Easy reads that aren’t total fluff

It’s been a rough couple of years — health stuff, challenges with my special needs kids at school, and my husband still job hunting. Add this dumpster fire of an administration, and honestly… my coping mechanism has become romance novels 😂

No shade to the genre at all, I’ve been loving it! It’s lighter, happier, and just what I’ve needed. But I do feel like my brain has kind of… atrophied a little 😆

So I’m looking for that sweet spot: books that are still “easy” to read and comforting, but with a bit more depth or grit.

Recent faves:
Emily Henry, Ali Hazelwood, Abby Jimenez

Authors I normally love but haven’t been able to get into lately:
Tana French, Paul Auster, Liz Moore, Percival Everett, Anthony Doerr, Denis Johnson, Jennifer Egan, Liane Moriarty, Blake Crouch, Emma Straub, Dave Eggers, Gabrielle Zevin, Andy Weir

Thoughts ?