A while ago, I shared my thoughts regarding some current hyped books. But hyped books are constantly circulating throughout online book spaces, and now, there are so many more to share. Here are some more books that are always showing up on my feed, and what I thought of them.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Readers love Emily Henry—that’s obvious by the way all three of her adult romance books are in the spotlight. I’ve read People We Meet on Vacation, but Book Lovers is on a whole other level. This book follows a so-called “ice queen” book agent, Nora Stephens, who goes on vacation to a small town with her sister. There, they try to complete a bucket list, including things like getting a haircut and going on dates with local men. Nora is surprised to run into Charlie Lastra, a brooding book editor from the city, way out in small-town North Carolina.
I think this book is definitely worth the hype. Nora and Charlie have wonderful chemistry, but Nora’s relationship with her sister, Libby, is probably the star of the book for me. I loved how they took care of each other and the family they made for themselves. If you’re looking for a small-town romance with a twist, Book Lovers is one to check out.
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
As the title suggests, Ugly Love features some pretty heartbreaking and ugly moments. This story follows Tate, who recently moved in with her brother as she completes her graduate studies. Her brother’s friend, Miles, lives across the hall, and the connection is almost instantaneous. But after a tragic love affair in his past, Miles isn’t quite ready to open his heart.
This book cycles between chapters set in the present and the past. I loved the past chapters more, as short as they were, because the present chapters between Tate and Miles didn’t have enough depth and development for me. I would have loved more conversation and more of the falling-in-love part of the relationship. This isn’t my favourite Colleen Hoover book, but even though it doesn’t score very high for me, I would still recommend giving it a try to form your own opinion.
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
In this book, Catalina Martín and Aaron Blackford concoct a fake-dating scheme when Catalina returns to Spain to attend her sister’s wedding. After lying to save face, Catalina is in desperate need of a date. Catalina and Aaron don’t get along well as co-workers, but Catalina starts to see a different side of Aaron while on their outings. This book has all the ingredients to become one of my favourites, featuring fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, and forced proximity. Unfortunately, it also has one of my pet peeves: The events in the synopsis don’t show up until much later in the book.
I don’t think Catalina and Aaron actually make it to Spain until almost halfway through the book. This made it feel dragged on and boring to me. The characters themselves felt lacking and were not very unique. It felt like the writer was just trying to check off all the boxes on a ‘what makes a good romance book’ checklist without actually providing much originality or character. So, while it is an online favourite, I don’t think reading this book is worth it.
Hyped books are hit-or-miss, but that can be part of the fun! You never know what you’ll get when you start reading a book—it can be the best book you’ve ever read, average, or one of the worst. I love when a book defies my expectations in a good way, and if a book is disappointing? Well, it’s a good thing that there are more books published annually than I can ever hope to read in my lifetime.