As I’ve only started to get back into reading recently, I’ve mostly been exposed to more popular books and authors — books that everyone and their mothers have read. I’ve tried some books from popular romance authors, and I also have a few books of theirs that I would love to check out! Let’s chat about them.
Emily Henry
Emily Henry is everywhere with her romcom novels that feature girlies like us — bookworms, writers, travel junkies — who, maybe unlike us, meet hot guys they share witty banter with.
I am all for cutesy, light romcoms with a hint of angst, which is why it’s no surprise that I’ve enjoyed my first two Emily Henry adult romcoms — People We Meet on Vacation (3.5 stars) and Book Lovers (3 stars). I get the hype, truly. This author has such a way of making her readers feel seen. Though her characters seem a little caricature-ish to me, I like them. I respect them. And she writes good last-quarter angst. 😂😭
When I was going through Emily Henry’s profile on GR, I was shocked to see that I’d apparently read from her already in the past — The Love That Split the World (2.5 stars), way back in 2015 — which was a romantasy. Emily does have more of an established style now, which I think works much better for her.
What’s up next? Funny Story just came out, and EVERYONE has been raving about it. The lowest rating I’ve seen from GR friends is a 3.5, which is still pretty high. I’m definitely still interested in Emily Henry’s books in general. I think her books are going to be a staple for me when I’m in need of a quick, light, movie-esque read. 💖
Ana Huang
I’m not going to lie — I know with books like these that there’s a 90% chance I’ll hate them. 😂 Ana Huang writes about hot, brooding men who possibly a.) are filthy rich, b.) are super strong, c.) are emotionally damaged, or d.) all of the above. Which is not my type in guys. At all. But as a 2010s Wattpad girlie, I know that I can come to love this kind of ML if they’re written well.
I read Twisted Love (1 star) on a whim… and developed a searing, passionate hate for this book. I get annoyed pretty easily, but takes a lot to make me mad, and this book made me livid. Alex Volkov deserves to go to jail. The details are in my GR review, but TLDR: he’s a creep.
Am I going to read her other books? Maybe. I have this weird curiosity towards Ana Huang’s books. The next Twisted books are rated much more positively than Twisted Love. I’m curious about Twisted Hate in particular, because I did like the taste of Josh/Jules that we got in the first book. One of my best friends IRL also really enjoyed it, along with King of Wrath, and I trust her opinions on books more than anyone’s.
Ann Liang
I haven’t been having the best luck with YA contemporary romances in a while, but I decided to give I Hope This Doesn’t Find You (4 stars) a shot since everyone was loving it. I’m happy to say that I loved it, too! Ann Liang writes such honest characters who are lovely people but are still definitely flawed. I loved both the FL and the ML in this book, and felt every emotion that came with their story.
After that, I definitely wanted more from this author. I picked up This Time It’s Real (3 stars), and while I didn’t love it as much as IHTDFY, it was still a fun, cutesy pick-me-up. 😊
What about her fantasy books? I’ll admit that the reason why I haven’t picked up If You Could See the Sun is because I’m kind of intimidated by it. In my head, I see Ann Liang as a new favorite contemporary romance author, and I’m scared that I might ruin that by the slight possiblity that I won’t enjoy this, since I’m not always in the mood for magical realism. BUT I will definitely pick this up eventually. A Song to Drown Rivers, on the other hand, I am STOKED for. Historical fantasy is a genre I LOVE, and I’m hoping Ann Liang can work her magic and give me some lovable, relatable characters to read about in my favorite kind of story.
Let’s chat!
What are your thoughts on these 3 popular romance authors? Which Emily Henry books were a hit for you? Are Ana Huang’s books worth reading? Do you prefer Ann Liang’s contemporary romances, or her fantasy romances? Aaaand are there any more popular romance authors you’d like to recommend for me? 💖
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Wondering which popular romance authors are worth reading from? @aimeecanread talks about EMILY HENRY, ANN LIANG, and ANA HUANG! Share on X
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