As many of you know, I love to read. I just finished another book yesterday in under two days (it will be the last one on this list by the way). I feel like I become a part of the story that I read and fall in love with the characters and the setting (yes, you can fall in love with a setting). Sometimes, books resonate with me, other times it takes a while to get through. However, I always have a take away that enlightens me as an author on ways I can grow as a writer. Below I have attached some of the books I thoroughly enjoyed reading (or re-reading) this past year:
1. "The Love Hypothesis" by Ali Hazelwood
I have done a quick review recently about this book on my Facebook page, so some of you already know how much I love this book. For starters, I could really relate to our main heroine, Olive, and her thoughts and feelings throughout the story. The author did a beautiful job incorporating science as a thematic backdrop (my parents both studied biology in university). The title characters and their "chemistry" (pun intended) was phenomenal. I especially enjoyed the comedy in the dialogue. It was a very refreshing breather. The plot was amazing and thoroughly entertaining. I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting. It's a must read.
2. "It Ends with Us" by Colleen Hoover
This story is very emotional and was one of the top bestselling books in 2021, and for good reason. The deep personal connection to Hoover's childhood is something that brought tears to my eyes (hard not to cry). I also love the beautiful references of Lily's past and how they relate to her in the present. This book will remain on your mind long after it's over, and it will at times challenge your views on the subject matter. I won't spoil anything, but I highly recommend picking this one up.
3. "Sweet, Filthy Boy" by Christina Lauren
Out of all the Wild Seasons series, this one is my absolute favourite (mind you, I haven't read the last one, but plan on doing that soon). The introduction in Las Vegas between the two main characters is both entertaining and hilarious. I love Ansel's personality throughout the vast majority of the story, and I really enjoyed the references to ballet in Mia's backstory, as I grew up in dance. Having Paris as a backdrop doesn't hurt either. I reminisce the many landmarks I experienced there as Mia was experiencing them for the first time. As for the spicy scenes, there are a lot of them, and they are intense and passionate! I loved every page of it!
4. "In 27 Days" by Alison Gervais
Compared to the first three books on this list, this one is a very innocent, sweet romance. It has an interesting concept for its storyline about what happens when you have the opportunity to save someone from ending their life. While I didn't know if this story could pull it off (I was worried that it wouldn't address the sensitive subject matter properly), this book definitely surpassed my expectations. Hadley is a determined, lovely soul who I loved as the heroine. The gradual buildup and relationship development between the two characters was well-executed. I also loved the references to Italian culture throughout the story in contrast to the backdrop of New York City. Brought back a lot of fond memories for me when I visited the area in 2004.
5. "Hate to Love You" by Tijan
Tijan is the master of writing college romances, and this one is one of them. I've read two of Tijan's books (the other one being "Anti-Stepbrother"), and I enjoyed them both, but I have to say I chose this one because Shay Coleman is one of my absolute favourite male leads in a romance (however, Eric still takes first place for me, but I'm being biased). The way he treats the heroine had my heart melting many times over. This book also talks a lot about gender equality and the imbalance that exists, as well as sensitive subject matter. Many reviews expressed that they found the main heroine to be frustrating, but I loved her attitude and that she doesn't put up with nothing from no one. If you like college romances, give this one a go.
6. The "After" Series by Anna Todd
Before I start on why I recommended this series, there are a few sidenotes I would like to mention here. First, Cosmopolitan wrote her as one of the biggest literary icons of our time. Not only that, but a billion reads online for an entire series is something that can't be ignored. Second, Todd is currently transforming the publishing industry so that more writers can have their works recognized, and I'm excited to see where this takes her and so many aspiring writers who haven't gotten themselves out there because of publishing obstacles. Finally, while I don't endorse the characters' behaviour toward each other (they are emotionally abusive toward each other), when reading the story, it must be read as an entire series to understand why Todd wrote the characters and story the way she did.
Okay, back to the recommendation. This series is an incredibly emotional rollercoaster of a series. The shocking twists and turns made my jaw drop. Many tears were shed on my end. The other thing I love is Todd's use of parallelism to other classic and contemporary literature. I minored in English Literature and loved the throwback to some of my favourite classics. If you love books with a ton of drama, read this one! But see if you can catch the number of literary classics that were referenced in this series. There are some major obvious ones, but one of them is so under the radar, you have to read it again to catch the similarities.
7. "Untouchable" by Marii Solaria
Untouchable is the first book of a werewolf fantasy series (called the "Moonlight Avatar" series), but this indie author is a captivating writer. I happened upon her purely by accident (on Instagram), and I'm so glad I did. The story is not exactly what I would deem a romance, but it falls into that category. This story has by far and away the most emotional introduction I've ever read (heavy content). It took me a while to proceed forward, but I love the concepts talked about consistently throughout the series and the emotions it made me feel. The author really explores whether forgiveness is expected when someone does something inexcusable, and if it is just an excuse to continue negative behaviour and/or have a lack of accountability for their actions. It also talks about living with anger, revenge, and hatred. Finally, I love her devotion in sharing LGBTQIA+2S in relationships and what words in the spectrum mean to educate that relationships come in many different ways.
8. "People We Meet on Vacation" by Emily Henry
This book is the last romance book I read for 2021, and it was the perfect way to end the year. This is a slow-burn romance book about the budding relationship between Poppy and Alex. I loved the jumping around in the timeline to show the growth and feelings Poppy experiences for Alex along the way. And call me biased, but it referenced Vancouver Island as the first major trip the two experience together, and I had many good laughs about that particular trip and my second home growing up: Victoria. Each of the trips they experience show how plans aren't always what we expect, but that the beauty and memories of travelling is so much more. Also, I love Alex. He is such a sweet character, and his personality traits made me love him all the more. Finally, so many quotes Henry wrote in this story were so relatable to me. especially the one written about the extra bolts provided for building IKEA furniture. When you read this book and come across the quote that relates to this, tell me if you do too. This book was given the award for the number one romance of the year by Goodreads. It's definitely one of my new favourites too.
I hope all of you have a wonderful end to December. Looking forward to sharing more blogs with you in the coming year!
My heart forever always,
RL Morrisseau
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