Shoutout to Star is All Booked Up for creating this awesome book tag! I have been so in my feels about Taylor’s new album, it’s so fun to do my favorite thing with my loves… match them to books !!
first up… “the 1: a book you grew out of.” I’d say really any Sarah Dessen book. There was a time I went absolutely feral for a new Sarah Dessen release, but I tried reading her newest book and immediately got bored 😦 think I just grew out of that.
“cardigan: a book you keep coming back to.” for me, that has got to be the percy jackson series !! I literally *never* re-read books, but I’m currently re-reading all the PJO books and bought them all in anticipation of the Disney+ adaptation. Uncle Rick never fails to deliver!
this SONG. god it’s so powerful, I could honestly dedicate a whole post to what this means for me. but for my “the last great american dynasty: a book where everything goes wrong (in the best way) section, I would put YOU HAD ME AT HOLA by Alexis Daria because the main character has a Plan™️ for her new life and, of course, it goes horribly wrong… for the better 🙂
“exile: an ending you didn’t like (or a ship that sank).” oof honestly… ALLEGIANT by Veronica Roth. 😫 I know I read that series years ago, and honestly would probably fit the 1 as well, but like… that ending STILL makes me mad every time I think about it. So didn’t make sense for her character arc like at all. Ugh.
“my tears ricochet: broke your heart.” ugh so many, I both love and hate heartbreakers. but if I had to pick… TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN by John Green. say what you will about the man (and trust me, I get it, he is terrible at writing a three dimensional girl character lol) but this book will forever mean so much to me because I identify so much with the main character. I have never seen a main character pick her fingers like I do, and that means so much to me to see her grappling with it and then getting necessary help, because I’m still in the grappling with it stage. anyways, I could go on, but I won’t.
for “mirrorball: a book that speaks to your soul,” I choose FOUL IS FAIR by Hannah Capin. when I read it, I had a lot of pent-up anger that I was struggling to externalize and process, but reading this book was so therapeutic and needed. I’ll forever be grateful to this badass book and author for that.
“seven: characters you want to take home and protect.” this sooo has to be Luc and Oliver from BOYFRIEND MATERIAL by Alexis Hall. I want to just give them a big old hug and tell them I’m proud of them for their journeys. They’re doing so good !!
ahhh this song. “august: summer love.” such feelings, much wow. but for the book I’d pick, it’s FINDING JOY by Adriana Herrera.
“this is me trying: mental illness rep.” I’m not all the way through this one yet, BUT I’m so in love with it already, so I’m gonna put A DUKE BY DEFAULT by Alyssa Cole. The main character starts learning about ADHD and how they could explain some things about her life, plus PTSD from abusive parents. all while falling in love with #swordbae.
“illicit affars: forbidden romance.” *slings CRIER’S WAR by Nina Varela at you* no but seriously, sapphic robot/human, monarch/peasant, killer/soon to be killed… AND THERE’S A SEQUEL COMING SOON!!
“invisible string: soulmates.” THE A.I. WHO LOVED ME by Alyssa Cole. honestly even categorizing here is a spoiler, so mum’s the word.
“mad woman: vengeful woman.” CINDERELLA IS DEAD by Kalynn Bayron (queer Black girls overthrow the patriachy)!!!
“epiphany: a loss you’re not over.” DON’T DATE ROSA SANTOS by Nina Moreno because [redacted]!!!
“betty: love triangle, f/f romance.” I raise you, THIS SPELL CAN’T LAST, an *f/f love triangle* !! it’s a prequel novella to THESE WITCHES DON’T BURN by Isabel Sterling, which I can’t wait to read. fair warning, it’s not the MC who is torn between two love interests…
“peace: found family.” god I love me a found family trope!! for this, I’m picking A DUKE, THE LADY, AND A BABY by Vanessa Riley, because the MC loses everything after she becomes widowed, but she finds new family in the badass group of widows who double as spies.
last one to wrap up this post is… “hoax: character that fooled you.” there’s so many different ways I could take this, but I’ll say DIRTY HOOKUP by Mira Lyn Kelly. The whole book I was sympathizing with the heroine because the hero left her high and dry after a hookup… and then the reason shook me lol. great character arc there.
that’s all for now! buy links and links to add the books to The Storygraph (a Goodreads substitute) can be found embedded in the text above. as for who to tag… if you liked folklore and wanna do this, consider yourself tagged!! it was a lot of fun, thanks again to Star is All Booked Up!
Lizzy Writes Reviews 