Every year I pull together a list of the best books I read. It's really difficult to look back on a year of reading and narrow it down, especially when you've read as much I have. So I've put together a top 25, followed by a list of 20 books that were still too good not to mention. The title of each book is linked to my original review.
As always, I'd love your thoughts on what you loved reading this year!
The Top 25
1. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: A beautiful story about love and family and standing up for what is right, but also about the unfairness of society towards anyone who doesn’t fit a specific mold, particularly in the 1960s.
2. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt: An absolutely fantastic, beautiful story about friendship, family, and second chances which will make me look at aquatic creatures a little closer the next time I’m at the aquarium!
3. The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston: Take a love story, add friendship, grief, and self-discovery, and throw in some ghosts, and you’ll get this amazing book that totally stole my heart.
4. Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore: The Great Gatsby, but make it queer and YA. (And this is one of two Gatsby retellings on my list!)
5. Book Lovers by Emily Henry: This is a terrific rom-com but there’s so much more to it, as two people realize they don’t have to sacrifice their own happiness to be someone’s hero.
6. A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella: Like the title says, it’s a quiet story, about love, about overcoming grief and taking tentative steps toward something new, and about our desperate need for connection, especially in times of trouble.
7. One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle: Rebecca Serle’s books hit me in a place that few others do. She deals with grief and love and choices and desires, and bends the concept of reality slightly, which might not work for everyone, but it definitely works for me.
8. Look Closer by David Ellis: A twisty thriller that hooked me from the very start and never let go. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Ellis flipped the script time and again. If you love twisty thrillers that keep you guessing, pick this one up!!
9. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna: I wasn’t expecting a book to fill my heart so much. This book is so full of joy and love, of chosen family, diversity, and the feeling of being totally yourself for the first time, and it feels like a gigantic hug.
10. When You Call My Name by Tucker Shaw: This is such a beautiful book, one that so accurately captures the mood of 1990, the sadness, defiance, anger, and fear that pervaded the LGBTQ community at that time. It’s about the power of friendship, love, chosen and blood family, and finally finding yourself.
11. Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid: A fascinating, emotional, totally compelling story about the top-ranked female tennis player, her lonely battle at the top, and her desire to stay competitive after retirement.
12. Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor: A fantastic retelling of The Great Gatsby through the eyes of three female characters in the book. What a creative idea that still felt very true to Fitzgerald’s original novel, yet with some angles he wouldn’t have explored back then.
13. Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen: A satisfying mystery that delivers so much more. This was a fascinating, emotional look at the struggles queer people faced in 1950s America.
14. Everything for You by Chloe Liese: It’s like this book was written for me, I loved it so much. This book had it all—enemies to lovers, family dynamics, emotional and physical challenges, and steamy sex. I was hooked completely—I’m a sucker for a sports romance!
15. Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny: A poignant and laugh-out-loud funny story about love and family and how those can appear in very different ways. I literally was laughing hysterically throughout the book and tearing up in other places, because Katherine Heiny is such an insightful storyteller.
16. Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka: Powerful, profoundly thought-provoking, and emotional. It is a gripping, phenomenal story, emotional and thought-provoking, one that made me wonder where I stood on so many issues. This would be ideal for a buddy read or book club because you will want to discuss this.
17. It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover: The feeling when the sequel (to It Ends With Us is just as good. This is a book about second chances, about finding love when you don’t feel you deserve it or even believe it’s possible. And it’s a powerful exploration of what it means to have someone in your corner.
18. Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan: This is an adorable opposites-attract romance which left me an emotional puddle. It totally took the rom-com script and played with it a bit, and all of the characters really took hold of my heart.
19. Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro: Shapiro's first work of fiction in 15 years is a beautifully written, poignant story about two families and how their lives are connected. So much more happens in this beautiful story, but it’s best to let it unfold. There are emotional moments, moments of regret and renewal, and an exploration of the ways we are inexorably connected.
20. The Echo Man by Sam Holland: This is one creepy serial killer novel! It’s creepy and violent and graphically brutal—plenty of triggers abound—but I couldn’t get through the book fast enough. If you like crime novels and books about serial killers, this is one for you!!
21. Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour: This is an utterly exquisite story of longing, regret, love, and the memories that haunt us. I was drawn in from the very first page of this book. It’s sad and joyous and hopeful and these characters will resonate in my head for a long while.
22. Blaine for the Win by Robbie Couch: A fantastic, heartwarming story about finding yourself and deciding what you want from life and love. It was sweet and fun, but there’s lots of discussion about teenagers’ mental health which is such an important topic to address.
23. My Darkest Prayer by S.A. Cosby: A great thriller about corruption, revenge, and finding the truth, from an author who should be a household name.
24. The No-Show by Beth O'Leary: This book flips the script on the cheating man/scorned women storyline I expected. It’s a romantic, funny, emotional book which definitely packs a powerful punch.
25. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel: A slow burn, but a mesmerizing, powerful story about connection, regret, love, music, and time travel. This is a gorgeous, thought-provoking book but it definitely won’t be for everyone.
Too Good Not to Miss
The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton: A powerful, poignant book about a world being destroyed by climate change, a story about love, loss, and family, both biological and chosen.
The Measure by Nikki Erlick: Profound, emotional, and thought-provoking. It is a tremendously evocative and timely look at how people, society, and government deal with those who are different. Really blew my mind!
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver: An immensely powerful retelling of David Copperfield which follows a young man’s struggles while growing up in Appalachia.
Here's To Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera: The second collaboration between popular YA authors Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, this is an utterly squee-worthy story of love and friendship and finding your own path.
Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson: This is an absolutely excellent book about friendship, growing up, finding your place in this world, and the effect of art.
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover: So many of Hoover's books deal with the question of who deserves a second chance, or whether a mistake makes us truly a bad person who cannot be redeemed. Her books are so thought-provoking, so emotionally engulfing, and I am there for every single one of them.
Egotistical Puckboy, Irresponsible Puckboy, and Shameless Puckboy by Eden Finley and Saxon James: A trilogy (so far) of steamy M/M romances featuring professional hockey players, some openly gay, some trying to figure things out.
The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian: A powerful book about finding your tribe and finding yourself, while coming to terms with some hard truths.
Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann: This is a dark, brooding, dramatic book and I was completely hooked from start to finish. I love books about family dysfunction, and this family was seriously screwed up!!
Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei: They’re fighting to be the best on the ice—but what happens when rivalry melts into romance? In addition to the hockey talk and the rivalry and the romance, a lot of attention is paid to mental health issues, as well as the way female athletes' accomplishments get short shrift when compared with their male counterparts.
Frat Wars: King of Thieves, Frat Wars: Master of Mayhem, and Frat Wars: Presidential Chaos by Saxon James: Romantic, steamy, and fun, this trilogy follows two rival fraternities whose members seem to get romantically tangled in the midst of competition.
Cover Story by Susan Rigetti: When it seems too good to be true…it usually is. This was a wild, twisty story about a young woman caught in the middle of a situation she doesn’t understand.
Body Grammar by Jules Ohman: This debut novel is a beautifully written book about love, longing, and finding your way. This book is definitely character-driven, but I absolutely loved the emotions of the characters and the journeys they took.
The Trees by Percival Everett: This book is so unlike anything I've ever read. As serious as this subject is—and Percival Everett has given it and racism the attention it deserved—I never would’ve imagined a book like this would’ve been so funny at the same time.
How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder: Oh, how I loved this fake-dating romance with lots of emotional complexity! This is both a romance and a serious look at addiction, grief, keeping your heart protected, and finding the strength to fight for what you want.
My Government Means to Kill Me by Rasheed Newson: A moving, informative story of a young, gay Black man’s coming of age in 1980s New York City. This was a really good book that felt like a memoir. Trey is essentially dropped into an historical narrative and comes into contact with a number of individuals both key to the gay rights movement and those who caused trouble for it.
Lessons in Chemistry and Remarkably Bright Creatures were both already on my TBR list, but the others I hadn't heard of. It looks like this year will be another where I have way more books I want to read than I'll ever actually have time to haha. I do at least 1 book a week, so I'm stunned at 372!
ReplyDelete