Hello, hello!
You know when you pick up a book based on some tropes or a description you heard in a review or video and it turned out nothing like that description? Well, I’ve run into a few books like that. There’s nothing wrong with these books, in fact I enjoyed them, but I felt like some of the common conversation around these books are a bit misleading. Reading is a subjective activity so obviously, these are just my opinions so feel free to let me know in the comments if you feel the same or differently about these books!
I’ll start off with three books: an old favorite, a popular new release, and an underrated book that everyone should pick up.
The Night Circus
Let’s start with an oldie but goodie. This is a well loved book in the book community. It follows two magicians who are pulled into a competition to out do each other in a mysterious and engrossing circus that pops up in a random place one night and disappears in the morning to reappear elsewhere when night returns.
My main issue with this book is that it’s advertised as an enemies to lovers romance.
I think that the trope of “enemies to lovers” is thrown around a lot and those who frequent this trope a lot know that this trope is a spectrum of its own. There’s the “enemies to lovers” books where the characters don’t like each other but have one conversation and they’re like okay, you’re not that bad and there’s books where the two characters have knives pressed against each other’s throats (cough cough “The Cruel Prince” trilogy).
In other words, some “enemies to lovers” books are more heavy on the lovers than the enemies aspect and there are those that are more heavy on the enemies than the lovers aspect.
Personally, I don’t think it’s fair to say the far mild side of the spectrum is “true” enemies to lovers because they un-enemy themselves fairly quickly. I think that the real authentic “enemies to lovers” books have a certain level of tension that persists through the entire book.
While “The Night Circus” technically does have an “enemies to lovers” relationship, it’s not on the far spicier side of the spectrum. It felt very casual and non-life threatening so it felt like it was leaning more towards the lovers side than the enemies. It didn’t have that signature level of tension that I like in the “enemies to lovers” books I read.
Another thing that I feel is quite misleading is that many people speak of this book as a romance focused novel.
As a romance reader, I’m going to say it most definitely isn’t a romance focused book. Is there romance? Yes. Do we follow two characters POV who fall in love and explore a relationship? Yes.
Romance was in the book but it wasn’t the majority of the book and was never at the center of the book.
This book is about The Night Circus. While we’re meant to follow two characters, this story is written in such a way that it’s more so about what’s going on around these two characters than about them. It’s about the side characters who got pulled into the orbits of these characters as they live their lives, it’s about the circus they work and walk through, it’s about the audiences who catch a glimpse of these two magicians and their lives afterwards.
In conclusion, you can go into this book expecting two magicians battling it out, not aggressively or anything, but more so in a beautiful and enchanting way. Expect an enemies to lovers trope that leans more towards lovers than enemies. And if you want to go into this book expecting a romance, sure go ahead! But be aware that it’s more of a love story between The Night Circus and everyone around and in it than one between the two main characters.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
This book is a doozy to read and it’s full of many triggering things including but not limited to: domestic abuse, abuse, grief, loss, suicide, mass shootings, talk of abortion, homophobia, and racism.
My main quip with this book is that I’ve heard a couple people say that this book is about a wholesome friendship and is great if you’re looking to read something about platonic relationships.
I strongly disagree with everything about that assumption. While this book does follow two friends through out decades of their lives, it’s not really wholesome. Sure the way they met and the very beginning part of their relationship was wholesome, but it’s not fair to categorize the entirety of the book as wholesome because things got pretty heavy in the second half of the book. These two friends started a company together, one that got successful very quickly. Tensions rose like wildfire. Also, these characters are very flawed. They’re not always nice to each other and I think it’s important to remember that.
I’m not downplaying that this book follows a friendship because it very much does. One of the things I loved the best about this book is that it doesn’t sugar coat anything. It shows how it feels to get battered by life and how relationships, like a friendship, changes with that. So, no it’s not all wholesome but it’s very real.
Also it’s false advertising to say that this book is about a friendship that was strictly platonic. While the two main characters are friends at the beginning and the end of the book, one of the characters was interested at a point to pursue something more. It was more of a curiosity than a real intention but I think they were a bit jealous when their friend was in a relationship at certain times. While the jealousy could be stemmed from frustration that she’s not truly his anymore and having to deal with change, he did mention and visualize what life would have been like being his friend’s significant other a handful of times. Again, it’s hard to say that this way of thinking came from a romantic intention but it still was there. Take “Radio Silence” by Alice Oseman for example. That book followed two friends who never made advances with each other or thought of taking things to a different level. I think that level of commitment to non-romantic intentions is a true “strictly” platonic book.
The Maid
First of all, this book is criminally underrated. You’re going to hear me talk about this book a ton the next coming of months because this is such a perfect cozy Autumn book. This book follows a maid at a fancy hotel who accidentally finds a dead body in one of the rooms she’s assigned to clean and gets wrapped up in the investigation as a main suspect. With a couple of friends from the hotel she works at, she works to clear her name.
The thing I’ve seen going around about this book that I disagree with is that it’s a thriller.
I don’t read much in the thriller or mystery genres but I can say that I feel like this book leans towards mystery than thriller. Yes, there was murder but I feel like this story is more focused on finding the culprit and has less to do with heart pounding scenes and that signature tension and pacing found in thrillers.
This book is far softer in its tone and super cozy. By cozy, I mean that it’s not a book that you have to read in one sitting out of fear of what’s going to happen. It’s a book you can take with you on a road trip to sift through casually when you’re not talking with your friends or looking out the window.
We follow the most wholesome main character as she gets further and further into a mess. You can’t help wanting to yell at her but also hug her and protect her from all the crazy people out there. I thought that this book did a really great job in writing emotion. I cried for the main character’s grandma even though at the start of the book, she’s been dead for a while. The writing was so strong in building that bond the main character has with her grandma and the people around her and the innocent yet meaningful purpose she lives her life out with.