Book Recommendations for Every Genre and Mood
If you’ve read reviews on my blog before, you know that I hardly ever stray from my top three favorite types of books to review: romances, mysteries, and anything that has drama (like cry-your-eyes-out drama not high-school-cat-fight drama). So, I thought it would be a great idea to make a post about book recommendations for every genre and mood. Sometimes, we just want to get out of our comfort zones, right? And I’ve found that with some of these novels, I’ve been happily surprised by how much I truly enjoyed them.
You’ll not only get all of these different moods and genres from my list, but it’s also a mixture of adult novels and YA. I find that honestly, adult and young adult novels are very comparable in how well they are written. They’re just written about younger people. I hope you find something that takes you out of reality for a few hours and helps you go on an adventure 🙂
Quick Reads
Chaos Theory - YA
What I loved:
- The mental health representation.
- The wonderful characters.
- Nic Stone’s writing is beautiful.
You can read my review of Chaos Theory here.
Ghost 19 - Adult
- What I loved:
- Hauntings that scare the life out of you.
- Short and sweet but still amazing.
- The main character has a lot of depth for the story being as short as it is.
You can read my review of Ghost 19 here.
The Running Dream - YA
What I loved:
- Hugely inspirational.
- Makes you believe in humanity again.
- Wonderful characters and friendships.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - YA
What I loved:
- Mental health representations for autism.
- A cute no-nonsense mystery.
- Leaves you with all the good feelings.
Uplifting Novels
The Wishing Game - Adult but very YA-ish
What I loved:
- Felt like magic legitimately the entire novel.
- Made me so nostalgic for my childhood books.
- Plot, characters, and writing is on point 100% of the time.
You can read my review of The Wishing game here.
A Man Called Ove - Adult
What I loved:
- The grumpy old man who is the main character.
- The friends-becoming-family relationships.
- The sappy story that also makes you want to cry your eyes out.
You can read my review of A Man Called Ove here.
Mysteries That Leave Your Head Spinning
The Silent Patient - Adult
What I loved:
- A literal mind-frick of a novel (don’t make fun of me for choosing not to curse 😅)
- Had me guessing until the end.
- Crazy characters (in a good way for mysteries).
Truly Devious - YA
What I loved:
- STEVIE BELL IS MY FAVORITE HEROINE.
- The mystery is literally so addictive (for the trilogy).
- Boarding school setting.
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder - YA
What I loved:
- The best YA mystery I’ve ever read.
- The romantic subplot.
- Literally everything about this novel.
You can read my review of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder here.
A Long Stretch of Bad Days - YA
What I loved:
- Unlikely girl friendship.
- Fun, mostly lighthearted, mystery.
- Small town setting.
You can read my review of A Long Stretch of Bad Days here.
Swoon Worthy Romances
Happy Place - Adult
What I loved:
- A top tier friend group.
- “Fake Dating” trope with an ex-fiance.
- Beachy book.
You can read my review of Happy Place here.
Hello Stranger - Adult
What I loved:
- Main character temporarily can’t see faces and falls in love.
- She also has to paint a portrait…. but can’t see faces….
- Evil stepsister (makes for hilarious interactions).
You can read my review of Hello Stranger here.
Things We Never Got Over - Adult
What I loved:
- Small town setting with the gentlest of gentlemen.
- Our love interest is not a gentleman.
- Evil twin who forgot to mention to her twin sister that she has a daughter (who the said evil twin left behind for the “good” twin to take care of – oh, the drama).
You can read my review of Things We Never Got Over here.
Instructions for Dancing - YA
What I loved:
- Doomed romance.
- An “I don’t believe in love” attitude.
- Our main heroine has the ability to see the way a relationship ends when the couple kisses.
You can read my review of Instructions for Dancing here.
Books to Tear Your Heart Out
The Things We Leave Unfinished - Adult
What I loved:
- A twist that unexpectedly rips your heart out.
- Alternating timelines between a war era and the present.
- A romance that will sweep you off your feet.
You can read my review of The Things We Leave Unfinished here.
A Thousand Boy Kisses - YA
What I loved:
- Teenaged romance that makes you believe in true love.
- Cute, uncomplicated writing.
- ALL THE TEARS.
You can read my review of A Thousand Boy Kisses here.
Reminders of Him - Adult
What I loved:
- Romance with her dead boyfriend’s best friend.
- A daughter she’s trying to regain custody of.
- Kicks you while you’re down (yes, this is something I love 😂 – pack your tissues).
You can read my review of Reminders of Him here.
Ghost Stories
The Haunting of Maddy Clare - Adult
What I loved:
- Scared the living daylights out of me.
- Romantic subplot.
- Mystery/ghost/romance combo is amazing.
Don't Tell a Soul - YA
What I loved:
- Everyone is seemingly out to get her.
- Creepy night scenes.
- She’s living in the haunted mansion.
You can read my review of Don’t Tell a Soul here.
Thrill Seekers
Sadie - YA
What I loved:
- One of my top favorite books of all time.
- Unlikely heroine tracking down her sister’s killer.
- Alternating point-of-views between Sadie and a guy who is writing a podcast is genius.
You can read my review of Sadie here.
Stars and Smoke - YA
What I loved:
- Spies, spies, and did I mention, spies??
- Romantic subplot between a literal rockstar and a spy.
- Poisonings, heists, and so much more.
You can read my review of Stars and Smoke here.
The Initial Insult - YA
What I loved:
- Girl tries to kill her ex-best friend.
- There’s a legitimate panther on the loose (who also has a point-of-view).
- Mystery subplot about the girl’s parents who disappeared years ago.
You can read my review of The Initial Insult here.
Dystopians
The Grace Year - YA
What I loved:
- Amazing world building.
- Romantic subplot that takes you by surprise in just a few pages.
- The writing is unmatched.
You can read my review of The Grace Year here.
The One - Adult
What I loved:
- Thoughtful insights on what “true love” means.
- A lot of scientific discussions on our genetic makeup.
- Serial killer is one of our point-of-views.
You can read my review of The One here.
Fantasies
Fourth Wing - Adult but YA-ish
What I loved:
- Literally everything.
- Dragon riders.
- Enemies-to-lovers romance.
- This one gets a fourth bullet point because, did I mention, I loved literally everything??
You can read my review of Fourth Wing here.
Family Dramas
We Are the Brennans - Adult
What I loved:
- Irish family.
- The romance that ended for “no reason,” but is really due to deeply kept secrets.
- The relationship between the brothers and sister.
You can read my review of We Are the Brennans here.
If I Tell You the Truth - Adult
What I loved:
- The honest and raw depictions of how sexual assault changes the course of a person’s life.
- The mother-daughter relationships and how the mother tries to share her truth with her daughter.
- The difficulty of immigration depicted in this novel.
You can read my review of If I Tell You the Truth here.
Regretting You - Adult and YA?
What I loved:
- Alternating point-of-views between mother and daughter.
- Past drama that always seems to come back to the surface.
- The writing style (because, I mean, it’s Colleen Hoover).
You can read my review of Regretting You here.
The Classics
Of Mice and Men - Adult
What I loved:
- The bond between Lennie and George.
- Lennie’s innocence.
- The heartbreaking ending.
The Outsiders - YA
What I loved:
- These friendships are unbeatable in their depictions.
- The emotional depth of the story.
- The brotherly bond between Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Darrel (yes, if you haven’t read it yet, these are their actual names).
Flowers for Algernon - Adult
What I loved:
- Mental health representation.
- Just because someone isn’t like you doesn’t mean they don’t have feelings.
- Makes me cry every time I think about it.
- The novel and how it’s set up.
Black Beauty - Adult and YA
What I loved:
- It’s a story told by horses and I always was an animal girl.
- Makes you think about the way you treat other living things.
- Lifelong bonds between humans and animals and our impact on each other.
Books About Finding Yourself
Adelaide - Adult
What I loved:
- Adelaide “gives too much” of herself and it was heartbreakingly relatable.
- She lives in London.
- The all-too-real struggle of dating while trying to be yourself.
You can read my review of Adelaide here.
Georgie, All Along - Adult
What I loved:
- The “you’re enough” plot line.
- Romantic subplot (see a trend with what I like?)
- Returning home to her small town.
You can read my review of Georgie, All Along here.
Amelia Unabridged - YA
What I loved:
- Beautiful coming-of-age story.
- Romantic subplot.
- The guy she likes is a writer! (Always a win).
You can read my review of Amelia Unabridged here.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my list of book recommendations for every genre and mood. Obviously not all-encompassing, but I had to stop somewhere or this post would’ve been huge!!
