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Best YA Books About Sisters

04.29.2020 by Jen Ryland // 11 Comments

I have a sister and have always loved books about sister relationships. Here’s my list of Best YA Books About Sisters. I’d love to hear about your favorites!

I love books about family relationships, but my absolute favorite sibling books are those that feature sister relationships. From Little Women to Jane Austen, some of my most beloved stories feature sisters. Here’s my list of some YA Books About Sister Relationships and I’d love to hear about your favorites!

YA Books About Sisters

The Project by Courtney Summers (2021). Two sisters, struck by tragedy. When Bea’s sister Lo narrowly survives the crash that killed their parents, she thinks a charismatic cult leader is responsible for the miracle and joins his group. Years later, Lo is determined to save her.

Little Universes by Heather Demetrios (2020)

Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon (2020). This is a Beauty and the Best retelling featuring two memorable sisters. – check out my review here!

Sadie by Courtney Summers (2018). A young woman sets out to find out who killed her beloved younger sister – check out my review here!

Caraval by Stephanie Garber (2017). A fantasy featuring two sisters.

Romancing the Throne by Nadine Jolie Courtney (2017). Two sisters vie for the attention of a crown prince – check out my list of Royal Romances here!

Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols (2014). When a sister act is split up and one sister rockets to fame, the other struggles to cope.

Born Wicked (Cahill Witch Chronicles #1) by Jessica Spotswood (2012). I call this series ‘Little Women with witches!” And be sure to check out my list of YA Witch books here!

The Extraordinary Secrets of April May and June by Robin Benway (2010). Three sisters with paranormal abilities.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (2008). Two sisters struggle with eating disorders and body image issues.

Looking for YA Books About Twins and Clones?

My list of YA Books About Twins and Clones is here!

Tell me in comments about YOUR favorite YA books featuring sisters! I’d love to add them to my list!

I Tried the Penguin Hotline

12.07.2019 by Jen Ryland // 5 Comments

I must have missed this in years past, but Penguin books has a yearly holiday hotline. Since I’ve been reading and recommending books for over eight years, I was curious to see what someone else would recommend to me! Here’s what happened when I tried the Penguin Holiday Hotline.

To use the hotline, you fill out a form listing your name and age, plus favorite books, magazines, shows, hobbies and interests.

Then you wait for recommendations to turn up in your inbox. For me it took about 3-4 days.

I wish I’d saved my exact submission, but I said I was a *cough* aged person who liked contemporary books about families, read a lot of thrillers and mysteries, and liked listening to podcasts. (I didn’t mention YA or romance because I feel like I can find my own stuff in those realms.)

Here’s what the Penguin Hotline recommended (some links are affiliate links and I may receive a percentage of qualifying purchases.)

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones – I haven’t read this but have heard good things.

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones – this is an older book by Jones and appeals to me even more than the one above as it’s about a man with two families who don’t know about each other. (Call me weird, I know.) I’m definitely going to try it.

Blue Moon by Lee Child – I used to love his stuff, but it got repetitive. My Hotline recommender said it’s his best yet. My husband loves his books, so I asked him what he thought of this one. “Typical Lee Child,” he said, so there you go. He loved it.

The Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves – now this is a Jen book for sure, about a British policewoman stalking the moors and solving crime. Yes, please!

The Silent Oligarch by Christopher Morgan Jones – mmmm…. not for me.

But all in all, I got a couple of recommendations for books I hadn’t heard of and will definitely try.

Have you tried the Penguin Hotline? Tell me in comments!

Want to know what books I recommend? Check out my Master List of Book Lists here!

Welcome to Rom-Com-a-Thon

Rom-Com-a-Thon = me reading and reviewing romantic comedy books and helping you find the perfect rom com. If you love romantic comedies as much as I do, check out the books I’ve read below! For each book, I’ll tell you the tropes involved, the level of steam, and the level of humor so you can find the perfect book for you!

What is a Rom Com: (According to me)?

A Rom Com is first and foremost, a romance. There IS a HEA (happily ever after). NO exceptions.
Tropes! As I discussed in this post, trope is NOT a bad word. Meet Cutes, Hate to Love, Friendship to Love, Fauxmances…. bring them all on!
Some humor. This does NOT mean a rom com can’t incorporate and address serious issues, but see rule 1: The romance needs to be the main focus. And the seriousness can’t take over the book and make it all sad and dark.

Rom com o meter rating for Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan (2024)

I reviewed Same Time Next Summer AND have Monaghan’s book Nora Goes Off Script on my list of Celebrity Romances but Summer Romance is different than both of these. It’s a little more poignant:

Grief after a loss
Post-Divorce Uncertainty
Guy with a secret crush on you
But you decide this is Just a Summer Fling
Cute kids and dogs!

This is a really sweet and moving book that IS a rom com and I loved it!

Trope chart for The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren (2024)

This might be my favorite Christian Lauren yet. This was VERY romantic comedy movie inspired, with nods to The Proposal, Pretty Woman and even Succession. The comedy level is balanced by toxic family drama but it’s definitely funny!

Summary of the tropes of the Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (2019)

Twin hijinks and a faux honeymoon! This one is a lot of fun and has an audiobook only sequel called The Honeymoon Crashers (2023.)

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren (2021)

This book is a classic rom com filled with all our favorite tropes! A hot, nerdy guy. A fake dating situation. A dating app. A single mom.

There’s also a sequel:

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren (2023)

Fizzy, the hilarious BFF character in The Soulmate Equation, gets her own book, which takes place on a reality TV dating show.

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (2020)

This book is an adorable rom com featuring my favorite pairing: a sarcastic, wise-cracking girl with a guy who’s a big softie.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (2021)

Act Your Age, Eve Brown is an opposites attract story about a sunny chef and her grumpy boss.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown (2019)

I love the Brown sisters books! Get a Life, Chloe Brown is British, funny, a heroine with a chronic illness, and a bucket list! (I didn’t review this as I read it for fun, but definitely give it a try!)

The Roommate by Rosie Danan

This book is an opposites attract romance between a straitlaced society girl and an adult film star. It’s (no surprise) on the steamier side! (Quite steamy, be warned!)

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria (2020)

You Had me at Hola is a sweet, funny and romantic book featuring a diverse Latinx cast of characters and a fun telenovela theme.

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams (2019)

The Bromance Book Club is a laugh-out-loud-funny yet touching second chance at love story featuring a book club of guys who read romance to help each other with their love lives.

if you loved Bromance Book Club, check out the companion book, Undercover Bromance. The guys are back. The humor is back! And there are chickens (?!)

The Honey Don’t List by Christina Lauren

A book about two couples, one who is just getting together and another whose relationship is falling apart. If you love home renovation shows, definitely check this one out!

Headliners by Lucy Parker

Headliners is the latest installment in the London Celebrities series – a set of companion books I highly recommend! Check out my review of The Austen Playbook as well.