What a tumultuous time our world is facing right now.

It’s felt crazy for a long time, but the birth of Covid19 has really just rocked our world. It feels almost pre-apocalyptic out there, with minimal cars on the roads and all the parking lots empty. I’m not sure about you, but I’ve had my fair share of coronavirus related nightmares.

All this talk about social distancing, sheltering in place, and lock downs; I just feel like now is a great time to cocoon ourselves in cotton candy stories. What is a cotton candy story?

It’s light, airy, fluffy, and pastel obviously!

Here are my favorite cotton candy reads; and I’d love to hear yours.

How to Be by TJ Klune

I’m sure nobody will be shocked by this, but if I want to go somewhere that’s all laughter and heart, I reach for the How to Be series by TJ Klune. I promise you, on a stack of bibles even, that this series will make you laugh. It will bring sunshine to your darker days. It will leave you changed for the better. If you want to immediately feel joy, read the How To Be series!

Hudson Valley by Alice Clayton

Hudson Valley is one of the best, fun, contemporary romance series I’ve read. I loved all three, but really the best one was Cream of the Crop. If you love food, sexy men, and fiesty women, definitely check out this series. It’s the perfect small town escape from our world problems.

Signs of Love by Anyta Sunday

I’m not sure if it’s due to when this series entered my life, or if it’s just magical all on its own, but this series is so much flipping fun! There’s not too much angst, and a whole helluva lot of clueless boy fun, which equals a recipe for escapism. The whole series is great for generating happiness, but particularly Leo Loves Aries and Cancer Ships Aquarius. Both reads are fantastic!

Storm & Silence by Robert Thier

If historical is more your jam, and you’re still looking for escapism, I highly recommend the Storm and Silence series. It’s historical. It’s romance. Most of all, it’s Comedy! It all starts when Lily Linton dresses as a man to sneak and vote, and it ends up with her working for a wealthy business man… as a man! Loads of fun. Slow Burn. Absolutely Hilarious!

Lara Jean Trilogy by Jenny Han

Yeah, I know technically you could watch this series on Netflix. From what I hear, the final movie will be out before we know it. However, if you don’t want to watch, and you’d rather read and draw out all the happy, I recommend picking this series back up. Lara Jean is the epitome of cotton candy. And Peter Kavinsky is the epitome of yummy!

Winston Brothers by Penny Reid

I think I must just have a thing for small town romance. Winston Brothers is another series I love that takes place in a small southern town. This southern town has a group of bearded brothers with names like Jethro and Cletus, and I love every single one of them. Currently I have 2 more books to read, but I’ve been resistant because I’m not ready to say goodbye to the Winston bros.

Finally, and with no title, I’m going to share these to shorter, standalone, romance novels. Please ignore the cheesy covers, because I promise both of them will leave you feeling good. I mean, what’s better than a cheesy romance novel, right? I loved both of these books, and I think they’re good medicine for all of us right now.