If you’ve watched the recently concluded Love Island USA Season 7, then you already know this season was unhinged. The drama was spicy and the islanders were doing the absolute most at all times. And you know what goes perfectly with messy onscreen moments? Books that mirror that energy.
Here are five standout moments from the villa this season and the books that pair perfectly with them.
Amaya’s Girl Power Era
Love Island Moment: When delivering an epic speech (to yourself) on girl power and singing self-affirmations to the mirror is the best way to dust yourself off and try again.
While the boys were playing in Amaya’s face one after the other, our little sensitive gangster was loving herself out loud and delivering some of the most quotable one-liners of the season because don’t you dare drink her if she isn’t your cup of tea to be drinking! 
Book Rec: Plus Size Player by Danielle Allen
Meet Nina Ford, a plus-size influencer who refuses to commit unless someone meets all her standards. She keeps a rotating roster of partners until Russell starts showing he could be something more. Her confidence never wavers, she dates and lives freely, delivering the most scathing comebacks to anyone who dares belittle her. This narrative matches Amaya’s energy perfectly: she knows her worth and doesn’t shrink herself to fit anyone’s comfort zone. This book is sexy, empowering, and a perfect reminder that choosing yourself is always the main plot.
Olandria & Nic’s Soul Ties Kiss
Love Island Moment: When a kiss between “friends” shifts the entire vibe and suddenly nothing feels platonic anymore.
One minute, Olandria and Nic were friends who only kissed during challenges, and the next? They were friends forced into a relationship but kissing like it meant something. The one moment that triggered a deluge of fan edits. 
Book Rec: Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola
Kiki Banjo is a sharp-tongued radio host who’s been warning the girls to stay away from player-types especially charming ones like Malakai. But when they fake a relationship (you know how that goes), feelings sneak in and one moment changes everything. This book captures the awkwardness, the thrill, and the emotional confusion of falling for someone who has become a friend. Much like Olandria and Nic, it’s sweet, slow-burning, and full of vibes that make you feel things.
Hannah and Pepe’s Spit to Start Scene
Love Island Moment: When you’re so eager to get to it, you don’t care that there’s no lube. Just spit and vibes, baby.
Disregard the fact that Hannah was weeping over another man two days before, desperate times called for desperate lubrication. And you know what? Sometimes spit is the MVP. 
Book Rec: Lights Out by Navessa Allen
The final sex scene in Lights Out is wild. A full-on, tension-filled, primal moment set in the woods where things escalate fast. There’s no planning, no prepping just pure, raw desire. It’s messy in the best way and captures exactly the feral energy Hannah and Pepe were radiating. This book is high-heat, high-stakes, and unapologetically sexy. Read with caution (and lube).
Nic & Huda’s Mamacita Moment
Love Island Moment: When the amount of miscommunication packed into 20 seconds of footage birthed a viral moment that launched a thousand memes.
This moment was unintentional comedy. Huda revealed she had a kid in the most unnecessarily dramatic way and Nic? Bless him, he looked like someone had unplugged his brain. 
Book Rec: Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
This book is an emotional heavyweight of miscommunication. Yasmen and Josiah are a divorced couple who co-own a business, co-parent their kids and carry around a ton of unresolved feelings. Just like Huda needed to say “hey, I have a whole human child” so Nic’s brain could stop glitching, if either Yasmen or Josiah had just said “hey, I still love you and i’m scared”, we could have avoided over 300 pages of pain. This book doesn’t shy away from the reality of dating while parenting, but still gives us warmth, humour, and a love story worth rooting for.
Taylor’s “I Pick Clarke” Heartbreak
Love Island Moment: When you’re caught between two romantic love interests and a decision could shatter everything you’d previously built.
We’ve all been there (hopefully not on national TV). You thought the connection was real. You thought you were building something. But it turns out you were just delulu. 
Book Rec: The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
This book is about choice. About betrayal, longing, and the quiet ache of realizing someone you love might not choose you or that you might not choose them. It’s haunting, raw, and beautifully written. Much like Taylor’s choice, The Paper Palace is messy and full of choices that hurt. Just like watching Clarke get picked.
Something Bookish Curators are always on the lookout for the next great read to add to your #TBR. Whether it’s a backlist gem, a breakout debut, the book everyone will be talking about next, or a beloved classic, we’ve got recommendations you won’t want to miss. Join the conversation and read along with us on social!
