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š Book Buzz 2025ā26
39
items 26
This list startedāand still functionsāas a personal TBR. Some titles Iāve read, some Iāve listened to, and others Iām still exploring. Each one made the cut for a reason: emotional payoff, standout narration, or a premise that caught my attention...
Sections
6
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š Romance & Dark Romance
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š Mystery & Thriller
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šš Romantasy
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š Memoirs & Biographies
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š§āāļøš Witchy, Haunted & Hard to Put Down
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š§ Great Listens
š Romance & Dark Romance
Messy love, magnetic tension, and emotional payoffāthese stories lean dramatic, sometimes taboo, and always unforgettable. Whether itās slow-burn angst, enemies-to-lovers, or high-stakes chemistry, each one offers a journey worth exploring. Iāve read...
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š Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings
š Toxic Romance | š¬ Gossip Girl Energy | š¶ļø Emotional Spice
Magnolia is Londonās most photographed heartbreak, and BJ is the bad-boy she canāt quit. Their love is a slow-motion car crashābeautiful, brutal, and ...
Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings, Paperback | Barnes & NobleĀ®
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š Homecoming King by Penny Reid
š Second-Chance Romance | š Sports Celeb | š Awkward & Sweet | š§ Great Listen
Rex is a famous football player. Abbyās the bartender he never forgot. Their marriage of convenience is messy, tender, and unexpec...
Homecoming King by Penny Reid, Paperback | Barnes & NobleĀ®
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š Obsession | š”ļø Revenge Plot | š Criminal Underworld | š¶ļø Medium-High Spice | š§ Great Listen
James āHookā runs a criminal empire and wants revenge on Peter Michaels. His plan? Seduce Peterās daughter, Wendy. But what starts as manipulation tur...
Hooked (Collector's Edition) - Emily McIntire - Barnes & Noble
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š Enemies to Lovers | š Royal Intrigue | š”ļø Revenge Plot | š¶ļø Medium-High Spice | š§ Great Listen
Prince Tristan was never meant to ruleābut heās ready to steal the throne from his cruel brother. Lady Sara arrives to marry the king and destroy t...
Scarred by Emily McIntire, Paperback | Barnes & NobleĀ®
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š Enemies to Lovers | š§Ŗ Drug Empire | š”ļø Undercover Betrayal | š¶ļø High Spice | š§ Great Listen
Evelina Westerly is the ruthless botanist behind her familyās drug empire. Nicholas Woodsworth is a DEA agent sent to infiltrate it. Their one-night s...
Wretched by Emily McIntire, Paperback | Barnes & NobleĀ®
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Power Struggle | š§ Psychological Manipulation | š¶ļø High Spice | š§ Great Listen
Julian Faraci is ruthless, calculating, and determined to take over Yasmin Karamās family empire. Yasmin is caught between duty, desire, and a secret love sheās trying...
Twisted by Emily McIntire, Paperback | Barnes & NobleĀ®
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š Forbidden Obsession | āŖ Religious Trauma | š§ Psychological Spiral | š¶ļø High Spice | š§ Great Listen
Father Cade FrĆ©dĆ©ric arrives in FestivalĆ© to cleanse the town of its sinsābut his own darkness is barely contained. Amaya Paquette, an exotic da...
Crossed by Emily McIntire, Paperback | Barnes & NobleĀ®
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š Stalker Romance | šÆļø Gothic Setting | š§ Psychological Obsession | š¶ļø Extra High Spice | š§ Great Listen
Adeline inherits her grandmotherās haunted mansionāand gains a stalker named Zade. Heās obsessed, dangerous, and disturbingly magnetic. The...
Hunting Adeline by H. D. Carlton, Paperback | Barnes & NobleĀ®
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š Rivals to Lovers | šŖ Serial Killers in Love | š Dark Humor | š¶ļø High Spice | š§ Great Listen
Rowan and Sloane kill bad people for funābut their annual murder game turns into something tender, obsessive, and weirdly sweet. Heās a chef with a so...
Butcher & Blackbird (Ruinous Love Trilogy #1)
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š Enemies to Lovers | š§Ŗ Mafia Politics | š”ļø Forbidden Obsession | š¶ļø High Spice | š§ Great Listen
Venesa Kingston kills with poison and precision. Enzo Marino is the heir to a rival mafia familyāand engaged to Venesaās cousin. Their connection i...
Hexed (B&N Exclusive Edition) (Never After Series #6) by Emily McIntire ...
š Mystery & Thriller
Twisty, unsettling, and impossible to put down. These thrillers dig into secrets, lies, and the psychology behind them. Iām drawn to layered suspense and emotional stakesāsharing whatās kept me up past midnight.
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Best experienced in audioāsee Great Listen section for full breakdown
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell, Hardcover | Barnes & NobleĀ®
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š§ Courtroom Drama | š Domestic Suspense | š¶ļø Mild Spice
When Asherās girlfriend is found dead, his mother, Olivia, must confront the secrets of her pastāand the possibility that her son may not be who she thought.
āØ A layered mystery about identit...
Mad Honey (GMA Book Club Pick) - Jodi Picoult - Barnes & Noble
šš Romantasy
Fantasy worlds filled with emotional stakes and slow-burn chemistry. These stories blend immersive magic, tension-rich romance, and layered charactersāwhether itās dragon riders, cursed lovers, or enemies who canāt stay away. Expect dual POVs and sto...
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š Found Family | šŖ¦ Afterlife Romantasy | š Sarcastic Heroine | š¶ļø Light Spice
Lily dies and wakes up in a bureaucratic Afterlife where demons need help sorting souls and fae flit between realms. She builds a āHellp Deskā in literal Hell, forging...
For Whom the Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn | eBook | Barnes & NobleĀ®
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š Enemies to Lovers | š° Haunted Manor Trials | š» Phantom Love Interest | š§ OCD Rep | š¶ļø Medium Spice | š§ Audio Enhanced
Ophelia Grimm enters Phantasma, a deadly magical competition run by devils, to save her sister. The manor is filled with il...
Phantasma by Kaylie Smith, Paperback | Barnes & NobleĀ®
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Companion | š¶ļø Mild Spice
A shy librarian escapes magical upheaval with a suitcase of forbidden spellbooks and a spider plant named Caz. On her childhood island, she brews charms, sells jam, and slowly opens her heart to a nosy merhorse farmer.
āØ Ci...
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, Hardcover | Barnes & NobleĀ®
š Memoirs & Biographies
Raw, reflective, and deeply personal, these memoirs offer insight into fame, family, and identity. Some are laugh-out-loud funny, others quietly devastating, but every one is worth the listen.
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š Mother-Daughter Trauma | š Child Stardom | š§ Eating Disorder Recovery | š§ Author-Narrated | š¶ļø Low Spice
Jennette McCurdyās memoir is raw, darkly funny, and emotionally devastating. She recounts her rise to fame on iCarly, her motherās obsess...
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, Hardcover
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The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir by Kelly Bishop, Hardcover
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Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to ... - Barnes & Noble
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š¤ Theatrical Memoir | š§ Emotional Resilience | š¶ļø No Spice
From Rocky Horror to Clue to It, Tim Curry reflects on a life of iconic roles, reinvention, and surviving a strokeāwith wit, grit, and that unforgettable voice.
āØ Narrated by Curry himself...
Vagabond: A Memoir by Tim Curry, Hardcover
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š¤ Creative Memoir | š¬ TV Nostalgia | š¶ļø No Spice
The real-life friendship behind Gavin & Staceyāfrom script scraps to BAFTA wins, and everything they never said onscreen.
āØ Narrated by both authors, with cast messages and exclusive script exce...
When Gavin Met Stacey and Everything in Between: A Story of Love ...
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You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost): A Memoir
š§āāļøš Witchy, Haunted & Hard to Put Down
From cursed romances to haunted houses and primal pacts, these reads bring eerie tension, emotional depth, and just the right amount of spice. Whether itās witches in love, demons who donāt play fair, or secrets buried in the walls, each story casts ...
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š§ Vampyre Politics | šŗ Arranged Marriage | š¶ļø Explicit Spice
Misery Lark, a Vampyre outcast, agrees to marry a ruthless Werewolf Alpha to uphold peaceābut sheās got her own secrets. Hazelwoodās paranormal debut blends biting humor, primal tension,...
Bride by Ali Hazelwood, Paperback | Barnes & NobleĀ®
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šŗ Werewolf Politics | š Enemies-to-Lovers | š¶ļø Explicit Spice
A human scientist and a dominant Alpha clash over territoryāand desire. Hazelwoodās second paranormal romance is primal, funny, and deeply steamy, with emotional stakes that bite hard.
...
Mate (B&N Exclusive Edition) - Ali Hazelwood
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š§ Southern Gothic | š§Ŗ Tech Paranoia | š¶ļø Low Spice
A folklore researcher returns home to find his family unravelingāand the local legends watching. Darkly funny, a little unhinged, and unsettling in all the right ways.
āØ Satirical horror, family s...
All Trap No Bait by Joseph Worthen, Paperback
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š» Haunted House | š
Feminist Horror | š¶ļø Mild Spice
A possessed property, a sharp-tongued heroine, and a haunting that refuses to play fair. Harrison blends biting humor with genuine chills.
āØ Sharp dialogue, spooky vibes, and emotional grit.
Play Nice by Rachel Harrison, Hardcover
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š Folk Horror | š§¬ Small-Town Affliction | š¶ļø Low Spice
Somethingās wrong in the villageāand itās spreading. Creeping dread and eerie atmosphere for fans of Midsommar.
āØ Moody, atmospheric, and deeply unsettling.
ITCH!: The darkly feminist horror novel crawling under your skin for Halloween ...
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š° Gothic Horror | š©ø Epic Stakes | š¶ļø Low Spice
A crumbling estate, a grieving heir, and a legacy soaked in blood. Atmospheric and emotionally rich.
āØ Gothic immersion and BookTok-ready chills.
King Sorrow: A Novel (Signed Book) by Joe Hill, Hardcover
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š¹ Demonic Possession | š Forbidden Romance | š¶ļø Moderate Spice
1765. A silver mine. A girl who might be cursedāor something worse. Historical horror meets romantic tension.
āØ Gothic vibes, emotional heat, and creeping dread.
The Possession of Alba DĆaz by Isabel CaƱas, Hardcover
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š° Gothic Romance | š©ø Forbidden Secrets | š¶ļøš¶ļø Moderate Spice
A forbidden vampire romance set in a crumbling estate where secrets bleed and desire bites.
āØ Atmospheric, steamy, and emotionally intense.
š§ Audio available (romantic tension well del...
My Blood Is Yours|Paperback - Chiara Forestieri
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šļø Supernatural Romance | š§ Haunted Secrets | š¶ļø Mild Spice
After his sisterās death, Tate retreats to Cape Codāonly to meet Wren, a woman whose past is tangled in spirits and silence.
āØ A haunting love story about grief, connection, and the thin ...
Remain: A Supernatural Love Story by Nicholas Sparks ...
š§ Great Listens
These audiobooks shine through narrationāwhether itās emotional chemistry, immersive pacing, or a voice that pulls you in. Iām exploring them for re-listen potential and emotional payoff. If you have favorites that fit this vibe, Iād love to hear abo...
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š§ Duet Narration | š¤ Morally Gray Leads | š Dark Humor | š¶ļø High Spice
This dark romcom about two vigilante serial killers somehow manages to be hilarious, romantic, and deeply twisted. The full duet narration by Lucy Rivers and Joe Arden brings...
Butcher & Blackbird (Ruinous Love Trilogy #1) - Barnes & Noble
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š§ Author-Narrated | šļø Podcast-Style Intimacy | š§ Emotional Depth | š Unfiltered Honesty
I first experienced this one in audio, and I genuinely believe thatās the best way to hear it. McCurdyās narration is intimate, biting, and deeply personalā...
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, Hardcover
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Jaysea Lynnās Afterlife rom-com blends snark, soul work, and slow-burn tension in a way thatās made for audio. The narration brings Lilyās sarcasm and Belās brooding warmth to life, making this a standout listen for fans of genre-blending romance.
Iā...
For Whom the Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn, Paperback
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š§ Great Narration | š¤ Morally Gray Leads | š§Ŗ Criminal Tension | š¶ļø High Spice
Emily McIntireās Wretched delivers a dark, emotionally charged romance with sharp narration that heightens the tension and character depth. Evelina and Nicholas are ma...
Audiobooks, Emily McIntire
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š§ Great Narration | š¤ Morally Gray Leads | š§ Psychological Tension | š¶ļø High Spice
Emily McIntireās Twisted delivers a dark, emotionally layered romance with narration that sharpens every power play and vulnerability. Julian and Yasminās dynamic...
Twisted (Never After Series #4) by Emily McIntire, Paperback
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š§ Masterful Narration | š¤ Psychological Thriller Romance | šÆļø Atmospheric & Haunting | š¶ļø Extra High Spice
Haunting Adelineās narration pulls listeners into a tense, obsessive relationship steeped in psychological darkness and gothic dread. ...
Haunting Adeline: Cat and Mouse Duet, Book 1
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š§ Full-Cast Narration | šļø Podcast-Style Format | š§ Psychological Spiral | šÆļø Domestic Suspense
None of This Is True unfolds like a true crime docuseriesācomplete with interviews, voice memos, and layered narration that blurs fiction and reality...
None of This Is True: A Novel by Lisa Jewell, Paperback
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š¤ Theatrical Memoir | š§ Emotional Resilience | š¶ļø No Spice
From Rocky Horror to Clue to It, Tim Curry reflects on a life of iconic roles, reinvention, and surviving a strokeāwith wit, grit, and that unforgettable voice.
āØ Narrated by Curry himself...
Vagabond: A Memoir by Tim Curry, Hardcover
Ā
š¤ Creative Memoir | š¬ TV Nostalgia | š¶ļø No Spice
The real-life friendship behind Gavin & Staceyāfrom script scraps to BAFTA wins, and everything they never said onscreen.
āØ Narrated by both authors, with cast messages and exclusive script exce...
When Gavin Met Stacey and Everything in Between: A Story of Love ...