Kimberly Stuart Books in Order

Kimberly Stuart grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, and spent years away in other Midwestern cities before returning to Iowa to raise her family. She was a reader from childhood and liked writing, too, but for a long time she saw novel-writing as a far-off dream rather than a practical job.

She studied at St. Olaf College and the University of Iowa, earning degrees in teaching rather than creative writing. Before publishing fiction, she worked as a high school Spanish and ESL teacher. Teaching gave her a close view of busy lives, awkward moments, and the strange things people say when they are trying their best, all useful material for a novelist with an eye for comedy.

Then motherhood changed the shape of her days, and eventually her path.

Stuart has talked openly about trying to be a more serious, darker kind of writer in her early years. But she eventually realized that she cared too much about humor, hope, and happy endings to stay in that lane. Once she stopped trying to write like someone else, she began writing the kind of stories that suited her: warm, funny novels about people whose plans have gone a little sideways.

Her first novel, Balancing Act, arrived in 2006 and introduced Heidi Elliott, a new mother trying to manage work, marriage, friendship, and a baby who does not care about anyone’s schedule. Its follow-ups, Bottom Line and Better Together, stay with Heidi as family finances, parenting, loss, friendship, and the possibility of adoption reshape her daily life. The books are connected by Heidi’s sharp observations and the fact that small domestic problems can feel very large when they all arrive at once.

The funny parts have room to breathe, but the hard parts are not brushed aside.

Stuart’s standalones widen the view while keeping that same interest in women facing unexpected turns. Act Two sends a New York classical musician to a small Iowa college. Stretch Marks follows a Chicago social worker through an unplanned pregnancy and a difficult reunion with her mother. In Operation Bonnet, an aspiring private investigator goes undercover in an Amish community. Sugar takes readers into demanding restaurant kitchens, while Heart Land brings a fashion designer back from New York to her Iowa hometown.

Across these books, Stuart returns to work, family, faith, second chances, and the messy business of figuring out where home is. Her characters are often capable women who believe they can handle everything themselves, until life makes that plan impossible. Romance matters, but so do friendships, family ties, and learning when to ask for help.

Stuart lives in Des Moines with her husband, three children, and a black schnauzer named Scout. Along with writing, she speaks publicly, hosts podcasts, and coaches writers through workshops and other programs. She also makes no secret of her fondness for dark chocolate, which feels right at home in stories that make room for both the sweet and the complicated.