Blind Date with a Book is one of the many different trends on the BookTok side of TikTok. Some might not be aware of this side of TikTok. It is a community on the app that reviews and comments on different books both newer and older belonging to all genres. It is great for fellow bookworms or those with lots of free time. A more recent trend is books being wrapped up to hide the cover, a short little summary of the book, a few quotes, and random little things that relate to the book are then used to decorate the wrapping. This is called Blind Date with a Book. It is similar to the cringy real-life dating scenario everyone seems to hate, but this is actually fun. 

Some friends and I visited the Barnes and Noble in St. Cloud on a Friday night -yes, this is what we like to do, I highly recommend this activity to anyone. I did not have any plans of buying anything because my to-be-read (TBR) pile is towering next to my bookcase. I was in the young adult section with my friends when I heard some girls talking loudly. Obviously, I went over and immediately got super excited. Each book was $10.99 which is a good deal. 

I walked out of the store with two books -a great example of my self-restraint if I do say so myself. Not being able to wait, and with the encouragement of my friends, I opened each one. I ended up with Emergency Contact by  Mary H.K. Choi and What We Devour by Linsey Miller. The first one is a contemporary romance, which is not usually my cup of tea, but I am excited to read it. The synopsis boasts of a quirky, fun, rom-com. Who doesn’t like a good rom-com? The other one is a dark fantasy. I had actually seen it in other parts of the store and had not thought anything of it. The back of this one sounds fun and nail-biting. 

 The display of wrapped books can be found near the back of the store, to the left of the fiction area just before the romance and the young adult section. There are a dozen or so books wrapped in the display, and the ones there are definitely targeted towards young adults. According to Barnes and Noble, they are not sure how long the display will be up, but it is very popular. It will surely be up through Valentine’s Day, however, beyond that date, only time will tell how long the display will be there.  

I am excited to read the surprises I have gotten. The idea of Blind Date with a Book is a fun way for readers to break out of their comfort zone and discover books they would have never dreamed they would enjoy. I personally can not wait to get more surprises from the Blind Date with a Book selection from Barnes and Noble.