The Greatest Show | In Which The Intro Is Amazing

Comedy is my guilty pleasure, and I just had to make sure there was a comedy book on this list. While the plot of Jeff Strand’s book is sometimes strained, and certainly the whole premise is utterly ridiculous, it was a freaking fun read. I laughed the whole time. The beginning sets up that expectation, not so much the first chapter, but definitely the second. The main character, Henry Lambert, is so utterly relatable, and his sarcasm game is on point. I knew we’d get along just fine as soon as I met the character.

A Million Dreams | In Which Things Get A Little Too Dragged

The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell is good, but it takes soooo long to get into the real meat of the story that I wondered, several times, if it was ever going to pay off and be worth it. In the end, it was, yes, worth it. But it really took about halfway through before it started to get good, I felt.

Read a full review here.

Come Alive | In Which There’s A Nice Plot Twist

I will never not recommend Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman, okay? If you haven’t read it yet, then you really need to get on that. I mean, probably read Scythe first, yeah? This book has aaaaall the plot twists, and it really keeps the reader guessing and engaged.

Read a full review here.

The Other Side | In Which A Villain Turns Into A Good Guy or Vice Versa

There aren’t a whole lot of surprises in this book, and you can pretty much guess the way it’s going to end from the beginning. So there’s no surprise that the anti-hero becomes … a good guy? I feel like that might be stretching it a bit. She’s slightly less villainy?

Never Enough | In Which You Hate The Love Triangle

The book was good, but the love triangle? UGH. This isn’t even because the author did something “wrong,” but the love triangle was supposed to be bad, because it says a lot about the time period and the culture in the book. The woman is basically treated as a possession by one part of said triangle, and I hated him so much.

This Is Me | In Which Representation Is Amazing

This book is so rich with Taiwanese culture that you almost need a passport just to read it. Luckily, you don’t. Because that would be expensive. I learned so much through reading it, and I loved it, especially all the information about Ghost Month. The main character is also biracial, and there was a lot of really nice insight about what it’s like being biracial in both America and Taiwan and feeling like you’re a little of both without really belonging to either.

Read a full review here.

Rewrite The Stars | In Which It’s ‘Us Against The World’ [Not Necessarily Romantic]

This prompt perfectly fits Fredrik Backman’s book. Granny and Elsa have the ultimate us-versus-the-world relationship, and it’s absolutely perfect and the sort of thing everyone should be aiming for in life. What makes it particularly interesting is that it’s exactly that perfect dynamic that makes it so painful when it’s ripped apart when Granny inevitably dies and now it’s just Elsa. It was a heart-wrenching dynamic, but a beautiful read.

Read a full review here.

Tightrope | In Which The Love Triangle Took A Wrong Turn

Oh, look, another one I will never not recommend. Yay! The love triangle in this book is a mess … but it’s sort of supposed to be? So I guess the fact that it takes a wrong turn is really a win, so … good job? Feels so weird to say that, but that’s sort of the point of this book.

Read a full review here.

From Now On | In Which The Main Character Only Gets Their Stuff Together In The End

I’m going to count this, because there were a lot of main characters, and it took them all a long time to get their nonsense together. So pick one, and it’ll probably fit this one. I loved them all, though. Especially Lightsong. He is officially my spirit animal.

Read a full review here.