If you are anything like me, books are what save you in times of stress, sadness, and especially boredom. Reading can let you escape from the real world for a bit, no matter the genre or quality of the book itself (but if you consider Twilight your favorite book… please expand your horizons). Below you will find a list of books I have read and consider my favorite, simply because I felt like I couldn’t put them down even after I was finished.
One Day in December by Josie Silver: Romance
One Day in December is your classic Christmastime romance. Laurie sees a man through a frosted bus window, their eyes meet, sparks fly, and Laurie knows her life will never be complete until she finds the man again. Laurie loses all hope, until a fateful Christmas party where she meets her best friend’s new boyfriend… the man from the bus. This commences a ten-year-long love story full of friendship, fleeting moments, altered futures, and hard-to-forget pasts. Readers out there who long for a good romance story, but can’t stomach Nicholas Sparks, absolutely need to pick up One Day in December.
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: YA Realistic Fiction
Now, I might be biased, but Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is the best book ever written. Rowell somehow creates characters that you wish were your best friends, who you miss the second you finish their story. Fangirl is the story of Cather, a college student who would rather spend her days writing Simon Snow (the equivalent of Harry Potter in this world) fan fiction in her dorm room than going to classes and – god forbid – socializing. Her abrasive roommate Reagan introduces her to Levi, who ends up showing her just how great the world outside of fan fiction can be.
Meet Cute by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Dhonielle Clayton, Katie Cotugno, Jocelyn Davies Nina LaCour Emery Lord, Katharine McGee, Kass Morgan, Meredith Russo, Sara Shepard, Nicola Yoon, Ibi Zoboi, and Julie Murphy: Realistic Romance Short Stories
Meet Cute is a collection of short stories by multiple authors. As you can probably assume from the title, they are all the stories of how couples met. There’s everything from the classic subway missed connection, to two teens hiding from police in a stranger’s bathroom at a house party, to two reality dating show contestants who really really weren’t supposed to fall in love. Since it is a collection of short stories, Meet Cute is the perfect book to throw in your backpack and pull out when you’re waiting for a class, relaxing in your room, and especially when you just need a little love in your life.
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware: Psychological Thriller
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware is the perfect one-night read. I picked this up at the bookstore without even reading the cover, and quickly realized that not only was the story gripping and the characters deep and complex, but also that I wasn’t going to be putting it down anytime soon.
Brief Synopsis: Isa Wilde returns to the town where she attended boarding school, a town she and her schoolmates long to forget. As young girls, Isa and her so-called friends played The Lying Game, a treacherous game of deceit they come to discover had fatal and criminal consequences. When they are all summoned to help a friend supposedly in need, their past indiscretions and secrets are unearthed in a terrifying and electrifying conclusion that will leaving you second-guessing your detective skills.
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware: Psychological Thriller
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware is in the same boat as The Lying Game. After you’re finished, sleep is guaranteed to not come easy, and you definitely won’t be camping anytime soon.
Brief Synopsis: Nora Shaw wakes up in a hospital bed with no recollection of how she got there. She remembers that something horrible happened, she remembers screaming and blood and flashing lights. She remembers that she was invited to a bachelorette party for an old friend. She remembers it was at a cabin the woods. Through pieced-together flashbacks and her own investigation, Nora learns that not only did someone die, but that someone was murdered… and the killer was with her in the cabin in the woods.
Hopefully you came across a book on this list that you are dying to find and dive right into, even if you don’t consider yourself a “reader”.