So, here we are again. We know you are lurking here when you should be reading books, aren’t you, bookworm? Well, we are guilty of doing the same as well. Half of our days are spent looking at book recs online when we already have a TBR long enough that it will take our entire life to finish, but we are readers.
We wouldn’t be one if we didn’t look for books to read while telling ourselves, “we will get back to our books soon.” Not that it matters, but we promise you that we won’t tell anyone how you have been looking for new books when you should be completing that book you just added to your to-read pile.
*just a friendly reminder that your books feel betrayed right now, you readers*
As a reader, most of the time, we scroll through Bookstagram, looking at great reviews, drooling over aesthetically pleasing pictures of books, and buying yet another book because of that one quote that touched us. Just out of curiosity, how many books did you buy this week? How many books are already on your “need to read them ASAP” pile?
And how many books did you read? Not that we are judging you, but we are here to remind you that many great books should be on your list too. Be it romance, mystery, or Sapphic novels, here are a few popular books from 2019 that we think you might like. So, here you go, another bookworm adding new books to a never-ending list.
Also Read: Game of Thrones Books Reading Order
The Silent Patient
Alicia Berenson’s perfect life turns upside down when her husband Gabriel returns home late, and she shoots him five times in the face. She hasn’t talked a word since then, and her refusal to talk turns this domestic tragedy into a far grander mystery.
She is hidden away at Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, is determined to get her to talk and unravel the mystery, but the truth might be hard to consume, even for him.
Daisy Jones & The Six
Everyone knows the famous Daisy Jones & The Six, but they don’t know why they split. An iconic 1970s rock group and their exquisite lead singer were swimming in fame and popularity until they broke up suddenly. Daisy, a girl in LA, likes the thrill of sneaking into clubs, doing drugs, and going crazy, but she loves rock and rolls the most.
Billy Dunne, the man who leads The Six, goes a little wild on the road after his girlfriend reveals the news of her pregnancy. Both of them meet when a producer puts them together to gain success, unaware that what happens next will evolve into the stuff of legend.
Red, White, And Royal Blue
When photos of a conflict between First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry at a royal wedding get leaked, American-British relations are threatened deeply. But there’s a plan for damage control too. To lessen the damage done by this leak, they plan to stage a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince.
However, when both of them begin a secret relationship, and President Claremont kicks off her re-election bid, their secret might derail the campaign as well as upend the nations. What will you sacrifice for your nation: your love or your secrets?
The Unhoneymooners
For Olive, whether it is her career, love, or life, anything, she has always been unlucky. Meanwhile, Ami, her identical twin sister, lives a perfect life filled with good luck. Olive braces herself to spend the next 24 hours at her sister’s wedding, next to Ethan, her sworn rival, who also happens to be the best man at the wedding.
But, when all the guests at the wedding get food poisoning, somehow, these two sworn enemies are the only ones who don’t get affected. Ami won’t be able to go on her all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii since she is sick. Olive and Ethan go on this trip, but one little lie turns into a big secret, and they must pretend to be newlyweds unless they want their truth exposed.
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder
Five years ago, Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh, and the case was closed after the truth was uncovered. Everyone in the town knows it, and the police know it; they have accepted this boy as the murderer.
But Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. So, for her final year project, she chooses this particular case to uncover the secrets behind the murder. She knows someone is trying to hide the secrets, but they don’t know she will do anything to learn the truth.
Regretting You
Morgan Grant wants nothing more than to prevent her sixteen-year-old daughter from making the same mistakes she did. Morgan was too young when she got pregnant and married, forcing her dreams to be put on hold, a mistake that she still regrets.
Clara, who believes her mother is predictable, doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps either. But, when a tragedy strikes the family, these two will find comfort in unexpected places and discover secrets that will tear them apart farther than before.
Anxious People
Viewing an apartment turns deadly when a failed bank robber takes the guests hostage. The eight guests, anxious and stressed, slowly open up, revealing their long-hidden truths. Outside, the police surrounded the premises, and TV channels broadcast their situation live. Stuck between the two ends, the bank robber must decide which is more frightening, facing the police or staying inside.
On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous
A beautiful and poetic letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. In this letter, the speaker talks about a family history that began before he was even born. This book is haunting and unflinchingly raw, asking you to pay attention to the grief of this world. It talks about race, class, masculinity, and longing.
Ninth House
Galaxy “Alex” Stern, raised in the LA hinterlands by a hippie mom, knows she is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. She dropped out of school into something much worse. But when she is lying in the hospital bed and is offered a chance to attend the world’s most elite universities, she accepts it quickly.
She arrives in New Haven and is tasked to monitor the activities of Yale’s secret societies but what she finds out is more sinister than one might even imagine.
The Giver Of Stars
Alice Wright wishes to escape her life in England. So, she marries the handsome American Bennett Van Cleve. But, soon, living with an overbearing father-in-law in a small town in Kentucky turns claustrophobic for her. When the next opportunity to escape arrives, she grasps it immediately.
She signs to join the team of women required to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library. But, as these women bring books to people who have never had any, they will be challenged and tested.
Lovely War
Told by the Greek goddess Aphrodite to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, this story follows four lovers at the height of WWII. In 1917 when WWI is at its zenith, Hazel, a shy and talented pianist, meets James, a newly minted soldier, for the first time. They fall in love, but their story is cut short when James is shipped off.
Audrey Edwards, a gifted musician, is also a member of the 15th New York Infantry, that’s being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love isn’t even in his mind when he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who’s survived great tragedy at the hands of Germans. Now, over thirty years, the Greek goddess seeks to answer why she is Love and War are drawn to each other but ends up revealing that war is no match for the power of love.
Maybe You Should Talk To Someone
Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in LA until a crisis suddenly breaks down her world, forcing her to seek help. Once, as a therapist, she explored the inner chambers of her patients’ lives. But now, those same questions her patients asked her are the ones she brings to Wendell.
Wendell is a quirky and seasoned therapist who seeks help from. Through her conversations with the therapist, Lori learns things that help her become a better person as well as a better therapist for her patients.
Serpent & Dove
Louise le Blanc fled her coven two years ago and has never looked back. When she took shelter in Cesarine, she forsakes all the magic. She lived off stealing, lying, and doing whatever was necessary to survive. Witches like her are hunted, feared, and burned brutally.
So, when she is given options of marrying or going to jail, she reluctantly chooses to marry Reid Diggory, who is sworn to the Church as a Chasseur. A witch hunter and a witch tied in a union-holy marriage, bound to love, honor, and burn: will they fall for each other, or will they become each other’s fall?
The Starless Sea
Zachary Ezra Rawlins, a graduate student, discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks when something strange in the said book catches his eye. He reads a story from his own childhood in this weird book. Intrigued, he is desperate to make sense of how his story got recorded into this book.
With the help of a series of clues, he finds himself in a library hidden far below the surface of the earth. There are people who are bent on protecting this place while others are looking for their chance to destroy it. But Zachary is keen on learning his purpose: in the mysterious book and in his own real life.
The Flatshare
Tiffy and Leon share a flat and a bed, but these two strangers have never met. But how is that possible? Well, Tiffy needs a cheap flat ASAP, and Leon needs cash ASAP. So to solve their problems, they decide to share a flat. Leon stays in bed in the morning and goes to work at night, while Tiffy works during the day and spends the rest of her time in the flat.
They haven’t met yet, but they communicate with the help of notes left around the flat. But, at some point, they will have to meet each other, and when that happens, it will surely be the perfect meet-cute.
Girl, Woman, Other
A collection of twelve stories featuring twelve characters who are Black, British, and women. As we follow the lives and struggles of these characters, we learn the story of their families, friends, and lovers across the country through the years.
King Of Scars
Nikolai Lantsov, the charming and dashing young king, has always had a gift for the impossible. Nobody knows what he endured in his country’s civil war. But, as new enemies gather around, threatening to destroy everything he has built, Nikolai must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances and stop the rising threat to Grisha’s army.
At the same time, dark magic grows within his body, and it’s only getting stronger each day. The young king will risk everything to save his country and himself, but this time, even he won’t be able to stop the secrets from being uncovered.
The Priory Of The Orange Tree
A world has been divided, queendom is struggling without an heir, and an ancient enemy awakens as the problems pile up together. The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for over a thousand years, but when Queen Sabran the Ninth is still unwed, she is pressurized to conceive if she wants to protect her realm.
On the other hand, Ead Duryan, a loyal outsider in the court, has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting. On the other side of the world, Tane, who has been trained to become a dragon rider, is forced to make a tough choice. What will happen next when the divided East and West refuse to parley and forces of chaos rise from sleep?
Get A Life, Chloe Brown
Chloe Brown, a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list, has come up with another list to help her Get A Life after her near-death experience. But, is it really being “bad” if you have step-by-step guidelines on how to be “bad”? To help her Get A Life, all Chloe needs is a good teacher who can teach her how to be bad and rebellious.
Redford Morgan is a breathing example of exactly that. She enlists him in her mission to rebel, but when she gets a glimpse beneath his rough exterior, she might end up falling for the bad guy.
My Lovely Wife
Their love story was rather simple. They met, fell in love, had kids, and moved to the suburbs, totally normal. They also shared their dreams and secrets with each other, as all normal couples do. We told you, it was rather boring. After fifteen years of marriage, even they get bored until one surprise gift is gifted by the wife to her husband.
From the outside, they are your local, normal couple, neighbors, or parents of your kid’s friend. But, they have a secret which might scare you the next time you meet someone like them. Unlike other couples, their secret to a happy marriage is getting away with murder.
Bunny
Samantha Heather Mackey attends New England’s elite Warren University, where she doesn’t fit in. She’s a self-conscious scholarship student and usually prefers the company of her own imagination to real people. But when she receives an invitation to the Bunnies’ Smut Salon, her life is changed forever.
She ditches her only friend, Ava, an art school dropout, to hang out with these rich girls who call each other “Bunny.” As they plunge into the off-campus activities, devising their monstrous creations, the edges of reality will blur for Sam until she is forced to reconsider everything.
The Awakening: Zodiac Academy
In the Zodiac Academy, it’s said that your star sign defines your destiny. These twins born in the month of Gemini are a rare breed because they harness the power of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. No one has even harnessed all four of them together until this set of twins, which is also a reason why they don’t have any friends at the academy.
The four celestial heirs are intent on sending them away, back to where they came from, and they only have until the lunar eclipse to achieve that. But these twins are here to claim their throne, and they will fight till their last breath for their birthright.
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, And The Horse
Following the developing friendship between the four protagonists of the title, the story is about a boy who journeys across a wide terrain with his “friends” to find a place he can call home. A heartwarming book filled with positivity and hope, this little boy’s journey will teach you the meaning of life and friendship while shining the light on some universal truths.
Also Read: Books To Read While Waiting For New Seasons Of Heartstopper & TSITP
These are the selected 23 books that you must add straight away to your TBR. We have a book to go read now, but if you have read any of the above-mentioned books, let us know what you think! Also, there are quite a few books that are getting turned into movies and TV shows too.
Did you find any of your favorite books getting an adaptation? Personally, we can’t wait for Daisy Jones & The Six. But we are also excited about RWARB, which reminds us we need to read that book again, so we are going to read that right now, and you should go read something from this list too.
