Category: Book Recommendations

There’s something deeply personal about the books you own. They’re not just stories—they’re memories, identities, decor, and, occasionally, emotional support paperbacks. So today I’m sharing my Top 12 Favorite Books From My Own Shelf. No library returns, no borrowing from besties—these are the ones I can physically reach out and hug (and maybe sob into again).

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1. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Sometimes I’m a sunshine girlie. Sometimes I want to fake my death and ruin a man’s life. This book is unhinged perfection and I revisit it anytime I need a reminder that female rage is beautiful.

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2. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

This book is pure dystopian mess and I love it. Mare is angry, powerful, and always making questionable decisions. It’s basically my Roman Empire. Bonus: betrayal hits so hard when lightning is involved.

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3. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

This was my gateway drug into mythology, sass, and chosen-one plots. Percy had ADHD and trauma and still managed to be hilarious. Truly a foundational text. Any other Annabeth Chase Stans in the house?

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4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Rose Hathaway walked so all other sarcastic, stabby YA heroines could run. She taught me how to flirt and fight. Iconic behavior.

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5. Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

If you’ve never dramatically whispered “Wrath” while holding this book to your chest, are you even a romance reader? It’s dark, emotional, and oh-so-2005 vampirecore.

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6. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

This book is 85% mental breakdown, 10% poetic metaphors, and 5% Adam being wrong for her. I highlighted everything. Juliette is unwell and I support her. My book is very, very well loved.

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7. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

I will never not be obsessed with Jude Duarte and her stabby ambitions. This book is pure dark fae girl fantasy. Also, Cardan. Enough said.

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8. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Were the movie and TV series shit? Yes. Did this series raise me? Also yes. I wanted to be a Shadowhunter so bad, runes and all.

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9. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Soft werewolves? Melancholy winters? This book is so quietly emotional it hurts. Reading it feels like standing in snow while holding hands with someone you’re scared to love.

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11.Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead

This one’s criminally underrated. Hot demons. Tragic immortality. Bookstore setting. It’s giving cozy + cursed, which is basically my brand.

10. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

I’m keeping this one in the list because it just feels like me. STEM + love + grumpy man = the ultimate comfort reread. I eat this up like it’s a warm cookie and I haven’t eaten all day.

12. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Yes, I still think about Celaena. Yes, I still have trust issues because of this series. Yes, I’ll always be slightly in love with several men in this story. It’s dramatic, dangerous, and has that “main character moment” energy that makes you want to sword-fight in a ball gown.

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What book on your shelf says “this is who I am”? And if you’ve read Shiver or Dark Lover, please message me immediately—we’re starting a very niche book club

Happy Reading!

Taylor

If you’re a Team Conrad girly, you know what it’s like to love someone who pushes you away just to pull you back in again. You live for the longing glances, the unresolved tension, and the quiet boys with a thousand emotions behind their eyes. You want pain with your romance. Yearning. Vibes.

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These books were made for you.

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1. Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

For the girls who fell in love at fifteen and never really fell out.
Second chances, childhood love, and a boy who never stopped loving her—even when it broke him to let her go? Conrad Fisher would cry.

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2. Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

It’s giving: lake houses, old love, and bad timing.
If you miss Cousins Beach, this book is your soft, painful, perfect replacement. It’s practically the Canadian version of TSITP.

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3. The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams

Because sometimes the boy best friend does get the girl.
This one’s for the girlies who always believed Conrad and Belly were endgame. Clean romance with SO much tension.

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4. You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn

Emotionally closed-off musician? Sign. Us. Up.
Think Johnny Cash meets Daisy Jones with a tortured country boy falling for the sunshine girl. Conrad with a guitar.

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5. Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

Enemies-to-lovers, soundtrack-worthy, with a rom-com twist.
Because sometimes the broody boy next door is your leading man. And yes, he’s always been in love with you.

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6. The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther

Weddings, summer games, secret crushes… and major Conrad energy.
This one takes place in Martha’s Vineyard. Need we say more?

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7. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

For the darker Conrad girlies who want academia, obsession, and moral decay.
Maybe Conrad went to Brown and started spiraling. Maybe you like your love interests dangerous and damaged. We don’t judge.

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8. Beach Read by Emily Henry

Sad boy author + sunshine girl + writer’s block = chef’s kiss.
Gus Everett is Conrad’s older, grumpier, writer cousin. And we love him for it.

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9. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The messy, emotional chaos you crave.
Conrad would 1000% be in The Six. He’d be writing lyrics about Belly and pretending he didn’t care while staring longingly into the Pacific.

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10. If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin

Warning: this one will break you.
This book is Conrad in literary form. Quiet love, painful timing, and an ending that will haunt you forever. Read it with tissues.

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Bonus: A Playlist, Obviously 🌊

You can’t love Conrad Fisher without having a playlist full of sad, beachy, soul-crushing songs. Here are a few to throw on while reading:

• “The Night We Met” – Lord Huron
• “illicit affairs” – Taylor Swift
• “505” – Arctic Monkeys
• “This Is Me Trying” – Taylor Swift
• “Exile” – Taylor Swift ft. Bon Iver
• “Like Real People Do” – Hozier
• “Daylight”- Taylor Swift
• “Vienna” – Billy Joel (Conrad coded, don’t argue)
• “Red”- Taylor Swift

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Are you a true Team Conrad girlie?

And if you need me, I’ll be rewatching The Summer I Turned Pretty for the 17th time and sobbing into my hoodie.

#TeamConradForever
#BroodyBoysOnly
#SadHotLiteraryMen

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Happy Reading,

Taylor

You know that feeling when a book completely destroys your soul… but in a way that makes you feel alive? When the angst is delicious, the magic feels real, and the romance clutches your heart in a death grip?

Yeah. That’s what this list is.

These ten romantasy books broke me open and stitched me back together again. From gods and monsters to soulmates and sacrifices, these stories gave me butterflies, bruises, and everything in between.

Here are my top 10 romantasy reads that I still haven’t emotionally recovered from (and honestly? I don’t want to).

1. Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair

🔥 Tropes: gods & mortals, forced proximity, forbidden love

💭 Why I love it:
Scarlett St. Clair has this incredible way of weaving divine power, mortal vulnerability, and sizzling romantic tension — and Terror at the Gates delivers all of that. The chemistry between the characters is intense and complex, layered with betrayal, fate, and desire. It’s dark, mythological, and emotionally loaded in that signature Scarlett style. I couldn’t put it down — and I’m still thinking about those final chapters.

2. Bride by Ali Hazelwood

🔥 Tropes: vampire x werewolf, enemies-to-lovers, arranged marriage

💭 Why I love it:
Spicy, snarky, and surprisingly heartfelt. The enemies-to-lovers tension in Bride was chef’s kiss, and the world-building added a gritty, dark edge I wasn’t expecting. I came for the romance, stayed for the emotional complexity, and ended up re-reading the best scenes way too many times.

3. From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

🔥 Tropes: hidden identity, forbidden love, badass heroine

💭 Why I love it:
Yes, it’s popular for a reason. This book is like a shot of adrenaline with a side of steam. I couldn’t stop turning the pages — it’s that addictive. The chemistry between Poppy and Hawke? Dangerous. Explosive. Delicious. A great gateway for anyone new to romantasy.

4. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

🔥 Tropes: dark magic, mysterious love interest, gothic fantasy

💭 Why I love it:
This book was haunting in the best way. The atmosphere, the lyrical writing, the shadowy magic system — it pulled me into this eerie, enchanting world and refused to let go. Plus, the romance was subtly intense, with just enough mystery to keep you on edge.

5. Quicksilver by Callie Hart

🔥 Tropes: found family, enemies-to-lovers, twisted redemption

💭 Why I love it:
This one broke me in all the best ways. Quicksilver is gritty, raw, and laced with heartbreak and healing. Callie Hart crafts characters who feel utterly real — damaged, dangerous, and still so deserving of love. The romance builds through pain and passion, and the emotional payoff? Devastatingly satisfying.

6. The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

🔥 Tropes: vampire trials, enemies-to-lovers, found family

💭 Why I love it:
It’s Hunger Games meets Throne of Glass but make it deadly and seductive. The stakes are brutal, the action relentless, and the romance? Tense. Angsty. So satisfying. Oraya is a heroine you root for with your whole soul, and the tension with Raihn is addictive.

7. Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas

🔥 Tropes: urban fantasy, trauma + healing, found family

💭 Why I love it:
It’s not just the steamy romance or the high-stakes action — it’s the grief and healing arc that hits you right in the chest. Bryce is such a layered, messy, and lovable main character, and her relationship with Hunt builds slowly but beautifully. Be warned: the ending hurts.

8. The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

🔥 Tropes: political marriage, enemies-to-lovers, spy heroine

💭 Why I love it:
A slow-burn romance wrapped in political intrigue? Yes, please. I loved watching Lara wrestle with loyalty, identity, and that forbidden attraction. The world-building is sharp and strategic, and the romance is just the kind of morally gray, tension-filled drama that romantasy does best.

9. Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry

🔥 Tropes: enemies to lovers (my fav), slow burn with secrets

💭 Why I love it:
This book gave me everything I crave — tension, resentment, slow-burn redemption, and one of the broodiest men Devney Perry has ever written (and that’s saying something). The enemies-to-lovers arc is so layered, with emotional history, simmering attraction, and so much unsaid between the lines. I devoured every angsty moment. If you love a strong, silent type who’s secretly soft for one person only, this one will ruin you — in the best way.

10. Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent

🔥 Tropes: trauma healing, grumpy x sunshine, forbidden magic

💭 Why I love it:
If you’re into emotionally intelligent world-building with characters who earn their growth, this one is for you. Tisaanah and Max are one of my favorite couples — their dynamic is quiet, respectful, intense. The magic system is unique, and the story just unfolds beautifully. A slow-burn masterpiece.

These are the books that made me feel everything — love, heartbreak, magic, hope. Whether you’re a seasoned romantasy reader or just dipping your toes into the genre, I hope you found at least one new favorite on this list.

Now tell me yours.
What’s your romantasy obsession? Drop your recs in the comments or DM me — I’m always looking for the next book to ruin me in the best way.

Honorable Mentions:

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
The blueprint for romantasy obsession. Trauma, healing, wingspan. Enough said.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
More atmospheric than romantic, but the slow-burn magical love story lives rent-free in my soul.

The Plated Prisoner Series by Raven Kennedy
Gold-touch reimagining with toxic obsession, inner strength, and one of the best slow-burn arcs.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Enemies to lovers with extra knives. Jude + Cardan are chaotic icons.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
If dragons + romance + training school = your jam, this is a must.

On My Romantasy TBR: Books I Need to Emotionally Unravel Me Next:

Jade City by Fonda Lee
Magic mafia family drama with complex characters and high stakes — YES PLEASE.

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Workplace comedy + morally gray boss + stabby flirting? Already obsessed.

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon
Enemies-to-lovers fantasy with angst, rebellion, and the kind of banter I live for.

These Twisted Bonds by Lexi Ryan
Sequel to These Hollow Vows, promising more betrayal, fae politics, and steamy entanglements.

The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
Healing magic, deadly trials, and a girl just trying to survive — this is so my thing.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Cozy romantasy with academic chaos and slow-burn grump/sunshine in a snow-covered forest.

The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten
Necromancy, poison, court politics, and one brooding priest. Sold.

Until Next time!! Happy Reading,

Taylor Hondos