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Quick answer: If you loved Things We Never Got Over, try Things We Hide from the Light, Things We Left Behind, By a Thread, Maybe Someday, Archer's Voice and The Deal. Each one is a funny, warm small-town romance with a grumpy hero and plenty of found family.
Lucy Score's hit romance begins when runaway bride Naomi Witt arrives in Knockemout, Virginia, to help her troublesome twin sister. Her sister robs her and leaves her with a niece to care for, and Naomi soon clashes with Knox, the grumpy barbershop owner who wants nothing to do with her. Readers love the small-town characters, the swearing, the steam and the found family. These books share its grumpy-sunshine banter and its cozy community.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Tropes | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Things We Hide from the Light | Lucy Score | Grumpy cop | readers who want the next Knockemout book |
| Things We Left Behind | Lucy Score | Second chance | readers who want to finish the trilogy |
| By a Thread | Lucy Score | Office rivals | readers who want more Score |
| Maybe Someday | Colleen Hoover | Music | readers who want more drama |
| Archer's Voice | Mia Sheridan | Small town | readers who like healing heroes |
| The Deal | Elle Kennedy | Fake dating | readers who like college romance |
| Icebreaker | Hannah Grace | Forced proximity | readers who like sports romance |
| Lights Out | Navessa Allen | Dark | readers who want something much darker |
| The Simple Wild | K.A. Tucker | Grumpy pilot | readers who love a fish-out-of-water heroine |
| Beach Read | Emily Henry | Enemies to lovers | readers who want more depth |
| Happy Place | Emily Henry | Exes | readers who like friend groups |
| The Ex Hex | Erin Sterling | Witchy | readers who like cozy small towns |
| Lessons in Chemistry | Bonnie Garmus | Single parent | readers who like a heroine who stands firm |
| Virgin River | Robyn Carr | Small town | readers who love the classic setup |
| The Unhoneymooners | Christina Lauren | Forced proximity | readers who want comedy |
1. Things We Hide from the Light by Lucy Score
Police chief Nash and the mysterious Lina take center stage.
Best for: readers who want the next Knockemout book.
2. Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score
Lucian and Sloane finally have to deal with their long feud.
Best for: readers who want to finish the trilogy.
3. By a Thread by Lucy Score
A broke assistant and her icy boss clash at a New York fashion magazine.
Best for: readers who want more Score.
4. Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
A young woman and a deaf musician write songs together.
Best for: readers who want more drama.
5. Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan
A woman in a Maine town falls for a mute man with a violent past.
Best for: readers who like healing heroes.
6. The Deal by Elle Kennedy
A girl tutors a hockey star in exchange for a fake date.
Best for: readers who like college romance.
7. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
A figure skater and a hockey captain are forced to share a rink.
Best for: readers who like sports romance.
8. Lights Out by Navessa Allen
A nurse develops an obsessive relationship with a masked man.
Best for: readers who want something much darker.
9. The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
A city woman travels to Alaska and butts heads with a gruff bush pilot.
Best for: readers who love a fish-out-of-water heroine.
10. Beach Read by Emily Henry
Two rival writers swap genres over one summer.
Best for: readers who want more depth.
11. Happy Place by Emily Henry
Exes pretend to still be together for one last vacation with friends.
Best for: readers who like friend groups.
12. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
A witch's breakup curse accidentally hits her whole town.
Best for: readers who like cozy small towns.
13. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
A chemist in the 1960s ends up hosting a cooking show.
Best for: readers who like a heroine who stands firm.
14. Virgin River by Robyn Carr
A nurse moves to a remote California town and falls for a former Marine.
Best for: readers who love the classic setup.
15. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Two enemies take a free honeymoon after a wedding goes wrong.
Best for: readers who want comedy.
How to Choose
Move on to Things We Hide from the Light and Things We Left Behind if you want to stay in Knockemout, because the trilogy continues with new couples and old favorites. For the same small-town coziness with less swearing, Virgin River is a solid choice. If you came for the grumpy hero, Archer's Voice and Icebreaker are both good, though the tone is quite different. Readers who love humor should reach for The Unhoneymooners or The Ex Hex, and those who want something with more emotional depth should try Beach Read or Happy Place. Most of these books include open-door scenes, and Lights Out is much darker, so check content notes before you choose.
Related: The Things They Carried Book Club Discussion Questions (With Summary and Themes) · The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Things We Never Got Over about?
Runaway bride Naomi goes to Knockemout, Virginia, ends up caring for her niece and falls for grumpy barbershop owner Knox.
Is Things We Never Got Over a series?
Yes. It is the first book in the Knockemout series.
What are the books in the Knockemout series?
Things We Never Got Over, Things We Hide from the Light and Things We Left Behind.
Is Things We Never Got Over spicy?
Yes. It has several explicit scenes and plenty of strong language.
Is Things We Never Got Over grumpy sunshine?
Yes. Knox is the grump and Naomi is the sunshine, which drives much of the humor.
How long is Things We Never Got Over?
It is a long romance at around 570 pages, but it reads quickly.