Rachele's Holiday Recommendations
A magical setting with lyrical writing, a truly spellbinding read; this is Schwab’s masterpiece. This historical fiction/fantasy centers on Addie LaRue, a French girl from the 1700s who, in a moment of sheer desperation, makes a deal with the devil to live forever. But from then on, she is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she ever meets, until she stumbles into a bookshop in New York City 300 years later…
A successful tech company goes on holiday at a beautiful but isolated ski chalet, only to find the employees are being picked off 'one by one' by someone lurking there. Ruth Ware is a master story-teller, and crafts a suspenseful tale of murder and deception in this modern take a la Agatha Christie.
In this atmospheric thriller set on a luxury work cruise, Lo Blacklock is living the week in luxury with her co-workers, until one night when a storm blows in and she hears noises in the cabin next to her, followed by a splash. She’s determined she saw a woman being thrown overboard, but oddly enough, no one on the list of attendees is missing. So who died, if anyone, and why doesn’t anyone believe her?
Josh is laid-back, and Hazel is a zany, no-filter disaster. After she throws up on Josh’s shoes, and sends a crazy email after surgery, she realizes that she is too much to take. But after a couple horrible double-blind dates, Josh and Hazel realize their attraction for each other. Read this for a cute, fluffy, warm hug of a book, with a romance you love to root for, with the best epilogue in any book (ever!)
Someone ends up dead at a B-List celebrity wedding on a private stormy Island off the coast of Ireland. Old slights, new jealousies and decade-old secrets rear their ugly heads at this beautiful ceremony, and by the time the lights go out, will you have guessed who did it? Pick this up for an atmospheric thriller with twists until the end!
This WWII historical fiction is my favorite of all-time. From the rich and unique settings, to the refreshing writing style (focusing on feelings and smells over sight), to the very real and emotional characters, this book gets everything right. So beautifully written, yet so sad and scarily suspenseful at points. The whole story keeps building and building until the very end, if you haven’t picked this up yet what are you waiting for!?
A fresh take on the Shakespearean classic Romeo and Juliet set in 1920s China follows two rival gangs as a mysterious sickness plagues the city. And something ancient and evil is lurking in the Huangpu River, making the citizens go mad. Chloe Gong is THE author to watch out for, as this blew me away and is a must-read! Make sure to check her out on TikTok, and look out for the sequel coming soon!
A Christie-eqsue classic set-up – friends (or enemies?) at a remote hunting lodge in the Scottish Highlands. But this decade-long tradition of a big New Year celebration is quickly ruined when one of the college friends ends up dead. This is a classic whodunnit, and those who have fun predicting what will happen should pick this one up!