Books like 'Starting From Scratch'
Readers who enjoyed Starting From Scratch by Georgia Beers also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary lesbian romance angst queer single-mother second chances competent heroine small town multicultural career professional
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These Thin Lines by Milena McKay
Some lines should never be crossed...In the heart of Paris, Chiara Conti is a Queen trapped in an Ivory Tower of haute couture, fortune and lovelessness. Lonely and dejected, she’s longing for inspiration, for direction, for understanding.When Vi Courtenay falls at her feet, losing her shoe like a veritable Cinderella, events are set in motion that will unravel their carefully fashioned lives... -
![Then & Now by Monica McCallan]()
Then & Now by Monica McCallan
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 22 ratingsLily Connor has focused all her energy into becoming a successful wedding planner, and after five years, she’s on the precipice of taking on more responsibility at Southerland Wedding Company. When the chance finally presents itself, it comes with a complication she couldn’t have dreamt up in her worst nightmares... -
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![The Forever and The Now by K.J .]()
The Forever and The Now by K.J .
Rated: 4.68 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsBron McIntyre, forty-two, has it all together. Terrific job. Loving family. No desperate need for a girlfriend but would be interested if one came along. Bron McIntyre is Teflon.Kate Agostino, forty-eight, is not Teflon. Yes, she has a terrific job. But a loving family? Not really. And her personal life is rapidly disintegrating and turning into dust... -
![Poppy Jenkins by Clare Ashton]()
Poppy Jenkins by Clare Ashton
Two old friends, one hot summer, a whole load of confusion. Poppy Jenkins makes everyone smile. She’s the heart of Wells, a beautiful village in mid-Wales, leaving light and laughter in her wake. She has a doting family, an errant dog and a little sister with a nose for mischief...Categorized as:
second chances angst small town queer competent heroine f-f contemporary friends to lovers -
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![Shifting Gears by Jazz Forrester]()
Shifting Gears by Jazz Forrester
A spicy, small-town, opposites attract lesbian romance about learning to let go, no matter the cost.Workaholic Eleanor Cromwell blows into rural Canada, laser focused on her real estate development project. Given the locals already hate her father’s company, she plans to hide away in a cabin and conceal her identity to get the job done...Categorized as:
queer small town f-f contemporary class difference audiobook third-person-pov canada -
![The Awkward Truth by Lee Winter]()
The Awkward Truth by Lee Winter
This funny opposites-attract lesbian romance digs up the awkward truth about what really matters in life.Ambitious ice queen and corporate lawyer Felicity Simmons has spent her life focused on one thing: scuttling up the career ladder. She’s achingly close to taking charge of a media empire for her boss when she’s sent to investigate a South Bronx charity that helps homeless people’s pets... -
![Perfect Rhythm by Jae]()
Perfect Rhythm by Jae
Pop star Leontyne Blake might sing about love, but she stopped believing in it a long time ago. What women want is her image, not the real her. When her father has a stroke, she flees the spotlight and returns to her tiny Missouri hometown. In her childhood home, she meets small-town nurse Holly Drummond, who isn’t impressed by Leo’s fame at all...Categorized as:
queer small town career professional competent heroine f-f contemporary dual-pov asexual-heroine -
![Impulse Buy by Jae]()
Impulse Buy by Jae
Prickly emergency physician Regina has never liked romantic gestures, but when her girlfriend, ER nurse Ellie, surprises her with a gift right after Valentine’s Day, rejecting it is not an option.Little does she know the impulse buy will have unexpected consequences.“Impulse Buy” is a short story sequel to Jae’s lesbian romance Bachelorette Number Twelve... -
![Beyond Any Experience by Anne E. Terpstra]()
Beyond Any Experience by Anne E. Terpstra
Olivia Northman’s world shattered the day she lost her wife to a drunk driver. Three years later, she still struggles with grief and the demands of being a single parent to their autistic son, Ben. After her first attempt at a new relationship crumbles, she retreats to the simple, the predictable. It’s what’s best for her son, and her heart.Ellie Vasquez isn’t simple or predictable... -
![Nightingale by Andrea Bramhall]()
Nightingale by Andrea Bramhall
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Charlie Porter meets Hazaar Alim her first year of university, she's instantly smitten. Hazaar has it all: beauty, talent, and brains. What she doesn't realize is that Hazaar's future has already been decided, and Charlie has no place in it. Hazaar desperately wants to break with her traditions and stay with Charlie, but when forced to choose, she chooses her family over love... -
![Sprinkled in the Stars by Violet Morley]()
Sprinkled in the Stars by Violet Morley
AJ Beckett is just trying to get Parker, her seven-year-old autistic daughter, through life in one piece. As a paramedic, AJ puts others’ needs above her own; in her personal life, she keeps everyone an arm’s length away. That distance disappears when a chance run-in with actor Melanie Cooper leaves her sticky, angry, and fed up.Melanie Cooper has just signed her last movie...Categorized as:
single-mother queer f-f dual-pov neurodivergent contemporary age difference audiobook -
![Cigar Club by J.A. Armstrong]()
Cigar Club by J.A. Armstrong
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsFallon Foster is Whiskey Springs' self-proclaimed token lesbian. She isn't a token any longer. After her year-long affair with best friend, Andi Maguire ends, Fallon hopes to earn the trust and win the heart of the town's newest resident, Riley Main. Ghosts from the past still haunt Fallon and Riley. Informed by loss and betrayal, the pair endeavors to find their way to each other... -
![Love Next Door by Rachael Sommers]()
Love Next Door by Rachael Sommers
A sweet toaster-oven lesbian romance that asks whether the one we’re meant to be with might be right under our nose.Reserved tattoo artist Riley Foster has just moved apartments and can’t take her eyes off the single mom who lives next door... -
![I Can't Think Straight by Shamim Sarif]()
I Can't Think Straight by Shamim Sarif
Tala, a London-based Palestinian, is preparing for her elaborate Middle Eastern wedding when she meets Leyla, a young British Indian woman who is dating her best friend. Spirited Christian Tala and shy Muslim Leyla could not be more different from each other, but the attraction is immediate and goes deeper than friendship... -
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![Falling Together by Erica Lee]()
Falling Together by Erica Lee
Erin Corcoran doesn’t believe anyone in her life will actually stick around. Her dad was the first person to leave her. Then, many years later, it was her wife. A year after her divorce, Erin is still struggling as a single mom. When she decides to hire a babysitter to watch her son, Nolan, over the summer, the last thing she expects is to fall for the woman ten years her junior...Categorized as:
queer single-mother f-f length-medium explicit-open-door contemporary pennsylvania third-person-pov -
![Not for a Moment by Cheyenne Blue]()
Not for a Moment by Cheyenne Blue
Desperate situations call for desperate lies in this charming, fake-relationship lesbian romance.Andi Barrons has no time for kids or the chaos they bring—certainly not when she runs a high-end decorating business...Categorized as:
angst single-mother queer f-f friends to lovers length-medium open-door contemporary -
![Separate Like Stars by Diana Kane]()
Separate Like Stars by Diana Kane
Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsOn paper, Jordan Cohen has it all. With numerous bestsellers under her belt, a number of blockbuster movie adaptations to her credit, and a high profile relationship with one of Hollywood’s most prominent stars, what more could she possibly ask for? Maybe for Olivia Bradley, the only woman to ever break her heart, to exit her life as quickly as she’d re-entered it...Categorized as:
second chances angst queer f-f friends to lovers from hate to love contemporary audiobook -
![A Very Miller-Cooper Wedding by Erica Lee]()
A Very Miller-Cooper Wedding by Erica Lee
Charlie Miller and Reagan Cooper have been through a lot in the three years since they started dating. What started as a fake dating scheme between Reagan and Charlie’s brother, Jamie, turned into an everlasting love affair between Charlie and Reagan instead.Now the two are engaged and finally ready to plan their dream wedding. The countdown is on - one year until their big day… finally...Categorized as:
queer small town competent heroine f-f contemporary christmas length-short explicit-open-door -
![When We're Meant to Be by Skye Von Triessen]()
When We're Meant to Be by Skye Von Triessen
When Dr. Alexandra Edison’s world was ripped apart, the last thing she expected was to end up in a casual affair with Blake Westmore. Soon after she was forced to choose between her past and her present, when her strong sense of obligation forced her to leave the woman whom she shared one of the most unforgettable experiences with, and head back to L.A. to help the woman who broke her heart... -
![Patty's Potent Potion by Robin Alexander]()
Patty's Potent Potion by Robin Alexander
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsWhen Shawna Haydel was sixteen years old, she dropped Ashton Guidry’s name into a potion that would supposedly make Ashton fall in love with her. She knew it was silly, but she clung to one irrational thread of hope their friend Patty’s concoction would grant her heart’s desire... -
![Open Tab by J.A. Armstrong]()
Open Tab by J.A. Armstrong
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFallon Foster serves up more than the most potent drinks at Murphy’s Law, the local pub in Whiskey Springs, Vermont. Fallon is the keeper of the town’s secrets. She’s heard tales of broken hearts, torrid affairs, closet cases, and the dreams of hopeful romantics. With a sensitive ear and a warm bed, Fallon is a legend in her small town. One thing still eludes her—love... -
![At Seventeen by Gerri Hill]()
At Seventeen by Gerri Hill
Madison Lansford and Shannon Fletcher met when they were ten years old. Madison—daughter of wealthy parents and Shannon, daughter of their live-in maid and cook—became fast friends, yet both knew their place in life.There was never a doubt that they would become lovers . . . there was also never a doubt that Madison would marry and maintain her social standing in the community...Categorized as:
second chances angst queer contemporary f-f friends to lovers length-medium explicit-open-door -
![The Touch of Her Voice by Sara Scott]()
The Touch of Her Voice by Sara Scott
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratings...Firebird Awards 2022 (Speak Up Talk Radio)First Place LGBTQ FictionFirst Place New Adult FictionFirst Place New Fiction (first time published)...2022 American Fiction Awards Finalist (LGBTQ+ Fiction)...Literary Titan Gold Book Award (September 2022)...Readers' Favorite 5 Star BookMy world turned to shades of grey as I squared my shoulders and turned around... -
![Mercy by Max Ellendale, Victoria Miller]()
Mercy by Max Ellendale, Victoria Miller
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsEx-rock star, Dusty Song, abandons her music career to become a U.S. Marshal tasked with safeguarding vulnerable people from the criminals set on silencing them. When Dusty first encounters the illustrious Honorable Judge Bidwell, she sees a woman marked by the cases she's tried. Years later, Dusty remembers the strong-willed, audacious woman as the unlikeable star of the courtroom...Categorized as:
queer career professional single-mother f-f contemporary bodyguard-heroine north-america usa -
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![Loved and Lost by Stephanie Kusiak]()
Loved and Lost by Stephanie Kusiak
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBlake Fortnier and Rachel Kaplan are the perfect couple. Fifteen years into a marriage that will seemingly last forever, a tragic accident tears them apart. After reaching the end of her rope, Blake is blessed with the chance to relive her life. She can right her wrongs, live life to the fullest and change the course of fate, or so she hopes... -
![Call of Love by Lee Haven]()
Call of Love by Lee Haven
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSeparated by fear. Reunited by fate. Will they get a second chance at life and love?Parker Snow left home at nineteen after being abandoned by her family for loving her foster sister, Kate Cain. She joined the Marine Corps and has had little contact with her parents since. But when she’s transferred back to Washington D.C... -
![Don't Quit Your Daydream by Adrian J. Smith]()
Don't Quit Your Daydream by Adrian J. Smith
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsWhat happens in the elevator doesn’t stay in the elevator. When Laura Finch’s business partner hires Skylar to bring their company to the next generation, Laura sees red. An obnoxious millennial isn’t someone she wants to work with—they’re known for failing their side hustles... -
![Heal their Hearts by Claire Highton-Stevenson]()
Heal their Hearts by Claire Highton-Stevenson
Georgia Samuels lives her life with no commitments other than the love of her job, and the flashy little apartment overlooking the Thames. That is until tragedy strikes and her sister, Aston, and Aston's husband Ben are both killed when the plane they're returning home on crashes, leaving the family rocked, and three kids orphaned... -
![Foxy Lady by Cara Malone]()
Foxy Lady by Cara Malone
Foxes make terrible pets but they’re fantastic wingmen.Sydney Young has dedicated her life to animals. She’s a wildlife rehabilitator on call around the clock for rescue missions all over the state and every last one of her friends are veterinarians. Waiting at home for her is a rambunctious fox too tame to be released...Categorized as:
queer small town single-mother competent heroine career professional humor f-f contemporary -
![Camp Lost and Found by Georgia Beers]()
Camp Lost and Found by Georgia Beers
Cassidy Clarke wants to find herself. Tasked with scattering her friend Mason’s ashes, she heads to the campground where they met as kids. She expects the grief. She expects the guilt. She expects how absent she feels in her own life. What she doesn’t expect is the broken disrepair of the campground. Or the grouchily broody, yet intriguingly beautiful, cabin manager...Categorized as:
multicultural competent heroine queer angst from hate to love contemporary f-f hurt-comfort -
![Intersection: 10th Anniversary Edition by Nancy Ann Healy]()
Intersection: 10th Anniversary Edition by Nancy Ann Healy
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWhen FBI agent Alexis Toles was dispatched to New York to investigate threats sent to Congressman Christopher O’Brien, the last thing she expected to find was romance. But during her investigation, Alex finds herself in a love affair with the congressman’s ex-wife, all while discovering the convoluted conspiracy behind the threats... -
![Popcorn Love by K.L. Hughes]()
Popcorn Love by K.L. Hughes
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsA prominent figure amongst New York City’s fashion elite, Elena Vega is a successful businesswoman and single mother to an adorable three-year-old son, Lucas. Her love life, however, is lacking, as those closest to her keep pointing out.At the persistent urging of her closest friend, Elena reluctantly agrees to a string of blind dates if she can find a suitable babysitter for Lucas...Categorized as:
single-mother queer f-f contemporary age difference boss & employee bisexual length-medium -
![Next Time by Robin Alexander]()
Next Time by Robin Alexander
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsPayton Foret agrees to play wingwoman for her best friend. She never dreamed that when she walked into the bar that night that she’d meet her soul mate. Though their only physical contact was a simple handshake, Payton begins to believe in love at first sight. There’s only one problem—the woman of her dreams is already in a relationship with someone else... -
![The Secret of St. Claire by Robin Alexander]()
The Secret of St. Claire by Robin Alexander
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsLighthearted romance, sweet and funny.Idyllic, quaint, and straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting is St. Claire, Louisiana—at least on the outside. Beneath the veneer, it’s anything but. That’s the secret of St. Claire. Born and raised in St. Claire, Lindsay Juneau’s life was seemingly full raising a six-year-old daughter and caring for her widowed mother... -
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![The Secret Pond by Gerri Hill]()
The Secret Pond by Gerri Hill
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 11 ratingsGrieving over the loss of her family and feeling like her life is unraveling, Lindsey McDermott quits her job, gets a puppy and retreats to her grandparents’ home in the Texas Hill Country. She spends her solitary days walking childhood trails and reminiscing, trying to reconcile the conflict within her as she struggles with survivor’s guilt... -
![Passionate Rivals by Radclyffe]()
Passionate Rivals by Radclyffe
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsOnetime lovers, unexpected rivals...Emmett McCabe never expected to see Sydney Stevens—a woman with whom she'd shared a brief, incendiary connection before it all went up in flames—again. Luckily, ascending the cutthroat ladder of a high-pressure surgery residency to reach the top spot makes it easy to ignore what's missing in her life. Then Sydney reappears after nearly five years... -
![Before You Go by Melissa Tereze]()
Before You Go by Melissa Tereze
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsRyann Harris has everything she needs. A thriving tattoo studio and the woman she loves by her side.But Ryann’s world is turned upside down when she discovers lies and deceit.With the belief that she has no comeback, Ryann makes a drastic decision. She heads towards the river.And then she meets Lydia Nelson.Both are at the river railings for different reasons... -
![Moments in Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan]()
Moments in Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan
The Montgomery Ink saga continues with a bonus romance between two strangers on a path of healing that leads to something far more.Zia Clarkson thought she found her happily ever after, not once, but twice. Her first love is now engaged, and her second love broke more than her heart. Heart and soul bruised; she’s not looking for a relationship. Ever... -
![Take Two by T.B. Markinson, Miranda MacLeod]()
Take Two by T.B. Markinson, Miranda MacLeod
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsThey were the perfect couple until pride got in the way…Gina needs Sophia Rossi, a popular actor, to be the grand marshal of the local Pride parade. Sophia needs to convince her meddling mother she has a steady girlfriend in order to survive a month of filming in her hometown... -
![Lightning Strikes Twice by Erik Schubach]()
Lightning Strikes Twice by Erik Schubach
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsReturning home to Seattle from a twenty year absence in London...Victoria discovers that time has not erased her feelings for an unrequited love. It soon becomes obvious that with true love, lightning can sometimes strike twice.This is set in the same world as Music of the Soul but is a standalone book... -
![The Summer You Were There Vol. 4 by Yuama, ゆあま]()
The Summer You Were There Vol. 4 by Yuama, ゆあま
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsAt the start of summer, Kaori suggested to her writer classmate Shizuku that they should pretend to date to give Shizuku material to write about. Together, they've not only gone on dates and grown closer, Kaori has also helped Shizuku face her past. But now, as Kaori sits in a hospital bed thanks to her chronic illness, she tells Shizuku that they should break-up. Shizuku is shocked... -
![A Game Of Two Hearts by Iona Kane]()
A Game Of Two Hearts by Iona Kane
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 9 ratingsTess Kennedy isn’t where she thought she’d be at forty-six. She’s focusing on keeping things together as a single parent as she returns to a town that holds mixed memories. As she tries to build a new life for her family, she’s relieved that she’s finally in control of her own destiny. The last thing she’s looking for is a relationship.Rowan Russell is living her regular, predictable life... -
![The Christmas Inheritance by Addison Clarke]()
The Christmas Inheritance by Addison Clarke
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsCharlie Monroe loves everything about Baxter Tree Farm. From the smell of the pine trees to the shimmer of Christmas lights, Charlie is at home on the farm. Having managed the farm since graduating high school, Charlie considers herself an expert on all things Christmas trees. Her dream is to continue to grow the place she loves so much and make it a must visit place in Maine... -
![Amanda's Dragonfly by Alexi Venice]()
Amanda's Dragonfly by Alexi Venice
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom Amazon Bestselling Author Alexi VeniceAlexi Venice’s bestselling SAN FRANCISCO MYSTERY SERIES is a crime drama that tests the bonds of love and loyalty among Dr. Jen Dawson, Detective Tommy Vietti, and District Attorney Amanda Hawthorne. Amanda Hawthorne is a powerful District Attorney in San Francisco, defined by her beauty and own brand of justice... -
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![Making It: A Novel by Laura Kay]()
Making It: A Novel by Laura Kay
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFrom the author of Wild Things comes a heartwarming and relatable queer rom-com about an isolated young woman whose artistic celebration of her pet chinchilla suddenly launches her into the professional art world, reality TV fame, and first love.Isobel's life is just her, her mum, and her pet chinchilla, Abigail, in their council flat on the Kentish coast... -
![Wolf Shirt & High Heels by Evie Marque]()
Wolf Shirt & High Heels by Evie Marque
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFlirting at work has never felt this intense—or this real. The last thing Ramona St. Germaine needed was public humiliation on her wedding day. Yet, the universe had different plans, leaving her jilted and questioning everything—friendships, loyalty, and her own judgment. She soon learns the culprit behind her unique engagement falling Quinn Archer... -
![Against Doctor's Orders by Radclyffe]()
Against Doctor's Orders by Radclyffe
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsThere’d been a Rivers at the helm of Argyle Community Hospital for six generations, and Harper Rivers was set to take her father’s place whenever he decided to hang up his shingle. Unfortunately, the board of directors had other ideas—they accepted a buyout offer from a health care conglomerate with plans to close the hospital’s doors to the community that depended on it...Categorized as:
competent heroine career professional queer f-f contemporary doctors boss & employee dual-pov -
![Just for Show by Jae]()
Just for Show by Jae
When Claire, an overachieving psychologist with OCD tendencies, hires Lana, an impulsive, out-of-work actress for a fake relationship, she figures the worst she’ll have to endure are the messes Lana leaves around. It’s only for a few months anyway. And it’s not as if she’ll enjoy all those fake kisses and loving looks. Right? A lesbian romance where role-playing has never been so irresistible... -
![Ordinary Love by Marie Rutkoski]()
Ordinary Love by Marie Rutkoski
A page-turning, irresistible novel of class, ambition, and bisexuality, this is the breathtaking story of a woman risking everything for a second chance at her first love.Emily has, by all appearances, a beautiful a townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, two healthy children, and a husband who showers her with attention... -
![Run To You by Georgia Beers]()
Run To You by Georgia Beers
Welcome to Junebug Farms, a successful, well-known animal shelter in upstate New York, where every day brings something new—love, stress, heartbreak, warmth—and not just from the animals.Catherine Gardner knows what it means to work hard. Growing up with little, it's pretty much all she's done for most of her life. As the bookkeeper for Junebug Farms, she handles the money...Categorized as:
queer competent heroine career professional small town f-f contemporary audiobook open-door
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