In The Lives of Puppets by T.J Klune
This book had me in all the feels. Growing up, I think I may have watched Pinnochio only once and that to in passing so I don’t have much knowledge or emotional connection to the lore that inspired this book. But as someone who’s in her later parts of her twenties, this book made me want to grab a tub of ice cream, open Disney Plus, and watch the old Disney movie and just cry. The perfect way to describe this book is that it’s a journey. The opening starts up with the signature wholesomeness kids movies have before everything goes downhill. The story opens up with the building of a home, a building of a family consisting of a discarded anxious Roomba and a sociopathic robot Nurse that reminds me of the robot that follows Matthew McCougnaghy around in Interstellar, and of course the building of this bond between father and son. It was heartbreaking as it was heartwarming and it really makes you question the impacts of humanity, the importance of humanity, finding a community and a purpose to belong to, and the beauty of the world that everyone can enjoy if we all learn to live a true, intentional life.
I recommend this book for a nice, cozy rainy day, particularly on a weekend you’re worn out from work and are feeling a bit existential and in need for laughs and a good cathartic cry. This book will tease you into the story with some comforting wholesomeness and take you on a physical and emotional journey as you become one with your couch, bed, floor, wherever you prefer to read.
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
I absolutely loved this book. It’s one of my all time favorite books of this year and definitely one of my new favorites in the romance genre. I read this in almost a day and a lot of it on the beach watching the sunset and honestly, what an experience. This is a followup to Christina Lauren’s book “The Soulmate Equation” and I remembered really enjoying that book. I personally haven’t liked their latest releases as much as I loved their earlier publications. Don’t get me wrong, they’re always fun but there’s something magical about Christina Lauren romances. I might be biased because I fell in love with the romance genre because of their books but there is magic okay? There’s magic in these books.
This book was even better than the first one and honestly all I want to do is reread “The Soulmate Equation” because I want more of this world. This book follows a romance author in a major romance rut getting caught up as the main lead for a dating show (think the Bachelorette) that plays on romance tropes. The only thing is that the producer, her main business contact for this show’s production is a man who knows nothing about romance books or tropes and just wants to get this dating show done and produced so he can go back to producing environmental documentaries that he feels are more meaningful and productive to society.
This book reminded me why I love romance and why romance is important for the world. It also reminded me that I need to stop reading books that send me into existential turmoil and pick up gems like this that remind me the world can be a happy and joyful place.
I recommend this book as your next beach read or road trip read. It’s so fun and loud in the way it’s joyful. It has the trademark Christina Lauren fun I found in their earlier books. This is the book to read during firework season, the “it’s too hot I’m melting but want to laugh and love love” season, and for my autumn lovers who are running out serotonin in the short nights and long days, this is the perfect book to read while you watch the sunset.
King of Wrath by Ana Huang
This book was so fun. I read it in a day and I could not put it down. This had the same addictive tropes and elements that I used to devour as an avid fanfiction reader but everything’s executed much better. In this book, we follow our female main character who’s forced into an arranged marriage with one of the richest men in the country (world? I don’t really remember lol, but moral of the story is he’s filthy rich and powerful). The only problem is that neither of them want to marry the other. I went into this knowing very little and I feel like you should to.
My favorite thing about this romance book was the tension and the characters. I loved how flushed out and 3D Dante, the male lead, felt at times. I thought that Dante’s character was written in a way that’ll get readers hooked on his desire to followthrough on his more wrathful side of his business while fighting his growing affections for this woman he’s “unfortunately” stuck with. I also loved the Asian representation in this book and I could unfortunately relate to how the female main character grew up in a household that put family above everything in a toxic way that often leads you to prioritizing your family over your own well being and desires.
I recommend reading this book on a Sunday when you’re trying to fight off the Sunday Scaries and you just want an action packed romance. It’s got the right amount of tension, steam, and action to keep you distracted from anything Monday related.