**SPOILER-FREE ZONE**
For a girl who tosses instruction manuals without a second thought, I am an avid reader. However, during my days on campus, I have limited time for leisurely literature. I don’t have the time to fiddle with lukewarm romances or thrillers that never live up to their name. When I do find the time to read during a semester, I stick to strong recommendations: tried and true literary works that’ll be worth the sacrifice of some much-needed sleep. When I dive into a new book, I don’t like to know too much about it, otherwise the first 60 pages or so, they get boring. That being said, I’ve put together a few books I’ve read that are well worth your time. I’ve provided you with the most vague, but functional, blurbs that’ll entice you enough to “check it out” (pun intended).
Supermarket By Bobby Hall
I spotted its bright red cover and contrasting yellow ink across the street in my neighborhood little library. These little boxes, sprinkled around the suburbs, housed this hidden gem among many others. With the appearance of something out of a Wes Anderson movie, I jumped right in. It wasn’t until three-quarters of my way through, I read the back. The author, Bobby Hall, is LOGIC. Yeah, the rapper. Does this mean he’ll rap the audiobook? I finished this physiological thriller in three days. It had me gasping, explaining the plot to my roommate, and the two of us screaming in frustration. The inaudible noises of stupefaction I subjected to my roommate’s annoyance speaks volumes about Hall’s command of language. Out of all the books on this list, I would most strongly recommend this.
And Then There Were None By Agatha Christie
Do not google this book. I was confused about the plot for a hot minute and next thing you know, I spoiled the whole thing for myself reading the google pre-generated questions. That’s one of two warnings before you read this book. I also advise you to keep your lights on. At. All. Times. I was scared of my bedroom ceiling for a month straight. My explanation for the antecedent sentence is a spoiler. To sum it up, a number of guests, varying greatly in personality, are invited to dine at a manor on a destitute, rocky island. This mystery novel is a classic whodunnit, but the “who” keeps doing it, one by one until there are no victims left to kill. The plot is enthralling, but the language and character development make the story jump off the page and straight into your nightmares. Christie is well-deserving of her title of “Queen of crime”.
Gone Girl By Gillian Flynn
I’m a little late to the party but considering that I was in the second grade when this book came out, I’ll give myself a tardy pass. I started this in December, but my reading time crossed over into the New Year. Note that the pagecount is 432. Although it took me a minute to finish, the slow burn of the main character’s conspiracy trailed me along. My primary motivator for reading this book is Amy, the supposed Gone Girl herself, and her “cool girl complex” monologue. I downloaded this book from ZLibrary onto my phone (pre-FBI take-down of the beloved book-piracy site) and I electronically annotated my way through Amy’s contrivance of her husband’s downfall.
The Woman in The Window By A.J. Finn
This book had its soul-stirring grip on me from the very start. An agoraphobic woman begins watching her neighbors from her windows, hence the title. However, she notices something extremely suspicious going down at one of her neighbor’s houses. She knows what she saw, but no one believes her…do you? The amount of anxiety this book gave me is insane. If you love plot twists, this book has some major ones. Think Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock (if you haven’t seen that movie, please go watch it) but with a modern twist of agrophobia.
Beach Read By Emily Henry
I got this book solely to read it at the location it is set in. It was a truly magical experience. I took this light read to the water, armed with an umbrella-turned-parasol to guard me against the Michigan sun. Two struggling writers challenge each other to finish their books over the summer in their neighboring beach houses. A classic enemies to lovers race to the finish and perfect *beach* read.
The Silent Patient By Alex Michaelides
Yet another psychological thriller on the list. The plot twists, the characters, and the incredible ending unite to form one of the best books I have ever read. Alex Michaelides is a screenwriter and it shows. The change of perspectives and major twists had me flipping from back to front: verifying if what I just read actually happened (not really because it’s a book but you get it). There’s an enigma that hangs over the whole book, making you double-check what’s behind you like a paranoid squirrel. If a book can make you feel like a different species, add it to your cart no questions asked.
- From this point on strictly Colleen Hoover books will follow:
CoHo needs no introduction, but here’s just a taste of the author’s magnitude. “She has sold 8.6 million print books this year alone — more copies than the Bible…Colleen Hoover has sold more books [in 2022] than Dr. Seuss. She’s sold more books than James Patterson and John Grisham — combined” (New York Times).
It Ends With Us By Colleen Hoover
This book blew UP the internet. If you haven’t read it, someone you know has. But, the hype is very well-deserved. It’s a happy medium between a thriller and a contemporary romance, and none other than Colleen Hoover can do the story justice. Last October, It Starts With Us (the sequel) was released, but I wouldn’t nearly reccomend it as much as the first book. On the darker side, this book dons a huge trigger warning: domestic abuse.
Ugly love By Colleen Hoover
I love it when a book’s cover doesn’t make sense until you read the last page. It shows how thought-out and well-structured the author created for the reader’s experience. Hoover uses her ability to create a captivating story once more to further her audience’s loyalty, and her gravitating authorial aura to build a story of loss, trauma, healing, and connection.
“Never ask about the past. Don’t expect a future.”
-Colleen Hoover in Ugly Love
Verity By Colleen Hoover
This book sets itself apart from the rest of Hoover’s novels. It cuts through the sweetness of her literary repertoire as it is a dark and twisted thriller that has convinced me Hoover is actually disturbed in the best way possible. Every time I read one of her books, I find myself screaming, “COLLEEN YOU DID IT AGAIN”. Only this time, Hoover finishes with a cliffhanger; she has the audience split in a way the world hasn’t seen since Team Edward or Team Jacob. Verity surrounds a ghostwriter’s time uncovering a family’s secrets and discovers a hidden journal that puts her novel and life in extreme danger. I would recommend bingeing this, but only if you can handle a perpetual sense of looming danger and a *striking* conclusion (you’ll get that when you read it).
This semester, I’ll continue on my literary adventures, and hopefully you will too. Below is a little help on how to check off your own TBR