell in love with Shiloh and Cary. One shared on Goodreads, "Finished in a single day. This lifelong love story had all the feels. I loved these characters and their human flaws." Another wrote of reading Reese's Book Club's pick in the fall, "If I could drink this book, like the perfect cup of coffee, I would be wholly satisfied. From the beginning to the end, I was fully engrossed. This is the season for getting cozy, and 'Slow Dance' delivers every book nook, fireplace, and leaves falling evening."

When thinking about books that feel cozy, feel-good reads naturally come to mind. And, while we do have two romance novels on our list, we wanted a diverse selection that had some deep, meaningful stories. A couple of the books have a touching origin story, such as "Mother-Daughter Night" and "The Scent Keeper," which we thought would resonate with readers. We also perused reviews on Goodreads and Amazon to see how the readers felt upon finishing the books, and the majority were left happy with the ending.