My Favorite Fiction and Romance Novels that Haven’t Made it to #BookTok Yet
I am not a stranger to #BookTok. I have read my fair share of CoHo novels, enemies to lovers, and whatever trope you can name. But recently, my favorite reads have not come from my For You page, but instead accidental encounters with them on the Barnes and Noble bookshelves. Here, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite recent reads that I’ve found to be hidden gems.
Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson
My Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ (5!)
Goodreads Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑✩ (4.22)
“Every exchange of words between Jase and me seemed like a dance, a step forward, a step back, circling, both of us leading, anticipating, wondering what the next move would be. He didn’t trust me any more than I trusted him.”
“Love didn’t even seem like the right word to explain how I felt about her. The word seemed too small, too used, too simple, and everything I felt about her seemed complicated and rare and as wide as the world.
Dance of Thieves and its follow-up Vow of Thieves were some of my only five-star reads of the year. They were definitely the only five-star reads of my summer. The writing is incredible, creating intense chemistry between the two main characters that seems to never be able to break. And the fight scenes! They’re written so beautifully, something I haven’t encountered since my binge of The Infernal Devices many years ago. Each character has depth, and no side plot-line is lost within the complicated strings of the main characters.
It’s connected to the Remnant Chronicles, but I didn’t read them (or know they existed) before picking up these books. Do yourself a favor and indulge yourself in this story, I can’t recommend it enough.
(Side note: I didn’t find this fantasy series to be confusing or full of info dumps, as so many are!)
Premise: When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty's resentment and anger. At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.
Just Haven’t Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens
My Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑✩(4)
Goodreads Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑✩ (3.83)
“Someone once told me that growing up feeling loved allows you to go on to love other people. Maybe love is simply a huge chain letter, passed down through the generations. The details of the stories begin not to matter.”
When you are with someone for a long time, you grow into each other, like adjoining trees with tangled roots. It’s hard to extricate yourself and find the part that’s left—who you were before.”
Oh my gosh— I love books like these. They stray away from all expectations, leaving you staring at the pages saying, “I want this to happen. Wait no— I want this to happen! What do I want to happen more?” All of the main characters are so likable and have so much chemistry that I could never tell what was going to happen when I turned the page next. If you’re a fan of lighter romantic comedies (think The Hating Game or The Unhoneymooners) you’ll love this. The only reason it is not a five for me is that there were a lot of characters that I did not really care about (ex: Laura’s friends back home) that had a lot of time on the stage. I ended up just skipping the paragraphs that bored me and I still loved it!
Premise: Laura's business trip to the Channel Islands isn't exactly off to a great start. After unceremoniously dumping everything in her bag in front of the most attractive man she's ever seen in real life, she arrives at her hotel only to realize she's grabbed the wrong suitcase from the airport. Her only consolation? The irresistibly appealing contents of the case: a copy of her favorite book; piano music; and a rugged, heavy knit fisherman sweater only a Ryan Gosling lookalike could pull off. The owner of this suitcase is Laura's dream man--she's sure of it. Now, all she has to do is find him.
The mix-up seems written in the stars. After all, what are the odds that she'd find The One on the same remote island where her mom and dad had first fallen in love, especially as she sets out to write an article about their epic romance? Commissioning surly cab driver Ted to ferry her around seems like her best bet in both tracking down the mystery suitcase owner and retracing her parents' footsteps. And if beneath Ted's gruffness lies a wit that makes their cab rides strangely entertaining, so much the better. But as Laura's long-lost luggage soulmate proves difficult to find--and as she realizes that the love story she's held on a pedestal all her life might not have been that perfect--she'll have to rethink her whole outlook on love to discover what she really wants.
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
My Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑✩(4)
Goodreads Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑✩ (4.19)
“I’ve given this boy the messiest parts of me, and he’s done nothing but convince me he’ll be careful with them.”
“Boy bands, fan fiction, soap operas, reality TV, most shows and movies with female main characters . . . We’re still so rarely front and center, even rarer when you consider race and sexuality, and then when we do get something that’s just for us, we’re made to feel bad for liking it. We can’t win.”
Today Tonight Tomorrow is one of those books where you know what is going to happen from the beginning, but you are still clinging to every word to make sure you absorb every single second when it does. The banter between these two characters is the kind that’s written to be loved. This book was a refreshing take on a common trope, and the premise is something not seen often. When I picked this up, I was in a reading slump because I was tired of the same thing over and over again, but this book pulled me out (I read it in one sitting). It’s fast-paced and heartwarming— something that could get anyone to read.
Premise: Today, she hates him.
It’s the last day of senior year. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals for all of high school, clashing on test scores, student council elections, and even gym class pull-up contests. While Rowan, who secretly wants to write romance novels, is anxious about the future, she’d love to beat her infuriating nemesis one last time.
Tonight, she puts up with him.
When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan has only one chance at victory: Howl, a senior class game that takes them all over Seattle, a farewell tour of the city she loves. But after learning a group of seniors is out to get them, she and Neil reluctantly decide to team up until they’re the last players left—and then they’ll destroy each other.
As Rowan spends more time with Neil, she realizes he’s much more than the awkward linguistics nerd she’s sparred with for the past four years. And, perhaps, this boy she claims to despise might actually be the boy of her dreams.
Tomorrow … maybe she’s already fallen for him.