Rebecca. Marriage, mystery, murder? This book has it all. It's a bit slow at times, but it's meant to be suspenseful. It sucks you into Manderly and consumes your every thought until you have answers. After you read this, be sure to watch the film adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock. (Though in my opinion the book is better - Hitchcock takes some creative licenses). The Netflix adaptation is... oof. It would be a good story if it wasn't based on the book. They took too many creative licenses in my opinion.
Persuasion. This book. Ahhh. I cried. They were in love, she turned him away, they meet again, they don't know how the other feels, they're both pining. It's agonizing from beginning to end, and all too relateable. A quick read, perfect for a weekend.
The Book Thief. I've read this before but it hit me harder this time. Germany 1942. A Jew in the basement. It's a beautiful story of understanding, hiding, humanity, family, hope, and theft. It's heavy, and when you finish it you'll carry it around in your heart for days. The last 60 pages will have you pouring tears. Even though it's fiction, it's so real and it gives insight into the emotional toll the war had on everyone. Children to elderly.
The Neverland Wars. We all know the story of Peter and Wendy, but this time it's Peter and Gwen. In a world where magic is real, but kept a secret, Gwen's sister is taken to Neverland and she follows. There she learns that reality is not as it seems and struggles with if it's better to face reality and grow up, or if it's better to stay forever young. I read this for the first time when I was about 13 and decided to reread it. It's definitely for a younger audience but all in all it's an interesting Peter Pan story. (I think it's the first in a trilogy).
Darcy's Story. Alright we all know Pride & Prejudice, but do we all know Mr. Darcy? This is P&P from his perspective. The same events, the same conversations, but inside Darcy's head as opposed to Lizzy's. It's swoonworthy.
People We Meet On Vacation. Booktok sold this one to me, and it was alright. The friends-to-enemies?-to-lovers always hits hard for me so I was definitely swooning, but it was too... graphic... at parts for my taste. But the characters and overall storyline were really interesting, I read it in 1.5 days but probably will never read it again.
