Books are magical things — they transport us to different countries, different worlds, and introduce us to characters who feel more like friends or family by the end of the stories that they tell.
But out of the millions of novels out there, how do we know what books require our immediate attention? Who are some authors we should be paying attention to? Who are some new authors on the scene we should know about?
One great site we love on the book blogosphere is called The Book Hookup. The Book Hookup was started in 2011 by three book enthusiasts: Celeste, Ana, and Christina. These three book lovers may be spread out all over the country, but their unabashed love of books brings them together for one common goal — to discuss their favorite books, authors, and, of course, their swoony book boyfriends.
The Book Hookup has created quite the following with fans all over the world and has been recognized for their book blogging efforts. They were even voted one of the Best Book Blogs of 2017 by Reedsy and claimed the #4 spot (out of 1,000 blogs) in the Best Book Blog of 2017 by the Writer Awards.
Let's learn a little bit more about these three book lovers and what they offer on their beloved book blog.
The Book Hookup bloggers
The three original bloggers, Celeste, Ana, and Christina, are all book-obsessed, but they bring their own spin on each review they write and every interview they conduct with authors.
Celeste lives on the South Shore of Massachusetts and is a huge fan of New Adult books as well as suspense/mystery titles. She would describe her favorite kind of books as a combination of romance and angst.
One common theme with all my books is that I love the sad or dark and gritty. Then weave in romance, especially one with lots of angst and you've got me hooked. Nothing like a fabulous swoon well worth waiting for,
Ana has a mission to get all of her family and friends (and readers) to love books as much as she does — but that might be a tall task considering that she considers herself quite the bookworm with a vivid imagination. Though she says she loves all books, she is quite the sucker for a fairytale setting.
My favorite leading men are just a little bit cocky and my leading ladies, sassy! Be forewarned that I do have a tendency to fall in love with characters if they're vivid enough and may even sometimes talk about them as if they're real!
Christina is a Southern girl from northern Mississippi who loves to bury her nose in a novel while on her porch swing, and who knows a thing or two about books (and who isn't shy about her love for YA novels).
I love YA that's geared more toward adult than young. I'm obnoxiously mildly obsessed with fantasy (because where else will you find total badass teenage girls?) and strangely adore contemporary romances that make me sob loudly into my pillow (because how fun is that!? #AngstH00r),
What types of books do they review?
Under their Review Policy page, The Book Hookup bloggers give full disclosure that while they don't consider themselves professional reviewers, they do champion themselves as book bloggers who want to share their love of great books with other fellow readers.
So what kinds of books does The Book Hookup review? On their website they list several genres that they prefer to review, including:
- Paranormal
- Urban Fantasy
- Dark Fantasy
- Romance
- Contemporary Fiction
- Historical Romance
- Young Adult
- New Adult
In those categories, they have quite a few subgenres, including:
- Angels
- Angst
- Awesome Heroines
- Bad Boys
- Boys with Naughty Mouths
- Brooding Bad Boy
- Coming of Age
- Dark and Gritty
- Detectives/Cops/People in Uniform
- Dystopian
- Fae
- Gothic
- Heart Wrenching
- "Holy Angst Batman"
- Indie
- Love Triangle
- Manwhore
- Military
- Mindf*ckery
- Music Inspired Reads
- Organized Crime
- Post-Apocalyptic/Apocalyptic
- Retelling
- Sports
- Steampunk
- Second Chance Romance
There are, however, a few types of books they don't prefer to review on their website, which include:
- Nonfiction
- Science Fiction
- Erotica
- Autobiographies/Biographies/Memoirs
- Titles with religious undertones
- Middle grade fiction
- Novellas/Short Stories
Chances are, if you're a book lover, you're bound to find a review of some of your favorite books on the website (and maybe discover a few that you've never heard of!).
How do they review books?
The Book Hookup has a system of reviewing in which they label each book a top shelf,
second shelf,
third shelf,
bottom shelf,
or recycle bin.
Top Shelf
books are what they call literary crack
and are worthy of being read again and again (and also recommending it to everyone they know). Second Shelf
books are great, worthy of recommendations to others, and would definitely be missed if borrowed for a little too long. Third Shelf
books are books that the reviewers would definitely be willing to let you borrow because they enjoyed it, but aren't in too much of a hurry to get it back. Bottom Shelf
books are definitely not great reads—they'd let you borrow them without the expectation of getting it back. Finally, Recycle Bin
books are the bottom of the totem pole as far as reads go; there's just no need to fit these kinds of books on a crowded bookshelf.
Who are some of their favorite authors?
The Book Hookup ladies have reviewed dozens and dozens of books, from Rainbow Rowell's 2013 runaway hit Eleanor & Park to Veronica Roth's smash Divergent series and many Indie titles in between. But who are some of their favorite authors?
Over the years, The Book Hookup has glowingly reviewed several of the following authors' novels:
- Jennifer L. Arementrout
- Amy A. Bartol
- Sarina Bowen
- Chris Cannon
- Chelsea M. Cameron
- Chelsea Fine
- Jen Frederick
- Colleen Hoover
- Heather Lyons
- Sarah J. Maas
- Richelle Mead
- Rachel Morgan
- Ginger Scott
- Jessica Sorrensen
- Raine Thomas
- K.A. Tucker
- Brighton Walsh
- Rebecca Yarros
These authors may write in a variety of styles and genres, but the main thing they seem to have in common is that they all have a story of a terrific relationship — either a budding romance or a friendship—that's highlighted and that captures the attention of The Book Hookup reviewers.
In addition to writing reviews, The Book Hookup also has podcasts and interviews with authors, which are entertaining to read and are an added layer of participation when you're a fan of theirs.
Can The Book Hookup review my novel which I wrote?
Are you a budding novelist who has finally finished his or her first novel and published it on Kindle? Or are you a seasoned veteran who is looking to get press for a new book? You may be wondering if you can get your novel reviewed on The Book Hookup.
Although The Book Hookup does accept submissions from authors, they are only accepting a limited number of books for review. They will accept e-books, galleys, ARC copies, and hard copies in either paperback or hardcover for review, but only if it's a completed novel.
When you submit your title to the Book Hookup, be sure to include what genre it is, the synopsis, as well as a link to your website, Goodreads, Amazon or Barnes and Noble page. They also note that the more information you send them, the more likely it is that they'll consider your book for review. The Book Hookup bloggers will not spoil any secrets about your plot to readers, but they will deliver an honest review of the story.
Why you should be a fan of The Book Hookup
It's simple: book lovers, when looking for recommendations, should look to other book lovers. It's clear that these three book bloggers are passionate and precise about what books they choose to review, and also serious about the recommendations they give to their thousands of fans.
The reviewers are honest, candid, and blunt when they need to be, but they're also glowing, appreciative, and genuinely excited to be talking about books. The Book Hookup's review style is positive and feels like you're having a chat with a friend over coffee about what she's been reading lately. After reading several reviews, you get a feel of Celeste, Ana, and Christina's personalities — which are bold, friendly, and, yes, a little bit nerdy (but in the absolute best way possible).
Although they make it perfectly clear that they're not professional reviewers, their recommendations and reviews are clearly knowledgeable and it's obvious that all three of them have a deep love and appreciation for books. Often when you read reviews of books they can tend to come off as elitist and unapproachable, but The Book Hookup is simply a space for those who love to read and who want to geek out over it together. What better way to celebrate fun novels, exciting plot twists, and swoon-worthy leading male characters than that?