TikTok is such a huge influence on young people, especially me. Similarly, BookTok is the best and the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I see one flash of a book cover and I have added that book onto my GoodReads shelf. My to-read shelf has been growing exponentially since I began watching TikToks about books. Slowly, I am working through the list. I wanted to share some of the books I have read and whether they are good, bad or somewhere in between.
1. Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton
Worth it!
Focusing on six different stories with diverse characters, this book is AMAZING in my eyes. The book is made up of six short stories about teens experiencing a blackout in New York City. This book takes us on adventures with intertwining stories of romance. I loved this book, seriously.
I think my favorite is the story near the end. I do not want to give too much away but it takes place with two POVs and is in a taxi cab. It just was such a nice meet-cute.
2. Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
Worth it!
Now, if you have heard about this, hear me out! This book series is actually good. For those that don’t know, it is a story about a bunch of girls getting kidnapped then stranded on an ice planet (hence the name) and meeting huge blue aliens. The aliens are a bit sex-obsessed. Oh yeah, this book is very much R-rated.
I have only read the first two books in this 20+ book series, so my judgment is only as good as those two books. I will say, the first book, Ice Planet Barbarians, is not the best. You could read that and never continue on with no cares in the world. However, the second book in the series, Barbarian Alien, is so worth the wait. Is there a problematic love through Stockholm syndrome? Yes, but you learn to move past that and really fight for the two main characters in this book.
Trust me, the second book actually focuses more on the plot and not as much on the..umm…size…of the big blue aliens.
3. Beach Read by Emily Henry
Not so much…
This book, while really charming, was just another romance book. Two authors and college rivals become neighbors after the protagonist of the story inherits her father’s house he owned with his mistress. The two strike up a deal to write books in the other’s respective genre and they have a little competition with it.
Was it a cute story? Yes, it was but it just did not have all the power couple vibes I was looking for. The father side plot was more interesting than the romance. The sex scene in the book was even lacking luster (but after an 11-page sex scene in IPB how could it ever compare?).
4. You’re So Dead by Ash Parsons
Do not read!
You’re so gonna regret listening to this book on audiobook for 8 hours. While a fun concept, the infamous Fyre festival but make it about murder book just made so little sense. The story lacked all suspense that is typical of the horror genre. This story is about three friends traveling to the Pyre Festival (similar to the Fyre festival in real life where the influencers got there and it was nothing like the website said) but it turns out the be a way for someone to murder influencers.
In my opinion, the prologue could have been taken out and this book would have improved by 300%. The prologue took place minutes before the climax of the story later on in the book and it kind of robbed the book of the suspense needed for this book. We knew that they were going to be hunted and that there was someone there hunting them down (not a spoiler since it is literally the first chapter). Half the book they wonder if the murderer is on the island, but the reader already knows.
Don’t spoil the surprises in the first chapter of your books, please!
5. The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic
Eh…Maybe try it
This book is decent. It is about a fake sport named Exy and all these troubled teens. I believe all the characters are into each other and they drug the main character a few times. There is absolutely little to no focus on what the sport actually is or them playing it. There is an added mafia boss plotline that was predictable. The writing is average and the characters lack depth. The ending ends with such a sharp turn that I am still suffering whiplash.
Honestly, I was just reading this book because I saw cool fan art about it.
Hopefully, you steer clear of my least favorite ones and do not think I am insane for liking IPB.
XOXO HC