Chick Lit Books: 9 Best Picks For Your Next Vacation
Chick lit books feature plucky protagonists, witty banter, and adorable love stories. Here are the best of the best chick lit books!
For the record, I’m not a huge fan of the term “chick lit.” I love to read these chick lit books, but it’s a genre without a clear definition and is often looked down on by “serious” readers. I always try to explain these titles as “romantic comedies in book form” instead, since most everyone loves a great rom-com!
There’s also a blurred line between these novels and contemporary romance. A few books on my list may be classified as contemporary romance first. However, they still meet my made up chick lit criteria. So, I included them anyway! If you want to more of the sexy, steamy side that contemporary romance offers, check out my list of the best contemporary romance novels!
Chick lit books clearly aren’t highbrow literary fiction, but I adore them for that exact reason. Yes, usually they include a quirky protagonist, some sort of romance, and overcoming an obstacle to reach a happy ending, but who doesn’t enjoy reading that!?
Pick one of the books below and get ready to smile, laugh, and swoon. You’ll find nuanced characters, laugh out loud moments, and even some very relatable feelings and circumstances. These are the best chick lit books I could find. Enjoy yourself 😊
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Ultimate List of the Best Chick Lit Books
- What You Wish For by Katherine Center
- The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
- The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
- Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella
- Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
- Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
- This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens
- The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
- My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren
Best Chick Lit Books
What You Wish For
by Katherine Center
If you’re looking for a book that embodies joy, this is it! At it’s heart, it’s a bunch of teachers trying to save a beautiful, creative school from a hard-ass new principal.
Throughout the pages, it also turns into a story about dealing with grief and fear and opening your heart to new ways to love. I honestly adored it and was so excited to pick it up and read every night.
The Blue Bistro
by Elin Hilderbrand
A friend from work recommended this to me when I discovered how much I enjoyed Hilderbrand’s novels. Nantucket’s hottest restaurant is closing and Adrienne snagged the hostess job for their last summer season. My favorite aspect was the behind the scenes look at running a restaurant.
If you’re looking for more great stories about food, restaurants, bakeries, and more, you can check out my foodie fiction book list!
The Bookshop On The Corner
by Jenny Colgan
I’ve devoured Colgan’s entire catalogue of novels and can honestly say you’re guaranteed to love all of them. They always feature charming locations and quirky characters with laugh out loud dialogue. She has a knack for writing twenty to thirty something women with sometimes sarcastic thoughts that are trying to figure out what they’re meant to do in this world.
The Bookshop On The Corner is a tale of a Londoner who moves to Scotland to sell books from her van. She encounters quintessential small town characters and inevitably falls in love with the land and its people.
Can You Keep A Secret
by Sophie Kinsella
Kinsella is another one of my go-to authors. Her most famous work is the Shopaholic series (which I also recommend), but I like Can You Keep a Secret the best. It was a classic comedy of errors and dealing with the effects on one simple mistake.
When Emma spills all of her secrets to a stranger on a plane, she assumes she’ll never see him again. At least, until he turns out to be the elusive CEO of her company.
Save For Later!
Bridget Jones’s Diary
by Helen Fielding
One of the original chick lit novels, now considered a classic! If you’ve only seen the movie, you’ll find the book is just as delightful. This is a loosely based retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in London. Bridget Jones is every woman at some point in their life. A great group of friends, a love triangle, fruitless attempts to lose weight and loads of sarcasm.
Something Borrowed
by Emily Giffin
Both the book and the movie adaptation are excellent, which is a pleasant bonus! Plus, the main character is named Rachel! So, of course I’m a fan for that reason too. This is one of the first chick lit books I read and it will forever remain a favorite!
Rachel is a typical rule-follower and all around good girl. On the night of her 30th birthday, she drunkenly admits her feelings for her best friend’s fiancee…to him. To her shock, he feels the same way. Right and wrong are no longer quite so defined.
This Time Next Year
by Sophie Cousens
One of the best chick list books to start off a new year. Quinn and Minnie were born seconds apart on New Years Day, but only one of them grew up hearing horror stories of how a name and monetary prize were stolen. Minnie’s mom blames all of Minnie’s bad luck on the fact that another mom stole the name she loved and the prize money for the first baby born in the new year.
When Minnie happens to meet Quinn in real life decades later, she is programmed to hate him.
This was a recent Book of the Month pick and it was a hit! It was fun reading how Quinn and Minnie approached their new association with completely different eyes.
The Flatshare
by Beth O’Leary
I received a free copy of this book as part of a book tour (you can check out my full review of The Flatshare now) Spoiler alert – I absolutely loved it! I honestly wasn’t expecting a whole lot, but the story is unique and there is hilarious witty post-it note banter that I adored. When two strangers decide to split time in a flat, they don’t know what they’re getting into.
Beth O’Leary is now a go-to author for both chick lit books and great women’s fiction!
My Favorite Half-Night Stand
by Christina Lauren
I recently discovered these two friends turned authors and I’m devouring everything they write! In this book, Millie and her group of guy friends turn to online dating to find plus-ones for an upcoming event.
Just before they get started though, she hooks up with one of them in a mutually agreed upon one-time only event! Well, at least they both think they’re better off as just friends…
This is right on the verge of chick lit books versus contemporary romance so it’s a great option for anyone who loves both genres!
What are your favorite chick lit books? Would you add any title to this best chick lit books guide? If you don’t read this genre, tell us why not!
I completely agree with your thoughts on the term Chick Lit. I’ve personally embraced reading lighter reads and romance novels because I need to pepper those in with my more serious reads. The Hating Game is one of my absolute favorites. Since you liked My Favorite Half-Night Stand, I’d recommend Christina Lauren’s Roomies and Dating You/Hating You. Both are really great.
I like mixing in a variety of genres too. Otherwise I find myself in a reading slump. I haven’t read either of those so I’m excited you liked them!
Can You Keep a Secret? is adorable!
What better time for a light, romantic comedy than summer? Love it! Looking forward to your review of The Flatshare. Looks cute!
I never minded the term chick lit but I understand why it’s problematic. To me, it always just signified a story that was overall lighter in tone, even if it dealt with heavier topics. You’ve got some great ones on this list! I’m a HUGE Christina Lauren fan; My Favorite Half-Night Stand was awesome. Emily Giffin’s Something Borrowed amazed me. She managed to make something fairly taboo- cheating- into a complex, complicated story, and her writing was phenomenal. I own a copy of that and it stays on my ‘always keep’ shelf. Sophie Kinsella is another favorite; I enjoyed Can You Keep A Secret years ago. 🙂
Happy summer reading!
Sometimes I am embarrassed to admit to reading any chick lit, but you’re right – it’s just like watching a romantic comedy! They’re light, enjoyable, and easy to read… such a good idea to put a summer reading guide together of just chick lit – it’s perfect!
Glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully there were some new ideas for you on here!
I liked Bridget Jones Diary, too.
My TTT.
My Favorite Half-Night Stand wasn’t my favorite by Christina Lauren but it was still a good one. Loved that friend group. 🙂 I’m excited to pick up The Flatshare soon!
what’s a book tour?