I used to be a crazy book worm when I was a teenager, and now I haven’t picked up a book in 10 years and am currently looking to change that. So sorry my past reads are all YAs!!
I haven’t reread them, but I thoroughly enjoyed books like Twilight, the Hunger Games, and Beautiful Creatures. For my more slice of life books, I read every book by Sarah Dessen and John Green. I read any dystopian young adult novel during that era like Dauntless. I tried reading Fallen but found it really cringe even as a teenager.
I really enjoyed the world building in these books, I was interested in what was happening outside of the MC’s drama and like there were meaningful stakes or context. I cared about what happened to side characters and felt like characters had their own personalities and weren’t written to be a plot point for the MC. I liked the MC’s narration and inner monologue. I kinda liked the moody/sulky/serious vibe.
I’m a romance girly so I don’t care if romance isn’t the main drive of the book I just want it to be there and apart of the story too.
Side rant: I tried picking up modern romantasy novels after doing a ton of research and I just don’t know.. again I know my books are teen dramarom / fantasy / sci fi but some of these modern books I’ve tried to pick up I legit have to physically set them down from cringing. Some of these feel like giant p*rn acting plots that are so cringe and surface level just to lead up to smut at some point and have an excuse to write smut.
by No_Example_7092
3 Comments
Hey Hi,
Author Here –
My stories are very character-driven, and each one focuses on ordinary people navigating quiet but meaningful moments in life.
The characters are often everyday individuals—a tired parent, a lonely traveler, a hopeful dreamer, a couple on the edge of change—people you might pass by without noticing, yet who carry deep emotions inside. I try to show them at turning points in their lives, where a small decision, memory, or interaction subtly reshapes them.
They aren’t perfect heroes; they’re flawed, introspective, and real. What connects them is their search for connection, belonging, or understanding—sometimes with others, and sometimes with themselves. I want readers to see a piece of their own lives in these characters and feel that quiet recognition that lingers even after the story ends.
https://amzn.in/d/06xObM3x
Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines books (they’re better than the film I promise) has excellent world building and several romances running through them 🙂
And for books set IRL I love the “One Of Us Is Lying” series.
Lois McMaster Bujold