"She hoped.... and hope was dangerous. Hope was the most vicious evil of them all, the thing that had managed to thrive in Pandora's box among misery, and disease, and sadness— and what could endure alongside others with such teeth if it didn't have ghastly claws of its own?" 

It has been a long while since I've read a book that has so utterly, irrevocably blown me away. Don't get me wrong, I've read a lot of good books that I did legitimately enjoy, but recently none of have struck me quite as hard as Chloe Gong's These Violent Delights. Gong seamlessly takes classic, beloved tropes and twists them with something so new, and so utterly refreshing that it's impossible for this book to not leave a lasting impact on you. 

I love a good trope— am an absolute sucker for all the classics, especially, especially, ESPECIALLY enemies to lovers and all the variations of it. I also adore the whole betrayal but the other one doesn't know the whole story so they hate each other but they don't trope. And I also love the second chance romances. Basically what I'm trying to get to is that this book has all of my favorite tropes rolled into one perfect, neat package. And I enjoyed it immensely. 

These Violent Delights has everything you could want from a book and more— there's a badass female character, a clever, empathetic but equally badass male lead, there' star-crossed/forbidden love, gang rivalries, 1920's Shanghai, heart stopping action scenes, a dark monster murder mystery, representation— both LGBTQ+ and Chinese! Honestly like this book has everything, and it in no way feels like it's pandering to just fit it all in, it's all meant to be there, fitting seamlessly together. 

The book sucks you into a the glitzy 1920's in Shanghai, opening up to expose the dark, cruel and gritty underbelly of the city. The world is so rich, and with every additional word Gong pulls you deeper into the intricately crafted setting she has created.  Right from the first page, you are truly immersed in the world. I don't know what it is about Gong's writing, but it sucks you right in, and makes you feel like you're actually there, experiencing it all. So much thought and depth has been added to everything— characters, settings, plot lines— that nothing could ever be thought of as flat. This book has so many dimensions, and that just adds to the immersive experience it has to offer.  

The story follows a cast of characters, our main two being Juliette and Roma— the heirs to the cities rival gangs. If you couldn't tell, the story is a loose retelling of the timeless classic, Romeo and Juliet, only so much more enriching and intriguing. 

"The stars incline us, they do not bind us." 

I adore our main characters. As mentioned previously, Juliette is a total badass, and I love her for it. She's smart, strong willed, and everything you could want from a female protagonist. Plus she's Chinese. Growing up, I would've loved reading more with protagonists who looked like me, and I'm so happy to see more books like that becoming popular in the reading world. It's also so much fun to watch her struggle against her emotions for our other main character— Roma. I will definitely say that you get to know Juliette far better than you do Roma in this novel (the majority of the book is her perspective), but from everything I've seen and gotten from him, I'm already so, so utterly in love. He's sweet and caring, but forced to survive in a cruel world. I savored every moment with had with him. 

In our cast of side characters we have Benedikt, Marshall, Kathleen and Rosalind. If you've read Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare's Version) you may get enjoyment from the names! I know I did. Benedikt and Marshall are Roma's friends, while Kathleen and Rosalind are Juliette's. Despite not seeing them all too often (especially Rosalind) they have very distinct personalities that easily separates them from a sea of forgettable side characters seen throughout the history of books. It was a pleasure unraveling more of their stories and connections with each other, no matter how much strain or tension there might be. I especially enjoyed Kathleen's story. 

"Those who do not care, those who are violent, those who delight in that which is terrible"— Marshall shrugged, waving his hands about as he chose the right words— "they thrive. They come outside." 

The plot itself was intriguing— it felt impossible to put the book down. And then there was the writing itself— it was beautiful and so utterly enrapturing. Like I said before, it really pulls you into the novel, and you actually feel like you're there. It's been a while since I've loved an author's prose as much as I enjoyed Gong's. It was beautiful writing, but not dense or heavy— easily to read, and easy to fall into. 

I don't think I could recommend this book any more. 8/10 stars, it was a delight to read, and I cannot wait to sink my teeth into the next one. It brought a refreshing twist to beloved tropes, enthralling the reader in an entirely new and enrapturing world with badass, lovable characters and a gripping plot. 

Synopsis: 

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.

"People were complicated. They weren't math problems; they were collections of feelings and decisions and dumb luck. The world was complicated too, not a beautifully hazy French film, but a disastrous, horrible mess, speckled with brilliance and love and meaning." 

This is an incredible read. Honestly, while it's a cute title, I think the title of "Beach Read" does this novel an injustice. "Beach Read" sounds like it's just some cute, lighthearted romance that you'll read and enjoy, but won't necessarily stick with you once it's over. While this novel does have a cute romance, it's certainly not one that you'll be forgetting about anytime soon. Beach Read delves so much deeper than your typical beach read (confusing sentence, I know). It's not just a romance. While romance is an aspect of the book, it certainly isn't all of it. 

I dove into this book fully expecting what the title said I'd get-- a simple beach read. I was pleasantly surprised the deeper I delved into the pages to discover that it's so much more than that. This book is love. It's loss. It's discovery, and realizing that people aren't perfect, and that's okay. Don't let this turn you off if you're not looking for a particularly deep, dense and heavy novel. The deep, emotional side of this novel is somehow masked with the light, sunny tone of the story. So yes, it's deep. It's emotional, you can really feel and emphasize with the characters. But it reads like a light and warm contemporary novel. While there are deeper and more emotional ideas and scenes in this, don't worry. There's still plenty of sassy, laugh out loud or giggle moments. The romance is amazing-- it's built up at just the right pace and the two leads have magnetic chemistry. The added depth just makes the book all the more better because it makes the characters feel so much more real and relatable. They're imperfect, they have issues-- just like the rest of us.  Honestly, I was disappointed when I finished, and then I just turned the book over and started again. That's how much I loved reading this. 

The book follows January Andrews, a romance writer who has recently been disillusioned with life. The death of her father, and the realization that he wasn't the man she'd thought he was knocks the rose-colored glasses off her face, making her realize that the world isn't nearly as perfect and beautiful as she'd thought. 

Throw in Augustus Everett, January's ultimate rival since college and polar opposite. He's dark and a bit brooding. Someone mentioned this in another review that I read and I thought it was worth mentioning: while he's a dark and a little bit mysterious, he manages not to be a total asshole as the typical dark male lead usually is. He's actually a big sweetheart and I adore him with all my heart and soul. 

The two make a bet-- try to write in the other's genre. January will write more 'literary' novels, and Gus will write romance. Every week they take each other on "field trips" to help the other get in the mindset of their writing. And let's be real here, these are basically dates but am I so down for them? YES I AM. Like I mentioned earlier, the pacing of this romance is perfect. From the beginning there's chemistry between the two main characters. Their teasing and banter is enough to put a goofy grin on anyone's face. 


I'd give this book 9/10 stars, the writing is beautiful, the relationships are amazing, the plot is perfect and the characters are imperfect in ways that make them even more perfect. It was a stellar read and I honestly just want to sit down and read it again, again and again. If you're looking for a book that will melt your heart and hit you right in the feels while simultaneously making you giggle and grin? This is the book for you. 

Here's the actual synopsis: (Again, like the title, I don't think the synopsis does this book justice-- it just makes the story sound like a rom-com, when it's SO much more than that, but, you know, the romance element is quite nice too...) 

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

Here are two that I've read recently and utterly fell in love with! Meaning I really wish more people have read them and would talk about them! 

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to what may very well be my favorite read thus far in 2020. Anyone who's actually interacted with me in the past several months has been subject to my spiel about this novel so I figured I might as well put it on line too. I read You Deserve Each Other for the first time back in early April. Yeah, the first time. See, despite having midterms and a plethora of other schoolwork I needed to get done, as soon I finished this book I flipped it over and started again. That's how much I absolutely loved it. Since then, I can't even tell you how many times I've dived back into this one. It's just that good. 
You Deserve Each Other has quite the rom-com premise. It follows Nicholas and Naomi. They're engaged, but they don't exactly want to be. At least, not anymore. See, over the past year of their engagement, the two have fallen out of love with each other. The only issue is, there's still this expensive wedding that needs to be paid for. Whoever calls off the wedding has to pay the price. Thus, the two enter into a game of chicken, trying to push the other into calling the marriage off. 
Very rom-com sounding. And yeah, the novel starts off pretty normal, not too extraordinary, but the deeper you get, the more you realize that this novel is so much more than just a rom-com. 
You Deserve Each Other falls into the trope of re-falling in love with each other. And honestly I'm convinced that needs to be a more popular trope, because I don't see it often, but whenever I do the book leaves an imprint on me and I can't seem to get it off my mind. (I.e. Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren). So many romance books end when the chase is up, when they're finally together, like the chase is the most interesting part and being together is just boring. But this trope proves that's definitely not the case. Because it's not smooth sailing after falling in love, you have to keep working at it-- which is something our protagonists failed to do. 
There's something so beautiful about watching Nicholas and Naomi re-fall back in love. They have to re-learn everything about the other, and learn to appreciate the things they may not have noticed before. I'd argue it's even more beautiful than falling in love the first time, because it's harder. Falling in love sometimes is the easy part, sometimes it's the stuff that comes after that becomes harder. 
This book is the perfect combination of that beauty of watching a pair find each other again with the whole rom-com setting. Seriously, this book had me grinning and downright laughing out loud more times than I could count. It's just the perfect blend of things, and I couldn't give it any higher praise. I love the characters. I love the story. I love everything, except Deborah. I'm not a big fan of Deborah, but if you read the book, it's pretty easy to understand why. 
Anyway, if you're not convinced to read this book yet, I don't know what else to say. It's amazing. It's beautiful. It's funny. 9.5/10 stars. I'll be keeping a close eye on Sarah Hogle, because I love her writing and can't wait to see what she comes up with next. 

Synopsis: 

Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They're preparing for their lavish wedding that's three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.

Naomi wants out, but there's a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.

But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they're finally being themselves--and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.

When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut. (less)GET A COPY

There are a lot of directions I could've taken this prompt. What kind of sad is it talking about? The kind where you were excited and then disappointed? Or the kind that leaves an ache in your chest long after you've closed the back cover? I've decided to go with the latter, as the former doesn't exactly seem like something I would really necessarily want to talk in excess detail about! Again, there are a lot of books that do that-- all well-written stories should sit with you longer than just the duration of the read. Here are two that have stuck with me. 

I always start these out by saying something along the lines of a lot of books... and this is no different. A lot of books make me happy. It would be impossible to fit all of those books into this one blog post. A good book is one that makes me happy, and as we all know, I have no shortage of good books to talk about. Nevertheless, I will restrain myself and try to keep this post short and sweet so here we go. While a lot of different types of books make me happy, I'm going to stick to two adorably fluffy contemporary romance novels for this post, since those are the very typical "happy" books. 

If you saw my post yesterday, or you just know me in general, you'd know that my favorite book series is Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I'm a huge fan. I just love everything about it and am completely obsessed. While every single book in this series is magnificent in its own way, by far my favorite would have to be Queen of Shadows. There's just something about this book that is so magnificent, making it stand a head above its peers. This is like the pay off book. We just spent Heir of Fire training, and we were left with some pretty big cliffhangers, and then Queen of Shadows comes into the game and just-- it's everything anyone could have asked for. There are reunions, characters finally meeting, and epic, and I mean EPIC fights. Everything about this book is just unbelievably perfect. I adore it. 

This should come as no surprise to anyone. I've always been very vocal about my adoration of the Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas. I've always been very vocal of my adoration of Sarah J. Maas as an author in general, as you'll all see in the next 30 days. While my favorite book of all time is another Sarah special, my favorite series would have to be Throne of Glass. Everything about the series is excellent. The characters, the character growth, the plot, the world, the writing-- everything. I can't emphasize just how much I truly love this series. If you love high fantasy, this is definitely a series you'll want to check out. Each book expands on the world. Once you finish the series, looking back on where it starts seems to tiny and inconsequential, whereas it feels direly important during the first book. The series just keeps getting better and better as it continues on. I just... I love it. 

Here's the synopsis for Book 1 Throne of Glass: 
​
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her ... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead ... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Here's an especially hard one because rereading is one of my favorite hobbies, haha. Even though it can't quite capture the same magic as falling in love with a story for the first time, there is a beauty to rereading a good book or series-- you notice things you didn't before. You pick up on more foreshadowing, and just more little details in general. I'm going to admit right here, right now, that a lot of the books I mention on this list are ones that I've read more than three times. 
But since I'm going to try and not repeat myself too much, I'll limit myself to these two books that don't fit perfectly into any of the other categories.