Even though I don’t commute to an office in the traditional sense, I often find myself on the subway for an hour (or more) several times throughout the week. New York is big and people and places are far away from each other!
A big fan of using this in-between time, I’m always looking for charming novels that are easy to get lost in, because they make long train rides breeze by and help me feel less anxious day-to-day. These three books were some of my favorite reads over the past several months. They’re sure to keep you entertained no matter where you’re going!
Love at First Like by Hannah Orenstein
I read Hannah’s first book, Playing with Matches back in December and loved it, so I was thrilled to receive an advance copy of her second book Love at First Like from Atria Books. Love at First Like follows a Brooklyn jewelry shop owner, Eliza, after she accidentally leads her 100,000 Instagram followers to believe she’s engaged. The post immediately helps boost sales, so rather than correct the mistake, Eliza goes on a quest to find the perfect fiancé and save her failing business in the process.
What I loved about most about the novel, is how well Orenstein captures what it feels like to know in your gut that the person you’re with isn’t quite right for you, and yet still want to try and make it work. I think we’ve all been in a relationship like this at some point in our lives and it’s refreshing to see a character grapple with that feeling so honestly.
The degree to which Eliza will go to save her business will also resonate with anyone who has a big dream or has ever built anything from the ground up.
You can pre-order Love at First Like here and get Playing for Matches here.
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
I (finally) watched the movie back in November when I was at my dad’s for Thanksgiving. Usually I advocate for reading the book before you watch the movie, but in this case, I actually enjoyed watching the movie first because of the sheer number of characters in this novel. Sometimes when an author introduces so many characters I lose track of who’s who and find I’m a bit disinterested in keeping their storylines straight, but because I had already seen them all on screen, I was already invested in them by the time I sat down to read the novel. I also enjoyed seeing the ways in which the movie differed from the original book.
The story follows Rachel Chu, an economics professor at NYU as she accompanies her boyfriend Nick home to Singapore to attend his best friend’s wedding and meet his family for the first time. Despite warnings from his friends and family, Nick neglects to prepare Rachel for his outrageously rich family, and Rachel finds herself at the center of intense gossip, backbiting, and scheming.
At its core, Crazy Rich Asians is a beautiful love story about two people who come from different backgrounds (one of my all-time favorite storylines), but it’s also a powerful story about family and belonging, the clash between old and new money, and a deep dive into the intoxicating world of Asia’s elites. It’s uproariously funny and delightfully entertaining. And if you saw my IG stories on Sunday, then you know I’m currently reading (and loving) the second book in the series,China Rich Girlfriend.
You can find Crazy Rich Asians here.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
Okay, yes, technically To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is Young Adult Fiction, but after I watched Netflix’s version of it last summer, I knew I had to read the book. And it is so good! I actually looked forward to getting on the subway while I was reading it (and while I was reading the second book in the series, P.S. I Still Love You too).
Because it’s written for a younger audience, I found I was really able to focus on how the main character Laura Jean feels as she navigates high school and her relationship with her fake boyfriend Peter Kavinsky, who happens to be the hottest, most popular boy in school. The novel took me back to my own teenage years in the best kind of way and served as a beautiful reminder of how exciting and confusing it feels to have a crush on someone and fall in love for the first time.
You can find To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before here.
Have you read anything recently that you just couldn’t put down? Anything that’s made a long bus ride or train commute fun? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below…