If You Loved This, Read This | Part 2
If You Loved This, Read This - Part Two
I love getting book recommendations based on stories I’ve already loved. I also enjoy spotting similarities between books and recommending them based on those similiarities. I’ve already done a Part One of the If You Loved This, Read This blog series — check it out here — but now let’s dive into Part Two! This time we’ve got sweeping, contemporary YA stories, intense romantic suspense novels, and a couple of paranormal thrillers.
If You Love Gut Wrenching, Beautiful Stories
In this recommendation, I’ve paired two sweeping, contemporary YA stories — All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir and An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi. These two stories are filled with family, first love, and friendship as well as loss, emotional turmoil, and harsh realities (please check content warnings for both!). Not only do both of these authors write, simultaneously, the most beautiful and tragic stories, but their prose is hands down the most eloquent and vivid and meaningful. It will leave you reeling. It will touch your soul. It will 100% move you. Sabaa and Tahereh are also own voice authors and write in the fantasy genre too (check out the An Ember In The Ashes series by Sabaa and the Shatter Me series by Tahereh)! So if you loved All My Rage this year, definitely check out An Emotion of Great Delight!
If You Love Angsty Romance and Secrets
My next recommendation includes two very intense, romantic suspense novels that — oof — just got me so good! I read Flock back in February of this year and OH MY GAH. It ended up being one of those I-can’t-go-to-sleep-until-I-finish-this kind of books!! I was reeling by the end of it, completely consumed, and out-of-this-world mind blown by the story. It’s one of those tales that’s just utterly one of a kind and hits you in a completely different way than most other stories. It was definitely angsty with lots of secrets and deception and heartbreak. I really never thought I’d read anything like it again — and I likely won’t — BUT. When I picked up Playing With Fire later in the year, I found that angsty, intense romance again with secrets and a tragic backstory. While still very different from Flock, the idea of keeping the intense, chemistry-filled romance a secret to protect is 100% there along with the tradegy and heartbreak. Playing With Fire, however, isn’t a series and it ends with an HEA (not that Flock doesn’t, but well… you’ll see)! If you loved the angtsy romance and all the secrets in Flock, try Playing With Fire!
If You Love Layered Haunted House Tales
For my last recommendation today, I’m showcasing two paranormal thrillers — Home Before Dark by Riley Sager and Beneath The Stairs by Jennifer Fawcett — that mildly include ghosts and haunted houses. While neither are horror, I’d consider both of these also edge-of-your-seat, suspenseful mystery thrillers. I tend to like ghost and haunted house stories more so when there’s a significant back story into the haunting. It typically takes away some of that evil, malevolent feeling from the tale overall for me, depending on the back story! If it’s rooted in reality and our world rather than just an evil spirit haunting, I can typically handle it! And personally, I enjoyed Beneath The Stairs far more than Home Before Dark, but if you loved the layered haunted house mystery of the latter, you should definitely try the former!
What are some of your “if you loved this, read this” recs? Have you read any of these?
Check out Part 1 of this series if you haven’t already here!
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I’m Leah. Cozy connoisseur and bountiful book buyer. I have a minor obsession with getting lost in the pages of a good book, guzzling coffee, and thriving at home. Leggings, wine, and essential oils are also my jam. I'm truly just a bookworm and homebody at heart with a knack for content creation & cozy shots. This is my creative space.
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