Great Big Beautiful Life
Great Big Beautiful Life is Book Lovers meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in the best way imaginable, and y’all aren’t ready. Emily Henry has done it again.
Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3)
Just like Iron Flame, this book is fun, but fine — Fourth Wing is the strongest in the series so far. I had a good time with Onyx Storm, and if the fourth book was out now, I’d pick it up right away. But the execution is just not there.
Fire & Blood (A Targaryen History, #1)
I had a surprisingly awesome and fun time reading this fake history book about the Targaryen dynasty. If you haven't read it, pick it up before HotD season 3!
A Song of Ash and Moonlight (The Middlemist Trilogy, #2)
I’ve been looking forward to A Song of Ash and Moonlight ever since I read the first book, A Crown of Ivy and Glass. Based on the interactions between Farrin and Ryder in that book alone, I just KNEW this was going to be a fun time. And it was!
The Palace of Eros
The Palace of Eros was one of my most anticipated books this year. When I heard that De Robertis had written a queer, gender-fluid Eros and Psyche retelling, I was ON BOARD. And I enjoyed it very much!
Funny Story
I probably don’t even need to tell you this, but Emily Henry has indeed done it again, y’all. I devoured this (via audiobook) in one sitting, and I loved every second.
House of Flame and Shadow (Crescent City, #3)
SJM didn’t give me everything I’d hoped for out of this book, but that’s okay — it was a good finale to this specific trilogy. I’m just glad she’s not done writing books in this universe!
A Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #4)
I didn’t think I’d really like a whole book about Nesta, but I was willing to be sold on a story that cracked open her icy front and took us on a big-time journey through trauma healing. And that’s exactly what this book did.
Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)
The Empyrean (this series) is officially the Where the Crawdads Sing of fantasy: certainly fun, but also ultimately just fine.
Fall of Ruin and Wrath (Awakening, #1)
Unfortunately, Fall of Ruin and Wrath was a bit of a miss for me. I didn’t dislike it enough to DNF, but I probably will not be continuing with the series.
Beach Read
Beach Read was exactly what I wanted: fun, fast, steamy, heart-wrenching, with true-to-life characters and conflicts. (Basically everything we’ve come to expect from Emily Henry!)
Red, White & Royal Blue
Red, White & Royal Blue is a feel-good story with left-wing political fanfiction, lots of spice, and a rare and deep emotional punch. I loved it.
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)
Fourth Wing doesn’t do much that’s new — it’s a tropey hero’s journey — but it was super bingeable and a hell of a fun time. Can’t wait for book two.
A Crown of Ivy and Glass (The Middlemist Trilogy, #1)
A Crown of Ivy and Glass, an adult fantasy romance Giselle retelling, was definitely not perfect, but I had a ton of fun reading it and can’t wait for book two.
Happy Place
Emily Henry does it again! Happy Place is not only a fun read with a fun combination of tropes, it’s also deeply felt with a realistic, heartbreaking central conflict.
Book Lovers
Book Lovers is a compulsively readable, super smart book that takes a common trope (small-town romance) and and subverts every single element. Reading it was very fun.
A Taste of Gold and Iron
A Taste of Gold and Iron is a standalone fantasy with a queer central romance, and it hooked me HARD. The characters and their arcs are so exquisitely crafted that I didn’t even mind the slow burn. LOVED.
You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty
You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty won’t be for everyone, but I very much respected the way it stands boldly, tells a deeply human story, and subverts romance novel tropes and expectations.
Dear Emmie Blue
Dear Emmie Blue is a delightful, well-paced little hug of a novel with characters that will capture your heart.