Happy Disability Pride Month!!! Each color of the rainbow represents a different type of disability. This month is extremely important to me and I wanted to take a moment to touch on a subject that is equally important to me. This post is inspired by the lovely @taras.littlelibrary, @thestarrybibliophile, @turnthepages.nl. Their recommendation posts for Disability Pride month were absolutely incredible and it has inspired me to make my own as well. Definitely check theirs out to get some awesome recs! For this post, I wanted to focus on #OwnVoices and what it means to me. OwnVoices is someone who writes about something that they experience in their own life (aka in their own voice). The character and the author share an identity such as disability, race, ethnicity, or sexuality. To me, it’s putting some of the most vulnerable parts of yourself on display for the world to see. And claiming those parts as your own. Giving voice to what could feel like the “ugliest” and most painful experiences you own to be splayed out on the page. And in doing so, hopefully giving the reader the ability to be seen by someone who also feels the same or at least faces the same things. Some of us read for escape and some of us also read to feel seen. And to me there’s something very special about a bond between an OwnVoices author and a reader seeking the latter. And that’s why I’ve decided to make this post.
I have compiled a list of some of the OwnVoice novels I have read this year and some of the ones I hope to read. I did have difficulty making this list. They’re not as easy to find as I hoped they would be, so I would LOVE to get your recommendations!!! But the representation in these novels is so authentic and AMAZING!!! I’ve never connected more to a novel than in Finding Gene Kelly and Part of Your World. I hope you find a novel where you feel so seen because the rep in all of them is absolutely amazing!!! Thank you to these amazing authors for bringing these stories alive for us!
Vote for your favorites on The Goodreads list here.
Title: Finding Gene Kelly
Author: Torie Jean
Representation: Endometriosis
OwnVoices: Yes
Location: Paris, France
TW/CWs: Endo pain, chronic pain, and emotionally abusive parental relationship.
Romance: Open door. Great Endo rep.
Link: amazon
Summary:
When five-year-old Evie O’Shea married her next-door neighbor in the wedding of the century, she had no idea she was swearing an oath to love the man who would grow into the bane of her existence until the end of time. Or that in ten years time, she’d start a long and winding journey to an eventual endometriosis diagnosis.
Now, aged twenty-six, Evie O’Shea lives in Paris, balancing precariously close to her Charlotte Lucas birthday. A burden to her parents, with no prospects and no money, Evie’s humdrum life needs a shake-up.
Enter Liam Kelly, the man Evie married at the age of five and promptly divorced at seven when he had the audacity to throw a muddy football at her while she was reading Eloise in Paris. Clad in a Henley and equipped with toned forearms and eye crinkles that rival Gene Kelly himself, Evie is determined to keep her ultimate temptation at a distance while she flails wildly navigating life, love, and endometriosis on the banks of the Seine.
But when a family announcement shakes up Evie's world weeks before her brother’s wedding, Evie seeks Liam’s help to get through the wedding with some semblance of sanity intact.
Her request? Fake date.
Making a deal with the Devil always comes with a cost, though, and when Liam’s conditions which include elaborate backstories and practice dates, reignite passions her disease smothered long ago, Evie has to learn to fight for her dreams and break free from her life measured in ibuprofen pills and heating pad settings. Or else risk being alive but never truly living.
Title: Part of Your World
Author: Abby Jimenez
Representation: Yes, mental health
OwnVoices: Yes, anxiety
TW/CWs: Emotional & Domestic Abuse
Romance: Mild Open Door
Link: amazon
Summary:
A refreshingly modern fairy tale and instant New York Times bestseller that Love Hypothesis author Ali Hazelwood hails as "an uplifting, feel-good, romantic read."
After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.
While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.
Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?
Title: Yours Truly
Author: Abby Jimenez
Representation: Yes, CKD, social anxiety, and organ transplant
OwnVoices: Yes, anxiety & chronic kidney disease
TW/CWs: grief and illness
Romance: Mild Open Door
Link: amazon
Summary: Dr. Briana Ortiz’s life is seriously flatlining. Her divorce is just about finalized, her brother’s running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants? Oh, that’s probably going to the new man-doctor who’s already registering eighty-friggin’-seven on Briana’s “pain in my ass” scale. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game . . . by sending Briana a letter.
And it’s a really good letter. Like the kind that proves that Jacob isn’t actually Satan. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likeable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable—a kidney for her brother—she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor . . . especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.
Title: Next to You
Author: Dulcie Dameron
Representation: Yes, wheelchair user, domestic abuse, and anxiety
OwnVoices: Yes, Anxiety
Romance: Sweet, Kissing Only
CW: Domestic Abuse, anxiety & pain with disability
Link: amazon
Summary:
Two scarred hearts must decide if love is worth the trust it takes...
After enduring a life-altering accident and a heartbreaking divorce, Casey Clark moves back home to River Hollow, unsure which direction his life will take. When his meddling sister ropes him into managing her shop, he’s forced to work with the most skittish woman he’s ever met—Shyla. She’s interesting and beautiful but clearly can't stand him, which makes working with her near impossible.
Single mom Shyla Burton moved far away from her past to the little town of River Hollow for peace and quiet. But when she finds out that her new boss is a man, she knows peace is the very last thing she’ll get. Even though Casey is confined physically, he’s still strong and moody which she knows will inevitably spell disaster for her. But when Casey befriends Shyla’s son, Jack, she starts to see him in a different light.
When pain from the past starts to rear its ugly head, Shyla must determine if love really can cover a multitude of sins.
Title: Speechless
Author: Lindsey Lanza
Representation: Yes, Endometriosis & Social Anxiety
OwnVoices: Yes, Endo
Romance: Mild Open Door
Link: amazon
Summary:
When life’s off-key, go to Malibu
Bestselling author Lucy Gold may write fairy tales for a living, but her own happily ever after is looking bleak. Seeking a fresh start after a sudden divorce on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, she decides to make a new life for herself and her service dog in Los Angeles. But when her living arrangements fall through just before takeoff, a handsome stranger offers to let her stay with him and his motley crew of musicians in Malibu. Her gallant hero? None other than Henry Turner, the award-winning composer whose music has held Lucy together while her life’s been crumbling apart. Henry might be at the peak of his creative career, but his crippling anxiety throws his personal life completely out of tune. Yet all of that changes the longer Lucy stays with him and his housemates, swiftly becoming one of their own and offering Henry a glimpse of happiness he never thought possible. As their relationship deepens, Lucy’s attraction to Henry cannot be denied, but as she works through the aftermath of her divorce, she’s resigned to give up on love. Henry plays all the right notes and says all the right words. Will Lucy be able to hear them over her fear of the past repeating itself? Speechless is a swoony saga about finding your people, overcoming your deepest insecurities, and choosing happiness no matter what life throws at you.
Title: The Kiss Quotient
Author: Helen Hoang
Representation: Yes, Autism
OwnVoices: Yes, Autism
Romance: Open Door
Link: amazon
Summary: A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.
Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.
It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...
Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but crave all of the other things he's making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...
Title: Give Me a Sign
Author: Anna Sortino
Representation: Yes, deaf representation
OwnVoices: Yes, deaf representation
Romance: Sweet Romance
Link: amazon
Summary:
Jenny Han meets CODA in this big-hearted YA debut about first love and Deaf pride at a summer camp.
Lilah is stuck in the middle. At least, that’s what having a hearing loss seems like sometimes—when you don’t feel “deaf enough” to identify as Deaf or hearing enough to meet the world’s expectations. But this summer, Lilah is ready for a change.
When Lilah becomes a counselor at a summer camp for the deaf and blind, her plan is to brush up on her ASL. Once there, she also finds a community. There are cute British lifeguards who break hearts but not rules, a YouTuber who’s just a bit desperate for clout, the campers Lilah’s responsible for (and overwhelmed by)—and then there’s Isaac, the dreamy Deaf counselor who volunteers to help Lilah with her signing.
Romance was never on the agenda, and Lilah’s not positive Isaac likes her that way. But all signs seem to point to love. Unless she’s reading them wrong? One thing’s for sure: Lilah wanted change, and things here . . . they're certainly different than what she’s used to.
Title: The Curveball
Author: Megan Cousins
Representation: Yes, PCOS & chronic pain
OwnVoices: Yes, PCOS & chronic pain
Romance: Sweet romance
Link: amazon
Summary:
Penelope: I love baseball. And I get paid to talk about it. Sure, I'm behind the scenes of the best baseball talk show on television, but that's where I'm comfortable. Where I'm safe. And then Jake Hutchinson showed up and I started dreaming again. Dreaming of so much more than being behind the scenes. He reminded me of why I got into this business in the first place. I was determined to put my head down and do my work, and not get involved...but Jake is the curveball I never saw coming.
Jake: I was determined to come in and make a good first impression. Though, soliciting a free meal from my producer probably wasn't the way to do that. And then she started talking about the game I love, the game I played, and I was hooked. I could listen to her talk about baseball for the rest of my life. I can't get involved with my producer, can I? With her talent she won't be a producer for much longer, and what's life without a little risk, right?
Title: The Changeup
Author: Megan Cousins
Representation: Yes, arthritis & chronic pain
OwnVoices: Yes, arthritis & chronic pain
Romance: Sweet romance
Link: amazon
Summary:
Jenna:
The prospect of spending the summer with your best friend shouldn't be this daunting. But when your best friend is handsome, charming, and you're more than a little attracted to him, a road trip and summer spent sharing an apartment with each other isn't all it's cracked up to be. At least we have our research to keep us occupied, right?
Marcus:
I can't spend another minute with Jenna without telling her how I feel. How I've felt for so long. As a geologist, I know better than anyone that too much turmoil simmering under the surface will eventually find a way to be released...I just hope that Jenna and I survive this summer together. And even more than that, I hope our friendship survives.
Title: Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Author: Talia Hibbert
Representation: Yes, Fibromyalgia
OwnVoices: Yes, Fibro
Romance: Open door
Link: amazon
Summary:
Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items?
Enjoy a drunken night out.
Ride a motorcycle.
Go camping.
Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
And... do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.
Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.
But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…
Title: Where You See Yourself
Author: Clair Forrests
Representation: Yes, wheelchair user
OwnVoices: Yes, wheelchair user
Romance:
Link: amazon
Summary:
"Where You See Yourself is an absolutely necessary and affirming addition to YA shelves." -BuzzFeed Books
Where You See Yourself combines an unforgettable coming-of-age tale, a swoon-worthy romance, and much-needed disability representation in this story about a girl who's determined to follow her dreams.
By the time Effie Galanos starts her senior year, it feels like she’s already been thinking about college applications for an eternity—after all, finding a college that will be the perfect fit and be accessible enough for Effie to navigate in her wheelchair presents a ton of considerations that her friends don’t have to worry about.
What Effie hasn’t told anyone is that she already knows exactly what school she has her heart set on: a college in NYC with a major in Mass Media & Society that will set her up perfectly for her dream job in digital media. She’s never been to New York, but paging through the brochure, she can picture the person she’ll be there, far from the Minneapolis neighborhood where she's lived her entire life. When she finds out that Wilder (her longtime crush) is applying there too, it seems like one more sign from the universe that it’s the right place for her.
But it turns out that the universe is full of surprises. As Effie navigates her way through a year of admissions visits, senior class traditions, internal and external ableism, and a lot of firsts--and lasts--she starts to learn that sometimes growing up means being open to a world of possibilities you never even dreamed of. And maybe being more than just friends with Wilder is one of those dreams...
Title: The Stars in My Heart
Author: Sydney Blondell
Representation: Yes, POTS & Bipolar
OwnVoices: Yes, POTS & Bipolar
Romance:
Link: amazon
Summary:
In an attempt to cope with her most recent, and hopefully final, diagnosis of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Sloan Banks’s cardiologist suggests she join a therapy group the hospital sponsors for chronically ill teenagers. In this group, Sloan meets Harlow Baxter, a teen battling Bipolar Depression and alcoholism, and Clem Walker, a teen recently diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma. Though Sloan and Harlow get off to a rocky start when Harlow accuses Sloan of faking her illness, the three teens defy the odds and become each other’s sounding boards as they all struggle to overcome their illnesses. When she’s not stuck at the hospital or hanging with her newfound friends, Sloan’s boredom at home often results in one of three activities; binge-watching Gilmore Girls, jamming out to any song by Demi Lovato, or trying to master a new gluten-free recipe she’s found on Pinterest that would even make Gordon Ramsay salivate. Though Sloan’s POTS is a large defining factor of her life, it is not what defines her. She is still the goofy, compassionate, determined Sloan that she was before becoming known as a “sick kid”, and her tenderness re-emerges in her relationships with Clem and Harlow. In just six months’ time, Sloan’s world is no longer simply consumed by medication, doctor’s visits and hospital stays, but now embraces all of that plus friendship, sisterhood, and adventure!
Title: Morbidly Yours
Author: Ivy Fairbanks
Representation: Yes, Anxiety & Stutter/Speech Impediment
OwnVoices: Yes, Anxiety
Location: Galway, Ireland
Romance: Open Door
Link: amazon
Summary:
Falling for the wrong person?
Bury your feelings.
Callum Flannelly would rather dive into an open grave than take a stranger to dinner and a movie. But he can only inherit the family undertaking business and carry on their legacy under one condition: He must marry before his 35th birthday. So it’s out of the mortuary and into the dating scene.
Lark Thompson would rather get crushed by a falling anvil than live next to a funeral home during her stay in Galway, Ireland. The vivacious American cartoon creator and animator came here to embrace life, not be reminded of losing her husband.
When Lark learns of Callum’s dilemma and aversion to marrying out of necessity rather than love, she agrees to help the introverted mortician. Although sworn off love herself, she is optimistic that Callum can find The One and secure his inheritance.
But as the dating project progresses and their friendship grows, so does a mutual attraction. The more time she spends with serious, sarcastic Callum, the more she dreads finding him a match. And the more disastrous dates he endures, the more trepidation he feels for Lark’s imminent return to the states.
If they think it’s possible to ignore their connection, they’re dead wrong.
Title: All the Right Reasons
Author: Bethany Mangle
Representation: Yes, Ehlers Danlos
OwnVoices: Yes
Romance:
Link: amazon
Summary:
The Bachelor meets Gilmore Girls in this laugh-out-loud young adult romance about a girl who joins her mother on a reality dating show for single parents—only to fall for a contestant’s son.
Cara Hawn’s life fell apart after her father cheated on her mother and got remarried to a woman Cara can’t stand. When Cara accidentally posts a rant about her father online, it goes viral—and catches the attention of the TV producers behind a new reality dating show for single parent families.
The next thing Cara and her mother know, they’ve been cast as leads on the show and are whisked away to sunny Key West where they’re asked to narrow a field of suitors and their kids down to one winning pair. All of this is outside of Cara’s comfort zone, from the meddling producers to the camera-hungry contestants, especially as Cara and her mother begin to clash on which suitors are worth keeping around. And then comes Connor.
As the son of a contestant, Connor is decidedly off-limits. Except that he doesn’t fit in with the cutthroat atmosphere in all the same ways as Cara, and she can’t get him out of her head. Now Cara must juggle her growing feelings while dodging the cameras and helping her mom pick a bachelor they both love, or else risk fracturing their family even more for the sake of ratings. Maybe there’s a reason most people don’t date on TV.
Title: One for All
Author: Lillie Lainoff
Representation: Yes, POTS
OwnVoices: Yes, POTS
Link: amazon
Summary:
“There are no limits to the will—and the strength—of this unique female hero.” —Tamora Pierce, writer of the Song of the Lioness and the Protector of the Small quartets
One for All is a gender-bent retelling of The Three Musketeers, in which a girl with a chronic illness trains as a Musketeer and uncovers secrets, sisterhood, and self-love.
Tania de Batz is most herself with a sword in her hand. Everyone thinks her near-constant dizziness makes her weak, nothing but “a sick girl.” But Tania wants to be strong, independent, a fencer like her father—a former Musketeer and her greatest champion. Then Papa is brutally, mysteriously murdered. His dying wish? For Tania to attend finishing school. But L’Académie des Mariées, Tania realizes, is no finishing school. It’s a secret training ground for new Musketeers: women who are socialites on the surface, but strap daggers under their skirts, seduce men into giving up dangerous secrets, and protect France from downfall. And they don’t shy away from a sword fight.
With her newfound sisters at her side, Tania feels that she has a purpose, that she belongs. But then she meets Étienne, her target in uncovering a potential assassination plot. He’s kind, charming—and might have information about what really happened to her father. Torn between duty and dizzying emotion, Tania will have to decide where her loyalties lie…or risk losing everything she’s ever wanted.
Title: Girl in the Window
Author: Penny Joelson
Representation: Yes, ME
OwnVoices: Yes, ME
Link: amazon
Summary:
For fans of Karen M. McManus and Kara Thomas comes this riveting new young adult crime thriller packed with mystery and suspense, from the acclaimed author of I Have No Secrets
Nothing ever happens on Kasia's street. And Kasia would know, because her chronic illness keeps her stuck at home, watching the outside world from her bedroom window. So when she witnesses what looks like a kidnapping, she's not sure whether she can believe her own eyes...
There had been a girl in the window across the street who must have seen something too. But when Kasia ventures out to find her, she is told the most shocking thing of all: There is no girl.
Title: Two Wrongs Make a Right
Author: Chloe Liese
Representation: Yes, Autism
OwnVoices: Yes, Autism
Romance: Open Door
Link: amazon
Summary:
Opposites become allies to fool their matchmaking friends in this swoony reimagining of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.
Jamie Westenberg and Bea Wilmot have nothing in common except a meet-disaster and the mutual understanding that they couldn't be more wrong for each other. But when the people closest to them play Cupid and trick them into going on a date, Jamie and Bea realize they have something else in common after all—an undeniable need for revenge.
Soon their plan is in place: Fake date obnoxiously and convince the meddlers they’re madly in love. Then, break up spectacularly and dash everyone's hopes, putting an end to the matchmaking madness once and for all.
To convince everyone that they’ve fallen for each other, Jamie and Bea will have to nail the performance of their lives. But as their final act nears and playing lovers becomes easier than not, they begin to wonder: What if Cupid’s arrow wasn’t so off the mark? And what if two wrongs do make a right?
Title: Love Flushed
Author: Evie Mitchell
Representation: Yes, Crohn's
OwnVoices: Yes, Crohn's
Romance: Open Door
Link: amazon
Summary:
It's about to go down...
Annie
I sell toilet paper for a living. It doesn't seem glamorous but S#!T HAPPENS is going places. We're the fastest growing eco-toilet paper subscription service around. We're amazing—and I should know, I'm my own best customer.
After years of hard work, I have everything I need to take my business to the next level—well, everything except the paper.
When my competition swoops in and offers my supplier a better deal, I'm left up a certain creek without a paddle. I must have done something truly crappy in a previous life because the only person willing to help is my ex-boyfriend, Lincoln 'Linc' Garrett.
The man is arrogant, infuriating, and far too attractive for his own good. Thankfully, I flushed any lingering feelings for him the moment he dumped me all those years ago.
So… how did I end up kissing him?
Linc
Annie and I were hot and heavy in high school. We were the golden couple, ready to ride off into the sunset for our life together.
Until my life went to poop and like the ass I am, I flushed everything good from it.
Now she's back in town and stirring up all kinds of feelings I thought I'd purged. Feels like desire, happiness, and something that feels a whole lot like—NOPE! It's not happening. No way. No how.
Or at least it wasn't. But when Annie's left with no choice but to accept my help, it seems as if my heart might have other ideas.
My Novels (with #OwnVoices):
Title: The Paris Soulmate
Author: Brooke Gilbert
Representation: Yes, Crohn's, Lupus, Mast Cell Disorder, Migraines, Arthritic Pain, & Anxiety
OwnVoices: Yes, All
Romance: Sweet, Kissing Only
Link: amazon
Summary:
A woman with rare autoimmune disorders & a "no dating policy." A mysterious, cocky British stranger. A dream trip to Paris. What could go wrong?
Christine is on her way to finally check something off her bucket list–a dream trip to Paris. With thoughts of turning thirty looming, she is determined to make this bucket list trip happen and to try to open up her "out of commission" heart in the process.
Colin is a protective, dreamy British man who finds Christine in the airport terminal already second guessing her trip. And he falls hard.
What starts as a perfect "Mr. Darcy" meet cute and instant connection quickly goes wrong. When they find themselves seated beside each other on the plane to Paris, things seem destined to only get worse. However, with some forced proximity and the help of the elderly woman on the plane, they see that the instant connection they shared may have been right all along and agree to spend the week sightseeing together.
But Colin has a secret about why he's traveling to Paris. Both Christine and Colin have something they hope to gain from their Paris trip. Is a week in Paris long enough to change a heart? And can the magic of Paris help a wounded soul accept love?
Title: The Irish Fall
Author: Brooke Gilbert
Representation: Yes, Crohn's, Suspected Endo, Ovarian Cysts, Migraines, Arthritic Pain, Anxiety, & PTSD
OwnVoices: Yes, All except PTSD.
Romance: Sweet, Kissing Only
Link: amazon
Summary:
Eyre goes to find her heart in Ireland, what she doesn’t realize is she will be leaving it there.
Eyre decides she’s had enough and jumps on the first appealing flight, landing her in the heart of Ireland. As she looks out from the Cliffs of Moher, she thinks about how much Crohn’s and endometriosis have forced her to give up in life.
Darby, definitely not to be confused with Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy, is a cynical and jaded Irishman who doesn’t get emotionally involved–a true grump. While giving a tour, he spots a woman dangerously close to the edge of the cliffs, and he’s drawn to her.
But everything’s about to change for both of them. Darby collects Eyre as part of his tour group and decides to show her the heart of Ireland, and in doing so, shows her how much heart she still has left to give.
Darby has his own demons to face–invisible ones that he battles every day. With the help of a curmudgeonly older Irish man, a quirky border collie, and a fiery yet grandmotherly bartender, Eyre and Darby’s wounded souls start to open up their hearts to each other. But is the healing power of Ireland enough to open a guarded heart? And is love enough to help a scarred soul face the demons he has been trying to outrun for so long? Filled with flirty banter, heartwarming moments, witty sparing, and plenty of swoon. A grumpy sunshine, small town, fish out of water, found family, only one bed, clean, disability and mental health romantic comedy. Grab your copy to start traveling with Eyre and Darby around the Emerald Isle TODAY! See if Ireland can truly mend a wounded heart.
Coming Soon or Works in Progress
Title: The Roman Agenda
Author: Brooke Gilbert
Representation: Yes, Mast Cell Disorder, Fibro, POTS, and Migraines
OwnVoices: Yes, All
Romance: Sweet, Kissing Only
Link: landing page
Summary:
She wasn’t looking for love, especially not one that came in a bad boy, inked wrapping.
River is a quirky art teacher who likes to follow the rules. Well, most of the time. She isn’t looking for a man and especially not one inked in tattoos.
Bennet is a high school English teacher who enjoys picking up some extra shifts as a tattoo artist. A modern day James Dean who is utterly confused about the effect he has on the ladies. And the one time he does try to have an effect on a woman, he scares her away completely.
When these two meet during an after school art therapy class, he falls hard for her and secretly she does too. But there's just one problem . . . she's afraid to fall in love. After River is diagnosed with a rare Mast Cell disorder and then more autoimmune disorders, she determines once and for all that she can only offer Bennet friendship. It’s a nice excuse to hide behind those other fears that are rooted much deeper inside.
When River receives a job offer to teach art classes and art therapy sessions at a Bed and Breakfast in beautiful Roma, she takes the once in a lifetime opportunity. She thinks time away will help her heart forget. But when events lead her to make a phone call to her best friend, Bennet, for help with her classes, she's surprised at how quickly he shows up
Is the Eternal city enough to finally end the torture of an unrequited love?
Title: The Paris Soulmate
Author: Brooke Gilbert
Representation: Yes, Lupus, migraines, physical disability, service dogs, & Anxiety
OwnVoices: Yes, Lupus, migraines, and anxiety
Romance: Sweet, Kissing Only
Link: landing page
Summary:
It’s love at first sniff for their service dogs, but certainly not for them.
Guinevere is traveling to Maui to attend her dream ukulele convention with her service dog in tow. Battling Lupus she’s always dreamed of the beach but never had much reason to go.
Locke is a brooding, mysterious surfer that literally picks Guin up from the shore. His golden Labrador loves the water as much as he does, and neither can be parted from the sea for very long.
When Guinevere gets washed up on shore, the sand isn’t the only thing that rubs her the wrong way. If it wasn’t for her service dogs’ attraction to his, the two would probably have parted ways long ago. Oh, and the fact that she has nowhere to stay since the hotel wasn’t expecting a “pet” on the reservation. Sleeping on the beach quickly becomes a nonviable option.
Guin quickly finds out that her approach to beach life is “all wrong” and that it’s going to take someone like Locke to show her the way. In return, he might let her help him begin to accept why he needs a service dog in the first place.
Is it possible for your soul mutt to pick your soulmate?
Title: The Paris Soulmate
Author: Brooke Gilbert
Representation: Yes, Diabetes & PTSD
OwnVoices: Yes, autoimmune and anxiety
Romance: Sweet, Kissing Only
Link: landing page
Summary:
A diner waitress is about to get swept off her feet with a year of love letters all written on the back of order tickets.
Carey has just stepped foot on American soil and the first thing he plans to do is propose to his girlfriend. As he waits for her in a diner booth, he’s starting to realize he might not get the warmest welcome coming back from the Vietnam War.
Doris is a waitress working hard to pay her medical bills and trying to manage her newly diagnosed Diabetes. She can’t help but notice the handsome soldier fidgeting with a ring box in one of the diner booths. Being compassionate and somewhat nosy, she can’t stop herself from going over and giving him a confidence boost.
When it’s clear that Carey’s girlfriend has moved on, while he was away at war, and that a “no” is fast approaching to his question, Doris feels an even stronger connection to this man. She leaves a special note on Carey’s ticket and pays for his meal. It’s the first kindness and feeling of welcome he’s gotten so far. And he begins coming into the diner every day to leave her a written message on the back of his ticket in hopes of getting to know her . . . and soon with the hopes of winning her heart.
But Doris has a reason she doesn’t get involved with men. Will Carey be different? And will he be able to win her heart?
Title: The British Sound
Author: Brooke Gilbert
Representation: Yes, POTS & IBD
OwnVoices: Yes, All
Romance: Sweet, Kissing Only
Link: landing page
Summary:
This travel romance take readers to the beautifully classic city of London, England. An audiobook narrator meets a handsome voice through an odd job she takes to fill a lull in her schedule. Little does she know, this chance encounter will be the start of so much more. The problem is she shared way too much about herself, especially when it came to her rare disorders, something she never does, and embarrassed herself in the process . . . And it's all on tape. Probably because she never thought she'd speak to the man again, but mostly because that voice lulled her into a sense of safety and she felt a connection. But while she was telling her life story, he was staying silent on personal matters. And what he's hiding may just make them the perfect match for each other. Their undeniable chemistry will make sure they see each other again. When the company reviews the tapes they hear the spark and decide to offer them another job. This time for a project neither of them ever expected. And one she can't refuse even to her embarrassment.
Full List
Finding Gene Kelly- Torie Jean
Part of Your World -Abby Jimenez
Yours Truly- Abby Jimenez
Next to You- Dulcie Dameron
Speechless- Lindsey Lanza
The Kiss Quotient- Helen Hoang
Give Me a Sign- Anna Sortino
The Curveball- Megan Cousins
The Changeup- Megan Cousins
Get a Life, chloe Brown- Talia Hibbert
Where You See Yourself- Claire Forrest
The Stars in My Heart- Sydney Blondell
Morbidly Yours- Ivy Fairbanks
All the Right Reasons- Bethany Mangle
One for All- Lillie Lainoff
Girl in the Window-Penny Joelson
Two Wrongs Make a Right- Chloe Liese
Love Flushed- Evie Mitchell
My Novels:
The Paris Soulmate-Brooke Gilbert
The Irish Fall-Brooke Gilbert
Coming soon: The Roman Agenda, Burning of the Hawaiian Sun, Dear Doris, & The British Sound
*Since I haven’t read all of these I may have missed some rep and I wasn’t sure about the open/closed door on all of them. Please feel free to comment below if you know if there’s something I'm missing!
Discussion Questions
Disability Discussion Questions
What OwnVoices disability authors/books would you recommend?
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Can you tell when you’re reading an OwnVoices novel?
Yes
No
Depends
Let us know why down below in the comments!!!
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