Spring is all about regrowth and fresh starts. In honor of this season and all that it represents, here are two new books about growing up and moving on.

Debbie Macomber’s A Girl’s Guide to Moving On (Ballantine Books)
Macomber’s latest book is chick lit at its finest. Betrayal, heartbreak, friendship and love – this is a heartwarming tale of reinvention and female empowerment. After finding out her husband of five years has been cheating on her, Nichole leaves Jake to start a new life with their 3-year-old son, Owen. Her mother-in-law, Leanne, who has endured decades of her own husband’s infidelity, decides to follow suit and divorce Jake’s father. Nichole and Leanne decide to move on together; they rent apartments across the hall from each other and lay down four simple rules to guide their new lives: volunteering, cultivating new friendships, letting go and loving themselves.

While adjusting to her new surroundings, Nichole meets Rocco, a rough-around-the-edges tow-truck driver who is also a single parent. The two develop a friendship that quickly blossoms into something more, but Nichole’s jealous ex-husband has other plans. Meanwhile, Leanne is expanding her own horizons. As the teacher of an ESL class, she meets Nikolai, a Ukrainian baker who shows Leanne she is worthy of love. Just as she begins to open herself up to Nikolai, her ex-husband disrupts her new life.

Though chick lit can sometimes be predictable, Macomber’s book keeps the reader engaged. Many women will relate to sweet bond between Nichole and Leanne and the situations in which they find themselves. I wouldn’t be surprised if A Girl’s Guide to Moving On is Macomber’s next book to be turned into a Hallmark movie.

Kerry Anne King’s Closer Home (Lake Union Publishing)
After country star Callie Redfern is killed during a publicity stunt, her estranged sister’s life is turned upside down. Though Lise Redding hasn’t spoken to her sister in 10 years (the media think Callie’s entire family died in a car accident years ago), she is left Callie’s entire fortune and guardianship of her 16-year-old daughter, Ariel. Lise, a music teacher living a quiet life in a small town, is immediately overwhelmed with her newfound responsibilities and celebrity.

Feeling alone in the world, Ariel, who is used to very little parental supervision, decides to set off on an adventure to find her biological father, a secret her mother would tell no one, not even Lise, when she became pregnant at age16. Unable to stop her niece from going and unsure how to deal with her sister’s estate and all that comes with it, Lise decides to accompany Ariel on her journey. Thanks to the paparazzi, neither Ariel nor Lise can escape what they are really running from. As they attempt to uncover Callie’s secrets, both Lise and Ariel soon find that with every step, they are able to let go of the past and find their way closer home.