We have all seen them, the #booktok books, and wondered: What’s all the hype about? I won’t lie; the hype snags me from time to time, and I have found that I rarely agree with the masses on what is good fiction. That doesn’t mean I hate these books; I just don’t care for them. Now, there have been a couple that have surprised me in some way or another. Some examples are:

The Dark Olympus series by Katee Robert

Everyone knows how I feel about Katee. I love her books. Point. Blank. Period. And I never would have found that out if I hadn’t given in to the hype about her books. I saw her everywhere on social media. I was bombarded with recommendations on what to read from her works. Finally, a copy of Neon Gods came in, and I bit the bullet. It was a kill shot; I am dead for Katee Robert. I became obsessed and went hunting for her other books. I have read most of her work and am subscribed to her Patreon because I need more. It’s a sickness, but I refuse to be cured.

The Hades x Persephone Saga & The Hades Saga by Scarlett St. Clair

Riding the high of Neon Gods, I found this series. I had seen it on my socials and knew the gist of what it was, so I gave it a try. I will tell you, Tiktok lied to me. I was expecting this super spicy, sexy, literary porn retelling. Is that what I got? No, not even close. I got wholesome, female empowerment, he falls first, ooey gooey goodness. Despite the differences in my expectations and the reality of the book, I adored it. There is a quote in A Touch of Darkness that to this day still makes me all shivery, I need someone to love me like this, inside.

The Never After series by Emily McIntire

These are so twisted. I devoured them. This series was my introduction to dark romance. Wretched was where I read my first gun scene. If you know, you know. After Katee Robert’s Wicked Villians series, I was more than on board with villains getting the girl and having a happily ever after. Oh boy, are her villains bad! Delicious. And to make it even better? I got to meet Emily. I. Got. To. Meet. Emily. And. Take. A. Selfie. With. Her! She was so sweet, fun, and easy to talk to. Her daughter is beyond precious. She had come into my B&N after getting the worst news to sign books and interact with her fans as a way to cheer herself up. This amazing woman was told she had stage four breast cancer, and to boost her mood, she came to my store and ordered coffee. How inspiring is that? I will never stop recommending her books. Ever.

There are some more, like everything Sarah J. Maas has ever written, the Tempting Monsters series by Kathryn Moon, and the Zodiac Academy series, but I have to stop somewhere, right?

How about I throw some duds out there for you? Now, just because I didn’t like these doesn’t mean you can’t like them. They just weren’t for me. I have no desire to yuck your yum. But I needed some serious therapy—well, more hysterical venting to a friend after I finished The Ritual. It’s over and done with, and I still don’t know how the hell the main characters supposedly fell in love. I got about forty percent through Haunting Adeline before giving up the ghost. I just couldn’t. H.D. Carlton could not make up her mind on how she wanted to scar her readers and just went with everything. This book tried to be a historical thriller, a romance, a psychopathic horror, and a haunted house story all at once, and I couldn’t keep my head on straight. With Rhapsodic I finished it and just didn’t care to read the rest of the series. Nothing crazy, I just didn’t have any feels when it was all said and done.

Where does this leave me? Well, it leaves me thinking that my August book vibe is just gonna have to be Worth the Hype. Some options I have on hand are:

• Corrupt by Penelope Douglas
• Flock by Kate Stewart
• Vicious by L.J. Shen
• Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
• Bride by Ali Hazelwood
• The High Mountain Court by A.K Mulford
• Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

I won’t be reading all of these in August, but I want to try at least to pull from this list when making my selections. I’m starting with Corrupt by Penelope Douglas, so wish me luck.

Until the next page,

Dani