Recommending Contemporary Books Pt. 2 !

I haven’t done a recommending blog post in a while so I decided to do one now. These are the top 10 contemporary books that I’ve read since the last Recommending Contemporary Books and enjoyed.

 

1.) Even When You Lie to Me by: Jessica Alcott

I read this book back in July of 2015 and I rated it 4.5/5. This story follows Charlie who’s a senior and basically lives in the shadow of her best friend Lila. Everything changes when she meets her new English teacher Mr. Drummond who everyone loves. She ends up having a crush on him while trying to find who she is.
I enjoyed this book so much because I related to the main character because she’s sarcastic and she spends her summer days reading at the library. Also the teacher Tom Drummond was a good character and I could tell why Charlie had a crush on him.
I didn’t give this book 5/5 because it annoyed me at the amount of times Charlie invested in self-pitying. Besides that, I really enjoyed this book.
Even When You Lie to Me – Goodreads

 

2.) Joyride by: Anna Banks

I also read this book in July of 2015 and I gave it a 4/5 stars. This book follows a popular guy named Arden and shy girl Carly. All Carly wants to do is stay under the radar and do what her family wants her to do. All Arden wants to do his is not do what his family wants. When their paths cross, they realize they’ve been living according to others.
I also enjoyed this book because I related to the main character Carly as well but in a different way. I related to her because we’re both latinas. Something I really enjoyed the dynamic of the relationship between Carly and Arden just because they were so different from each other.
I didn’t give this book a 5/5 because the beginning was kind of slow for me but besides that I really enjoyed it.
Joyride – Goodreads

 

3.) Vanishing Girls by: Lauren Oliver

I read this in January of 2016 and I rated it 4/5 stars. In this book it talks about how the twins Dara and Nick used to be inseparable and that was before the accident that Dara’s face scarred. Dara vanishes on her birthday and Nick thinks she’s just messing around but a nine year old Madeline Snow also vanishes and Nick believes that they’re linked. While she’s looking for Dara, she finds herself.
I liked how this book kept me guessing and I also loved the background stories of all the characters. Also, I think this book had perfect comic relief in spite of it being a thriller/mystery novel.
Vanishing Girls – Goodreads

 

4.) P.S I Still Love You  (#2) by: Jenny Han

I read this book in February of 2016 and I rated it a 5/5. Lara Jean didn’t expect to fall in love with Peter because they were originally pretending. When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara’s feelings for him returns. This book deals with the question: Can a person be in love with two people at the same time?
If you read and enjoyed To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, you’re definitely going to love this book as well. I loved every second of this book, like Jenny Han just knows how to make me swoon and feel giggly and in love with her characters. My favorite moments have to be the ones with the Song sisters. I just love their bond.
P.S I Still Love You – Goodreads

 

5.) All The Bright Places by: Jennifer Niven

I read this book in March of 2016 and I gave it a 5/5 stars. This book follows Theodore Finch who’s fascinated by death and constantly thinks about ways to kill himself and Violet Markey who lives for the future and is counting the days until graduation when she can finally leave her grief of her sister’s recent death. Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school and it’s really unclear who saves who.
I literally fell in love with this book and I was in tears and I just couldn’t most of the time. The friendship and the love between Finch and Violet was so beautiful and the fact that they saved each other was also beautiful.
All the Bright Places – Goodreads

 

6.) Maybe One Day by: Melissa Kantor

I also read in March of 2016 and I gave it a 4/5 stars. This book follows Zoe and her best friend Olivia. They’ve always had big plans for the future. Olivia ends up getting sick with cancer but Zoe is determined to be positive for her. Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin who’s Olivia’s crush.
This book made me sad because it got me thinking about what would happen if my best friend got as sick as Olivia got. The love story in this book wasn’t my favorite but it didn’t matter because the friendship between Olivia and Zoe made the entire book for me.
Maybe One Day – Goodreads

 

7.) Fangirl by: Rainbow Rowell

I read this in April of 2016 and I gave it a 5/5 stars. Cath is a Simon Snow fan and she’s completely devoted in the fandom. It was an experience she used to share with her twin sister Wren. But when they get to college, Wren decides to go her own way without Cath. She keeps writing Simon Snow fanfiction.
I absolutely adored this book. It was cute and relatable and I can’t even tell you how many times I squealed and fangirl’d throughout this book especially because of Cath and Levi. I think I enjoyed just as much because I really related to Cather when it comes to what she believes when it comes to family, the fact that she’s a fangirl and she’s awkward and loves writing.
Fangirl – Goodreads

 

8.)This is Where it Ends by: Marieke Nijkamp

I read this in April of 2016 and I gave it a 4/5 stars. This book has 4 different point of views of students who were in the school during the school shooting. A student Tyler decided to shoot students and teachers during an assembly in the auditorium. This whole book is set in only 54 minutes of this horrible event.
This book scared the shit out of me just because the idea of a classmate trapping everyone in the auditorium and just shooting anyone who gets in his way is actually terrifying.
This is Where it Ends – Goodreads

 

9.) Me Before You (Me Before You #1) by: Jojo Moyes

I read this in June of 2016 and I gave it a 5/5 stars. This book follows Lou Clark who’s used to her routine. When she loses her job, she was really stressing about how supporting her family. Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. Lou Clark becomes Will’s caretaker and it’s only thing keeping her sane.
This book made me ugly cry like 3 times. The love story between Louisa and Will was beautiful.
Me Before You – Goodreads

 

10.) Magnolia by: Kristi Cook

I read this book in June of 2016 and I gave it a 4/5 stars. This book follows Jemma and Ryder who are from Magnolia Branch, Mississippi. This was an opposite Romeo and Juliet. Their families were really close and they wanted Jemma and Ryder to fall in love with each other but Jemma and Ryder hated each other.
I really enjoyed this book and it’s side characters. I loved the whole concept of a small town and they showed this small town going through something awful but they all stayed together. I just love small towns.
Magnolia – Goodreads

 

-Angie