If you know me, you know of my passion and love for a good book. As I was growing up, reading was always my favorite way to pass time. I grew up with a love for books. Unfortunately as I got older and busier I didn’t have the time to read as much as I would like, especially after starting college. However, quarantine reunited me with my love of reading. Reading was one of my favorite quarantine activities and I am happy that I was able to find the time to read again. If you are looking for some book inspiration to add to your 2021 reading list here are some of my 2020 favorites. So let’s cozy up with a blanket, light a candle, get a snack and get reading. (These are in no particular order)
- Parachutes by Kelly Yang
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Parachutes was an unforgettable and empowering reading experience. Parachutes is described as a mix of Speak and Gossip Girl and I couldn’t agree more. This book follows the lives of teens from China who are dropped off in the United States (who are called parachutes) to study while their rich parents reside in Asia. Through multiple lenses, this book explores race, class and sexual assault in a new light.
- The Selection Series by Kiera Cass
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If you’re a fan of the Bachelor or Bachelorette, you’ll love The Selection Series! A mix of the Hunger Games and the Bachelor. America Singer and 35 other girls are selected to compete for the prince’s heart to become his wife and future queen. The world they live in is divided by social classes one through eight, eight being the lowest class. America’s family is a five and her secret boyfriend is of a lower class, which is why they need to hide their relationship. Her boyfriend convinces her to enter the competition to make money for her family, and for him to feel as if he never held her back from a better life. To their surprise, she ends up being selected to enter the competition and things start to get interesting. I will leave it at that for the sake of spoilers!
- I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez
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This book was on my to-read list for a long time, so I was so excited to finally have time to read it. “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika L. Sánchez follows a girl named Julia grieving her sister’s death. Julia has lived in her sister’s shadow all her life, and the book follows her as she works to step out of that shadow that she’s lived in all her life. Throughout the book, Sanchez contains many significant topics, all of which are prevalent, but also taboo, in the Hispanic culture, such as faith, virginity, family value, sacrifice and mental health. This book was a beautifully complex story woven with themes that reveal the journey that many Mexican Americans of the first generation go through.
- All This Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott
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From the writers of the best seller, Five Feet Apart comes a story of two teens suffering from loss who find healing in each other. This has become one of my favorite books of all time. The book starts with Kyle and Kimberly, a clique high school football player and cheerleader couple. They are at their graduation party, where they end up in a blowout. They end up driving off in a storm where they crash and Kimberly passes away. Consumed with guilt Kyle goes to visit Kimberley’s grave, and meets Marley, a storyteller who lost her twin. There is a major plot twist that you will not be able to see from miles away. I am still shook.