#rec 118

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 2: FINAL POLL

Which sounds more appealing?

#76

#118

Voting ended onAug 24, 2025

Rec #76

Are you looking for an incredible series that delves deep into religious trauma and purity culture through the supernatural? Jane Eyre meets The Hunger Games meets Gravity Falls in this awesome series. It features a diverse cast including queer and POC actors as strong female protagonists and queer-coded characters. This series uses its distinct representation of the paranormal as a metaphor to tackle important issues like bodily autonomy, religious philosophy, mental health, and generational trauma. This series also includes some great romance and relationships, such as found family, enemies-to-lovers, and childhood-friends-to-lovers. Plus, if you just can't get enough, there's tons of lore and spinoffs to sink your teeth into. If you love philosophical debate, comprehensive world building, swoon-worthy romances, and/or unique takes on the supernatural, then this is for you!

Rec #118

Think classic stories are boring? What if it had someone who died and Came Back Wrong? What if it had a diverse found family that COMMITS CRIMES TOGETHER?? Doomed love? An evil machine?? Flirtatious duels between men who desperately need therapy??? Women that do magic and fight mercenaries???? What if it had a story of rivals to lovers…. to RIVALS TO LOVERS AGAIN?????

In this boundary-pushing retelling of a classic, the author removes all the boooring historical satire and unnecessary descriptions-- putting the #GirlBoss protagonist at the front of things. As she should be.

It's got action, political intrigue, AND of course, lots of romance!!! :D Fake dating, mistaken identity, AND a love triangle (between a criminal mastermind and a bloodthirsty noble)! Do either of them have secret tragic pasts?? Will there be villain redemption?? You'll have to read to find out for sure, but know the answer is probably yes ;)

Seriously add this to your TBR! And add the sequel to your TBR! I can't WAIT for it to come out based on the already-released preview stuff (the feeeeels)-- surely it'll release soon! :')

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 2: Semifinal Poll 2

Which sounds more appealing?

#97

#118

Voting ended onAug 8, 2025

Rec #97

Who would win: the human man trying to save the country, or the dysfunctional family on a wacky adventure that don't even come up to his knees? And what happens when that family breaks into his house when all his efforts are about to pay off?

In this pun-tastic media, you get to find out. Our protagonist struggles with his self-esteem, but that doesn't stop him from putting on a smile, and the family is always up to some sort of hijinks!

Not to mention the representation here! This story's cast is full of queer characters, both gender and orientation wise, and there's a huge number of characters of color! There's also rep for both mental and physical disabilities!

Oh, and don't let the silliness make you think the story never pulls on your heartstrings! There's so much emotion here you'd never believe me if I told you everything happens in a single afternoon!

Rec #118

Think classic stories are boring? What if it had someone who died and Came Back Wrong? What if it had a diverse found family that COMMITS CRIMES TOGETHER?? Doomed love? An evil machine?? Flirtatious duels between men who desperately need therapy??? Women that do magic and fight mercenaries???? What if it had a story of rivals to lovers…. to RIVALS TO LOVERS AGAIN?????

In this boundary-pushing retelling of a classic, the author removes all the boooring historical satire and unnecessary descriptions-- putting the #GirlBoss protagonist at the front of things. As she should be.

It's got action, political intrigue, AND of course, lots of romance!!! :D Fake dating, mistaken identity, AND a love triangle (between a criminal mastermind and a bloodthirsty noble)! Do either of them have secret tragic pasts?? Will there be villain redemption?? You'll have to read to find out for sure, but know the answer is probably yes ;)

Seriously add this to your TBR! And add the sequel to your TBR! I can't WAIT for it to come out based on the already-released preview stuff (the feeeeels)-- surely it'll release soon! :')

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 2: Round 3, Poll 7

Which sounds more appealing?

#113

#118

Voting ended onJun 28, 2025

Rec #113

Are you a fan of clever wordplays, Mérimée's "Carmen", Poe's "Annabel Lee", and ROAD TRIPS? Then this might be the book for you!

This book features:

an unreliable narrator

a dark-haired, brooding protagonist

an in-universe foreword

(implied?) lesbian side characters

lush descriptions of the great American landscape

allusions to postwar American culture

witty references to literary and historical figures

puns, many puns!

There Is Only One Bed™ (probably not the best occurrence of the trope, but eh)

Deaf/HoH side character

Amputee side character

Single parent MC (though he's definitely not an ideal one)

Parent-child conflict(s)

Runaway plot

uh yeah that's all the tropes that I can think about regarding this book without spoiling it too much

Rec #118

Think classic stories are boring? What if it had someone who died and Came Back Wrong? What if it had a diverse found family that COMMITS CRIMES TOGETHER?? Doomed love? An evil machine?? Flirtatious duels between men who desperately need therapy??? Women that do magic and fight mercenaries???? What if it had a story of rivals to lovers…. to RIVALS TO LOVERS AGAIN?????

In this boundary-pushing retelling of a classic, the author removes all the boooring historical satire and unnecessary descriptions-- putting the #GirlBoss protagonist at the front of things. As she should be.

It's got action, political intrigue, AND of course, lots of romance!!! :D Fake dating, mistaken identity, AND a love triangle (between a criminal mastermind and a bloodthirsty noble)! Do either of them have secret tragic pasts?? Will there be villain redemption?? You'll have to read to find out for sure, but know the answer is probably yes ;)

Seriously add this to your TBR! And add the sequel to your TBR! I can't WAIT for it to come out based on the already-released preview stuff (the feeeeels)-- surely it'll release soon! :')

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 2: Round 1, Poll 27

Which sounds more appealing?

#117

#118

Voting ended onJun 1, 2025

Rec #117

This is a story about a neurodivergent-coded young adult female protagonist with a tragic backstory entering a new workplace! She faces discrimination from her peers, having to win them over with her plucky attitude and problem-solving skills!

The secondary main character is a hot older man with scars. He becomes her mentor, and he's distant at first but slowly warms up to her. Eventually it's revealed that his scars are connected to her tragic backstory, and their age-gap slow-burn relationship grows even deeper from there!

The setting is modern-day, the story incorporates social media and the hip new lingo. The author even has a connection to Tumblr! It's educational, too, the author consulted an expert on keeping things realistic!

Rec #118

Think classic stories are boring? What if it had someone who died and Came Back Wrong? What if it had a diverse found family that COMMITS CRIMES TOGETHER?? Doomed love? An evil machine?? Flirtatious duels between men who desperately need therapy??? Women that do magic and fight mercenaries???? What if it had a story of rivals to lovers…. to RIVALS TO LOVERS AGAIN?????

In this boundary-pushing retelling of a classic, the author removes all the boooring historical satire and unnecessary descriptions-- putting the #GirlBoss protagonist at the front of things. As she should be.

It's got action, political intrigue, AND of course, lots of romance!!! :D Fake dating, mistaken identity, AND a love triangle (between a criminal mastermind and a bloodthirsty noble)! Do either of them have secret tragic pasts?? Will there be villain redemption?? You'll have to read to find out for sure, but know the answer is probably yes ;)

Seriously add this to your TBR! And add the sequel to your TBR! I can't WAIT for it to come out based on the already-released preview stuff (the feeeeels)-- surely it'll release soon! :')

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 2: Round 2, Poll 14

Which sounds more appealing?

#118

#119

Voting ended onJun 14, 2025

Rec #118

Think classic stories are boring? What if it had someone who died and Came Back Wrong? What if it had a diverse found family that COMMITS CRIMES TOGETHER?? Doomed love? An evil machine?? Flirtatious duels between men who desperately need therapy??? Women that do magic and fight mercenaries???? What if it had a story of rivals to lovers…. to RIVALS TO LOVERS AGAIN?????

In this boundary-pushing retelling of a classic, the author removes all the boooring historical satire and unnecessary descriptions-- putting the #GirlBoss protagonist at the front of things. As she should be.

It's got action, political intrigue, AND of course, lots of romance!!! :D Fake dating, mistaken identity, AND a love triangle (between a criminal mastermind and a bloodthirsty noble)! Do either of them have secret tragic pasts?? Will there be villain redemption?? You'll have to read to find out for sure, but know the answer is probably yes ;)

Seriously add this to your TBR! And add the sequel to your TBR! I can't WAIT for it to come out based on the already-released preview stuff (the feeeeels)-- surely it'll release soon! :')

Rec #119

A riveting murder mystery in a medieval setting featuring many female characters, arranged marriage angst, scathing social commentary about class and the divine right of kings, knights in shining armor, knights in less shining armor, brave knights, cowardly knights, adorable animals, magic words, monsters, explosions, singing men, crossdressing, canon leftists with a coherent ideology, scientific contemplation, and commentary on the persecution of witches. We've got heavily implied queers, historians, mental health representation, and meta commentary on the nature of god. Agatha Christie's "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" meets Wes Anderson's "The French Dispatch" meets T. H. White's "The Once and Future King." You'll love it.

[guessthatrec-poll]

Rec #118 submitter here! Honored to have made it to the finals... though i'm still shocked my rec beat ISAT, i adore that game....

anyways, wishing rec #76 the best of luck!! looking forward to our competition :D

May the best rec win!

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec Season 2: Round 4, Poll 4

Which sounds more appealing?

#118

#127

Voting ended onJul 9, 2025

Rec #118

Think classic stories are boring? What if it had someone who died and Came Back Wrong? What if it had a diverse found family that COMMITS CRIMES TOGETHER?? Doomed love? An evil machine?? Flirtatious duels between men who desperately need therapy??? Women that do magic and fight mercenaries???? What if it had a story of rivals to lovers…. to RIVALS TO LOVERS AGAIN?????

In this boundary-pushing retelling of a classic, the author removes all the boooring historical satire and unnecessary descriptions-- putting the #GirlBoss protagonist at the front of things. As she should be.

It's got action, political intrigue, AND of course, lots of romance!!! :D Fake dating, mistaken identity, AND a love triangle (between a criminal mastermind and a bloodthirsty noble)! Do either of them have secret tragic pasts?? Will there be villain redemption?? You'll have to read to find out for sure, but know the answer is probably yes ;)

Seriously add this to your TBR! And add the sequel to your TBR! I can't WAIT for it to come out based on the already-released preview stuff (the feeeeels)-- surely it'll release soon! :')

Rec #127

are you a fan of stories where the protagonist is just too selfless for their own good? what about an element-based magic system that was secretly designed to destroy the world under the right conditions? maybe even throw in some queer enemies-to-lovers? oh, but i haven't even mentioned the supporting cast yet! we have an angsty furry, gender non-conforming representation, lots of characters confirmed queer by the author, and even a quirky neurodivergent character! if you like the idea of a ragtag group of superheroes coming together to save the world in a fantasy setting, you'll love this!

[guessthatrec-poll]

Rec 118 submitter here-- congrats to 76! You really deserved that win, great job writing that Twilight rec!

Excited for next season to start in October, and hopefully I'll manage to submit something that isn't as immediately guessable lol ;)

Hey, the guessable recs are important for the tournament too! We gotta have a mix of both.