New Adult

"When I think about the romances that I loved this year, I knew that I had to talk about New Adult by Timothy Janovsky. It’s billed as 13 Going on 30 meets One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, but I’d argue that this one is in a class of its own. It was so charming, and it made me cry. It follows 23-year-old Nolan, who wants to be a famous comedian and will do anything to get there, including missing important moments of his sister’s wedding and hurting his best friend-slash-love interest in the process. With the help of some magic crystals and a wish, Nolan wakes up living the lifestyle that showcases everything that he has ever wanted: Fame! Fortune! A cute dog named Milkshake! However, none of his family and family will talk to him, and Nolan has no idea why. He turns to Drew, his former roommate and best friend to get to the bottom of everything, and, well, let’s just say that feelings can only be buried for so long. I think that so many of us feel pressured to dream bigger and brighter, and we don’t always open our eyes to see that sometimes, we’re right where we should be. I loved the romance in this one—and the life lessons. Oh, boy, where do I begin? From #BookTok alone, I discovered Only for the Week by Natasha Bishop, which I have been handselling as: “If you’ve ever wanted to sleep with his best friend! #NoRegrets.” It was so fun and sexy and people are loving it! I also discovered S. J. Tilly and her romance novels. I finished Nero , which is the first book in her Alliance series. I then immediately bought book two, King , which I plan to take on a trip with me to Seattle this week. My favorite thing about working in a bookstore and being great at my job—am I tooting my own horn? Probably, but others have said the same thing to me, so well, I’m right about this—is that I can email the woman who buys for my section and simply say: “Can I get copies of this book?” There’s no second-guessing me, and it’s why I love buying for this section. It’s been an honor to bring in new books and authors into a famous bookstore like Powell’s. Oh, and I also enjoyed Dealbreakers by Lauren Forsythe! I think that people can be so quick to reject others instead of getting to know them, and this book made me reflect on my own time spent in the online dating trenches. Lucky for me, I’ve been dating a great guy for over two years—hi Evan!—so have fun out there. I’ve talked about Behind the Scenes by Karelia Stetz-Waters before, but I adored that one too. Finally, if you haven’t read Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola, then you need to. It was so funny! Well, Megan Bannen, the author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, is releasing a new book next year on my sister’s birthday, but I have joked that it’s really a gift for me. It’s called The Undermining of Twyla and Frank . Funny enough, her first book, Undertaking , had a You’ve Got Mail twist. This one? When Harry Met Sally ! And how can I forget Kennedy Ryan’s new book, This Could Be Us ? It’s the second in her Skyland series, the first of which was Before I Let Go , which took #BookTok by storm. I read that book this year, and I loved it so much, but since it came out in 2022, I didn’t get the chance to highlight it. In my opinion, it is a perfect second-chance romance. I pre-ordered This Could Be Us with the quickness. Amy Lea is another writer that I’ve grown fond of, and her fourth book, The Catch , will finish out her Influencers trilogy that I’ve truly enjoyed. Also, the main love interest is named Evan, so I have to buy it for that alone. Most rom-com men named Evan please!"