I know it can be hard or even overstimulating to find a book to read. There are just so many to choose from, and it’s hard to even know where to start looking. However, I have been reading a lot of fiction books lately, so I have some recommendations and warnings that might be worth looking into.
I personally did not enjoy Lynn Painter books at first. “Better Than the Movies” was okay, and when I started reading “The Do-Over” I just got bored. When I saw that Painter was coming out with a new book, I wasn’t even going to consider it. However, I was looking for a good book for winter and “Fake Skating” was one of the top rated ones. Thankfully I picked up the book, because it is now one of my favorite YA romances.
The book is so cute and has the perfect balance of tension and romance. The main character is very relatable for girls who like to read and have ambitious academic goals. She is also a military-brat, so it is very relatable especially to me since I have lived around military people and on a military base for most of my life. It is a hockey romance as well, so fans of sports romance are included in the target audience.
I can very confidently say that this is Lynn Painter’s best book. This book is perfect for girls looking for a sweet romance, and it definitely will be one fans will not forget. “Fake Skating” uses the childhood-friends to lovers tropes, and shows how people and relationships change over years.
Next is “We Were Liars.” by E. Lockhart. I absolutely despised this book. After so many good reviews and recommendations, I decided I would try it out, and come to find out that it may be the worst book I have ever read.
The story is about a couple of rich kids and their problems. Usually, I love to read books about rich people. I find their lives incredibly interesting. However, “We Were Liars” just was not an enjoyable read. For one thing, the grandfather is a racist, and although that is a major point in the book, it still infuriates me. The mothers of the kids are also maddening. All they talk about is who is going to get the biggest summer home after the grandfather dies, and they fight tooth and nail for it. While I do like how the book talks about mental health, I feel like this aspect is overshadowed by the fact that the book is so bad.
The only reason I gave this book even one star is because of the plot twist at the end. Instead of “We Were Liars”, I suggest reading “The Headmaster’s List” by Melissa de la Cruz. It is still about rich kids, and it also has the aspect of not being able to remember an event.
A more realistic fiction book that I read recently was “The Weight of Blood” by Tiffany D. Jackson. This book is a retelling of Stephen King’s horror novel “Carrie.” However, instead the main character is named Maddy and she is not shunned for coming from a strict religious background. She is shunned for being biracial. She had been hiding the fact that she was biracial for her whole life, and one day the kids in her school finally found out.
This book has a lot to do with racism, police brutality and other modern race related problems. The book was disturbing to me, more because it was so realistic in the way she was bullied. It really brings to light how some towns still are in the world today. It also goes a little into the history of how some small towns did not integrate schools and prom until 2012. I really recommend this book so that people can see another side of life. This book is also from the horror genre, as the book is quite traumatic and frightening.
Even though “We Were Liars” was a horrible book, I’m glad I read it because it allowed me to broaden my reading horizons. The other two were such good reads, and perfect if looking for a nice book that will be interesting and fun to read.