No one asked for this, but here you go anyway!! A lot of people on TikTok who are trying to get back into reading often ask for these kinds of recommendations, so I hope this will be helpful for at least some of you. If you’re trying to read more or just want some great book recs in general, keep reading! When compiling this list, I tried to include fast-paced and easier-to-read books that will make it much easier to keep reading. I notice that when I’m in a reading slump, these kinds of books are what get me out of them, so hopefully, this helps!
Reminder: ALWAYS check trigger warnings before reading! I have many listed in each book’s individual section, but you can look here to find a more comprehensive list.
All summaries are shortened from the synopses on Goodreads.
FANTASY
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (13+)
Synopsis
When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.
Info
Standalone
Representation: Latinx, queer, transgender MC; majority Latinx side characters; transgender side character
My Thoughts
This is a paranormal novel that takes place in the normal world, so it’s definitely good for someone trying to get into fantasy
This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I laughed out loud, I screamed, I cried, and I fell in love with the characters and the story.
CW: death of a loved one, talk of loss of a parent, misgendering, mention of parental abuse, mention of transphobic parents and deportation
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (14+)
Synopsis
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy. There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
Info
Slow-burn enemies to lovers
Slight love triangle/love square
Quartet
Representation: POC main character and side characters; queer (mlm) side couple
My Thoughts
A series that truly saved me, and I cannot recommend it enough
The series gets better and better as it goes on
The action really sucks you in -- when I started the series, I was reading 24/7 because I needed to know what happened next
CW: attempted rape/sexual assault, death, physical abuse
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (14+)
Synopsis
After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus: a flying demon, a secret society of “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down, and a mysterious mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw. The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.
Info
Love triangle
Representation: Black main character, lesbian and Chinese-American side character, Black side characters, bi side characters, gay side character, wlw relationship, and non-binary side character
CW: alcohol, death of a parent, gore (mild), grief, physical abuse (mentioned), racism, rape (on-page, not explicit/graphic), trauma, violence
My Thoughts
I’m currently reading this one, and it’s really good so far! The action ramps up right away
CONTEMPORARY
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon (16+)
Synopsis
It’s the last day of senior year, and Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals for all of high school. While Rowan, who secretly wants to write romance novels, is anxious about the future, she’d love to beat her infuriating nemesis one last time. When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan has only one chance at victory: Howl, a senior class game that takes them all over Seattle. But after learning a group of seniors is out to get them, she and Neil reluctantly decide to team up until they’re the last players left—and then they’ll destroy each other. As Rowan spends more time with Neil, she realizes he’s much more than the awkward linguistics nerd she’s sparred with for the past four years. And, perhaps, this boy she claims to despise might actually be the boy of her dreams.
Info
Enemies to lovers
Representation: Jewish main characters; Korean side character; LGBTQ+ (namely bi and lesbian) side characters
CW: anti-Semitism
My Thoughts
I fell immediately in love with all of the characters (specifically dorky love interest himself, Neil McNair)
This book is super fast-paced because it takes place in the span of 24 hours, and since there’s a huge scavenger hunt taking place at the same time, you won’t want to put the book down
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (12+)
Synopsis
Charlie, a highly-strung, openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, meet at a British all-boys grammar school. Friendship blooms quickly, but could there be something more?
Info
Graphic novel series
Friends to lovers
Representation: gay, biracial main character, bisexual love interest, mlm relationship, wlw relationship (side characters), mlm relationship (side characters), plus-sized POC side character, demisexual side character, lesbian side character
CW: homophobia, f-slur, bullying, self-harm, eating disorder
My Thoughts
A really cute and quick read! I love Nick and Charlie, and I read entire the series in one sitting
Alice Oseman is updating Hearstopper on WebToon (just Google it and you can read it for free)
Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum (13+)
Synopsis
Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?
Info
Online relationship trope, friends to lovers
CW: overdose, drug use, death of a loved one (all mentioned)
My Thoughts
This is one of the books that got me back into reading, and not only was it adorable, but it also kept me on the edge of my seat (I couldn’t put it down)
Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett (14+)
Synopsis
Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern-day Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets. But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together. With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world?
Info
Forced proximity
Childhood best friends to enemies to lovers
Representation: biracial love interest, Korean side character, lesbian couple (side characters)
CW: cheating, death of a parent, depression
My Thoughts
This book made me forget I was reading, and I really got lost in the story.
It’s a pretty dramatic situation and you have that forced proximity vibe, so I was really entertained the whole way through.
American Panda by Gloria Chao (13+)
Synopsis
Mei is a freshman at MIT on track to fulfill the rest of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies. With everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality, Mei can't bring herself to tell them the truth--that she (1) hates germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly not Taiwanese. But when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the secrets are truly worth it.
Info
Friends to lovers
Representation: Taiwanese-American main character and side characters, Japanese-American love interest
My Thoughts
Super cute read that some of my friends also loved, and I think a lot of people will find Mei’s story really relatable
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar (13+)
Synopsis
When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants—as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life. Flávia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat choose to do henna, even though Flávia is appropriating Nishat’s culture. Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush on Flávia, and realizes there might be more to her than she realized.
Info
Rivals to lovers
Representation: Bengali Muslim lesbian main character, Brazilian-Irish (Afro-Latinx) bisexual love interest, Bengali side characters, Korean side character
CW: bullying, cultural appropriation, homophobia, public outing, racism
My Thoughts
Really cute read that delves into topics like cultural appropriation and cultural expectations
MYSTERY/THRILLER
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (13+)
Synopsis
The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. Everyone knows he did it. But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the murder, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final year project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?
Info
First in a series (can be read as a standalone)
Allies to lovers
CW: death, bullying, cheating (implied), death threats, disordered eating (mentioned), drug abuse, kidnapping, murder, psychological abuse, racism, rape (mentioned), self-harm (mentioned), suicide (mentioned), verbal abuse
My Thoughts
I didn't see any of the plot twists coming, and the book really keeps you engaged and trying to solve the murder for yourself
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (13+)
Synopsis
Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why--or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch--and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.
Info
First in a series
CW: abusive relationship (emotional/physical), alcohol abuse (implied), cheating, death of loved one/family member, gun violence, murder/attempted murder
My Thoughts
I also haven’t read this one, but my friends told me that there were a ton of plot twists you’d never see coming, which always makes a book much more fun to read
DYSTOPIAN
Legend by Marie Lu (12+)
Synopsis
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem. From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
Info
Slow-burn enemies to lovers
Quartet
The first three books take place when Day and June are teenagers, and the last one takes place ten years later when they’re in their mid-late twenties
Representation: main character and side characters with Asian heritage, LGBTQ+ and POC side characters
My Thoughts
My favorite series of all time, and the series that first got me into reading
Day and June taught me to always see the light
CW: death
Comments