How do I find comforting / feel-good novels that aren't romance / chick-lit?

I normally read sci-fi / action / thriller / horror type novels, but every now and then I like to read something lighthearted just to mix things up a little.

I recently read 'The Reading List' by Sara Nisha Adams which was incredible. A very heartwarming story without revolving around corny romance or anything overly depressing. It was also funny at times without being a comedy

There was of course a bit of a love story, and some sad moments, but there were only small parts of the story overall so I was fine with it.

Unfortunately I've had no luck finding other lighthearted novels though. It turns out that 'feel-good' or 'cozy' or 'comfort reading' basically translates as 'romance', 'lust' and 'toxic ex-boyfriend'... some are way too serious whereas others are just cheesy rom-coms.

The synopsis' rarely mention that the whole story revolves around romance, so how do I avoid them?

Here are some books I tried reading as I was really excited by the premise, but ended up HATING them and DNF:

• The Lost Bookshop
• The Garden of Small Beginnings
• The Flatshare

Is my only hope to just read kids' books or something? lol

Update: Im mostly looking for comforting novels that are not sci-fi... I prefer not to mix the two 😂