I honestly flip flopped on whether or not to even write this post for a while. “What am I doing? I write about travel, not booktok books. Stay in your lane, stay focused.” But really, what better way is there to get through a travel day than with a good book? (And regardless, I reminded myself: I’m the boss here, I can write whatever I want!)
I find the majority of the books I choose to read on booktok. The recommendations are sometimes hit or miss, so there is a lot of comparing review videos I’ve watched to those on GoodReads before I decide to add it to my TBR (to be read list). I’ve realized over the last few months that my ratings are never less than 3 stars, which I guess means I’ve gotten pretty good at figuring out what I will/won’t like before I even start. The only book I can recall that I would’ve rated lower, I actually didn’t even finish! (Which is another thing I tend not to do.)
As of publishing time, I’ve read 28 of my 52 book goal for the year – so I’m ahead of schedule!
The Highlights
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
5/5 ⭐
This was the first book I was actually able to to get my husband to read with me! While SciFi isn’t my usual book genre preference, I loved the Martian movie – which is based off a book by the same author – so I figured I’d give it a shot! I never expected to get emotionally attached to a spider-like alien. Funny enough, not long after reading this I also watched the new Adam Sandler movie, Spaceman. Its on Netflix, and has very similar vibes to this book. (Both involve men in space by themselves, who suddenly have an alien spider companion).
Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
5/5 ⭐
Prisoners in a future/alternate United States are pitted against each other in televised life or death gladiator-style fights. The prize if they win enough times? They are granted their freedom. It reminded me of a mix of Gladiator and Death Race, but with obvious critiques/parallels for the US prison system and our current society.
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
4/5 ⭐
If there was a way to know how long you had left to live, would you want to know? This is the premise of The Measure, where one morning all adults worldwide receive a box with a string inside. The book follows a group of people struggling to deal with the ramifications of finding out the length of their string (or not looking at all). It drew me in a lot more than I expected!
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
5/5 ⭐
Some books get so much unjustified hype on booktok, but Butcher & Blackbird is not one of them. I LOVED this book. Think Dexter meets a sarcastic, banter filled rom-com where two serial killers fall for each other. This is book 1 of a trilogy, and is definitely not for the squeamish. Make sure to read the content and trigger warnings she puts at the beginning of each book. At least one person I’ve recommended it to is normally put off by blood/guts/gore, but she loved it too!
Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes
4/5 ⭐
I honestly wasn’t sure I was going to like this one, based on having to push myself through the intro and first few chapters. But the unique premise was so interesting: a secret school that teaches people how to get away with murder – whether it be your abusive spouse, a coworker that’s blackmailing you, or your sleazeball employer. Its a bit of mystery and suspense that slowly draws you in until you have to know – do the three students you’ve been following succeed?
You Deserve Good Gelato by Kacie Rose
4/5 ⭐
I don’t usually read a lot of non-fiction, or any travel/autobiography type books really. But I’ve been following Kacie on social media since 2021, and she was a big driving force behind a lot of our Italy trip planning. So when I saw she was publishing a book, I obviously had to check it out! This was actually the first physical book I’ve bought in years. I related to so many of her thoughts, fears, anxieties…its refreshing to know I’m not alone in feeling the way I do.
“You simply cannot let fear be the one that ultimately decides whether or not you go after the things you want in life.”
And The “Lows”
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
3.5/5 ⭐
I had such high hopes for this book, and maybe that was part of the downfall. I loved books 1 and 2 in the Crescent City series (gave them both 5 stars), but book 3 just fell flat. The plot and character development was not up to par with what I’ve come to expect from Sarah J Maas. The consensus seems to be either you love it, or were disappointed.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
3/5⭐
Finally, I’m trying to pepper in some more classics along with all my new booktok recommended books. But unfortunately for the Handmaid’s Tale, this is a prime example of why I usually try to read the book before watching the movie/show. The characters in the book are much less fleshed out, which made reading it a little underwhelming. It was hard not to compare it to what I’ve already seen on Hulu.
Let me know in the comments what I should read next!
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