Well here we are friends, at the end of the another year. Somehow 2019 is over and 2020 will begin quite soon, and I’m in denial.
What books did you read in 2019? Find some new all-time favorites? I set my Goodreads reading goal at 70 books and I made it! I’m so happy that I increased my goal from last year of 50 books and pushed myself to read more! I’ve curated a list of 15 of my favorite books of the year. I know 15 is a random number but I was indecisive and couldn’t make it 10. So from 15 all the way to 1, let’s check out what books I loved to read this year!
15. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. This is one of my favorite books from Christina Lauren. I found this one to be super funny, and the main characters were so relatable. Plus it’s a hate to love romance and I can never turn that down. You’ll be seeing that pop up a lot.
14. The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary. This book was a huge surprise for me. I found it at my local library and picked it up randomly and fell in love with it. It took me a little bit to get used to the writing style, but once I did I couldn’t stop reading it. There’s a romance with the single-bed trope, but then there’s so much more than that. I highly recommend! Beth O’Leary just announced her sophomore novel and I can’t wait to read it.
13. A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer. I had been putting off reading this one for awhile, and yet I’ve owned it since it came out. I read this so quickly and I loved the representation in it. Plus I’m a sucker for Beauty and the Beast retellings. Is it bad that a lot of details of the book have disappeared from my mind?
12. Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman. This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year because the Illuminae Files is definitely one of my favorite trilogies of all time. I gave this one 5 stars and the ending had me in tears. I have a new favorite ship in this book and I cannot wait until the next one. I thought this would be higher on my list but I read a lot of great books this year!
11. Well Met by Jen DeLuca. Wooooow did I love this book. I am a huge fan of rom-coms and this one was right up my alley. I didn’t know much about renaissance festivals or had any interest but man do I want to go to one now after reading this book. It was so atmospheric and I love the characters. Again it’s another hate to love romance.
10. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert. This one surprised me. I get a lot of romance recommendations, and this one was a book that was hyped up a lot before it was released. It turned out to be one of my favorites because of the wonderful representation in it. I am definitely going to be reading future books by Talia Hibbert.
9. Beartown by Frederik Backman. I read this book for a local book club and it blew me away. I already love books when sports are involved, but this went above and beyond sports and was so emotional and heart-wrenching. I highly, highly recommond picking it this book. It’s beautifully written and the topics discussed in it are essential.
8. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. Even though I only gave this book 4 stars, it is definitely a favorite of the year. I will never not enjoy a Leigh Bardugo book and this one was no different. I know there are mixed opinions about this one, but once I was into the world I was hooked. I think I’m going to be rereading it because I’m thinking the mood I was in also might have affected how I rated it.
7. The Simple Wild by KA Tucker. I am obsessed with books set in Alaska. I don’t know what it is, but I love that state with a passion and I’ve never even been there. I blame the show Men in Trees – if you’ve seen/heard of that show, please let me know because I adore it. Again, it’s a hate to love romance – clearly I have a type, but this one also dove deeper into a familial relationship and pulled the heartstrings. I just found there KA Tucker is coming out with a sequel soon and I am so excited!
6. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. I’m surprised this book isn’t higher on this list because I loved it to pieces. It’s a love story between the first son of the US and the prince of England, and it’s amazing. I laughed so hard, there’s politics involved which I loved, and it’s so swoon-worthy and wonderful. If you haven’t read this one yet, please do!
Time for the top five! This list was so hard to figure out and I’m still not 100 percent certain if they’re in the right order. Just know I loved all of these books!
5. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. Who would have thought a fantasy book about books would be in my top 5? Me, I thought that. I’m surprised how much fantasy is in my top 5 because I think of myself more as a romance/contemporary reader, but this book was amazing to me. I loved the love of books in this story, and the main characters are just everything. Also a hate to love romance, so of course I loved that too.
4. Renegades trilogy by Marissa Meyer. This is cheating a little bit because it’s three books in one spot, but I read all three books this year. I picked up Renegades in the beginning of the year and immediately was hooked into this world of good and evil. The final book came out in November and I read it immediately and then was sad it was over. I think this is very underrated because I don’t hear a lot of people talking about it, and I think that should change!
3. Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin. This one also have a lot of mixed reviews but man did I love it. It took me a bit to get into it but then I definitely couldn’t put it down. The romance is – you guessed it – a hate to love between to mortal enemies. What’s not to love about that? It’s a little smutty, which is always my jam, and I found the aspect of the church very intriguing in this plot line.
2. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I read this book with my local book club and as soon as I dove deep into it, I knew it would make this list. This book is beautiful. I don’t know if I can find the right words to describe how much I loved this book. I laughed, I cried, I was angry and sad and happy and all the emotions you could feel while reading this one. I am completely surprised how a book like this made my list because I typically stay away from popular books like this one. I will definitely be rereading this one in the future.
My number one book of the year is… can you guess? Don’t cheat!
1. Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I have no words to describe how gorgeous this book is to me. I listened to the audiobook while reading along with this book and the story was so engrossing. I love all of the characters, even though some of them were terrible, and the format is so interesting because it’s told in an interview format. As soon as I finished it I knew it would be in this top spot, unless something HUGE would come along that I loved. Crawdads came very close, but Daisy Jones is just it for me.
Late Night Reading 