By Collection Management Librarian Dontaná
I love how much our community uses the library. Sometimes that means waiting for the hottest titles. Don’t fret! I can help you find a similar reading experience to THAT book you are waiting for or that you finally read and loved.
Yesteryear readalikes
Trad Wife by Sarah Langan
Why you should try it: Where Yesteryear follows the tradwife influencer herself, Trad Wife offers a view from the other side of the camera. It may be a stretch if psychological thrillers aren’t your thing, but reading both is definitely worth a try.
Description: A chilling tale of a journalist’s descent into horror as she uncovers the dark secrets behind a trad wife influencer, blending suspense with a critique of modern femininity and the manipulative forces of social media.
Tehrangeles by Porochista Khakpour
Why you should try it: Natalie is already famous. The Milanis are almost famous. In both cases, the fame and influence are alluring, captivating, and a trap that forces them to confront what they really want out of life.
Description: On the verge of landing their own reality show, Iranian American multimillionaires and L.A. royalty Ali and Homa Milani, owners of a microwaveable snack empire, and their four daughters realize their deepest secrets are about to be dragged out into the open before the cameras even roll.
American Mermaid by Julia Langbein
Why you should try it: In both novels, Natalie and Penelope grapple with what is and is not real after strange things begin to happen to them. Where Natalie is fully transported, the subtle shifts in Penelope’s reality lead her to the same question: Why is it acceptable for women’s identities to be shaped and packaged by outside opinions?
Description: Broke English teacher Penelope Schleeman is as surprised as anyone when her feminist, eco-warrior novel American Mermaid becomes a bestseller. But when Hollywood insists she convert her fierce, androgynous protagonist into a teen sex object in a clamshell bra, strange things start to happen. Is Penelope losing her mind, or has her fictional mermaid come to life, enacting revenge against society’s limited view of what a woman can and should be?
Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen
Why you should try it: You love a good twist and satire that feels so real it makes you question everything.
Description: A whirlwind romp careening toward a last-girl-standing conclusion, and a scathing indictment of contemporary American media culture, Patricia Wants to Cuddle is also a love story: between star-crossed lesbians who rise above their intolerant town, a deeply ambivalent woman and her budding self-actualization, and a group of misfit islanders forging community against all odds.
I Could Be Famous by Sydney Rende
Why you should try it: Read this if you’re looking for more stories about the dark side of being a social media or celebrity darling.
Description: A listless woman befriends an influencer whose life isn’t what it seems. A freshman’s awkward hookup becomes legend. A reality TV star turns to dating apps after a messy breakup, only to find control exists only on camera. A struggling actress goes method in a hot tub showroom to land a role. Threaded through these stories is Arlo Banks, a Hollywood golden boy whose career implodes after a shocking accusation of cannibalism.
Unlikeable Female Characters: The Women Pop Culture Wants You to Hate by Anna Bogutskaya
Why you should try it: Natalie is a polarizing character. Some people love her. Some people hate her. Some people love to hate her. But everyone agrees, she’s undeniable. This book explores why readers are drawn to, or repelled by, unlikeable women.
Description: An incisive exploration into the evolution of unlikeable female characters: what makes them unlikeable, how audiences have reacted to them, and whether pop culture—and society—is finally ready to embrace complicated women.
About Dontaná
Dontaná is a Collection Management Librarian who was born with an unending reading list. She is almost always reading two books simultaneously and is easily distracted by cool covers.