Last year was a great year in books. I explored the romance genre so much more and I’ve become a complete fan. I have to tell you, it was meant to be.
When I was a teen and I read only YA books, even then I leaned towards the ones that involved some kind of romantic subplot. And now I discovered a whole genre where romance is the plot, and they manage to make it not boring.
So heads up, the books in this post contain romance. I’ll be telling you about those that I would recommend to anyone, and also, those that just didn’t meet the expectations I had of them.
The books that put hearts in my eyes
Serpent & Dove, by Shelby Mahurin
I’m beyond pleased with this story. You know how sometimes those hyped books let you down. Well, it wasn’t like that with Serpent & Dove.
It was so freaking addictive. I may be biased because this is a more mature take on a YA story? Which isn’t necessarily a good thing because I’d peg this one more as an NA book. It makes me happy because I’m in that age bracket, but I wanted to note this because while there isn’t really scandalous content, it just felt targeted towards older teenagers, or you know, younger adults.
I went off topic, but read it!
I’ll even link you to my review.
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The Hating Game, by Sally Thorne
By the time I read The Hating Game, it’d already been out and about in the world for a while. And as always, I kind of regretted not reading it sooner because it is awesome. It’s barely the second book in this list but you can see the beginnings of a wonderful pattern here. I love the enemies to lovers situation. And this book is all about it. There were a few details that I wasn’t fond of, but overall I enjoyed this so much. Fun and entertaining read is what the cover promises me, and it delivered, so I’m happy.
Marriage for One, by Ella Maise
Give me more of Jack and Rose anytime! This book is so, so sweet. This is the reason why book recommendations are the best since this gem I found through a bookstagrammer who praised it a lot. This one, similar to Serpent & Dove, plays with the marriage of convenience idea, minus the witches.
There’s a secret that adds conflict to it. If you think about it, there’s no high-stake plot here, but what made me fall head over heels was the attention to detail in the interactions between the characters. The fact that this book makes every moment special, and doesn’t skip over those things just to advance a plot.
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Wait for It, by Mariana Zapata
This story spans over a couple of months so it takes its sweet time for everything to get going. So it’s definitely not for everyone. For me, it really paid off, and I savored everything that happened between beginning and ending. At first I wasn’t sure if I’d like it since there’s a big age difference between the characters (She’s 29, he’s 41), but it surprised me with its cute moments and well-developed romance. Not all books by this author were a win for me, but this one I really enjoyed.
Managed, by Kristen Callihan
Two very different people brought together in a chance meeting, and then forced to work together and see each other almost every day? Gimme! Don’t be deceived by the cover. This isn’t about some asshole obsessed about control and… Wait.
Good ol’ Gabriel is the manager of a really famous band, and he does have a thing for a control, but gosh this guy is sweet. Kind of an asshole sometimes, but at least he’s self-aware, and apologizes. He’s prickly and I enjoyed every moment of reading about how Sophie continuously pushes his boundaries and tests how much he’ll put with her until he caves in. And by cave in I mean finally admit he’s just so gone for this girl.
I’ve already recommended this to two people who work with me!
The books that put a frown on my face
Aurora Rising, by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Aurora Rising felt a bit like Six of Crows in space, but… less awesome. And less awesome than its very much a fave sibling, Illuminae. It was just… less than, in every aspect.
It has a few saving graces, but it failed where it mattered the most. By the end when the stakes where really high and things happened… I couldn’t find it in myself to care much. And that’s sad.
Aurora Rising just sounded amazing on paper, but it let me down.
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Lies, by Kylie Scott
That guy looks a lot like John Wick, doesn’t he? Unfortunately that’s the only awesome thing I can say about this book.
It was entertaining I guess, but I was expecting so much more. It was all very… cartoonish. Everything from the action, the romance, the very characters. There wasn’t much depth. I didn’t need a whole character study, but come on.
Wicked Saints, by Emily Duncan
I read this book early last year and I don’t remember much about it. Only the ending, which made an impression because it went somewhere unexpected. Much kudos for that. But even a great ending can’t hide the glaring flaws this story had.
Mainly, Nadya, the main character just doesn’t seem enough to hold up the plot. I have the sequel lined up to read soon, so I really hope the characters begin to shine more here.
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Vengeful, by V.E. Schwab
Yeah… I’m not too sure we actually needed this sequel. I had big hopes for it, but I worried that it would be unnecessary. And while it satisfied my curiosity about what happens after Vicious, maybe the mystery was better.
There were additional characters and I didn’t like it that the book began paying more attention to them than to the characters we actually want to see more of.
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Kulti, by Mariana Zapata
I previously mentioned another Mariana Zapata book, which was one I enjoyed very much. So, of course I was expecting a similar result with Kulti.
It didn’t happen. Didn’t work for me at all.
The story was okay I guess, but it lacked that warmth I felt with Diana and Dallas in the other book. Here the relationship between the leads just felt robotic. Except when they argued. That was great, but then the actualy pay off was disappointing.
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And that’s it! While not all the books I read were mindblowingly awesome, I’m happy I didn’t encounter any I really hated. I had a good year reading-wise and I hope I can continue reading very enjoyable books this year!
I’m dying to read The Serpent & The Dove! I keep seeing it everywhere, and you just added to the intrigue! 🤍😊 Great post!
Thank you, that’s exactly what I wanted! It was a wonderful book, so I hope that when you read it, you have a great experience as well! ♥ Thanks for stopping by!
Ahh I’ve heard great things about both The Hating Game and Serpent & Dove, seeing that you enjoyed them both so much makes me really curious! I need to give both of these a try 🙂
Both have hilarious moments and at least the Hating Game feels really fast-paced throughout. I hope you can read one of them soon!
Glad to see I was not the only one disenchanted with Kulti. It was my one and only Zapata book, and I selected it, because everyone in my romance group raved about it. I found myself uttering “poop” as I read. An edit may have made it better, as it came in at over 500 pages (long for a contemporary romance), and there was plenty of fat to trim
Sam@wlabb recently posted this awesome thing…#AmReading YA
HAAHAH Definitely agree. I recommend you try Wait for it. It’s slow too, but I don’t know why, here it actually WORKS. And the male lead actually inspires you to root for him instead of just being… there.
I wasn’t really a fan of Wicked Saints too, but I do love the direction the plot is going. I hope the characters will shine more in the second book too!
Tasya @ The Literary Huntress recently posted this awesome thing…Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani
Yeah, really hope that is the case. The covers are amazing, and the whole world and premise really makes you want to love it. It’s a shame I just didn’t feel it with the first one. It was surprising, and different, in a way, so the second one could be amazing.