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If you’re wondering how to read Katherine Center’s books — there’s no rigid “series” order — the best way is publication order, starting with The Bright Side of Disaster (2006). While her novels are standalone, reading in the order they came out lets you appreciate how her style and themes evolve.
Publication Order
Here’s a confirmed list of Katherine Center novels in their release sequence, with a short description for each:
| # | Title | Year | Blurb / Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Bright Side of Disaster | 2006 | Center’s debut about Jenny, unexpectedly pregnant, navigating single motherhood and new possibilities |
| 2 | Everyone Is Beautiful | 2009 | A story of identity, womanhood, and reinventing life after disruption |
| 3 | Get Lucky | 2010 | A romantic tale about luck, second chances, and surprising paths to happiness |
| 4 | The Lost Husband | 2013 | After a tragic loss, Libby starts fresh on her aunt’s farm and reclaims her life |
| 5 | Happiness for Beginners | 2015 | A wilderness survival trip becomes healing for a woman searching for what she lost |
| 6 | How to Walk Away | 2018 | Margaret must rebuild her life after an accident changes everything |
| 7 | Things You Save in a Fire | 2019 | A female firefighter wrestles with family, identity, and opening her heart |
| 8 | What You Wish For | 2020 | A librarian and new principal revisit past choices and take emotional leaps |
| 9 | The Bodyguard | 2022 | A bodyguard and a superstar forge unexpected connections and reveal hidden selves |
| 10 | Hello, Stranger | 2023 | Sadie copes with face blindness, broken relationships, and learning to trust again |
| 11 | The Rom-Commers | 2024 | A screenwriter’s romantic journey in L.A. blends ambition, love, and reinvention |
| 12 | The Love Haters | 2025 | Center’s latest, exploring the messiness of relationships with humor and tenderness |
| 13 | The Shippers | 2026 (announced) | Upcoming: a cruise‑set romance about childhood friends, misunderstandings, and surprises |
This order is confirmed by author bibliographies and publisher listings.
Why Publication Order?
Because these are standalone stories rather than a shared fictional universe, there’s no internal chronology to juggle. The advantage of publication order is seeing how Katherine Center’s voice deepens—her emotional range, plot structures, and character themes all develop over time.
Alternate Orders & Chronology
With Center’s oeuvre, there is no alternate internal timeline — no prequels or overlapping arcs that demand a different reading route. Each book is largely independent, so you won’t spoil one by reading another. The main difference in order is stylistic flow, not narrative chronology.
Some fans propose reading her more contemporary, polished works first and then backtracking to earlier ones (reverse-chronological), but that’s more of a personal preference than a recommended practice.
Recommended Reading Order
While readers can start at any point, the publication order is the recommended path for most. It tracks her evolution, themes in crescendo, and lets you sense how her literary voice grows. It also minimizes surprises in tone or structure between adjacent books.
However, if you crave an immediate emotional punch, you might begin with How to Walk Away or Things You Save in a Fire, both widely beloved entry points. Just know you might miss the fuller arc of how the author matured.
Complete Book List (as of 2025)
Here is every Katherine Center novel to track:
- The Bright Side of Disaster
- Everyone Is Beautiful
- Get Lucky
- The Lost Husband
- Happiness for Beginners
- How to Walk Away
- Things You Save in a Fire
- What You Wish For
- The Bodyguard
- Hello, Stranger
- The Rom-Commers
- The Love Haters
- The Shippers (upcoming)
This list includes her announced upcoming title for 2026.
Latest Release & Future Plans
As of October 2025, The Love Haters (2025) is her newest published novel. The next book — The Shippers — is slated for May 2026, a romantic cruise‑ship story involving childhood friends, fake flirting, and unexpected twists. The series is ongoing; there’s more to come.
FAQs
Here are commonly asked questions about Katherine Center’s body of work:
How many books are in the Katherine Center collection?
13 novels total (12 published as of October 2025, plus 1 upcoming).
Is the Katherine Center collection complete?
No — she is still writing. The Shippers is upcoming for 2026.
What order should I read Katherine Center’s books?
The recommended order is publication order — it reflects her evolving themes and keeps the reading experience smooth.
Do the books share characters or continuity?
Occasionally characters or settings overlap lightly, but each novel stands alone with its own cast and story.
Are her books part of a genre or thematic cluster?
They fall under romantic / contemporary women’s fiction — emotional stories of growth, love, and resilience.
Are there movie or TV adaptations?
Yes — The Lost Husband was adapted into a film. Happiness for Beginners is also set for a Netflix adaptation.
Related Reads
If you enjoy Katherine Center’s style, you might also like Kristan Higgins books in order or Emily Henry books in order, both of which combine romance, personal growth, and modern emotional stakes.