The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald is a lighthearted and unexpected love story that transforms a small town in Iowa. Broken Wheel is like so many small towns in America, left behind by progress and far enough off the beaten path that it is slowly dying off. Sara Lindqvist works in a bookstore in Sweden and meets Amy Harris, a resident of Broken Wheel on line, their friendship developing over their shared love of books. Amy invites Sara to come and spend a few weeks with her, and when Sara's job at the bookstore ends, she has little reason to refuse.

Sara travels to Broken Wheel and arrives to discover her friend Amy succumbed to an illness and died before her arrival. As Sara is a stranger in Broken Wheel, she has no idea what to do, but the residents of the small town step up, determined to make her stay one that is memorable even though Amy is no longer there. Insisting that it was Amy's wish, they convince Sara to stay in her home and carry on with her plans for a vacation, offering her their services and attention for the duration. Though Broken Wheel is not a tourist destination, and there is little to see, Sara is still invited to a tour of the area; a picnic; and an afternoon of watching slash burning near by.

Local residents do everything they can to make Sara's stay a pleasant one, but their efforts are more than Sara can take, and she resolves to return their kindness somehow before she goes home. She approaches the town about opening a bookstore using Amy's vast collection, despite having to work there for free because of the restraints of her Visa. While most of the residents think she is wasting her time, Sara is determined to share her and Amy's love for books with the town Amy spoke so highly of in all her letters. In no time, her sunny disposition transforms this small town from one where there was little to hope for into one where the future looked bright.

As Sara grows on local residents, they conspire to keep her in Broken Wheel by pairing her off with Tom Harris. Tom has no intention of participating, giving Sara the idea that he dislikes her from the very beginning, but the residents of Broken Wheel are not only determined, but also have little else to focus their attentions on. Before long, they manage to convince Tom to marry Sara so that she can stay in Broken Wheel. Knowing that immigration laws are stringent, they follow Sara around town, documenting her search for a wedding dress and during other events in an effort to show that she and Tom are truly a couple in love. The authorities are not so easily fooled however, and the town soon finds itself at the heart of an immigration investigation into whether or not Sara would be allowed to stay.

The investigation brings the town together, revealing that true love exists between Sara and Tom. The wedding finally takes place, and love blooms in several unexpected arenas as Sara and her unending optimism takes the town of Broken Wheel from certain extinction to one of unending possibilities.