Illness Fiction

Her mood swings drove away her would-be husband. Can she slow life down before she’s left behind? Maggie Hovis battles herself daily. Scrambling to pick up the pieces after something possesses her to pelt a shoe at her fiancé, the law student quickly takes up the suggestion to see a therapist. But she’s crushed when she receives a stigmatizing Bipolar II diagnosis and fears her shot at normal just died. Now saddled with a label and terrified she’ll end up like her institutionalized great aunt, Maggie delves into her family’s storied history of mental illness. And with tensions at a...

On the Fourth of July, Hallie Evers dies at a rooftop party in Las Vegas. Hours later, she wakes up in the hospital, disoriented but alive. Why can’t she find the doctor who revived her? Why does her head feel crowded and loud? Why do her memories feel both foreign and familiar? Her self-doubt spirals into crippling paranoia.

Adam is a pretty regular teen, except he's navigating high school life while living with paranoid schizophrenia. His hallucinations include a cast of characters that range from the good (beautiful Rebecca) to the bad (angry Mob Boss) to the just plain weird (polite naked guy). An experimental drug promises to help him hide his illness from the world. When Adam meets Maya, a fiercely intelligent girl, he desperately wants to be the normal, great guy that she thinks he is. But as the miracle drug begins to fail, how long can he keep this secret from the girl of his dreams?

Rumor has linked Queen Elizabeth I to her master of the horse, Robin Dudley. As gossip would have it, only his ailing wife, Amy, prevents marriage between Dudley and the Queen. To quell the idle tongues at court, the Queen dispatches Ursula Blanchard to tend to the sick woman's needs. But not even Ursula can prevent the "accident" that takes Amy's life. Did she fall or was she pushed? Was Ursula a pawn of Dudley and the Queen?

Montreal, 1947. To support her once-prosperous family, June Grant joins a steno pool in a prestigious advertising firm. For June, it’s hard to imagine having the kind of life her parents want—the kind of life her sister Daisy has, with a well-off husband and two precocious kids. But Daisy might not be a picture-perfect housewife after all. As June makes her own waves in the advertising world, she probes a hidden side of her sister’s life.

Sammie McCoy is a girl with a plan: graduate at the top of her class and get out of her small town as soon as possible. Nothing will stand in her way - not even the rare genetic disorder the doctors say will slowly steal her memories and then her health. So the memory book is born: a journal written to Sammie's future self, so she can remember everything, from where she stashed her study guides to just how great it feels to have a best friend again.

Teagan Firestone has always been the dutiful daughter, especially since her mom died. But as her father finally begins to move on, it’s her turn to do the same. Her destination: Pearl Lake, a close-knit community with an entrepreneurial spirit and secrets of its own. One of them is Aaron Saunders, who dropped out of college to work construction for Pearl Lake’s upper class. He’s a mystery and has a playboy reputation - that is, until he meets Teagan. Neither one of them is looking for love, but in a town this small, it’s hard not to let your heart get involved.

Saving Meghan is a riveting new thriller full of secrets and lies from author D.J. Palmer. The Gerard family has lived a charmed life. Carl is a highly successful residential developer with millions in the bank who married his high school sweetheart, Becky, and they have a beautiful daughter, Meghan. But when Meghan is suddenly struck with a mysterious illness that starts out as chronic headaches and joint pain but progresses rapidly to affect her cognitive ability, the family begins to fracture as they search desperately for a diagnosis and a cure for Meghan’s suffering.

Dr. K is a pensioned-off insurance lawyer who occasionally publishes fiction. One day when he’s walking in a Berlin park with his young girlfriend Dora he comes upon a little girl who’s lost her doll. Dr. K calms her tears by explaining that Josefine isn’t lost; she’s merely gone off on an adventure. Serving as the doll’s ghost writer, K entertains the child with a series of letters relating Josefine’s life as she makes her way through a friendly but unexpectedly baffling world. The doll’s fantastic adventures mirror the strange chronicle of Dr. K’s life—an existence he ...

Six months after the fall of The Program, ex-handler Michael Realm is struggling with his guilt. After all, he was instrumental in erasing the memories of several patients - including one he claimed to love. With a lifetime of regret stretched before him, Realm vows to set things right.

She’s all mindful routines and measured steps. He’s impulsive charm and constant motion. Can opposites find balance—or will sparks turn into burnout? Ella has her life down to a science. Living with fibromyalgia means pacing, boundaries, and saying no—even when she wants to say yes. Starting a mindfulness challenge for her friends is a big step. Falling for a fast-talking, gym-obsessed extrovert? That’s not in the plan. Josiah is everything she’s not: loud, spontaneous, always in motion. But when he joins her mindfulness challenge just to spend more time with her, Ella starts to...

What if the one person you could talk to was also the one person that you were battling against? In this unforgettable and uplifting story, 14-year-old Max is consumed by Ana - also known as anorexia, his eating disorder. And as Max writes to Ana every day, Ana feeds on his fears, encouraging him to lose more and more weight. But when Max’s brother gifts him a geocache for Christmas, Max soon discovers a new world and way of conversation.

"Unique and beautifully done...an enriching experience from beginning to end - deep, emotional, and moving." -Sacha T. Y. Fortuné, Discovery Book Review "[Nercessian] is so skilled at creating characters vulnerable and real that we can feel their pain and deeply-set regret...a truly satisfying journey" - Madeline Barbush, Independent Book Review From the author of The Dowry, My Name Was Susan O'Malley follows four college friends into their 60s as they navigate complicated and tragic relationships. When the brother of Tom's first love and Mag's best friend, Susan O' Malley, brings fresh ...

Isabel has one rule: no dating. It's easier. It's safer. It's better...for the other person. She's got issues. She's got secrets. She's got rheumatoid arthritis. But then she meets another sick kid. He's got a chronic illness Isabel's never heard of, something she can't even pronounce. He understands what it means to be sick. He understands her more than her healthy friends. He understands her more than her own father, who's a doctor.

In spring of 1918, World War I was underway, and troops at Fort Riley, Kansas, found themselves felled by influenza. By the summer of 1918, the second wave struck as a highly contagious and lethal epidemic and within weeks exploded into a pandemic, an illness that travels rapidly from one continent to another. It would impact the course of the war, and kill many millions more soldiers than warfare itself.

Alone and in pain, suffering through a Crohn’s Disease flare-up, Oli longs for a comforting touch. Fortunately, his fellow classmate, Evan, provides just that. After seeing Evan’s softer side, Oli wishes for more. He’s just not sure if Evan is open to a relationship that is limited by Oli’s condition. This sweet and steamy MM short story features illness, hurt/comfort, college classmates, and a kind gesture that leads to more.

My name is Ellie, but in my Amish community a lot of grown men call me Madame Eleanor or The Amish Temptress. In private, of course. You see, I was nineteen when I first snuck out to meet a guy, and realized how much fun it is to fulfill a repressed man’s desires. Ever since then, I've been taking care of the men’s needs in my community. Giving them the space to satisfy their unmentionable cravings is what I enjoy doing most. It certainly makes my life more interesting around here. When Elijah shows up at my house, overheated from working in the field, I’m more than happy to care for ...

Why do downcast, O my soul? A death sentence is handed down to a young man, but hope may still linger in the picturesque town of Acantilado del Mar. Stefan Campeau, a 27-year-old facing a terminal illness, seeks solace in the scenic town of Acantilado del Mar with his faithful dog by his side. However, fate has other plans as he encounters the last two people he wants to see - the beautiful Samantha and a mysterious oncologist, Dr. Miguel Calderón. While Samantha offers to care for Stefan's dog after his passing, Dr. Calderón convinces him to continue treatment. As Stefan delves deeper ...

Immerse yourself in a collection of calm bedtime chronicles, featuring serene meditation narratives and mindful voyages meticulously crafted to ease the burdens of stress, insomnia, overthinking, and anxiety.

Priya worked hard to pursue her premed dreams at Stanford, but a diagnosis of chronic Lyme disease during her sophomore year sends her back to her loving but overbearing family in New Jersey. Thankfully she has her online pen pal, Brigid, and the rest of the members of “oof ouch my bones”, a virtual support group for chronic illnesses. When Brigid suddenly goes offline, Priya does something out of character: she steals the family car and drives to Pennsylvania to check on Brigid. Priya isn’t sure what to expect, but it isn’t the horrifying creature that's shut in the basement.