There is no real introduction for this month’s standalones post as I’ve got nothing to say that I haven’t already. I’m still loving contemporary romances and I’m still looking for new series to read.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would. When I picked it up I was expecting it to be another overhyped ‘booktok’ book but thankfully that wasn’t true. A lot of people probably think it is, but I really liked it.
I’m a huge fan of the ‘I don’t like you but I will look after you when you’re sick’ trope and The Hating Game does that perfectly. It’s a fun book and I also enjoyed the film.
Synopsis: NEMESIS [n]
1) A long-standing rival; an arch-enemy
2) A person’s undoing
3) Joshua Templeman
Lucy Hutton, baker-of-cakes, exemplary assistant and professional ‘nice girl’, is waging war. She’s got the whole office on her side – except for tall, dark and charmless Joshua Templeman. He’s been nothing but hostile since the moment they met and now it feels like nothing matters as much as taking him down.
Trapped together under the fluorescent lights, they become entrenched in an addictive rivalry. There’s the Staring Game, The Mirror Game, The HR Game. Lucy can’t let Joshua beat her at anything, especially when a huge promotion comes up for grabs.
Finally she’s going to destroy the man she can’t seem to get out of her office, the man she hates, the man who’s taking up far too much space in her head. If Lucy wins, she’ll be Joshua’s boss. If she loses, she’ll resign. The race is on – but the real games have only just begun . . .
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This is my favourite Taylor Jenkins Reid book. It ripped my heart out but in the best way possible. She manages to write characters that are so real and raw and Evelyn Hugo is her best.
If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t read this yet, you absolutely must.
Synopsis: Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Check out Young Creative Press on all socials
You can also check out my StoryGraph here
Like this post? Why not read this one too: The Best Of: Must Read Fantasies #2
[…] Like this post? Why not read this one too: The Best Of: Standalones #13 […]