The People We Meet on Vacation is a romance novel by Emily Henry. Poppy, the narrator, is an adventurous and driven blogger who also works for a travel magazine, while her best friend Alex is an anxious gym rat who has an English degree and likes staying inside. Ever since they met in college, they’ve taken a fun-filled annual summer vacation together... until two years ago in Croatia. Something happened between them, and they’ve barely spoken since.
Twelve-year-old Suzy Bowels lives in the tiny town of Burr Oak, Michigan, where her family expects her to stay, have a family, and be a proper lady. But she has other ideas. Suzy’s dream is to explore the world and have adventures, so when her wayward uncle comes to work on their farm but ends up disappearing mysteriously in the mornings and skipping out on chores, she has to investigate. But she didn’t expect to find him working on the legendary former circus queen Madame Marantette’s farm, training ostriches.
Summary: Celaena Sardothien, the world’s most famous assassin, was betrayed and forced to work as a slave in the salt mines of Endovier. Now, the King of Adarlan has offered her a chance at freedom: fight in his competition against twenty-three other assassins, mercenaries, and soldiers, and be the last one left. But in the middle of the competition, when her competitors start dropping one-by-one with mysterious symbols written across their bodies, she learns there is something dark happening behind the scenes.
Emma aka Saylor to some people is headed to a new environment for 3 weeks in the summer. She is going to where her mother grew up. Emma gets to the lake and it is a little awkward at first. These people are her family but she hardly knows them and she is expected to spend 3 weeks here! At first, she has mixed feelings at the lake, but then she meets some people who might just happen to change her mind even if their relationship is complicated. Very complicated. Emma will learn more about her mother’s past before she became an addict and passed away.
This book is definitely in my top 10 books of this year. I loved the portrayal of lgbtq+ themes with fantasy. It also has a mythological aspect to it. It’s honestly refreshing to see a book that has lgbtq+ as a subplot and focuses more on fantasy. Most lgbtq+ book are more slice of life or coming of age, although those are fun to read from time to time. Overall I loved this book.
The sequel to American Royals is truly magnificent. The royal family has lost so much this year. The county has lost a King, but Beatrice, Samantha, and Jefferson have lost their father. Beatrice is finding her place as the soon to be Queen. Some of the duties and opportunities the past Kings have completed are now being taken away from her because she is an unmarried Queen. She again has to choose her duty or her heart. Samantha is still sorting out her life after high school and trying to find love.
The American Royal family. Such a huge responsibility and pressure. Beatrice, the heir of the throne, has to find a man she might have to think about marrying. Samantha, the sister of Beatrice, doesn’t see herself as worthy to be part of the royal family. Samantha is trying to get attention by doing all the wrong things in the eyes of the royals. Jefferson, Samantha’s twin, is dealing with a breakup and sorting out his feelings when he falls for someone unexpected but near.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid follows the 4 famous Riva family siblings. The story covers what happens in the 24 hours leading up to, during, and after the well-known Riva party as well as the history of their family. Throughout the party secrets will be exposed, punches will be thrown, and the place will go up in flames. Let’s just say the rager will be one to remember. This book was unlike any book I've read before and I absolutely loved it.
In The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, Nora Seed is full of regrets. She regrets that she didn’t join a band with her brother, and she regrets that she didn’t get married to Dan. She regrets that she didn’t take good enough care of her cat, and she regrets that she never became a glaciologist. After an especially difficult day, she decides that the harm done to the people in her life if she died is less than the harm that would occur to them if she continued living.
The Vanishing Half is set in the 20th century and follows the lives of twins--Desiree and Stella--born into a colorist town named Mallard. As the twins split ways, each to her own adventures, they both share their own unique stories and reveal the trauma involved with their youth. However, despite their differences and their split, they always manage to find each other. This book does a great job of showing aspects of internal discrimination within a community, whether it be race or gender.
