Happy Friday, everyone 💖 I saw Tracey’s prompt for The Friday Five today and decided to participate! Am I avoiding packing for my trip home this weekend? Probably. But this sounded more fun to do.
I usually pick my “top books” at the end of the year, so it’ll be interesting to see what I have been enjoying so far! I have read 47 books so far this year, and seven of those were five stars (not counting the three rereads I’ve had)! While that’s not a ton of five stars, I haven’t had a bad reading year; I’ve given 18 books 4/4.5 stars.
Honorable Mentions
Top 5 Books
5. In Stormy Weather by Chelsea Curto
This one was truly a surprise for me! I haven’t been finding many five-star romances in the last couple of years. I’ve read plenty of four-star ones, but a five-star romance is truly based on vibes for me. I haven’t read any of Chelsea Curto’s indie hockey romances, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
The writing was very strong, but more than anything, the vibes were immaculate. There was something about the overall atmosphere of this book that just worked for me, and I found myself completely invested in the story and the characters. I especially loved Quincy and Sebastian together. Their chemistry was so good, and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop. I definitely understand the hype around Chelsea Curto now, and I’ll have to check out some of her other books!
4. Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle
Camp Damascus was my second book from Chuck Tingle, and I loved it! It was my second read of 2026, and it hasn’t left my mind since. It also pushed me to continue Tingle’s backlist and to apply for an eARC of Fabulous Bodies!
It was creepy, weird, gory, and surprisingly emotional, which is a combination that worked well for me. I also appreciated how much there was going on underneath the horror. It wasn’t just a scary story for the sake of being scary; there were bigger ideas and themes that made the book stick with me after I finished it.
3. Long Island Girls by Gabrielle Korn
This one was a great reminder that I need to read more Lit Fic!! I sometimes find myself defaulting to romance and horror, so when I pick up a literary fiction book and really connect with it, it always makes me want to seek out more.
The early 2000’s nostalgia was a great vibe, and it was a really strong coming-of-age queer story! I left a more detailed review of Long Island Girls on Instagram (linked here).
2. Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror by Ashley Cullins
The original Scream is my favorite movie of all time, and I’ve seen all the movies in the series multiple times (minus the newest one, which came out earlier this year). While this is probably a biased pick for me, I loved every second of reading this. As a hardcore Scream fan, I know a lot of the behind-the-scenes and lore behind the original trilogy, but I still found myself learning new things about the production side of things! It truly is amazing how successful these movies were when it seemed like everything worked against them.
If you love Scream even half as much as I do, I highly recommend picking this one up.
1. And Now, Back to You by BK Borison
Another five-star romance this year (also another weather-based book?? Do I have a type??)??? The second book in the Heartstrings series wasn’t as much of a surprise for me, since I gave book one five stars last year. And Now, Back to You was at the top of my most anticipated reads for this year, and it did not disappoint at all.
BK Borison knows how to build romantic tension!! I loved the slow development of the relationship and the little moments between the characters that made them feel so perfect for each other. Also the healthy communication?? An automatic win for me. I can’t wait for book three next year!
And those are my top five reads of the year so far! I’m starting the new school year soon, which typically slows down my reading, so I’m curious whether anything will knock these five books out of their place by the end of the year.
What’s your favorite book that you’ve read so far this year? Let me know in the comments!! 💖