Goodreads Recs: To Read or Not to Read Book Tag

Hey there booklovers!

A few months ago, I created this tag and I thought I’d resurrect it once again. I may actually do this somewhat regularly, and I thought, this time, I’d tag some friends, too!

Because I’m SURE we all need MORE books on our TBR, right? /sarcasm

Here are the ‘rules’:

1. Link back to Bree @ In Love & Words
2. Look at your Goodreads Recommendations (Goodreads>Browse > Recommendations)
3. Choose a shelf (To-Read, Read, etc.)
4. Pick at least 3 of the recommended books
5. Share the synopsis and covers of each book
6. Add the “Recommended because I added _____ ” section (change to “list” view and hover over “Because you added…”)
7. Decide whether or not you’re going to add it to your TBR
8. Explain why or why not
9. Tag at least 3 friends

Goodreads Book Recs

updated: Jan 23, 2019 07:38 PM. Based on my ‘Favorites’ shelf.

Left Drowning (Left Drowning #1) by Jessica Park

What does it take to rise from life’s depths, swim against the current, and breathe?

Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College. Then a chance meeting sends Blythe crashing into something she doesn’t expect—an undeniable attraction to a dark-haired senior named Chris Shepherd, whose past may be even more complicated than her own. As their relationship deepens, Chris pulls Blythe out of the stupor she’s been in since the night a fire took half her family. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery. But as Blythe moves into calmer waters, she realizes Chris is the one still strangled by his family’s traumatic history. As dark currents threaten to pull him under, Blythe may be the only person who can keep him from drowning.

Recommended because I added: Maybe Someday (Maybe #1) by Colleen Hoover
Add to TBR? YES
Why or Why Not? I really enjoyed Flat Out Love (also by Jessica Park) and this synopsis definitely swayed me. It sounds like a really emotional romance. Also it’s free on Kindle Unlimited!

Six of Hearts (Hearts, #1) by L.H. Cosway

Step right up and meet Jay Fields: Illusionist. Mentalist. Trickster.

I think in triangles. You think in straight lines.
I show you a table and make you believe it’s a chair.
Smoke and mirrors, sleight of hand, misdirection. I trick and deceive.
But most of all, I put on a good show.
The world thinks I killed a man, but I didn’t. Bear with me. It’s all a part of the plan.
Revenge is what I want. I want it for me and I want it for her.
I want it for all six of us.

She doesn’t remember me, but she’s the reason for everything. She’ll be my prize at the end of all this–if I can hold onto my willpower, that is. Maybe I’ll slip up a little, have a taste, just a small one.

So go ahead and pick a card. Come inside and see the show. Look at my hands, look so closely that you can’t see what’s happening while you’re so focused on looking. I’ll be destroying your world from right here in the spotlight.

You’ll never see me coming until it’s too late.

I’ve only got one heart, and after I’ve pulled off my grand deception I’ll hand it right to her.

So, sit back, relax, and let my girl tell you our story. You’re in for one hell of a ride.

Recommended because I added: Kulti by Mariana Zapata
Add to TBR? YES!
Why or Why Not? OMG another great rec! This one sounds absolutely interesting! I find it super weird that it’s a recommendation because of Kulti since these books sound completely different. I’ve read a lot of romance novels, but this one sounds completely different than any I’ve read before. Also, it has a lot of high ratings! I’m surprised I’ve never heard of it before.

Tasting Never (Tasting Never, #1) by C.M. Stunich

“Never Ross wants to be loved.
It’s that simple, but it’s not that easy.”

Never is a girl with a broken soul who doesn’t date nice guys and can’t seem to go to bed at night without crying herself to sleep. She doesn’t need any complications in her life, especially not when they’re attached to a man that could be her emotional twin.

Ty McCabe can’t stand Never the first time he meets her. He’s aware that the feeling’s mutual and the two don’t think they’ll ever see each other again, but when fate takes a hand and puts them both in the wrong place at the wrong time, Ty and Never form a tentative friendship that opens the door on their dark sides and shows them what it’s like to live in the light.

“Sometimes, the only way to go forward, is to take a few, careful steps back.”

Recommended because I added: Rule by Jay Crownover
Add to TBR? Sure
Why or Why Not? Jay Crownover actually rated this 5 stars and a few of my Goodreads friends did as well. The synopsis isn’t very intriguing – it sounds like a lot of books I’ve read before, but I’m willing to give this one a try. It looks like it is free on Kindle Unlimited, so that’s a plus!

Nuts (Hudson Valley, #1) by Alice Clayton

Roxie Callahan is a private chef to some of Hollywood’s wealthiest, and nastiest, calorie-counting wives. After a dairy disaster implodes her carefully crafted career in one fell ploop, she finds herself back home in upstate New York, bailing out her hippie mother and running the family diner.

When gorgeous local farmer Leo Maxwell delivers her a lovely bunch of organic walnuts, Roxie wonders if a summer back home isn’t such a bad idea after all. Leo is heavily involved in the sustainable slow food movement, and he likes to take his time. In all things. Roxie is determined to head back to the west coast as soon as summer ends, but will the pull of lazy fireflies and her very own Almanzo Wilder be enough to keep her home for good?

Salty. Spicy. Sweet. Nuts. Go on, grab a handful.

Recommended because I added: Royally Matched (Royally #2) by Emma Chase & Pucked Off by Helena Hunting
Add to TBR? No thanks
Why or Why Not? I tried reading Wallbanger by this author and I could not get through it. It just seemed like she was trying to hard, but I do admit that I’m hard to please when it comes to romances that are supposed to be funny. I was actually surprised this wasn’t a rec because of Ball Peen Hammer by Lauren Rowe, but I have a feeling this novel won’t come close to Royally Matched or certainly not Pucked Off!

A Modern Witch (A Modern Witch, #1) by Debora Geary

Can you live 28 years without discovering you’re a witch? — Lauren is downtown Chicago’s youngest elite realtor. She’s also a witch. She must be – the fetching spell for Witches’ Chat isn’t supposed to make mistakes. So says the woman who coded the spell, at least. — The tall, dark, and handsome guy sent to assess her is a witch too (and no, that doesn’t end the way you might think). What he finds in Lauren will change lives, mess with a perfectly good career, and require lots of ice cream therapy.

Recommended because I added: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Add to TBR? Nah
Why or Why Not? My first thought was… bold statement comparing this to A Discovery of Witches! After reading the synopsis, it sounds like the only thing it has in common with ADoW is the fact that it’s about a witch… and that’s it. This books seems much more lighthearted with some humor and though it is highly rated overall, I have several Goodreads friends who were not impressed.

Love, an Index by Rebecca Lindenberg

A man disappears. The woman who loves him is left scarred and haunted. In her fierce, one-of-a-kind debut, Rebecca Lindenberg tells the story—in verse—of her passionate relationship with Craig Arnold, a much-respected poet who disappeared in 2009 while hiking a volcano in Japan. Lindenberg’s billowing, I-contain-multitudes style lays bare the poet’s sadnesses, joys, and longings in poems that are lyric and narrative, at once plainspoken and musically elaborate.

Regarding her role in Arnold’s story, Lindenberg writes with clear-eyed humility and endearing dignity: “The girl with the ink-stained teeth / knows she’s famous / in a tiny, tragic way. / She’s not / daft, after all.” And then later, playfully, of her travels in Italy with the poet, her lover: “The carabinieri / wanted to know if there were bears / in our part of America. Yes, we said, / many bears. Man-eating bears? Yes, of course, / many man-eating bears.” Every poem in this collection bursts with humor, pathos, verve—and an utterly unique, soulful voice.

This widely anticipated debut, already selected as a finalist for several prominent book awards, marks the first collection in the newly minted McSweeney’s Poetry Series. MPS is an imprint which seeks to publish a broad range of excellent new poetry collections in exquisitely designed hardcovers—poetry that’s useful and meaningful to anyone in any walk of life.

Recommended because I added: B by Sarah Kaye
Add to TBR? Sure
Why or Why Not? First thought: I love the title and the cover. Second thought: interesting choice for the reason it was recommended considering B is a poem-turned-book. Then I read the synopsis and understood: this is written in verse. I’ve never actually read an entire story written in verse (aside from classics) and though I do love collections of poetry, I’m very picky, however, I’m intrigued enough by this book to add it to my TBR.

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can’t handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl who’s dealt with a lot more—and who just might be able to clue him in on how to rise up when life keeps knocking him down—in this wry, gritty novel from the author of When I Was the Greatest.

Matt wears a black suit every day. No, not because his mom died—although she did, and it sucks. But he wears the suit for his gig at the local funeral home, which pays way better than the Cluck Bucket, and he needs the income since his dad can’t handle the bills (or anything, really) on his own. So while Dad’s snagging bottles of whiskey, Matt’s snagging fifteen bucks an hour. Not bad. But everything else? Not good. Then Matt meets Lovey. She’s got a crazy name, and she’s been through more crazy than he can imagine. Yet Lovey never cries. She’s tough. Really tough. Tough in the way Matt wishes he could be. Which is maybe why he’s drawn to her, and definitely why he can’t seem to shake her. Because there’s nothing more hopeful than finding a person who understands your loneliness—and who can maybe even help take it away.

Recommended because I added: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Add to TBR? I don’t think so…
Why or Why Not? (What is going on with that cover? Some sort of weird overlay??) Anyway, this just doesn’t seem like my cup of tea. From what I see in my GR friends reviews is that this is an emotional, character-driven YA story, which is fine, but I just… I am really picky about what emotional books I read. Typically, when I’m reading, I look for an escape. I worry this might bring me down a bit.

I think that’s enough for now. I forgot how fun this is!

Tag… You’re it!

I tag:

WhitReadsLit | For the Love of Books | Books & Blends | KarenJo | Ally Writes Things | Book Twins Reviews | The Cozy Pages | The Orangutan Librarian | Sincerely, KarenJo | Meltotheany | The Book Dutchesses