the one where I yap about books pt 2
hehe *sweats profusely*
So, I did get a little bit excited in the previous post, but you enjoyed it didn’t you? You liked seeing the light shine in my eyes while talking about something I loved, didn’t you? (don’t be shy, admit it)
Well, whether or not you did (if you did, chop kiss, I’m in love with you now), I’m here to continue talking about books cause, I hit ‘pause’ and not ‘stop’. (I kid you not, I opened this immediately I ended that one)
TOP FIVE STANDALONE BOOKS
(a standalone book is a book that has no predecessor. It’s in its name. Stand Alone)
NO 5: LIGHTS OUT by NAVESSA ALLEN
I swear I always mistake that name for Vanessa.
Anyway, this book was introduced to me by my online friend who screamed “Chineme, you have to read this book, its dark romcom”. I’m like “what the fuck is dark romcom” and then I read it to find out cause, I know my girl never does me wrong (and she didn’t)
Before I say what this book is about. Please don’t judge me. Keep that ‘hear me out’ trend in mind.
Lights out is about Aly who is a trauma/ emergency nurse and Josh who (sweating as I’m about to type this) starts to stalk her. Why did he start to stalk her? Well, as Aly is a nurse, she basically doesn’t have time for herself or her needs, especially sexual ones, so she channels all her ferality and libido into the comment section of a masked man on social media who post thirst traps of his muscles (you promised not to judge). She says shit like “Boom. There went my ovaries”
So in the process of her being feral, she texts her fling, that he should come over and he should bring a mask, and she links the masked man’s page. Said fling is the roommate of the masked man (who, if you’ve not already guessed, is Josh) and he shows Josh the video his ex-fling (cause she texted him out the blue after like three months and he had a girlfriend) just sent.
Josh is psyched cause Aly had come around the apartment once and he found her hot, only for him to find out that she’s into masks too. The boy was elated. So, he brings out all his tech bro/hacker stuff and finds her account through his comments, then filters out every comment that she has made on his page to read it.
He sees one comment where she says she’ll like to see him waiting to pounce when she gets back and then Mr. Man gets the amazing idea to break into her house and post his latest thirst trap. That’s where the stalking begins.
Fash the premise, the book is really funny. I actually laughed while reading it. And Josh is such a golden retriever. Like he went multiple times to pick her from work, made breakfast for her, and basically looked out for her. Like apart from the initial stalking, he was such a green flag.
If you don’t believe me, go and read it.
NO 4: THE RIGHT MOVE by LIZ TOMFORDE
A regular romcom has entered this list. Finallyyyy (honestly guys I can’t quite defend myself. The only thing I can say is I live vicariously through books)
Ryan Shay is a neat freak, everything-by-the-routine, strict-as-hell, eat-sleep-breathe work, famous basketball player. Indy is a love-lover, messy, yellow-wearing, crocheting-core, air hostess.
So, Indy’s man cheats on her, she breaks up with him, has nowhere to stay and her best friend/Ryan’s twin sister suggest she stays at Ryan’s extra room for the days that she’s in the city before she finds her new place.
She stays. She finds Ryan hot and closed off. Ryan barely talks to her only goes out for practices and shit. Then one day, she needs the key to the apartment. She goes to his court, looks for him, and then his coach, who has been telling him to get a little more laid back and friendly if he wants to be captain, sees her, assumes she’s his girlfriend and he goes along with it.
So, they have this fake dating thing going and if you’ve ever read fake dating, you know it ALWAYS (yes, the capitalism was needed), becomes real.
Ps. He learned sign language just to communicate with her deaf dad.
This book was soo good guys, the gentle love that Ryan had for Indy? Ughhhh
And the best part, her ex was a big fan of Ryan, so he definitely knew she moved on to better things.
Oh well, unto the next
NO 3: BLACK SHEEP by ALEXA HARLOWE AND BRYNNE WEAVER
Remember that thing I said about female serial killers and then I’m sat? It happened again except instead of Police x Serial killer, this one is Professor x Student (where the student is also a serial killer)
So Bria Brooks was kicked out of a cult when she was fourteen and then found by a serial killer who basically raised her like a beloved daughter and taught her everything he knows.
And Eli Kaplan is a psychology professor who has been looking into cult behavior and is working with the FBI on a bunch of disappearing people related to a different cult.
They have explosive chemistry (rivalling Tristan and Morana), the attraction-at-first-sight kind. But then their first meeting as doctorate student and supervising professor goes bad cause she was expecting genuine feedback on her research topic, and he didn’t read it.
They go through a lot of push and pull where he apologizes, and she barely accepts but the real fire begins when they can’t deny the attraction anymore, basically say ‘fuck it’, tear the clothes off each other and fuck like bunnies in the library.
When I say their chemistry was so electric. Their tension, tensioning. Unlike other books, they were still having stupid tension because of the forbidden aspect of their relationship and the fact that she’s still out being a serial killer.
As Bria was someone who doesn’t know what love feels like (her mother was part of the cult and watched as they threw her out), watching her figure out what she felt for Eli graduated from lust into something more. She learned to love and receive love in return and Eli was there with her, every step of the way, just patiently loving her. It was the most beautiful thing to read.
So go read it if you need a serial killer book to invoke emotions in you.
NO 2: DAMAGED GOODS by SLYTHERIN AFTER DARK
Guys, I know I’m trying to convince y’all I’m a sane person. And you’re kinda believing me. But(yes girl, tear your own pant), I read fanfiction (no but really Megamind fanfictions are so good, the chemistry between Megamind and Roxanne eats like mad).
If you can’t tell by the author’s name, this book (fanfictions are books too), is a Harry Potter fanfiction, specifically a fanfiction about Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger.
This fanfiction is set after the wizarding war (where Harry defeats Voldemort), as most Dramione (ship name) fanfiction is set. Hermione and Ron had issues and broke up. Hermione has trauma that her entire crew just decide to brush over. So she tends to gravitate to libraries (they’re all in their twenties cause in this universe the war lasted longer)
So the book starts when she’s in the library, she sees a couple having sex, gets horny. Draco finds her spying, starts to tease her, finds out she’s horny, one thing leads to another, they have sex.
Somehow the whole Hogwarts find out and start calling her Slytherin slut. In her PTSD state, she decided to revenge (this and most fanfictions are written according to the books’ personalities and details rather than the movies). She makes a potion into a lipstick, goes to a party, tells guys that if they want to get a taste of her, they should come forth. She kisses like twelve guys and immediately the burn potion starts to work and it feels like all their lips are on fire and the skin of their lips peel.
She gets in trouble for it. Isolated from Gryffindor. She doesn’t care, she’s crashing out and owning it. She and Draco get closer. She feels comfortable with him and he validates her trauma and stuff. At some point they re-evaluate her house and that weird cap says she’s in Slytherin, so she moves to their dorm and makes friends with Slytherin guys.
A bunch of drama happens, and Bellatrix comes back (abeg, this was my first book of the year, the fact I remember this much is a miracle). She and Draco are able to fight through it. Their bond becomes strong. They start working on a potion together. They fall in love. Like they literally reached a point where if they took a truth serum and apparated home, they would go to each other. It was so cute.
The potion Hermione is making is to remove the dark magic of the ‘mudblood’ that Bellatrix put on her arm, so that she can finally remove the mark. So she’s basically working on separating dark magic from blood. This potion would be beneficial for both her and Draco because he had the dark mark on his hand from when he joined the Death eaters (you see as fanfiction dey cook)
So, she’s still working on the potion, everything is honky-dory and then Mr. Draco tells her he’s dying due to the dark mark eating at him, he only has a month to live, he loves her so much and she’s the brightest thing in his life, she has to move on and then obliviates himself from her memories (when I tell you I screamed. Like sir, are you mad?)
It ends well but if you’re curious enough to find out how, go online and read it. Its soul crushing (writing about it has made me want to read it again so if you’ll excuse me)
Enjoy!!!
*takes deep breath, dances oblee and continues*
NO 1: THE FIRST TO DIE AT THE END by ADAM SILVERA
Imagine living in a world where you get a call at midnight if you’re going to die that day. That’s the reality in this book.
The first to die at the end is the second book by Adam exploring this reality but can be read without the first (I read the first last year). In this book, the service just launched so it explores the details that are barely glossed over in the first book(that is set ten years after this)
The public is skeptical of a death prediction service and are wondering how the company knows this(a question that is not answered in the second book but promises to be answered in the third book coming out next year).
So this story follows Orion and Valentino, two boys who meet at NYC on that particular day. Valentino wants to be a model while Orion just wants to live enough since he has a critical condition needing a transplant. The book also has POV chapters from other characters in this universe, like the founder of the company, which also ties up neatly at the end.
So Valentino receives the first call of the company ever, and Orion vows to make it a good last day for him despite the fact that he’s not the strongest person. They spend the day going around NYC and Orion showing Valentino new places since Valentino just moved to NYC.
We find out more about both boys while they fall in love with each other. At the end they go back to the apartment, thinking the company might be a hoax. I mean its basically like ten pm and he’s still alive. Then they see their landlord fighting with his wife, Valentino intervenes and gets pushed down the stairs.
The END.
Na, I’m just kidding. But if you want to see how it ends, go read it. Kisses.
No it doesn’t end happily ever after. The title doesn’t lie.
I hate to say it but there will be a part three. Like I’m genuinely sorry. Or am I? I love yapping about books ( and can testify), and this has been the most fun I’ve had writing anything. I’m so happy I get to share the books I love with the world (or at least anyone that reads this).
What I will promise is that, I will try to limit this series to part three. No more than that (Chineme stop yapping about books challenge: FAILED)
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE (this was a planned post, so everything above the line was written last week). I hope you have a great day celebrating Our Lord and Saviour, JESUS CHRIST, who is the reason for the season. Eat rice and be merry as you wash plates.
Fa la la la la la la la la!!!
Just got back from church and decided to post this before I get stuck in the hustle and bustle of the day. Off to go cook. Wish me luck
Don’t say I didn’t give you anything for Christmas (this post is the gift)
*hums to Deck the Halls*
omg i miss yapping about books with you at 2 in the morning
Merry Christmasss
Can't forget the one hour vn 😭😭💀💀💀💀