Anyone obsessed with books knows that the struggle is real: sometimes you’re just not going to get any sleep. For some reason, it always seems like a good idea to start a new novel right before bedtime. Four hours – and plenty of blurry eyes later – and you still have to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next. But what books do you choose to spend your sleepless nights reading?
At BookTrib, we have plenty of experience with sleepless nights brought on by reading, and we’re always discovering new novels that keep us from getting any shut-eye. Personally, I’ve been on a bit of a reading binge lately, which has definitely been messing with my REM cycle. Who needs sleep anyway?
10 books we’re spending our sleepless nights reading:
Going Under, Lexi Ryan (Ever After, December 6, 2016)
As soon as I read the first book in Ryan’s Blackhawk Boys series, I was hooked. Now I’m willing to follow her anywhere (even if that includes sleepless nights reading her books!). The second book in her series tells Sebastian’s story as he falls for his best friend’s sister. Consider me obsessed.
Do You Want to Start a Scandal, Tessa Dare (Avon, September 27, 2016)
Funny, smart and original, Dare is the author to pick up when you’re a little burnt out on historical romances; she’ll remind you why you fell in love with the genre in the first place. Her most recent book has pretty much destroyed my sleeping cycle. It’s all about Charlotte Highwood, a unmarried girl who finds herself unintentionally caught in a scandal, and Piers Brandon, the Lord who’s ready to rescue her whether she likes it or not.
Commander in Chief, Katy Evans (January 11, 2017)
I devoured Evans’ Mr. President and have been waiting impatiently for the sequel, Commander in Chief, ever since. It definitely didn’t disappoint – though it did keep me awake for two or three nights. Romantic, sexy and sweet, this is the perfect installment of Charlotte and Matt’s story as they navigate life in the White House.
King’s Cage, Victoria Aveyard (HarperTeen, February 7, 2017)
I finally read Aveyard’s Red Queen series after hearing tons of buzz for years. I flew through Red Queen and Glass Sword, becoming obsessed with Mare’s story about a world that has been segregated by blood. My schedule has kept me from devouring King’s Cage at the moment, but I have no doubt that it will seriously affect my sleep cycle as soon as I can get my hands on it.
How to Date a Douchebag: The Failing Hours, Sara Ney (January 31, 2017)
Ney’s first book in her How to Date a Douchebag series won me over instantly. Funny and sexy, with the most charmingly quirky characters – it was like nothing I’d ever read before. Somehow she’s topped herself with The Failing Hours, especially as I had no intention of falling for Zeke, the jerk from book one. But, whoa man, did I fall. Hard. And you will too.
The Princess Diarist, Carrie Fisher (Blue Rider Press, November 22, 2016)
The world lost someone special when Fisher died in December 2016. Not only was she an outspoken feminist and a great actress, she was also a wonderful writer. Her latest memoir, The Princess Diarist, is Carrie Fisher at her best: funny, self-deprecating and unflinchingly honest. These excerpts from her diaries over the years will suck you in from page 1, making it impossible to put this book down. Or get any sleep.
Egomaniac, VI Keeland (January 14, 2017)
I’ll pretty much say yes to any book with a cover like that, but Keeland’s story is also crazy good! I was instantly intrigued by Emerie and Drew, who end up sharing an office by mistake. Their chemistry can’t be denied for long, and these two heat up the pages like nobody’s business. This is one book that you will not be able to put down (except to fan yourself every once in a while).
Silver Flame, Karpov Kinrade (Daring Books, October 29, 2016)
If you want to get me to read a book, describing it as “Twilight meets Outlander” is definitely one way to do it. And it helps if the series is also packed with romance and adventure, imaginative, and compelling. This is the third book in Kinrade’s series, but any of the installments are guaranteed to keep you up all night. Ari’s story starts with her selling her soul to the devil, sort of. From there, expect vampires, fairies, princes and so much more.
The Bad Boy Bargain, Kendra C. Highley (Entangled: Crush, November 14, 2016)
Sometimes you just want to read a book that’s the equivalent of bubblegum: sweet, light and always entertaining. This young adult novel definitely delivers on that front, and is so compelling that you won’t want to stop reading. Kyle is a bad boy, and Faith is the good girl who wants to change her image. Their relationship might start out as a plan, but it becomes real all too soon, complicating both their lives and endlessly delighting us readers.
The Bear and the Nightingale, Katherine Arden (Del Rey, January 10, 2017)
Fantasy novels are everywhere these days, but a well-written, imaginative and evocative one is still a real find. Which is why I couldn’t stop reading Arden’s debut about Vasya, a Russian girl in the 14th century who is deeply connected to the sprites and magical creatures who dwell in the wilderness around her village. The story builds and builds, with demons and gods and gorgeous prose that will make this very hard to put down.
