I have not read Rainbow Rowell before (sorry, don't yell at me lol) BUT I think based on your interest of having more just normal characters/descriptions, I think you definitely need to read Role Playing by Cathy Yardley. It's such a fun story and it features diversity in the characters and feels so real and deep. It's fantastic!
It's such a great feeling when an oldie fave is still good when it's been like 10 years and you've grown so much. I'm nervous to dive into some of mine for exactly the reason you said. 😅
i recently reread all of vampire academy and the spin off series, bloodlines, and loved it as much as i used to. i maybe love it more for the nostalgia factor. i’m just old enough to recognize the questionable plot lines and very teenage behavior of some of the characters. i will stand by adrian ivashkov until the end of my days
seeing baby Sara was an experience (adorable and also it's giving gROWTH) (as in, in articulating your thoughts and personality and..) (sorry I have to explain things bc I have a crippling fear of others disliking me) alsoooo sad how you had to go through angelfall after reading that bridgerton shit-show🤢💀
You should definitely give the Simon Snow trilogy a try if you really liked fangirl, i havent read fangirl yet but the things you talked about liking in fangirl are also true for Carry On, plus while the first book does take place in the characters' final year of high school the rest of the books tackle the adult life of the characters, the way the books deal with depression is amazing(and its a good example of how romance wont magically fix all of your issues), definitely highly recomend
I love Cassie Clare. Her writing chefs kiss still holds up for me. I will say reading the infernal devices series first made me really fall in love with mortal instruments. I already understood the world and loved figuring out how everything fell into place within what was at the time modern age. I love the storytelling and how she keeps so many plots points a secret throughout the books, lots of outlining I am sure. With Mortal Instruments I will say read the firs three and then skip to book six you really won't be missing much other than great Malec content and witty banter.
I'm happy Fangirl still holds up. I adored that book when I first read it. It was the perfect time to do so since I was in my first year of college at the time. ⏳
gurl im so happy you read I who have never known men cuz i read it last year and loved it so much that i wanted more people to read it as well!! i first found out about the book from BookswithEmilyFox and Kayla from Booksandlala read it at the beginning of the year and loved it too!
The first book is called Carry On, the series is The Simon Snow Trilogy. I really love Carry On, so I recommend that one, the moment I leave my reading slump I will also read the other two. Maybe after I’m done with my BA thesis
Can’t believe it’s been nine years! those clips made me kinda nostalgic❤️ i remember loving the video where you arranged your bookshelf, but it was pieces of paper on a white board or something - iconic✨Still feels like you bring that originality to booktube, hope you keep enjoying making these videos in the future☺️
I hated Angelfall when I read it 10 years ago :D So now you cought up with me :D And when you said Rainbow Rowell was your og Emily Henry, I really felt it.
oh god i read Angelfall and loved it and never read the rest of the series. i was planning on rereading the first and then finishing it within the next few years. i hope it holds up better for me!
⏳ the infernal devices is ART but I pretend the rest of her books don’t exist. Cassandra Clare is honestly so problematic idk if you’ve ever looked into the things she did in the dawn of the internet but she is WILDDDD
I loved Fangirl but my comfort reread from Rainbow Rowell is Landline. also love Attachments from her. I remember loving Eleanor and Park but I think it’s been called out for fetishizing, so I usually don’t acknowledge that one 😅
I think Benedict is way worse in the books. I rage quit his book. He’s completely awful. Colin is bad but not as bad. I did completely give up on the books after Colin though.
I’ve always wanting to read fangirl but was nervous that it may be a little cringe bc it was a different era back then hahaha I might actually give it a shot now!
I’m sorry but dark romance is so disgusting. The glorification of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and abuse is insane. I understand wanting a criminal or a murderer or whatever but sexual assault is never attractive. Abuse is never attractive. It isn’t bdsm that’s literal rape.
