Bookclubpick Stories

Spencer was never unfaithful. He was just running out of time. When a devoted husband begins hiding phone calls and doctor visits, his wife is certain the worst is true. The distance between them grows, fueled by jealousy, silence, and fear-until accusations nearly destroy the marriage they once believed was unbreakable. What she doesn't know is that Spencer is carrying a secret far heavier than betrayal: a terminal diagnosis and only weeks left to live. Determined to protect the woman he loves from pain, he chooses silence-never realizing that love, when left unspoken, can wound just as deeply as the truth. As suspicion gives way to revelation, Love Didn't Leave becomes a tender, heartbreaking story of misunderstanding, sacrifice, forgiveness, and the quiet ways love survives even loss. This is a novel about the things we hide for love... and the love that stays when everything else is gone.

From a small town of 2,500 where everyone knew her name-and thought they knew her destiny-Sarah Evans was the golden girl, the "homeroom angel" destined for more. Fueled by hollow prophecies of modeling fame, she trades her quiet Tennessee life for the glittering promise of Hollywood, only to discover that dreams have a dark, dangerous price. Swallowed by the city's predatory underbelly, Sarah's journey spirals from a desperate magazine shoot to the neon haze of a strip club, from whispered lies to a numbing addiction. While she spins a glamorous fairy tale for the hometown that once adored her, her reality becomes a survival story-one of exploitation, shattered ribs, and a loneliness so deep it threatens to erase her completely. But when the lies unravel and the angel falls, salvation comes from the most unexpected place: the steadfast love of the boy she left behind. Centerfold Angel is a raw, unflinching story of lost innocence, the brutal cost of "making it," and the painful, powerful journey home-not as the girl who left, but as the woman who survived.

A heartfelt and haunting coming-of-age story about the friendship that shaped a lifetime and the silent hurt that almost shattered it. Diane is the golden girl of Crestwood High-star cheerleader, straight-A student, a girl who moves through the world with effortless grace. Jimmy is the quiet boy from the wrong side of town, whose only solace is found in the margins of his notebook and the songs on his ancient cassette player. Since childhood, they've shared a private, sacred friendship. But in the glaring light of high school hierarchy, Diane only acknowledges Jimmy when no one else is watching. Everything changes when Jimmy leaves a mixtape in Diane's bag, with a single, devastating Culture Club song as its centerpiece. The lyrics become the soundtrack to his pain and the mirror to her blindness: Do you really want to hurt me? Told in alternating perspectives, this lyrical and emotionally raw novel follows the unraveling and tentative reconstruction of a bond built on secrets. As Diane confronts the casual cruelty of her double life, and Jimmy learns to turn his anguish into art, they must both ask: can a fracture become a foundation? Can the very thing that broke you be the material you use to build something new? Perfect for fans of Nina LaCour's melancholic tenderness, the social tensions of The Sky is Everywhere, and the nostalgic ache of Normal People, Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? is a poignant exploration of memory, music, and the courage it takes to look back-and to finally, truly see.