not feeling demure? book recs to keep the brat summer going
"If you love it, if you hate it, I don't f*ck!ng care what you think"
A real conversation I had with my dad this weekend:
DAD: I’ve always thought of her as demure.
ME: Did you say that on purpose?
DAD: What? Demure?
ME: Yes! You know that’s like the trendy word right now right?
DAD: What? No.
ME: Yeah, it’s going to be a “demure autumn” or some shit because “brat summer” is over.
DAD: You are so not demure!
ME: I KNOW!
DAD: I’m no demure. I’m “extra!”
ME: I KNOW!
DAD: Not everyone thinks “extra” is a good thing.
ME: Have you ever hear the saying, “If I’m too much, go find less?”
DAD: No.
DAD: You’re not demure.
It has been brought to my attention that brat summer is coming to an end. However for the rest of 2024 I plan aspire to be more feral than demure, menacing over mindful. So I teamed up with Belinda (the B of @bck.reads) to create a list of book recommendations to keep the brattiness going.
In the wise words of my best friend and roommate (Belinda), “Some of us are brat, and some of us need to have a brat rising, some people are in their brat era, and it’s all to do with the degree of brat you need. It’s about the brat you need.” So here are the our recommendations for your various brat needs.
“Some of us are brat and some of us need to have a brat rising, some people are in their brat era, and it’s all to do with the degree of brat you need. It’s about the brat you need.”
brat books - should I stop my birth control? ‘cause my career feels so small, in the existential scheme of it all
Magnolia Parks - think Gossip Girl, but make it British!
Check out Belinda’s review on goodreads. But my friend Hannah really said it all:
[All my friends (who love the series) have agreed it’s probably too much teenage drama for my personal tastes.]
Leather & Lark - a crafting serial deleter and a hit man in a marriage of convenience say less [my review]
Addicted to You - another Belinda rec! Promoted “for fans of Gossip Girl, Friends, and Euphoria".” [Belinda’s review]
brat awakening - sandals on the stirrups of the scooters
The Roommate - joint recommend! A waspie girl accidentally moves in with a pornstar and they start a business together
Curvy Girl Summer - [my current read #bratawakening] promoted as “Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Survival of the Thickest]
The Do Over - it’s a YA rom com that’s like Groundhog’s Day but on Valentines Day! It’s really giving Rory in her Jess era. I was surprised how much I loved this one! [my review]
Scandalized - Ivy Owens is the pen name for Lauren of Christina Lauren (one of my favorite writing duos of all time). This book follows good-girl Georgia reconnecting with her childhood crush (her best friend’s brother) who also happens to now be a famous K-Drama actor now. It’s secret, illicit, and indecent. [my review]
Walk of Shame - it literally has a doll on the cover… COME ON! It’s a fun lil hockey romance if you’re looking for spice 🤝 plot. [my review on @bck.reads]
historical brat - sometimes, i just wanna rewind
City of Girls - just a girlie in Manhattan in the 1940s
Daisy Jones & The 6 - Daisy living her rock star life in the 1970s. There’s now a show on Amazon I still need to watch. I read it super fast and loved that it was written like a documentary transcript. (I’ve heard the audiobook is phenomenal.) [Here’s Belinda’s Review.]
When He Was Wicked - Definitely the steamiest Bridgerton book. And it looks like the show will push it to the sapphic category. A widow taking up with her husband’s bestie? How brat! (Also a bit Hallie & Hunter Biden but let’s move on)
The Age of Light - I love Lee Miller and this is a peak into her years in Paris. Paris between the World Wars is where I’d want to time travel.
sapphic brat - charli likes boys, but she knows i’d hit it
Here for the Wrong Reasons - 2 contestants on The Bachelor fall for each other?! yes please! Never forget when it happened irl on Bachelor Vietnam! [my review]
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - This is one of the books that got me back into reading! One of my all time favorites. (I haven’t re-read it yet because I do worry it won’t live up to my memories.). This book could also be in the historic category as it spans the 20th century, but figured I’d spread out the Taylor Jenkins Reid recommendations if possible.
Cool for the Summer - This ya romance follows cool-girl Lara as she has to decide between “the guy of her dreams or the girl in her heart.” [my review]
spicy brat - that city sewer slut’s the vibe
Give Me More - but Drake is the brat - A married couple (Isabel and Hunter) add his best friend Drake to their marriage. It’s my least favorite in the series so far, but Hunter’s the problem and Drake’s a highlight! [#3 in the Salacious Players Club Series]
Neon Gods - a spicy (& kinky) Hades and Persephone re-telling. The first in the Dark Olympus Series that I’m now a sucker for. [LOL moment: my dad bought this for me on our first trip to The Ripped Bodice]
Beautiful Stranger - An anonymous hook-up grows to so much more, or at least many more… It’s the second in the Beautiful Bastard Series, and by far my favorite!
A Worthy Opponent - A (kinky) Peter Pan and Tinker Bell re-telling. She’s literally a brat. iykyk (#3 in the Wicked Villains Series)
brats abroad - dial 999, it’s a good time
Killers of a Certain Age - (senior brat) Grace and Frankie meets Killing Eve. This hit much better than Thursday Murder Club for me personally. The first book (of many now) that took me to the catacombs of Paris.
Exciting Times - I loved this book! It’s Sally Rooney-esque. For me it was better, but Belinda’s a Sally Rooney enthusiast, and for her this book wasn’t as strong of a smash. It’s a Dubliner in Hong Kong teaching English and getting in very unhealthy situationships. It is set to be an Amazon series starring Phoebe Dynevor.
How to be Single - I love this book! (full disclosure I gave it 5 stars and B gave it 2….) It’s totally different than the film it inspired, but equally as pertinent. Where the film follows an ensemble around New York City, the book follows a friend group around the world! Written by a writer of Sex and the City, it does feel real, but also already a bit dated with its 2008 touch points.
Normal People - Hear me out, in the first half Connell is brat; in the second half the brat is Marianne! Love a dynamic brat. It’s a weird book, but so is this whole “trend.” It also gave the world my favorite instagram phenomenon (@connellschain). It’s one of my all time favorite adaptations with the Hulu mini-series that skyrocketed Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal to stardom.
feral brats - hedonistic with the gravel, drawl and dead eyes
Gone Girl - the original “cool girl” (obviously also a movie)
My Year of Rest and Relaxation - prepare to be uncomfortable, confused, and intrigued. C’est bizarre.
Luckiest Girl Alive - Manufactured cool girl in her picture-perfect Manhattan life revisiting her traumatic youth. I haven’t seen the film yet, but it’s a Netflix original. Definitely look up the trigger warnings for this one, because there are a lot!
Do you have any other brat recs? Let me know in the comments!
Want more brat? Make Belinda’s day and enter the Our Place giveaway for this “bright & bratty” acid green Always Pan. (No purchase necessary for entry; but you will have to sign up for emails and texts. Ends August 27th)
Hyper-fixation du jour: My Lady Jane
This show is SOOOO GOOD! Y’all! My parents are hooked too! I was already obsessed with Lady Jane Grey in AP European History thanks to my awesome history teacher (shoutout Mrs. Bordelon)! She showed us the 1986 film with Helena Bonham Carter and she’s been a hyper-fixation for the last 15 years now. When we went to the Tower of London in 2011 she’s all I could think of and seek out.
It’s soooo good! The cast is amazing! The history is interesting. And the fantasy elements are exciting! It received rave reviews, but was cancelled by Amazon because it “didn’t have a big enough audience.” Well bookstagram and fangirls are rioting and I’m hopeful the small but mighty fanbase can resurrect this gem of a show.
Some fans already started a petition for another network to pick it up for a second season!
If you want to purchase any of the books mentioned in this article, please consider using my affiliate link with my favorite independent book store, The Ripped Bodice, or using my referral link to libro.fm for an audiobook!