Books You Should Read: From a writer and reader with way too much free time.

When I was in college, I barely read for fun. I was a Sociology and Spanish major, so all of my time was dedicated to reading books like, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander or Thick by Tressie McMillan Cottom (which everyone should read). Or I was reading and analyzing old poems and short stories from Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. And while I enjoyed reading these literary masterpieces, I had little to no energy left to read what I really loved: fiction.

As winter, spring, and summer break came, and I looked for something to fill my time other than catching up on all the TV I never had time to watch. And so slowly but surely, I got back into reading. By the time I finished college, not only was I devouring books, but I was starting to realize that, like Ken, I wanted my job to be books. In what way, I wasn't sure. I wasn't graduating with an English degree, I was still working on perfecting my craft. And still, after graduating, I was left with an ache for a life in writing and publishing and a newfound love for reading. Pair that with no longer being a student and having a bunch of free time after work, and I was ready to get started on my new reading goal.

22 books. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it would be more than I had ever read in the span of a few months. At least for fun and by choice. I will say, the goal started in mid-to-late 2024, which left me little time to read all 22 books. But I was determined. I was a new grad with a 9-5 job. I wasn't living with friends, and my social life had been slashed like a department store sale. I had no homework, no after-work responsibilities, and I was in desperate need of a hobby. It was time to read. So I read as much as I could. I would pick books that sounded good on Goodreads, or I would browse the Target books section for as long as I could until I had officially been in the store for way too long. Normally I read contemporary romances because I am, deep down, a hopeless romantic. Sometimes it was contemporary fiction and sometimes, it was a book that could hold my hand and take me down a path of self-discovery (for example, Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton). In the end, I only read 21 out of my 22 books, a result that will haunt my perfectionist brain for a long time to come. But, through my new reading journey, I found some that I think you should absolutely read. They will make you laugh, cry, swoon, and ultimately, think. Not only do I think you will enjoy them, I think they will leave you a better reader and a better individual. And yes, even the romances.

The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas

Romances tend to get a bad rap. They are labeled as “guilty pleasures” or “just a bunch of smut.” And while for some that may be true, I believe that romances are just as meaningful as any other book. At the end of the day, everyone wants to love and be loved. So why not read about it?

Elena Armas' The Fiancé Dilemma is an absolute treat to read. It is the follow-up book to The Long Game and while you should read them in order, you certainly do not have to. Although, if you do not, I can assure you will want to go back and read The Long Game, which is equally good.

Elena Armas is an author that I love because she writes love stories that draw you in and help you escape from what is going on in the world. We see Josie's life as the mayor of her small town and the complexities she faces with her absent father coming back into her life. Josie is a beautifully written main character: you are able to relate to her, feel for her, and by the end of the book you find yourself wanting to be her friend. Matthew, her handsome love interest, comes to life as well and draws the reader in with his charm and confidence. Armas' use of the “fake dating” or, in this case, “fake fiancés” trope is spectacular, with budding chemistry almost oozing out of the book. Her main characters don't just bring the story to life, but the description of the town, the side characters, and the intertwining of worlds between this book, and its predecessor makes for a wonderful story. I would highly recommend!

One Day by David Nicholls

David Nicholls has written one of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching love stories in his novel, One Day. Spanning twenty years of friendship, the reader watches Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley go through different stages of their lives from the end of University, to their mid-to-late 30s.

I read this novel after a friend recommended the TV show (because obviously I was not going to watch the show before I read the book), and I instantly fell in love. These characters are not perfect. Dexter and Emma go through various life experiences and ups and downs. Their lives are not perfect, but entirely messy: From Dexter's relationships, career, and substance issues to Emma's own relationships and struggle to find herself, we get a front row seat to watch two individuals go through real life. And along the way, fall in love with each other.

While life is beautiful in so many ways, it does not go without its struggles. There are highs and lows, ups and downs, and as we go through adulthood, we must work to create the life we want to live. Sometimes that is harder to do. Sometimes, rough patches in our lives or bad habits take over. But through the connections we have with others, it becomes easier to crawl out of the darkness and towards the light. Emma and Dexter's friendship and love is a beautiful way to show how two deeply wonderful and real people can find their places in the world, for however long they have.

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

For many years, I said that I did not like time travel or magic in books. There was magical realism, which I loved in books like House of Spirits by Isabel Allende. But time travel? Not so much.

Well, I am a liar. My tastes have expanded, and that is partly because of Holly Gramazio. In this funny and insightful novel, Gramazio questions what we are really looking for in life. Lauren, our main character, comes home one night to find a husband in her flat. The problem is? She is not married. Lauren finds that there is some kind of magic in her attic, because every time one husband goes up the rickety stairs, a new one comes down.

Gramazio balances humor with a very real topic: what are we looking for in a partner? More importantly, what are we looking for in a life? As Lauren goes through husbands, she finds one in particular that she really enjoys. And then, on his own accord, he ventures into the attic and Lauren is left with a new, different, slightly worse husband. Through her longing for past husbands and her experiences with new ones, Lauren searches to end this maddening and magical cycle that she has found herself in. And while doing so, she realizes that there is no perfect husband, but you can try to build a fairly perfect life.

I Hope This Finds You Well: A Novel by Natalie Sue

In the Fall of 2024 I decided to start listening to audiobooks. I am normally a fan of physical books, what with the feel of a page in between your fingers and the smell of a new book. But I had a reading goal to complete and so, audiobooks it was. One of the first audiobooks I picked was I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue. And it did not disappoint.

Natalie Sue follows Jolene Smith's not so flowery or upbeat life working her 9-5 job. She doesn't particularly love her job, she doesn't get along with her coworkers at all, and she seems to be in a personal rut that she just can't climb out of. And if it could not possibly get worse, Jolene is given mandatory HR training for sending a nasty response to her least liked colleague, Caitlin Joffrey. That is, until Jolene magically gets access to see everyone's work messages and emails and formulates a plan to not only keep her job, but to pull herself out of the depths of being "most disliked" at her corporate job.

Natalie Sue expertly draws you into Jolene's world and leaves you with a strong emotional connection to her. Jolene is no longer just a character, she is a person with real struggles, losses, pains, triumphs, and joys. You not only root for her, but you see yourself in her. As a recent graduate entering the workforce, I connected to Jolene's sentiments about her job and even sometimes her coworkers. But above all, I resonated with the want to be liked and the need to be loved. Jolene is raw and real and truly human. What is more human than wanting to be loved? Wanting to have friends? Wanting to do something that brings you joy and also contributes to society? Natalie Sue does not just entertain you, she reflects on the human experience and for that, her novel is a masterpiece.

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

As I hear about most books I decide to read, I heard about this one on TikTok. I figured it would soothe the part of me that was mourning moving out of my college apartment and leaving my friends behind.

It did more than that. It spoke to parts of me, parts of my friendships and inner thoughts, that I didn't want to think about or even admit. The pain of growing up. Dolly Alderton quickly became one of my favorite authors through her quick wit, direct way of writing, and her fearlessness to bear it all in front of her reader.

Alderton describes parts of her life when she has been in love, gone on dates, gone out to parties, different jobs she has had, etc. But the red string that weaves its way through the story is the female friendships she has made and maintained along the way. That is true love. In her novel, Alderton falls in and out of love, finds herself in tricky situations and wrapped up in ugly feelings like jealousy for her childhood friend, Farley, who just has to settle down and leave her behind. While Dolly and I's lives may not be the same, I resonated with her experiences and the growing pains that come with age. I've watched friends find love while I stand on the sideline and I have worried about the eventuality of them outrunning me, outgrowing me, and leaving me.

But Alderton finds the beauty and the longevity of female friendship. That despite what life may throw our way, no matter how our lives twist and turn and go down different forks in the road, our closest friends will remain. And more than that, they will show us how to love. Reading this novel spoke to a part of me that needed to be comforted. Everything I Know About Love is a special, beautiful novel that makes one feel lucky to have good friends and lucky to experience the joys of being loved.

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

Upon finishing Everything I Know About Love, I knew I had to read another novel by Dolly Alderton. This time, I read her novel Ghosts. And it did not disappoint.

Alderton tackles the experience of being ghosted with such insightfulness and wittiness that for a moment, you feel as if you might not be alone. So many of us experience a person we think we like or even love and then, with no warning, they disappear. As if they never even existed. Alderton follows Nina Dean, who is ghosted by Max. After a short but whirlwind courtship, Nina has to learn how to live not only without Max, but without answers. Why did he leave? What happened? Where is he in the world? It is the jarring experience of finding someone and as quickly as you got to know them, losing them without a trace. Without any knowledge of why they left. And they leave far too late because by the point they are gone, you have begun to care.

This novel is a beautiful depiction of dating and love and how to deal with rejection and hurt. Ultimately, it is about learning to be alone. Learning to handle life without another person in a world where casual dating is constantly proposed and yet, never really that enjoyable. In this novel, Alderton makes women around the world feel heard in their experiences and provides a space to escape in to a space of shared experience and zero judgement. Again, Dolly Alderton knocks it out of the park.

Just For The Summer by Abby Jimenez

Abby Jimenez quickly became one of my favorites after reading this book. Just For The Summer is a beautiful contemporary romance with more to the story than what meets the eye. It encapsulates what I love so dearly about contemporary romance novels: the mixture of reflection on real life problems and the joy of swoon-worthy love.

Just For The Summer is the third book in the Part of Your World series and while I read it first on its own, I would highly recommend you read this series in order. The novel stands strongly on its own as a powerful and magical piece of literature. However, the twists and turns and reveals at the end mean so much more, and leave you even more gutted, if you read it as the final book of its series.

Jimenez follows the love story of two beautiful people - Emma and Justin - who intend to have a summer fling, but nothing more than that. However, as the summer goes on they become more and more drawn to each other and their lives become much more complicated. With Emma's toxic mother and history of neglect and Justin having to take custody of his younger siblings, their lives are too chaotic to keep each other. However, Jimenez shows that love can survive even the toughest of situations and that while life is hard, love can be stronger.

Jimenez's novel is a classically beautiful love story with themes so much deeper than what a romance novel is expected to have. That is what makes her novel so outstanding: it shows how complex a romance can be. It's not just fluff and smut. It's a chance to realize that bad and good can coexist. Our lives can be painful and enjoyable. We can suffer, but we can also love.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Ever since I cracked open Beach Read, I fell in love with Emily Henry. She writes with a beauty and relatability of a true author. Funny Story is no exception.

Emily Henry sets us up in the lives of Daphne and Miles, two newly broken up with people whose respective partners have left them to be together. Unlike Miles, Daphne has recently moved to Michigan for her ex-fiancee and now, faces a life that she realizes is not really her own. As Daphne moves in with Miles out of, let's face it, there being no other option, she begins to realize that her life has been based on others, not on herself. And as her relationship with Miles blooms from roommates, to friends, to maybe something more, she starts to find herself in ways she never had before.

I will admit, I am sucker for a good personal growth story line. But Emily Henry truly encapsulates what it is to almost start over. New friends, new town, new job, new everything. To make a life from scratch that you enjoy living. To find what makes you happy and what you value instead of placing your identity in the hands of whatever partner you are with.

Funny Story is a beautiful example of a contemporary romance that allows a reader to escape their world, but still be forced to think and reflect on their own life. Like Abby Jimenez, Emily Henry's books are not all fluff and rainbow and roses. They are depictions of real life and all the burdens and baggage that we, as human beings, come with. This book is not just a must read, but one of my personal favorites.

These are only just my opinions, my reviews of novels that I have come to love. However, I would highly recommend you try one, or maybe two, and give them a whirl. Reading has a magical ability to take us out of our own lives and plant us in another life. To escape our own troubles, but not escape critical thought or self-reflection. Reading keeps us strong and grounded to the world around us. It shows us just how wonderful and also painful it can be to live in this world. And yet, it affirms the beauty that is all around us, beauty that only some can fully see and put into words. I hope you find a bit of beauty in these books and go in not with judgement, but with a desire to grow as a reader and as a person. With that, happy reading!

References:

"Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir [Book]." [Alderton, Dolly], by Amazon, 2021, https://images.app.goo.gl/zumukaMrWnRbBKpD7

"Funny Story [Book]." [Henry, Emily], by Amazon, 2024, https://images.app.goo.gl/Soux1w3ZokXQQa1n6

"Ghosts: A Novel [Book]." [Alderton, Dolly], by Amazon, 2021, https://images.app.goo.gl/tPxqk94BygxHLA5G9

"I Hope This Finds You Well: A Novel [Book]." [Sue, Natalie], by Amazon, 2024, https://images.app.goo.gl/wF8hJEyCHwk9h1wYA

"Just for the Summer [Book]." [Jimenez, Abby], by Amazon, 2024, https://images.app.goo.gl/Soux1w3ZokXQQa1n6

"One Day [Book]." [Nicholls, David], by Amazon, 2010, https://images.app.goo.gl/nMCoKocC7VUo55Pa7

"The Fiance Dilemma: A Novel (2) (The Green Oak Series)." [Armas, Elena], by Amazon, 2024, https://images.app.goo.gl/5d7xrJfDbQtTmPcH6

"The Husbands: A Read with Jenna Pick: A Novel." [Gramazio, Holly], by Amazon, 2024, https://images.app.goo.gl/ieGDQgptGhCnpmre8

Books You Should Read: From a writer and reader with way too much free time.

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