Grace's Holiday Reads

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

This enemies-to-lovers workplace romance is one of my absolute favourites and I have lost track of how many times I have reread it. 

The Hating Game follows Lucy and Josh as they vie for the same promotion at a publishing house. Lucy has a deep-seated passion for publishing, whereas Josh has a reputation for being a cold-hearted businessman. The only thing they seem to be able to agree on is that they hate each other and Lucy revels in playing ‘the hating game’ with Josh every day at work. That is of course until she realises that she spends an awful lot of time outside of work thinking about him and the boundary between hate and love might be a little blurred.  

This book has just been turned into a movie starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell which is set to be released in NZ at the start of next month. If you are looking for a great gift idea, why not try giving someone a copy of this book and making a date to watch the movie together once you have both finished reading it. (This could work with any book-to-movie adaptation and you can also throw in some reading/movie snacks to sweeten the deal.) 

The Power follows a cast of characters across 10 years in a world much like ours but with one key difference. Almost overnight, women around the world discover they have the ability to cause agonising pain and even death with a single touch. What unfolds is a gender power struggle on a global scale involving riots, revolutions, and the development of new religions and regimes. I don’t want to give too much away because this book is all about the journey, but I was hooked from the first few chapters and felt the characters experienced some shocking situations that were also entirely feasible. 

Fair warning that this book does get quite dark and contains several scenes of violence, sexual assault, and drug use, among other things. While this is an amazing story and worth the read, if you think it might not be the best time for you to read this book I would recommend checking out a site such as doesthedogdie.com for more specific trigger warnings. 

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

This science-fiction Romeo and Juliet retelling focuses on two entities who are agents on opposite sides of a war through time and space. They strike up a conversation in ridiculously clever ways and what starts as taunting and gloating, steadily grows into mutual respect and affection. The story is told through a combination of traditional narration and copies of the correspondences exchanged between Red and Blue. It is basically a love letter to love letters and made me want to put pen to paper and tell everyone I love how much they mean to me. 

If you have the luxury of time then I would recommend consuming this novella in one sitting. It’s still enjoyable if read a few letters at a time, however, I think I would have missed some of the connections and references throughout the letters if I had taken too long to finish it.

Big Summer by Jenifer Weiner

Daphne is a plus-size social media influencer who has built a life that she loves and a career that is starting to take off. Things take a turn though as Drue Cavanaugh worms her way back into her life, 6 years after the fight that ended their friendship, and begs Daphne to be her maid of honour. 

Big Summer contains some great commentary about the complexities of female friendships, diet culture, and how some people make a performance out of life. There is also a little bit of romance and maybe a mystery or two…

I particularly enjoyed Jenifer Weiner’s representation of body positivity in this book and how it is not depicted as a switch you flip to feel comfortable in your own skin, but as something that ebbs and flows and takes work to maintain. 

You should definitely pick up this book if you are looking for a lighthearted read to take with you to the beach or something to enjoy on audio while lounging the sun in your own backyard.

Things I Learned At Art School by Megan Dunn is a collection of thoughts and experiences from a New Zealand artist’s early life in in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. So far my favourite chapters are ‘Sorry. Mother!’ and ‘The Ballad of Western Barbie’, but I am very much looking forward to ‘Various Uses for Low Self Esteem’ and ‘What I Got for my Twenty First Birthday (The Gift of Hindsight)’.

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong

This historical fantasy duology is a Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai as a mysterious plague spreads rapidly through the city. Roma and Juliette seem to be the only ones willing to solve the mystery of the Madness causing people to claw out their own throats all across their city. Navigating the blood feud between their family’s gangs and a monster lurking in the depths of the Huangpu River will make the task increasingly challenging though as they work together in secret.

Just a heads up for anyone that is squeamish, there are some very detailed descriptions of bugs and insects in here so be warned!

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

I bought this for myself as a Christmas present last year so it is probaly time that I got around to reading it. The Midnitght Library is a place where you can explore the paths not taken in your life and see what could have been if you had made different choices.  

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

My past experiences with TJ Klune’s writing have been beautiful, wholesome, and uplifting so I am very much looking forward to reading his latest book about Wallace, someone who may be dead, but isn't quite ready to abandon the life he barely lived. If you havent yet checked out The House in the Cerulean Sea yet then I HIGHLY recommend you do so this summer!