The video leverages the popular 'book recommendations' format with a clear ranking system and enthusiastic personal reviews. The creator's genuine emotional reactions to the books, particularly the top picks, create a relatable and engaging experience for viewers interested in reading.
Summary
The creator shares their top 6 book recommendations for 2026 so far, covering a range of genres from historical fiction to contemporary romance. Each book is briefly described with the creator's personal reaction and why they enjoyed it, culminating in a strong recommendation for all titles.
Structure
1Introduction of top 6 books
2Book #6: Yesteryear
3Book #5: Our Perfect Storm
4Book #4: Funny Story
5Book #3: Heart the Lover
Original caption
My top 6 books of 2026. Do we have any in common?! #topbooks #favoritebooks #bestbooks #fivestarbooks #bookrecs
More from @readwithmandi
More breakout videos from this creator.
6Book #2: Into the Blue
7Book #1: The Great Alone
8Concluding recommendation
Product placement
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke ACTS - it is presented as a book to be read and reviewed, and its content is discussed. Removing it would change the video. Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune ACTS - it is presented as a book to be read and reviewed, and its content is discussed. Removing it would change the video. Funny Story by Emily Henry ACTS - it is presented as a book to be read and reviewed, and its content is discussed. Removing it would change the video. Heart the Lover by Lily King ACTS - it is presented as a book to be read and reviewed, and its content is discussed. Removing it would change the video. Into the Blue by Emma Brodie ACTS - it is presented as a book to be read and reviewed, and its content is discussed. Removing it would change the video. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah ACTS - it is presented as a book to be read and reviewed, and its content is discussed. Removing it would change the video.
Call to action
Let me know your top reads from this year in the comments
On-screen text
#6: yesteryear
#5: our perfect storm
#4: funny story
#3: heart the lover
#2: into the blue
#1: the great alone
Transcript
These are my top 6 books of 2026 so far. I've read 45 books so far this year and these six are the standouts. In sixth place is Yesteryear. This is about a trad wife influencer who gets sent back to the 1800s to actually live out those traditional values that she portrays online. This book is not going to be for everyone, but it was definitely for me. I thought it was infuriating and thought-provoking. If you don't like reading about a main character who is so deeply unlikable, then you probably won't like this book. In fifth place is Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune. This is childhood best friends to lovers, and it's done so well. The love between Frankie and George just feels so natural and so earned. And let me tell you, the tension and yearning in here was palpable. In fourth place is Funny Story by Emily Henry. This book gets a lot of hype and let me tell you, it deserves all of it. This is now one of my new favorite contemporary romance books. This is about two people who start fake dating to get back at their exes. The tension, the banter, my feet were kicking the entire time. In third place is Heart the Lover by Lily King. This book is such a gut punch. This is about a woman who was in somewhat of a love triangle in her college years and later in life she's reflecting on that time period and coming to terms with the decisions she made. I absolutely loved it. In second place is Into the Blue by Emma Brodie. This is one of my all-time favorite books now. The writing pulled such intense emotions out of me. I had butterflies, I had chills, I was crying, I was just so invested in Noah and AJ's relationship. This book was incredible and I don't think I'll ever stop talking about it. It was very close to being my number one, but it had to go to The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. I read this in January and this story has just stuck in my brain. I still think about it all the time. This is about a family who moves to remote Alaska to live off grid. This is an incredible story about survival and about love. The story ended up being so much bigger than I originally thought it was going to be, and the ending had me absolutely sobbing. Very few books have made me sob and this is one of them. And that's my top six books of 2026 so far. I highly recommend every single one of these books. Let me know your top reads from this year in the comments.
