1. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley
Beauty's father in a wealthy merchant, but when he loses his fortune after tragedy befalls his fleet of ships, her family is forced to auction off what remains of their worldly possessions and relocate to the small town her sister's fiance is from. It's a difficult transition, but ultimately the family finds their groove in this new life, and things are going well until, journeying home in the middle of winter, her father gets lost in the woods and finds himself at the Beast's enchanted castle. Just like in the original story, Beauty takes his place, and things unfold from there. I've read this book so many times, but I still lose myself in it every time. Bonus, it's actually the first in a trio of fairytale retellings, so if you like it, you can keep reading! (And let me know what you think of Rose Daughter and Spindle's End, because confession: I have not read either of them)
2. Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
I double checked whether I had reviewed this book on the blog before, and at first I was a little surprised that I hadn't. Then I realized that of course I haven't reviewed it here, because I don't know what to say. This book is hard to describe, but perfect to read. It's Penny's first year of college, and...that's what it's about. Navigating somewhere new. Learning how to live with roommates, making new friends. Managing your anxiety. It's a book about real life. If you read this one and don't like it, I'm begging you, please don't tell me, because it is probably in my top three favorite books of all time, and I love it so much that it makes me nervous even recommending it.
3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
I threw this in with last week's list, and maybe I'll just keep bringing it up until I wear everyone down and convince them to read it. It's similar to Emergency Contact, Cath's first year at college, learning to navigate new and unfamiliar spaces while dealing with extreme anxiety. Again, nothing horribly consequential happens, but it feels so familiar because, hello! It's your first year of college, you've lived a version of this! I've said it before, and I'll say it again...I consider this the perfect book. So again, please don'tt ell me if you hate it. ;)
4. Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills
Oh, I've reviewed this one! You guys, I read to my husband before we go to bed, and this was the last book he chose to read. Not even lying, there were moments where the dialogue made me laugh so hard I had to stop reading and compose myself. I love this book, Gideon is so purely kind and lovely, even just remembering it gives me the warm fuzzies.
5. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee
Yeah, I know, a repeat from last week, but it's so good! There's some serious stuff in there, but Monty is so snarky and wonderful, just reading his dialogue is like hanging out with a friend.
6. Harry Potter
We all know who it's by, I'm not going to include her TERFy name. If you read these as a child, it's a journey back to those days. If you're like me and read them when you were a little older, maybe it's not a nostalgic trip back to when you were waiting to get your Hogwarts letter, but it still warms my heart to reread them and spend time with some of my favorite characters.
7. The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien
What better to take your mind off a worldwide pandemic than some epic hobbit adventures? Dragons, elves, orcs, magic rings...
8. Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
Another that I've reviewed before! Leah kicks ass, and she has some of the best one-liners ever. If foul-mouthed tough women are your thing, you'll love Leah.
9. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
It's a classic, y'all! This book is truly a revisit of my childhood, and it makes me so happy thinking back to my book-loving, nerdy young self (not that I'm not book-loving and nerdy now, but you know...I was going to say I was slightly shorter then, but I don't know how true that is. I was younger, for sure.). If you haven't read it before, give it a shot! This or Anne of Green Gables, they were my favorites back then. To this day, every time I drive through Blythe, California, I give a little sigh thinking of Gilbert Blythe.
10. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
I really thought I had reviewed this one before, but I haven't! This is the first book Becky Albertalli wrote in the same world as Leah on the Offbeat, and oh my, I love it so much. Simon has a virtual penpal, and he's pretty head over heels for him, but there's a small catch - he doesn't know who he is in real life. There's some shittiness and drama, but Simon's friends are amazing, and this book makes my heart happy.
11. Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
You can revisit my review of this one here. Or you can just trust me that this book will not only make you want to go camping, it will warm your heart to its very cockles.
12. This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills
Ohh, a recent review, and another Emma Mills book! She writes such great dialogue, and her characters are way too easy to fall in love with. I found this book incredibly touching, and I hope that you will too.
13. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Yep, another repeat. I said it last week, and I'll say it again, these books are a trip back in time to when the most stressful part of your life was what the person you had a crush on thought of you. Lara Jean is so sweet and serious, and watching her navigate high school and dating just...melts my heart. And Noah Centineo is perfectly cast as Peter Kavinski, if you have not watched the movies on Netflix, I don't know what you're waiting for.
14. The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo
Another book that I've reviewed before! This one and Foolish Hearts kinda remind me of each other, but that isn't a bad thing. They're both light-hearted and wonderful. And this one features a food truck, so prepare to be hungry basically the entire time you're reading - seriously, have snacks handy.
15. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
Marin is running away from her old life, but parts of it keep pulling her back in, refusing to let her go. Months later, she's alone at college in her empty dorm, waiting for her best friend to visit and dreading confronting everything that Mabel's presence will force her to confront. This book is kind of a departure from most of this list because it's actually very sad, but in an...oddly comforting way? Maybe read this one sandwiched in between Foolish Hearts and This Adventure Ends.
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