The school year is almost over – which means it’s time to delve into some new reads! After all this homework I’m definitely ready to indulge in some new books, and I already have a list of some that I want to read.
Just My Type: Falon Ballard is the author of Lease on Love, which is her debut novel that got me out of my reading slump last year. If there’s any book that I’m looking forward to reading, it’s definitely going to be her most recent book, Just My Type, which came out in February of this year. It’s set to be a second chance romance plus a business rival romance wrapped into one novel. These two are some of my favorite tropes, so I already know that I’m in for a treat. I think that it’s going to be hard to beat Lease on Love, because it’s a friends-to-lovers trope, which is my all-time favorite, but Ballard is an adept writer and storyteller, so there’s no doubt in my mind that this book will be great.
Happy Place: Anyone that actively checks Bookstagram or Booktok knows Emily Henry. Her triad of novels, Book Lovers, Beach Read, and, People We Meet on Vacation, went viral and became super popular across all relevant social media platforms. These books got so much traction that they all got adapted as films. An author that can make that much of an impact on their audience, is an author’s work that’s worth reading. I found out about Henry’s books as most other people probably found out about them, through the internet, and there’s one thing that’s certain about her books; her writing style is exquisite. She writes with an affluence of pop culture references and metaphors that are sure to pull any reader in. This is why I know that her newest release, Happy Place, which was released in April is going to be a favorite. Plus, it’s a second chance, friends-to-lovers romance…the best tropes especially when they’re written together.
Meet Me at the Lake: Carley Fortune wrote my favorite book from 2022, Every Summer After, which also happened to be her debut novel. I just couldn’t get enough of it. First of all, it’s a second chance, friends-to-lovers romance (notice the pattern?) This novel solidified my love for these two tropes. Not only that, the dual timeline displays the development of the main character’s relationship from friends to lovers to strangers to possibly lovers again. I felt that the story perfectly showed that every relationship is different and what may be a dealbreaker for one person, may not be a dealbreaker for another. It all depends on whether the two people in the relationship will choose love above all else and are willing to work for it. Fortune’s novel just released, Meet Me at the Lake, also emulates Every Summer After’s dual timeline setup and is also set in Canada where Fortune is from. With all the aspects that these two texts have in common, I’m hoping that I will get the same heart-wrenching feeling I felt when I read Every Summer After.
The Neighbor Favor: Kristina Forest is one of my favorite Black authors. She has released four novels so far, three of them being coming-of-age romance novels which I really liked. In these three books, Forest dove into what it’s like to be a teenager: being rebellious, exploring passions, and finding love. These stories had a lot of heart and accurately exhibited teenage angst. What I love most about her books is the representation of people of color. All of her books have Black main characters and other people of color as side characters. It’s rare to see Black people, especially young girls, and women, represented in an admiring way in any form of media, so when we are represented we feel acknowledged. Through the main characters, Forest shows that Black people aren’t just subjected to a life of pain, but can amount to success like anyone else. Forest’s newest book, The Neighbor Favor, came out in February of this year and I’ve had this on my “to-be-read” list ever since the announcement of its release. I’m eager to get my hands on this book because this is Forest’s first young adult novel that she’s written. I’m ready to read some new and fresh content from her this summer!
This is a note to any of my friends that may be reading this: if you need an idea of what to get me for my birthday this summer, just reread this article.