Written by Fall is almost here; I can feel it in the air I breathe. Each breeze reminds me of the darkness that is about to come and conquer this tiny part of the world. But I am not afraid; I have books now.
I took a break from reading for almost two years, mostly because of my mental health situation. I couldn’t concentrate, not even to read two pages, so I just quit. At the beginning of this year, I set myself a goal on Goodreads, but I didn’t put any pressure on myself, and in July, it clicked. I didn’t know how beneficial this break was until I started reading again and finished five books in less than a month.
Being such a huge fan of Colleen Hoover, I was always searching for books from that genre, and I couldn’t believe how many good stories had been written in these past two years. I discovered so many new authors, old authors that I knew but never committed to their stories, and I became obsessed. I know this must be because I can see everything with new eyes now, but I was never expecting to find new authors who could compete with Colleen Hoover.
I love Colleen Hoover so much because I find her writing to be compelling. Her books are packed, and her stories are unique each time. We are living in a world where every author who writes for women creates a certain type of characters, so those books can be sold in millions of copies. I am talking about every author who started to write like E.L. James, thinking that this is what women want from a book. Those books usually have a high rating on Goodreads, and you may be fooled into buying the same story but with other names and another cover.
As an example, I give you K.A. Tucker. She used to write books like “Ten Tiny Breaths,” but now we have “Say You Still Love Me,” where at least one character is extremely rich, and it is about how many brand names you can incorporate into a book, making it look like an ad. Another example is “In Five Years” by Rebecca Serle, and I don’t think I ever had the pleasure of reading a more disgusting book than this. Someone on Goodreads said that this book is: “A city guide of New York’s fanciest places to eat out,” and she was right.
Now that I’ve discussed what I don’t enjoy in a book and shared the name of the one I disliked the most, I’ll move on to number 3 on my list.
Number 3:
“Happy Place” by Emily Henry
She is a fairly new author to me because I just discovered her books when I saw that she was the winner of “Best Romance 2022.”
For my birthday, my boyfriend noticed that I had started reading again. He made a list of books similar to the one I was currently reading, ‘Every Summer After’ by Carley Fortune, and bought them as a gift. The gift included ‘Happy Place’ by Emily Henry, which I hadn’t planned on reading because I really wanted ‘Book Lovers,’ but I don’t regret it now. I think this book may be the most realistic book I’ve ever read. The love story was amazing, and I don’t have words to describe it, so you just have to believe me when I say that you must read this.
Number 2:
“The Silent Waters” by Brittainy C. Cherry (Elements #3)
I reread ‘Too Late’ by Colleen Hoover because the first time I listened to the audiobook, and I just bought the book. I really wanted the experience of reading it instead of listening to it. After that, I was a bit indecisive about what to read next, so I looked through my older lists and noticed that I hadn’t finished the Elements series. Even though they are stand-alone, I remember how much I liked ‘The Air He Breathes’ and how much I enjoyed Brittainy C. Cherry’s writing.
To be honest, I didn’t like ‘The Gravity of Us’ and ‘The Fire Between High & Lo’ as much. The first one I read was in my mother tongue, and this must be the reason why I didn’t like these two, but other than that, I don’t know why. ‘The Silent Waters,’ on the other hand, was something else. The entire story captivated me instantly, and I just couldn’t put it down. Maggie and Brooks’s story is so magical, and I will never forget it.
Number 1:
“Every Summer After” by Carley Fortune
I remember a cloudy warm day this summer, my cozy folding chair, and the beautiful corner of my garden. I remember how fast I read this book, how hungry I was for answers, and how my emotions were evolving into desperation. I did it; I finished this book in one day, and I didn’t move from there. I finished it, and I was finished.
I don’t know where Carley Fortune came from, but I hope she will stay for a while. That’s how much I loved ‘Every Summer After’.
Honourable mention:
“Things We Never Got Over” by Lucy Score
This is the first book I bought in a while. It’s the first book that motivated me to get rid of some books I didn’t like from my library. It’s also the first book published during my absence since I stopped reading, and oh boy, I enjoyed it.
It’s a very fluffy rom-com, something I was never into, but Lucy Score changed my view of this genre. Some people take this book very seriously, and I’m surprised by the amount of hate it has received. However, reading the reviews gave me the opportunity to understand what to expect in the future.
All I want to say is that this book is a light read and is very good if you want something to last for a while, especially if you don’t feel like searching and deciding what’s next.
Anca GV 