The Last Letter is a deeply emotional romance that has themes of love, loss, grief and healing. The story is about Ella, a single mother of twins, and Beckett, a soldier and best friend of Ella’s brother, Ryan. The book starts with a tragedy. Ryan is deployed overseas and asks Beckett to look out for his sister and her children if anything happens. When Ryan is killed, Beckett fulfills his promise and travels to Colorado to find Ella, but he doesn’t reveal his true identity.
Parasite is a masterful thriller, unlike anything else in the genre. It examines the problems with modern class structures in a creative, entertaining and often terrifying way. This Oscar-winner starts as a dark comedy, showcasing one family’s con job on a richer family. As it progresses, it incorporates horror and family tragedy, developing into a far more interesting and sophisticated film. Using two families – one wealthy, one poor – Parasite plays at the absurdity and invisibility of class divides.
Death Race for Love was rapper Juice WLRD’s last full-length release before his death in 2019. It defies any one genre, and this makes taking a listen a uniquely interesting experience. Death Race was also heavy in freestyle; reportedly, very little of the album was fully written ahead of the recording sessions. As a result, its emotions are often raw and vulnerable, showcasing internal struggles with relationships and addictions. Some argue that the album feels overfilled.
Patroclus is a young prince, thrown out of his kingdom after a display of violence that leaves no room for mercy. He is sent to a foreign place where he is unknown, with other exiled boys of the land. There they live together, training and eating as a group, until they are deemed worthy to return to their respectful kingdoms. While in this group, Patroclus notices one boy who stands out. His name is Achilles, and he glows with life in whatever room he’s in. Patroclus is drawn to him, as a young boy and later during adolescence.
Alex Volkov is a man with a dark past and an even darker heart. His past is filled with trauma and tragedy that forced him to be closed off. However, when he is forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he begins to feel foreign emotions. Ava Chen tries to see the good in everyone, even a man who never shows kindness. They shouldn’t want each other, but they cannot resist. Secrets unravel and the past threatens to pull them apart.
The story of five boys (and several animals) within a small home, learning to cope with the death of their mother, the absence of their father and life in general. Honestly, I should be surprised that Zusak manages to write masterpiece after masterpiece. I picked this up after having read his previous two books, The Book Thief and I Am The Messenger and falling in love with his writing style.
A young woman, during a moment of desperation, makes a deal with the devil. Eternal life, but at a cost she didn’t yet know. When it’s done and she realizes she’s been cursed to be completely forgotten by everyone she meets the moment she leaves their eye sight, she is forced to live a solitary life over centuries.
They Both Die at the End is an emotional rollercoaster that explores life, death and the power of human connection. With its beautifully created characters and thought-provoking beliefs, this novel is both heartbreaking and inspiring. The story follows two teenagers, Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio who live in a world where people are notified on the day they will die. They both receive alerts on the same day.
This popular Tiktok book will bring you to tears. It follows Autumn, a high schooler who loves her boyfriend and has the best friend group. Except it's not perfect, there's someone always on Autumn's mind, and that is her childhood best friend Finn. Autumn and Finn are neighbors and their moms are best friends. They spent every single moment together when they were younger but something caused them to fall out of touch.
Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow is a deeply emotional realistic fiction novel that follows the life of Charlie Davis, a 17-year-old girl struggling to rebuild her life after experiencing severe trauma and loss. I have read this book over and over again, wishing I could experience the emotional roller coaster of reading it for the first time.
