I don’t know how I did it, but last year I read more books than I ever had in one year. With that being said, I thought that it would be interesting to share my ratings of all of them. Unfortunately, I am very easy to influence so I did end up reading a lot of BookTok books. And please, do not judge my Colleen Hoover phase.
Twisted Love (Twisted #1) by Ana Huang – 4/5
If you love a spicy romance, this book is perfect for you. It was a fast-paced story with lots of spice, a ‘brother’s best friend’ trope, that has a really sweet ending. Also, this is a great book to read as a standalone, or in its series.
Without Merit by Colleen Hoover – 3.5/5
I know that a lot of people do not like Colleen Hoover. However, this book was actually pretty good. It was quite different from her other novels and contained lots of gripping topics and lots of different plot twists.
The Dating Dare (A Sweet Mess, #2) by Jayci Lee – 2/5
Look, I am all for a sweet romance. But, this book was just not it for me. I found myself frequently getting bored and there was nothing that actively kept my interest. Also, there were a lot of different characters in the story which did make it much more difficult for me to follow the storyline, as I couldn’t remember who everyone was.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston – 2/5
This was a book that I had purchased solely because of BookTok. Don’t hate me for what I’m about to say, but I kind of regret buying this book. It was a cute LGBTQ+ romance, but I didn’t find anything profoundly special about it. I honestly forget most of the story.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid – 3.5
Once again, a book that I bought because of the hype on BookTok. I have nothing against this book, it just was not really for me. It was a beautiful story and wonderful writing. However, it was very slow and there were no major wow factors for me. Though it was another very solid option for LGBTQ+ reads and I would suggest this one to others
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – 4.5/5
This was a book that I started in 2021 but finished in 2022 so I’m just going to add it to the list. Going into this one, I did not think that I was going to like it, as the genre wasn’t my usual pick and I had heard that it was a bit of a slower story. However, I adored this book. It was very easy to build a connection with the characters and the storyline was captivating. This was an absolutely beautiful book that I recommend to anyone looking for something that will tug at your heartstrings!
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover – 5/5
With this book, I feel like you either love it or hate it. I personally loved it. The dynamics in the relationships, the characters themselves, the plot, and the emotions. All of it really stuck with me and I enjoyed almost every single aspect of this book. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down and I finished it in 2 days.
It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover – 2.5/5
This book, on the other hand, I did not enjoy it as much. I was expecting a lot more out of it, really looking forward to the development of Lily and Atlas’s relationship, but it was very underwhelming. I kept getting bored with this book and really struggled to finish it.
Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman – 3.5/5
Now this one…so many emotions. I hated, adored, was grossed out by, and couldn’t get enough of this book. There were some aspects that I thought were truly unnecessary and I didn’t really enjoy. While there were others that sucked me in so deeply. Not to mention, I really loved the ‘summer in Italy’ vibe of this book.
Verity by Colleen Hoover – 4/5
This book was a little messed up, I will admit. Despite that, it was actually a pretty good book. It kept me on the edge of my seat almost the entire time, and it easily sucked me in. The plot twist in this book was also very sudden and intriguing. I also loved how open-ended the ending of this book was, leaving the final conclusion up to the reader.
Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover – 2/5
This book was not very interesting to me at all, and thinking back on it, I honestly do not remember the plot of this book, off the top of my head. I do remember that I enjoyed it at the moment and I just read it because my best friend told me to and I was in a grind of Colleen Hoover books at the time.
Confess by Colleen Hoover – 3.5/5
This book seemed really cheesy when I first looked into it but quickly engulfed me. This novel was very easy for me to finish as there was a “secret” that the readers weren’t informed about until the end of the book, which I was determined to find out. Not to mention, there was a very enjoyable romance between the two main characters which made the story very exciting to read.
As Good as Dead (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #3) by Holly Jackson – 4.5/5
If you enjoy fast-paced, drama-filled novels, then this is a great trilogy for you to pick up. Every single book I read in this series kept me on the edge of my seat and I constantly needed more. The only downfall to this series was the fact that towards the end, a lot of the characters started to get a little blurry, as there were so many of them that it was a little hard to keep up.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman – 4/5
This was a nice little novella for me to read, especially since I already knew the story of Coraline. I really enjoyed reading this one, as I could compare the movie adaptation to the book. This has always been one of my favorite movies, so I was excited to experience it in a different format. The book was actually a bit scarier than the movie was.