The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
💖 😍😢
I tend to enjoy most of Christina Lauren’s books. I’ve loved some of their books significantly more than others (Love and Other Words was one of my favorite books of last year, but I was massively underwhelmed by My Favorite Half-Night Stand). This one was right near the top of my list. It’s a cheesy concept (a genetic match-matching app), but I love the main characters! I could have told you the whole plot from page five, but I still loved every minute of it. Super swoon-worthy!
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🚩
The Wicked King by Holly Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
😍
I read the entire Cruel Prince trilogy over the course of a weekend. It’s a classic YA fantasy trilogy and it was so much fun. It follows the story of a human girl (Jude) who grows up in the land of the fairies because of some family drama that leads to her parents being ax-murdered on page five (I was not prepared).
Jude is pretty regularly bullied by a group of fairies lead by Carden who is the youngest prince. There is drama and a bit of a romance, as Jude balances family and ambition. It was a really fun time that I was sad to have finished!
They Never Learn by Layne Fargo ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
This book follows two women, a college professor and a freshman at the same college, as they confront the large sexual assault problem on campus. How do the women confront this problem? Murder, of course. This book was a good time. Who doesn’t love a woman serial killer with righteous motives? And I loved the ending.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
😢💖
Taylor Jenkins Reid is a queen. This book is perfection, just like all the books in this collection. Malibu Rising follows four siblings over the course of twenty-four hours but also covers their lives and their mother’s life up until this point. It was such a beautiful story about family and growing up.
It’s my second favorite TJR book (Evelyn Hugo is the GOAT). I loved June’s (the mom’s) story, even though it broke my heart. Nina, the eldest sister, is the coolest (we love some eldest sister energy, see my love for Nesta in ACOSF). Hud is a precious angel. And Jay and Kit were also total gems. It was one of those books that I was already looking forward to rereading before I finished it (also I really want to go to Malibu now).
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
Alex Michaelides’s first book The Silent Patient was talk of the town last year (I thought it was just okay), so I was looking forward to this one. The Maidens follows Marianna a therapist in London, as she investigates a string of ritualistic murders of young women at the University of Cambridge. I’m always up for a book set at a fancy English University (probably because of my deep love for A Discovery of Witches). This book sprinkles a little bit of A Secret History level of pretension into the text. Are passages in greek really necessary in any novel? No. They use a completely different alphabet, so you can’t even throw that shit into google translate, but I’m here for it. Essentially, the vibes were immaculate (dark academia) the plot and characters were just fine. It wasn’t my favorite, but I had a good time.
Heartstopper Volume 1 &2 by Alice Oseman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
💘
I don’t read graphic novels, like actually ever, but I had heard so many good things about this series that I picked them up and they were a treat! This series follows Charlie and Nick, two high school boys, as their friendship turns into something more. It’s a warm hug and a delight.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
I decided to start the TOG series by SJM, because I really did enjoy the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. A Throne of Glass follows Celaena (why is this spelled like this? I call her Selena in my head), a teenage assassin who is freed from prison in order to compete in a contest to become the King’s champion (aka his murdering assistant). She goes to the palace and competes, while also falling for the prince, Dorian (a normal enough name), and the head of the guard, Chaol (who I call Kale in my head). It’s a cute little love triangle. Both guys are honestly great, I really like both of them.
This book isn’t great. Let’s just say, you can tell that SJM wrote this series first. It’s a little choppy and switches POV constantly. Do I understand the world or how magic works or how she is part fairy? No. I don’t really get it, but I’m just here for the vibes. While the storytelling is a little flat, I really enjoyed the characters, and I’ve heard the writing gets better as the story goes on.
I do have some questions about some things I’ve seen online. When people talk about this book they largely talk about two characters and neither of them are in this book. Where is Rowan? Where is Aelin??? Rowan I kind of get. I assume that he’s like Rhys and shows up in later books, but Aelin seems to be the main character of this series, but where is she?
I did read this book first, not Assassin’s Blade because I’m following the romantic method because someone on Tik Tok told me to.
November 9 by Colleen Hoover ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5
😭
I read this in one night and sobbed. It follows Ben and Fallon over years of November ninths. Fallon was a young actress, whose career was cut short when she was severely burned in a house fire. Ben is an aspiring writer, who pretends to be Fallon’s boyfriend when he witnesses her fighting with her father in a diner. There is an instant connection between Fallon and Ben, but Fallon is moving across the country and doesn’t want a relationship, so they agree to continue to meet up every year on November 9th to check in and Ben is going to write a book about it. This book is so cheesy. So so cheesy and I loved every moment.