Hi friends!
I kept going back and forth on if I really wanted to do a fave reads post before realizing why does it have to be ~faves~ or ~top reads~ so I decided to focus on books that had the biggest impact on my 2020 reading and as result are taking up space in my brain rent free.
I also wanted to stick to 2020 releases because this has been a shit year to publish (especially debut) and I want to sing their praises!
Note: The title link leads to Goodreads so you can learn more (I’m just going to talk about why I loved these books) and add to your TBR! And if I’ve reviewed the book on my blog I’ll link that as well!
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
I thoroughly enjoyed Get a Life, Chloe Brown, but I still wasn’t prepared for how much I would love Dani and Zafir’s romance but it was just everything I wanted and more and I honestly can’t wait to reread it! (I’m trying to wait until closer to the release of Eve Brown) If you haven’t checked out Talia’s romance books I HIGHLY recommend adding them to your tbr asap (especially if you’re a romance reader).
💫Related Post: My Review of Take a Hint, Dani Brown
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Nothing could’ve prepared me for the feeling of reading this book. It was emotional and heartbreaking in the best of ways and I only wish I had listened to it on audiobook especially after listening to The Poet X because hearing the verse from Acevedo herself can’t be topped so when I reread this book I’ll definitely be picking up the audio.
💫Related Post: My Review of Clap When You Land
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
I had a feeling when I picked this book up that it would be one of my fave reads of the year and I was not disappointed! From the characters to the storytelling to the genre bending and the complex family dynamics and the community and the magic it was all just so beautifully woven together and this book will hold a soft spot in my heart for a good long while (if not forever). I’m already looking forward to rereading it and I can’t wait to see what Aiden Thomas does next!
💫Related Post: My Review of Cemetery Boys
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
This book still hits me in the gut sometimes, like I’ll just be sitting there minding my own business and suddenly I’m in a rabbit hole thinking about the sheer resonance this book offers. I have a soft spot for stories set in Indiana particularly ones that manage to capture the love hate relationship I have for my home state and Leah Johnson does so beautifully in this story. The anxiety rep and the feelings of being an outsider and wanting to be invisible while also wanting to fit in was everything I wish I could’ve read when I was in high school but I’m still so glad I got to read it now. Also the romance was just so soft and sweet and 🥺
💫Related Post: My Review of You Should See Me in a Crown
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
This book wrecked me and I’m sitting here begging Chloe Gong for more 🤡 I had high expectations and hopes for this book and it far exceeded them to the point that I fully annotated my copy which I rarely do but I just needed to make note of so many things that felt important, but you wouldn’t find out for sure until 3 chapters later and I just 😭 The ending wasn’t as cliffhangery as I had anticipated from previous reviews which was a blessing since we have a little while to wait until the next book, but it definitely had me hooked wanting more!
✨Stay tuned for review to come!
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
I knew I would enjoy this book, like I just had no doubts because it sounded like everything I enjoy in a YA between the magic and the retelling and the history and the hint of romance. But I absolutely devoured this story and I want everyone to read it and I can’t wait for the next book and just in general what Tracy Deonn does next please take my money and wreck me thx 🥺
✨Stay tuned for review to come!
You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book but I’d seen enough positive reviews and recommendations that I thought I’d give it a shot and I am so glad I did because it was definitely one of my fave reads and I’m already planning a reread since it’s quick and chaotic and just pure serotonin that had me laughing because it was never quite what you expected it to be.
✨Stay tuned for review to come!
How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams
This book had me laughing, crying, and rooting for the couple from the very beginning. I’m not usually a fan of insta-love (I love me some slow burn), but this book does it in a way that feels realistic. It’s not quite insta-love so much as that instant connection you feel with some people but then they have to figure out how to make it work between the long distance and their romantic pasts coming back to haunt them. This book does have some tough themes and I highly recommend everyone read the trigger warnings before picking it up, but I feel like Denise Williams handled this book with the utmost care and nuance and it was just so beautifully balanced.
💫Related Post: My Review of How to Fail at Flirting
A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
This book had an impact in a way I didn’t expect. Like it wasn’t a book I finished and immediately wanted to reread or was like this is a new fave it was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed and made me relook at all the possibilities of weaving magic and myth into a contemporary, real world setting. But the impact of this book is in its subtlety and its little moments and the things that have stuck with me all of these months later and the things I keep thinking about. And the more time that passes the more I am in awe like wow Bethany Morrow really did that and I have no doubt she’ll do it again with A Chorus Rises (I’m so intrigued by the blurb 👀).
💫Related Post: My Review of A Song Below Water
By a Thread by Lucy Score
This book has stuck with me because of how sheerly fun it was. I’m usually wary of office romances because of the obvious power dynamics and complications that arise, but Lucy Score found a way for me to be like “oh okay” 👁👄👁 because this is hate-to-love and the working relationship comes about in a rather unusual way AND the grumpy boss character is adamant about not pursuing a relationship and eventually when things change he handles it in a way I appreciated (although it was quite dramatic). Also Lucy Score’s banter is top notch and I want to read all of her books just for that.
💫Related Post: My Review of By a Thread
💫What were your favorite reads of 2020? What books had the most impact on you? What books are you anticipating to be on your fave reads of 2021?
Just A Little Lit Nerd 