Buzzfeed Recommends: The Preview

So I’ve seen this idea floating around on booktube for a while, the idea of a booktuber taking a list from somewhere that recommends books and reads them to see what they think. I haven’t seen it in the blogging community so much yet so I decided after stumbling across this buzzfeed article to give it a go!

I am always on the look-out for new author, and new exciting YA books that could be my next favourite book or that trusted author I always buy from (basically my next V. E. Schwab). So finding a buzzfeed article titled ’15 Brand-New Young Adult Novels That Are Just So, So Good’ seemed almost like fate.

I still need to collect these books, and I doubt I’ll do it all at once and some of these will be physical copies, and some will be ebooks because otherwise it’s a lot of money for me to spend! So today I’m giving you the preview of what’s to come, and a synopsis for all the books they recommend.

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

Synopsis: This is about an eighteen year old girl called Ever being sent to Tawain over the course of a summer to learn Manadarin. However, the program her parents send her on is actually an infamous program in which kids party all Summer long and Ever looks like she’ll be breaking her parent’s strict rules for the first time.

Honestly, despite the gorgeous cover for this book, I don’t think this is my cup of tea as I don’t really go for anything that sounds like a coming of age story now. This may be one of my least favourite reads from this list, but I’ve committed – so I’ve got to do it.

A Love Hate Thing by Whitney D. Grandison

Tyson moves into the rich Pacific Hills after recovering from being shot in Lindenwood, he’s does’t care about anything anymore. Whilst Nancy has spent most of her life trying to fit in at Pacific Hills, and after learning her parents are going to take in a troubled teenage boy she worries for the reputation she’s spent years cultivating. Living side by side can they find something to love about each other?

This sounds like it’s built up to be your classic hate-to-love trope, and I’m kinda trash for that. So I’m happy this will fulfil my trashy dreams and also be a good read.

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez

Ximena seeks revenge for her people against Atoc after they used an ancient relic to take over the land. When an opportunity arises to get that revenge, Ximena jumps at the chance with her own unique ability to spin thread from moonlight and hunts for the relic. But when others challenge her, her revenge becomes complicated.

Now this one I’m excited for, it sounds like my kind of thing completely. And I’m really interested in Ximena’s abilities to spin thread from moonlight – it’s a take on magic I haven’t heard of before.

The Night Country by Melissa Albert

The sequel to Melissa Albert’s ‘The Hazel Wood’. Alice dives back into dark fairy tales and hidden doors, as her and Ellery learn ‘The Hazel Wood’ was just the beginning.

I haven’t looked up this book too closely as I haven’t read ‘The Hazel Wood’ yet (which I guess I’m going to have to read too now!) but I am interested, because this sounds like dark fairtytales retellings and I am so basic for those kind of things.

Lucky Caller by Emma Mills

Nina decides to take a radio broadcasting class in her senior year, but doesn’t expect all that comes with it. Her team have nothing in common, and she’s stuck working with someone she never wanted to see again. Everything out of control and a mess, but can something good be born out of it?

This sounds incredible cheesy, and maybe too cheesy for me and also the third cheesy romance mentioned and we’re only five books in? Maybe I shouldn’t have done this because I’m not for cheesy romances, I’m far too cynical for them.

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

Emma secretly runs Big Burger League’s twitter account, whilst Jack is trying to take down Big Burger League for stealing his grandma’s recipe one tweet at a time. Whilst they embroil themselves in a viral twitter-spat, they’re falling for each other in real life.

Okay, I know I just complained about there being a lot of cheesy romances in this list on the last book’s summary, but this does sound incredibly cute and I am willing to give it a good shot.

Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed

Maya and Jamie meet whilst knocking on doors politically canvassing whilst faces their own problems. As they go from door to door together they find themselves growing closer.

I genuinely can’t believe there’s this many romances on one recommendation list. This one doesn’t sound like one I would pick up normally, but I give credit where it’s due and that is an incredible cute title. I have read one of Becky Albertalli’s books before and felt very ‘meh’ about it so I’m not holding out much hope for this one.

The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne

Eighteen year old Princess Leonie is heir to a faded European starship, and is solely focused on what young bachelor can save her family from financial ruin. But when her first love, Elliot, returns as a successful captain everything changes.

I’ve stumbled across Alexa Donne’s youtube channel a couple of times so I’m intrigued by this as I’ve wanted to see for a while what kind of writer she was. I’m also glad there’a sci-fi options on this list. However, I’m a bit wary as it doesn’t sound a bit ‘The Selection’-esque, and that was a difficult book for me.

The Queen’s Assassin by Melissa De La Cruz

Caledon Holt is the Kingdom of Renovia’s deadliest weapon, which is why he’s the Queen’s only assassin. Shadow has been training to join the ranks of the Guild for a long time. An attack forces the two to work together against a new threat to the kingdom.

Okay I am a huge slut for fantasy to so I’m intrigued by this, especially as it’s the first in a series. This sounds like it could be something and a series I might be all about.

Turtle Under Ice by Juleah del Rosario

After Rowena’s mum died a few years ago her and her sister, Ariana, drifted apart to deal with their grief. Ariana disappears in the middle of a snowstorm, and Rowena is left placing together the mystery of her sister’s disappearance.

This sounds likes it’s going to be utterly heartbreaking and devastating to read, so I’m obviously very excited to read it!

Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland

The sequel to ‘Dread Nation’. Set in the 1880s, Jane McKeene a slayer of the restless dead heads to California in the hope of finding her mother. Caught between mysteries and lies, Jane find herself examining everything she thought she she knew.

This is another sequel on this list where I haven’t the read first book so I’m going to have to read two for this one as well, but I’m okay with that at as ‘Dread Nation’ caught my eye a while back and it’s been on my list. I’m excited to finally have an excuse to buy this.

The Life Below by Alexandra Monir

The sequel to ‘The Final Six’. Naomi travels into space towards Europa and away from a deteriorating Earth, whilst Leo stays behind working with a renegade scientist. When the scientist makes a startling discover about Europa, it’s up to Leo to warn Naomi.

I’ve never heard of ‘The Final Six’ before, but it’s sequel sounds intriguing so I’m looking forward to reading both, and I’m also glad I’m not just reading another romance at this point.

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

Two siblings with two brilliant talents, but only one is Mozart. Nannerl Mozart dreams of being a composer, but she lives in 18th century Europe and her father is more concerned with who she will marry than her talents. Whilst her brother, Wolfgang, shines brighter and brighter with each passing day. Until a stranger appears with a magical offer that could make her dreams come true.

I’ve only read one Marie Lu book before, ‘Legend’, and I wasn’t blown away by it. However, this doesn’t sound like anything I’ve read before and I’m looking forward to seeing where she takes it.

Anna K by Jenny Lee

Based on Leo Tolstoy’s ‘Anna Karenina’. Anna K is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society with a perfect life, whilst her family and friends deal with their own drama Anna is left relatively untouched by it all. Everything changes when she meets Alexia, a notorious playboy, and the two are pulled together until a revelation shakes the core of their relationship.

I’m not sure what to make of this one, I think I’m either going to love it or hate it, because I’m not sure ‘Anna Karenina’ needs a retelling – but I could be wrong, it could be exactly what it needs.

When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

Cleo and Layla used to be best friends, and Cleo wants to erase every memory of her but it’s difficult when she is Layla’s tutor. Despite her attempts to move on with new friends and even a new crush, Cleo’s past with Layla comes back to haunt them both.

I’m kinda excited for this, as it’s not very often we get a YA book solely marketed as being focused on a friendship, usually they take a backseat to the romance plot but that doesn’t sound like it’s going to happen here. This could be a great YA read.

So those are the fifteen (plus all the extra books I have to read to be able to read the sequels) I’m reading based off of buzzfeed recommendations. Am I going to regret this? Probably. Is that going to stop me? No. Am I stupid for this? Yes.

I don’t think I’m going to like many of these, as a lot of them seem to be YA romances, which I’m not really a big fan of, I like romances to be sub-plots and not the main plot, but a couple like ‘Tweet-Cute’ sound promising.

I think my favourite will probably be ‘Woven In Moonlight’ and my least favourite ‘Lucky Caller’. Those are my predictions, and after I’ve read all of them and reviewed them I’ll do a summary post where I’ll look back and see how right or wrong I was.

Have you guys heard of any of these books, and if not are there any you want to read now after hearing about them?