Book Recommendations: Part Ten

 August is here, which means ‘August’ by Taylor Swift is legally required to be played on loop and it also means that we’re less than a month away until we can finally move on from summer and focus on all things autumn and Halloween! Here are a few book recommendations to see you through this month.

If You Still Recognise Me by Cynthia So

A book celebrating queerness and the world of fandom, fanfiction and found family. The story follows Elsie as she navigates through her feelings for her long-distance internet best friend, Ada. Elsie decides that the best way to show Ada how she feels is through a grand life-changing gesture for someone close to Ada. Elsie is ready to go on an adventure for the sake of her romance and for the sake of repairing an old broken connection. However, Elsie did not account for her long-lost childhood best friend, Joan, to come back into Elsie’s life; wanting to repair their own broken connection. We get to witness Elsie’s summer of navigating love, friendship, family and finding herself in this heart-warming, diverse, emotional and beautiful story. If you spend your time – or spent your time – scrolling through Tumblr or reading fanfiction or making fanart for the fandoms you’re a part of; then this is the book for you. (Trigger/Content Warnings: Toxic Relationship, Homophobia)

Final Girls by Riley Sager

The “final girls” is a club nobody wants to be a part of. But for Quincy, Sam and Lisa, this is their reality. Three sole survivors of three separate tragedies where they were the only ones that made it out alive. The only thing these women share is trauma and the “final girl” title. Quincy’s mind has blocked out what happened to her a decade ago and that’s how she likes it so she can continue to live her life. She wants nothing to do to with the past and that includes the other final girls. However, when Lisa is found dead in her bathtub and Sam shows up at Quincy’s door, Quincy’s so-called perfect life begins to unravel. Now it’s a race against time as Quincy attempts to evade eager reporters, nosey police officers and Sam’s attempts to help Quincy remember the events of what happened to her ten years ago. It leaves Quincy wondering what exactly she knows about the other final girls and whether there’s more to Sam than she’s letting on? Can Quincy trust her despite this “club” they’re both in? A final girl is a survivor and Quincy knows that this is what she has to do once again. (Trigger/Content Warnings: Murder, Violence, Sexual Assault, Drug Use, Suicide and Self-Harm discussed)

She Gets The Girl by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick)

Alex and Molly are the complete opposite personalities. Alex is headstrong, chaotic and the best at getting the girl. Molly likes order and knowing that everything in her life is in control and is completely socially awkward. College seems like a good place for a start over and when Alex and Molly’s paths cross; they realise they can help each other. Molly has a crush on Cora Myers but cannot, for the life of her, talk to Cora. Alex offers to help Molly using a five-step plan which will result in Molly and Cora dating. On top of helping Molly, Alex is hopeful that this will prove to her ex that she isn’t selfish, and she is ready to commit to her. However, as Alex and Molly spend more time together trying to win over their respective girls; the pair begin to wonder if feelings for one another are cropping up…but that’s not part of the five-step plan, is it? (Trigger/Content Warnings: Internalised Racism, Parent with Alcoholism Addiction)

 

All three of these books are wonderfully different and are definitely for fans of friends to lovers trope, forced proximity trope, slasher thriller vibes, final girl trope, queer joy, diverse characters and tense storytelling and so much more!