I’ve always loved reading, but as I’ve gotten older have found it way harder to pick up a book. This year I made it a goal to jump back into reading regularly, and in that journey have explored many genres and authors. Here are the 14 books I read this year, and what I thought (with no spoilers). Maybe you’ll find something you want to read.
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
This book was a perfect way to start off my year of reading. I read it in less than a week and absolutely loved every second of it. Seeing Snow as a (arguably) good teenager and watching his descent into the Snow we see in ‘The Hunger Games’ was so intriguing. There’s nothing like a good YA dystopian novel.
- The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
I fell victim to BookTok on this one. I rated it one star and honestly hated almost every second of reading it. Basically, a woman brings her boss, who she absolutely hates, to be her wedding date. As you’ll find out later in this list, I love a good cheesy Wattpad-esque romance, but this was unreadable.
- The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
This was a random find from the library since I have heard absolutely nobody talking about it. I really enjoyed the story. It follows the lives and deaths of four young kids in the late 60s who get their fortunes done by a psychic. However, there are some oddly descriptive mentions of these young adolescents’ body parts which is off-putting, so be aware of that.
- Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass
I’ve already read and loved the A Court of Thornes and Roses series, so starting this one was a no-brainer. I love reading series of books, but for whatever reason this series was so hard to continue. I think this book was good, though. They all kind of blend together for me, so pardon the short reviews.
- Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Mass
I really liked this book in the series because the characters start to get more depth to them, and we start to see the secret alliances, betrayals, and political schemes unfolding.
- Heir of Fire by Sarah J Mass
I had to google what even happened in this book, so I clearly didn’t love it that much. I remember being annoyed at the POV of the witches.
- Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Mass
This book was truly so good and left on such a crazy note, but at this point, I was so tired of this series that I barely even enjoyed it. I realized I needed a break.
- The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
This book was so good!!! It made me remember how good the dark academia aesthetic is. It has some magic but in a really cool science-y way, not a fairy way. Secret society, magic, mystery, what else could you want?
- Final Girls by Riley Sager
I had never really read a horror book before, but I definitely understand the appeal now. This book is super slow for the first 75%, but the ending was so crazy I still enjoyed it.
- The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L Walther
This was found for free on Kindle Books, which you should definitely check out if you like reading. It was your basic Wattpad summer romance, but I loved every second of it.
- The Guest List by Lucy Foley
This might have been one of my faves that I read. It’s a murder mystery on a remote island destination wedding. It has some pretty triggering topics, so definitely read some reviews first maybe to gauge if it’s something you can read or not. However, I loved the writing, the characters were very complex and flawed, and the plot was great.
- What Happens After Midnight K.L Walther
This was another cheesy romance but set in a boarding school. Nothing too big to note, but I still enjoyed it.
- If We Were Villians by M. L. Rio
I think this was my favorite book of the year. I read it on a plane to Boston and back and immediately looked to see if Rio had any other books (they don’t). Another dark academia, murder mystery, but this time with Shakespeare.
- The Assasin’s Blade by Sarah J Mass
I did not enjoy this book or even want to read it at all. Some people say it’s their favorite though, so maybe take it with a grain of salt. However, later books reference things that happened in there, so I read it. I am currently reading ‘Empire of Storms’ and ‘Tower of Dawn,’ which you have to read at the same time for some reason. I don’t know if I’d recommend the Throne of Glass series if I am being honest.