Wayfarers.
No romance or no physical intimacy at all.
Closed door. No anatomical or crude language.
Estimated from the blurb · 0 reader votes
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Blurb
'The best speculative fiction currently being written' John Connolly. *THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND HUGO AWARD WINNER FOR BEST SERIES* From the ground, we stand. From our ship, we live. By the stars, we hope. The incredible new novel by Becky Chambers, author of the beloved The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. #SpacebornFew Centuries after the last humans left Earth, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, a place many are from but few outsiders have seen. Humanity has finally been accepted into the galactic community, but while this has opened doors for many, those who have not yet left for alien cities fear that their carefully cultivated way of life is under threat. Tessa chose to stay home when her brother Ashby left for the stars, but has to question that decision when her position in the Fleet is threatened. Kip, a reluctant young apprentice, itches for change but doesn't know where to find it. Sawyer, a lost and lonely newcomer, is just looking for a place to belong. And when a disaster rocks this already fragile community, those Exodans who still call the Fleet their home can no longer avoid the inescapable question: What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination? PRAISE 'Richly human, believable [and] compelling . . . underlain with a deep compassion and a feeling for community' Tor.com. 'Terrific. . . a masterly exploration of characterisation and diversity wrapped in intensity, heartbreak and tension.' Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat. 'An emotional, moving look at what it means to be human, and the importance of heritage and legacy' Lauren James, author of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe. 'Exactly what I hoped it would be and more . . . Moving in what feels like small personal ways but is actually big, universal ways and it is uplifting on the same scale' Forbidden Planet.
Read it? Rate it
As You Wake, Break the Shell
Same gentle worldbuilding and found-family warmth from the same author, but this one centers a slow-burn queer romance with an actual HFN.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Same cozy multispecies ship crew and found-family warmth, just told as one tight-knit crew's journey rather than a fleet's braided community, plus a little romance.
Happy Place
Keeps the chosen-family closeness and gentle emotional unpacking, but swaps starships for a seaside friend group and adds explicit second-chance romance.
Moonlight on the Mersey
Another quiet, character-driven story about chosen family and finding your place in a community, but grounded in wartime Liverpool with a gentle romance thread.
The way you make me feel
Keeps the chosen-family tenderness and low-heat comfort, but trades starships for a contemporary teen food-truck summer and a bickering romance.
Secrets, Schemes and Sewing Machines
Another low-conflict story about mending a family and finding your people, but earthbound teen contemporary with a light romance thread instead of starships.