It's time to share the books I adored reading this year! I'm usually pretty stingy with my 5-star reviews, but some books made it super easy to dish out. Instead of putting them in order of preference, they are chronological from January to December!
1. They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera
This is my fave Adam Silvera book thus far...I absolutely adored it. The structure reminded me a bit of The Sun Is Also a Star. Both books take place during one day, have alternating perspectives, and take a bit of an outside look at how the people around us unknowingly affect our lives. It was, in my opinion, Silvera's strongest work and just so beautiful and sad.
2. Beartown - Fredrik Backman
If you told me one of my favorite books would be about a quiet town obsessed with their high school's hockey team, I would laugh. But Beartown is so much more than that. It's an exploration of privilege and rape culture. It took a bit to get into, but I felt so connected to the story after the first hump that it was easy to give 5 stars.
10. Sawkill Girls - Claire Legrand
THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. It is not my usual genre but I'm so glad I gave it a chance because I enjoyed every second. I loved all 3 girls (yes, even Val...maybe even especially Val). I loved the feminism and the fear and the anger and the lust and the beauty and the grief and the freaking ROCK (no, not Dwayne). Possibly my favorite book of the whole year?
3. Dear Martin - Nic Stone
The Hate U Give is still at the top of the NYT Bestsellers list, but I strongly urge readers looking for more work inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement to pick up this slim but powerful debut by Nic Stone. In Dear Martin, we are following a boy who has recently been racially profiled and is dealing with the stress and trauma that has caused him. It's a quick read and packs a massive punch.
4. Little Do We Know - Tamara Ireland Stone
I usually know I'm going to be giving a book 5 stars pretty early in the stage because I just get this feeling. I'm enjoying everything about the reading experience. The writing is good, I'm invested in the story and the characters, I'm emotional about it (whether that means I'm LOLing or crying). That was my experience reading Little Do We Know, which is a beautiful book that explores a friendship, perception, and faith in a fantastic way.
5. Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng
When I closed Little Fires Everywhere, I had this genuine thought: "Why would I ever try to be a writer when I know nothing I created would be this beautiful?" I mean, damn. This book had a lot of hype and it is well-deserved. I didn't know a ton going in and I suggest you do the same. Another slow-starter, but still excellent!
6. A Court of Frost and Starlight - Sarah J. Maas
Look, I totally understand why people were disappointed in this sort of pointless addition to an otherwise AMAZING series but I will take whatever I can get of my beautiful Court of Dreams so yes, I gave this 5 stars. It wrapped some things up nicely for the characters we've come to know, because as the story goes on, we will no longer be with them. I like knowing what the future holds for Feyre and her gang.
7. All Your Perfects - Colleen Hoover
Look, I totally understand why people were disappointed in this sort of pointless addition to an otherwise AMAZING series but I will take whatever I can get of my beautiful Court of Dreams so yes, I gave this 5 stars. It wrapped some things up nicely for the characters we've come to know, because as the story goes on, we will no longer be with them. I like knowing what the future holds for Feyre and her gang.
7. All Your Perfects - Colleen Hoover
Oh, CoHo. I loved crying like a baby as I finished this. All Your Perfects is a heartbreaking look at the decline of a marriage, balanced painfully with the beautiful beginning stages. I should say that this book is quite hopeful, but it was an intense read because marriage is an intense commitment and the pressure it puts on the partners is unlike any others we face.
8. Evidence of the Affair - Taylor Jenkins Reid
Okay, so this is a short story but it totally belong here because it was fantastic! A woman writes a letter to a man to disclose the information that she believes their spouses are having an affair. They start a friendship based on their mutual struggles to decide whether or not they want to confront them about their affair or stay in their marriages.
9. Girl Made of Stars - Ashley Herring Blake
Well, this book is excellent. It takes a look at rape culture in a complicated light: what do you do if your best friend, your twin brother, is accused of rape? Mara is forced to deal with the struggle of believing that one of her dear friends was raped by her twin brother while also still trying to reconcile the possibility that someone so important to her would be capable of it. The space is so gray and Blake did an incredible job with all of it.
9. Girl Made of Stars - Ashley Herring Blake
Well, this book is excellent. It takes a look at rape culture in a complicated light: what do you do if your best friend, your twin brother, is accused of rape? Mara is forced to deal with the struggle of believing that one of her dear friends was raped by her twin brother while also still trying to reconcile the possibility that someone so important to her would be capable of it. The space is so gray and Blake did an incredible job with all of it.
10. Sawkill Girls - Claire Legrand
THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. It is not my usual genre but I'm so glad I gave it a chance because I enjoyed every second. I loved all 3 girls (yes, even Val...maybe even especially Val). I loved the feminism and the fear and the anger and the lust and the beauty and the grief and the freaking ROCK (no, not Dwayne). Possibly my favorite book of the whole year?
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