The Way We Were (2010)

Books from this author usually need to come with a warning sticker saying: "Do not approach without a tissue box handy." This one - while it will tug on your emotions - isn't a tearjerker. It's centred around Susannah, who can't stop thinking about her high school sweetheart, Rob, after she bumps into him at her brother's wedding. Susannah already has one marriage behind her and is living with her older partner, Douglas, who comes with a ready-made family of three children. A family she's never really felt connected to. Rob, who joined the armed forces, has never married. Does this chance meeting mean Susannah should take a second chance with him? With lots of flashbacks and unexpected turns, this is an enthralling tale that is a welcome addition to that library of stories about being reunited with a lost love.

The Girl Next Door (2009)

The story revolves around a cast of characters who live in an apartment building in New York's Upper East Side. Eve and Ed Gallagher have moved over from England for his job and Eve's finding herself a bit lost without her friends, family and own job. But she finds some comfort in her friendship with elderly neighbour Violet and starts thinking now might be the time to have a baby. There's marriage problems lurking for some of the other residents, including Kimberley, who is an over-anxious mother to her IVF child Avery and is unaware her husband has his eye on the married woman across the hall, Rachael. But maybe there's also romance in the air as wealthy layabout Jackson Grayling III (aka Trip) finally gets off the couch to pursue fitness fanatic Emily. And shy librarian Charlotte is head over heels in love with one of the Cuban doormen. Warning: This one comes with a tearjerker alert.

Things I Want My Daughters To Know (2008)

After their mother Barbara dies of cancer, four sisters struggle to cope with their grief and to ensure their future happiness. Each sister has a wildly different personality and has their own set of problems. The story is punctuated with letters from Barbara that she wrote before she died and her diary. By shedding light on her own life of her successes and mistakes, Barbara helps her daughters to get on with their lives and tackle their problems. To say this book is a bit of a tearjerker is an understatement but the tears are well worth it. It is a beautifully heartwarming story of the bond between mothers and daughters. Make sure you have some tissues handy! (AB)

Alphabet Weekends (2005)

When Natalie is dumped by her long-term lover, her childhood best friend Tom convinces her to give him 26 dates so he can show her how he is her perfect man. Or at the very least he hopes it will distract her from her broken heart. The Alphabet game is born, and each of them take turns to think up activities based around each letter of the alphabet, starting with a daunting 'A' for abseiling. Natalie at first doesn't take the game too seriously but as they go through the alphabet will her feelings towards Tom change? And as Natalie and Tom play their games, their friends and family struggle with illness, adultery and broken hearts. Not quite as much of a tearjerker as her other novels, but it still pulls on your heartstrings and is a fairly gripping read. (AB)

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