Books that Feel as Good as Curling Up with Pumpkin Pie on Thanksgiving Day

Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell
Rainbow Rowell knows how to write feel-good books, and in my humble opinion, Fangirl is the feel-goodiest. Just like the rest of the world, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. And, alongside her twin sister, Wren, Cath spent most of high school writing Simon Snow fan fiction—really good fan fiction with a massive online following, at that. But now that they’re in college, Wren seems a lot less interested in Simon Snow. In fact, she seems a lot less interested in Cath, period. Meanwhile, Cath is balancing her new roommate (and said roommate’s always-around best friend), a writing professor who’s decidedly anti-fan-fiction, a handsome classmate, and growing concerns about her fragile dad back at home alone. For the first time in her life, Cath is making friends and writing without Wren at her side. Or, to tell the truth, not writing, because she has definitely been neglecting her fic. Cath isn’t sure how she feels about that, either, but I promise that you will feel great reading Cath’s story.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares
An oldie, but a goodie, the traveling pants series follows four girls—Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen—who have been best friends practically since birth. In the series’ first book, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, we meet the foursome just when they’re about to spend the summer apart for the first time in their lives. In a local thrift shop, they find a pair of pants that magically fit all four of them perfectly. They decide to share the pants even as they travel (or don’t travel, in Tibby’s case—she’s stuck at home for the summer) to places as far-flung as Greece and Baja, South Carolina and Maryland, as they fall in and out of love, face tragedy, and confront their fears. But the girls—and their magic jeans—are just getting started. The five books in the series follow the best friends through high school, into college and beyond. But even as their lives change, even as they move away and grow apart, one thing remains the same: sisterhood is forever. And it doesn’t really get more feel-good than that.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
This Printz Honor book follows the friendship of two boys in 1980s Texas. Aristotle (aka, Ari) meets Dante at the local swimming pool. On the surface, the two boys have nothing in common—except, perhaps, for the fact that they’re both loners. In spite of their differences, they begin spending time together and become friends—best friends, the kind of friends who would risk their lives for one another. Dante isn’t like anyone Ari has ever met; it seems to him that Dante sees the world differently than everyone else. At home, Ari’s life is filled with unanswered questions, about his brother, who’s serving time in prison, and about his father’s experiences in Vietnam. But Dante likes to talk about everything—art, poetry, Ari’s Mexican American heritage. Ari knows Dante’s feelings for him are bigger than just friendship, and soon a split-second decision will help Ari understand just how enormous his feelings are in return

Out of My Mind, by Sharon M. Draper
On the surface, this might not seem like a feel-good novel. Out of My Mind is the story of Melody, a 10-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who’s trapped inside her body, unable to read or write or talk. Which means no one knows she’s brilliant. No one knows Melody has a photographic memory, a vast vocabulary, and a sophisticated understanding of the world around her. When she starts going to school, her classmates—and even some of her teachers—dismiss her as mentally challenged. Trapped in her chair without the ability to speak, Melody can’t exactly tell them otherwise. But she’s determined to show them how much she knows and understands, and with the right tools, she just might be able to. I promise you this book will make you sad and angry, and it might even make you cry—but being inside Melody’s brain will also make you feel very, very good.

Everything, Everything, by Nicola Yoon
This novel about a girl suffering from SCID—severe combined immunodeficiency, more commonly called “bubble baby disease”—is moving, surprising, and utterly heartwarming. Madeline Whittier’s disease keeps her confined to her house. Her mother, her nurse, and her books are pretty much her only company, unless you count the rare visit from a tutor. So when a family of four moves into the house across the street, she can’t help being curious about them—especially about the cute boy who likes to climb up on the roof. In fact, he’s downright impossible to ignore. But he also reminds Maddy of all the parts of life she can’t participate in, like high school and holding hands and first kisses. Maddy knows Outside could be dangerous. But she’s beginning to wonder whether it might be even more harmful to miss out on life altogether. Everything, Everything will probably make you cry—but it will also make you smile.