100 Books Like Maybe This Time

Between the high-stakes worldbuilding, Earth on the brink of war with Luna while battling a global pandemic, and Marissa Meyer’s fresh sci-fi take on magic, the story drew me in and wouldn’t let me go.

I’m not ashamed to say I devoured this in one sitting. I was fascinated by the lunar people’s ability to use their “gifts” to manipulate bioelectricity, casting glamours and bewitching their victim’s minds. It added yet another layer of tension to the story.

The seamless fusion of dystopia, sci-fi, and elements from classic fairytales creates a powerhouse narrative that centers around Cinder, a cyborg mechanic whose fate is inexplicably twined with the prince’s in a race to find a cure and prevent the impending war.

The moment I heard this was an adaptation of Sabrina, I was in! The main character Amelia has unreciprocated feelings for Ethan, but of course, it’s his brother Liam who’s her best match. The falling-for-the-brother trope is one of my favorites, and this one did not disappoint. The nerdy references in this book are also top-notch—as Liam is a slightly nerdy, cinnamon roll character you can’t help but root for. Short and sweet, this book was a super fun read.

Janette Rallison is one of my favorite authors, and this is one of my all-time favorite series! A bumbling “fair” godmother (she’s in training, but her grades are only “fair”) is assigned to help modern-day Savannah achieve her happily ever after. But of course, everything goes wrong, and Savannah ends up in several different fairytales when all she wanted was to find a good guy to take her to the prom. The flirty banter between Savannah and Tristan is laugh-out-loud funny and watching them come together is the icing on top. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve reread this series.

I love a good Taming of the Shrew retelling. Ten Things I Hate About You is one of my favorite movies, and this book elicits all the same feelings. Watching an unlikeable main character redeem herself is so satisfying, and of course, the lead guy is a loveable nerd, which I always appreciate. I loved how the main character Cameron learns that it’s ok to be different and that maybe it’s better to be yourself than a queen bee everyone respects but doesn’t like. The snarky dialogue kept me turning pages and I couldn’t wait to see how this book ended.

I’m fascinated by books that take place in college, a rich transitional time where characters are still teens–insecure and figuring things out–but also with new adult responsibilities and freedoms. 

This book took me back to those late teen years of uncertainty and new adventures. The protagonist, Penny, is thrilled to be away from home at the University of Austin, Texas, but even more thrilled by meeting Sam, an aspiring filmmaker who works in a local café. These two couldn’t be more awkward, and through most of the book, they are too anxious to actually meet up and only communicate through text. Their final meet-up, like any good romance, is thrilling.

I loved the snappy dialogue and texts and the deep development of Choi’s characters. I also loved that author Choi’s website is called Choi to the World.

When Auden spends the summer with her dad and his new family in coastal North Carolina, she never expects that a friendship with a new boy Eli will change everything she’s believed about life and love. A burgeoning romance and deep secrets shared under a Carolina moon on late-night adventures while the rest of the town sleeps? Can you get any more magical than that? This one is all about healing and blooming and taking the chance to be yourself against the backdrop of a quirky-cute beach town.

There’s just something about the man-versus-nature struggle, especially when the sheer force of Mother Nature is so vividly described in the pages of this book based in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Main characters Sophie and Finn, no strangers to backstories brimming with tremendous pain and loss, face down the eye of the hurricane, learning to lean on each other while learning more about the beauty of life. With such immersive descriptions (including the location’s wild horses!), readers can expect to be transported to the Southern coast on a true journey of self-discovery and second-chance love.

This Field Party series starter is my go-to when I need a good dose of Friday Night Lights, a splash of steam, and a heavy dose of drama. I mean, football meets love in bloom—can you get any more Southern that that? Main characters West and Maggie are both suffering through a recent/impending significant loss in their families, and this pain unites them on a deeper level than either has known before against the backdrop of a small Alabama town. 

I had a great deal of respect for this author from reading her Psychology Today columns. Sophia Dembling is an introvert and from her research and personal experience knows that relationships between different personality types can be challenging to say the least. 

She takes us through all aspects of the dating process and doesn’t slam extroverts. What she does is show us, through her great wit and transparency, how we are not perfect but that we can balance each other. 

Dembling teaches introverts “how to let someone into their hearts while honoring the solitude we need..” I found myself laughing many times, even while reading the table of contents. “Whee! Fun With Extroverts” and “I Love you But Please Don’t Call Me.” And she helps extroverted readers understand and empathize with introverts who don’t find joy in too much socializing. 

All hail the queen. Sally Rooney makes it look easy, with just the right amount of Irish, nothing-is-easy-you-insufferable-wanker on the side. This book has it all: awkward yet undeniably hot sexual tension! Arguments! Cool names! A house that is bigger than yours!

And within Rooney’s stupidly gorgeous prose, we find ourselves not only yelling “EXACTLY!” out loud, many times, to an empty room but answering the book’s central question: right here. As long as we have a good book, that beautiful world is right here.