February is one of my favorite times to read romance books (November is another one for some reason) and I thought it was a great time to share some of my favorite romances! I don’t like to read books with sex scenes, so these books are clean but fun romances!
These are my top ten favorite romance books!
Hello Stranger by Katherine Center
I love Katherine Center’s romcoms! They are all closed door with characters I love. While they are heavy on the romance, they also focus on other issues the characters are facing. At the end of this book, the author talks about how she tries to share hope, even in the face of hard problems, with each of her books and for me, she succeeds.
This is my favorite by Katherine Center (so far!), but a close second is What You Wish For.
The Enemy by Sarah Adams
Sarah Adams has a lot of romcoms and some regency romance. Her earlier romcoms are “clean but steamy”. This was her second romcom and is my favorite! I love the way she did the hate-to-love in it and of course, donuts! I also love the mom and daughter relationship in it.
I found her first four or five books to be the “cleanest”, and then while they stayed fade-to-black, I felt they were quite a bit steamier than her earlier books. It didn’t surprise me when she announced that her newest book (The Rule Book) would be open door (meaning a sex scene). But all of her books written previous to that (The Match, The Enemy, The Temporary Roomie, The Off Limits Rule, The Cheat Sheet, Practice Makes Perfect, When in Rome, and her regency romances) are all closed door or fade-to-black.
Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone
This is a short (and cute) Audible original (meaning they only have an audio version of it). I loved the characters and the premise of the book, I listened to it in one sitting.
*There is more language in this than most rom coms and has a chapter where the f word is said quite a few times
The Roommate Situation by Katie Bailey
I absolutely loved this romcom and its sequel (The Neighbor War)! I loved the sibling relationships in this one and how awkward but cute the main character is. The romance is also very fun!
27 Ways to Find a Boyfriend by Shari L Tapscott
This is a light-hearted romance, exactly what you would expect from a romcom. I especially loved the friendship between the love interests and all the hilarious scenes that come from her list.
The sequel (27 Ways to Mend His Broken Heart) and the Christmas novella (10 Ways to Survive Christmas with your Ex) were just as enjoyable!
Promised by Leah Garriott
I’ve read quite a few regency romances and this remains one of my all time favorites! I really loved the main characters (which is very important in a romance) and the chemistry they had with each other. I was rooting for them throughout the entire book. The plotline felt unique, which was nice in a regency, and I flew through the book.
The Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah M. Eden
Sarah M. Eden is one of my favorite regency romance authors and this has been my favorite book by her so far! I loved watching the relationship unfold after they are already married and the character growth of the main characters.
What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon
This is an historical romance with some time travel magic in it. The romance is beautiful, the history taught me a lot, the atmosphere is Celtic, and the relationship between the grandfather and granddaughter brought me to tears.
Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen
This is an historical romance following a lady who is pregnant out of wedlock and becomes a wetnurse afterward. The romance is cute and I loved the sections on nursing. It does talk about relations out of wedlock, but doesn’t have any scenes describing it.
A Face in the Shadows by Susan Evans McCloud
This is a historical romance that follows a girl attending BYU, with two different love interests and a traumatic past following WWII. I love the depth of characters and the way the love triangle pays out in this one!
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
This is a super popular YA romance and for good reason! It has such a fun premise–Laura Jean writes a goodbye letter after each crush that they’ll never see, but then they accidentally get mailed. It also has fun hate-to-love and fake dating tropes and is a fun, clean read!
Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
This is another really popular YA romance that lived up to the hype for me. It has some “You’ve Got Mail” vibes, which is my favorite hate-to-love trope and there is a really fun girl friendship as well.
There is some language, including the f word.
Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West
Kasie West is a great go-to if you love sweet, clean YA romance. I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read by her. This one, aside from a focus on the romance, has some great friendship relationships (including one with her Grandpa) and the main character has fun character growth.
Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston
This is technically the third in the “series”, but you can read them as stand alones. This one was fun because it had a lot of parallels to Beauty and the Beast and the bookish aspect of that is always fun!
Ashley Poston does tend to use more language in her books.
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
This is a fantasy romance. It has a really fun love triangle with a bit of a mystery to it. There are two men that show up and like Lia, but then we also get a viewpoint from an assassin who is there to kill who and we don’t know which of the love triangle is the assassin. It’s a fun twist on the love triangle and I loved the journey of it.
Angels Don’t Knock by Dan Yates
Angels Don’t Knock is a cheesy book, but also just a fun experience. Samantha is engaged when an angel only she can see enters her life claiming to be her soulmate. Due to an accident, he was born a hundred years early and died before his time, so now he’s trying to make it right. The romance is great, the characters’ interactions are funny, and the world building around the angels is fun to see.
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Shannon Hale has several books that I really love (including the Goose Girl and Princess Academy), but this is my favorite by her and also such a great romance. It has a fantasy feel to it and is YA but doesn’t have as strong of a YA-feel to it. The characters in it, especially the main character, are so strong and feel very real.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Ella Enchanted has been one of my favorite books since I first read it when I was 8 and one of the biggest reasons is because of the romance between Ella and Char. They are so sweet together and it is fun to see their relationship grow throughout the book.
I love a good romance in a book! Let me know your favorite romances in the comments below!
After having my second child, I really got back into reading as an adult, but I felt like I’d run out of books. I was rereading Brandon Sanderson books and every once in a while, I’d find a gem at the library, but I was floudering. I asked my Facebook friends for suggestions and got a few good ones.
A few months later, I joined BookTube. Now, three more kids and eight years later, I have so many books on my TBR that I could not possibly read them all in my lifetime. It’s a problem I’d much rather have than the one I was having in 2016!
With the influx of book ideas, though, I wanted a way to really pick and choose some of those books to focus on, to get to books I wanted to prioritize. That’s when I started doing my yearly TBR list. At the beginning of each year, I pick 33 books out of the thousands on my TBR list and read about 3 a month. I aim to pick a variety of genres and have books that span middle grade, YA, and adult (though no explicit content).
My goal is to at least try each book. I’m allowed to DNF a book if I’m not loving it, but then it goes on my DNF’d list instead of my TBR on Goodreads. I’ve read some of my absolute favorite books because of this list!
Here is my list for 2026:
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
Song for a Whale is a middle grade contemporary and I know a lot of people who loved it. It follows a deaf girl who, while amazing with computers, is misunderstood at school because of her deafness, but connects emotionally with a whale whose song can’t be heard by his species. This book sounds like an emotional and beautiful read!
I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang
I Hope This Doesn’t Find You is a YA romance that is an enemies to lovers (my favorite!) and has To All the Boys I Loved Before vibes. It follows a girl who vents out all her frustrations with people around her by writing them emails she never sends. She doesn’t hold back, because no one will ever read them–until they get sent out. I am very excited to try this book, especially with how beautiful the cover is.
The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh
When my mom recommended this book to me during one of her recent visits, I immediately put it on my TBR list for this year! The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley is a clean adult romance that follows a rule following professor who delves into a research project on how to be happy. This has all the makings of a book I love, I can’t wait to read it!
The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson
The Accidental Beauty Queen is a closed door adult romcom involving two twins who lead polar opposite lives and end up needing to switch places. I’m not expecting anything life-changing out of the book, but it sounds cute and fun.
An Improper Proposal by Audra Wells
An Improper Proposal is a regency romance with a marriage of convenience trope (one that I tend to love, especially in regencies!). I also love the cover on this one.
A Proper Scandal by Esther Hatch
A Proper Scandal is a regency romance (I love reading at least a few a year!) following Grace, who has been shuttled from place to place until arriving with her aunt, who gives her two weeks to find a husband before being kicked out. The premise sounds unique and delightful.
Better Left Unsent by Lia Louis
Lia Louis was on my 2025 TBR as well, but because I read the book (The Key to my Heart) in December and I made the list for this year in October, I didn’t realize it until making this blog post. I loved The Key to my Heart, so I’m doubly excited to read this one. Better Left Unsent is an adult contemporary romance following a girl who (just like I Hope This Doesn’t Find You) vents her frustrations in unsent emails until (just like I Hope This Doesn’t Find You) all the emails get sent accidentally. It will be fun and interesting to see the difference between the two books that have such similar premises, especially since one is a YA and the other an adult book.
The Star that Always Stays by Anna Rose Johnson
The Star that Always Stays is a middle grade historical fiction inspired by the author’s family history. It’s set in 1914 and follows a girl who moves from the country to the city, but needs to hide who she is and where her Native American origins are from. I love including some historical fiction each year.
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter is a YA historical mystery/fantasy that incorporates various classics. It follows the daughter of Dr. Jeckyll, looking into the mysterious past of her father and his friend Mr. Hyde, with the help of Sherlock Holmes, and along the way, she meets different women like Beatrice Rappaccini, Catherin Moreau, and Justine Frankenstein. It sounds like it’s doing a lot, so I think I’ll either love it or hate it.
Buffalo Flats by Martine Leavitt
Buffalo Flats is an LDS young adult historical fiction set in Canada in the late 1800’s. There is romance, history, and friendship as the book explores the hardships faced by pioneers and explores what life was like for early latter-day saints.
Mrs. Porter Calling by AJ Pearce
When I put Mrs. Porter Calling on my list, I didn’t realize it was third in a series. I read Dear Mrs. Bird, a WWII historical fiction following a lady who has a secret advice collumn, a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I saw this by the same author and added it to my list–then realized it was the third book after the one I’d read. It’s already in my bullet journal and I do want to read it, so I’ll just need to read the sequel (Yours Cheerfully) before I get to this one.
The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore
The Woman They Could Not Silence is a nonfiction about the life of Elizabeth Packard, a lady in the 1800’s who was wrongly committed to an insane asylum by her husband and her fight against it. I’m a little wary going in to a book like this (sometimes books like this can feel sensationalized), but it also sounds very interesting!
The Third Gilmore Girl by Kellly Bishop
The Third Gilmore Girl is a memior about Kelly Bishop, a famous actress. I know her from her role in Gilmore Girls. I am excited to learn more about her life.
Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Wait Till Next Year is a memior of Doris Kearns Goodwin, focused on a love of baseball and her family. I’ve heard from people who don’t follow baseball that they loved it, so even though I’m not a huge baseball fan, I’m excited to read this one.
Alone by Megan E. Freeman
Alone is a middle grade dystopian, following a girl who wakes up one morning completely alone. Throughout the book she has to not only surivive, but find a way to deal with her intense lonliness. I am not the biggest “survival book” reader, but my kids love them (especially my oldest). If I don’t love it, then I’ll be able to pass it on to them after reading it if I think it’s a book they’d enjoy.
The Girl Who Kept the Castle by Ryan Graudin
In The Girl Who Kept the Castle, Wizard West has died but his ghost lives on and hosts a tournament to find his successor. The groundkeeper’s daughter must make the tournament a success using magic she shouldn’t be using in order to save everything she loves. It’s a quirky, cozy, middle grade fantasy and right up my alley.
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
The Prison Healer is a YA romance fantasy (I double checked that it is clean, as I’ve had some surprises with YA romantasy in the last little while) taking place in the death prison of a fantasy world. When the rebel queen is captured, the main character is tasked with keeping her alive and volunteers in Trials in place of the queen. If succeeds, she and the queen both get their freedom, but no one has ever survived them before. This book has had a lot of hype and I’m excited to read it.
Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
Fireborne is another YA romantasy (again, double checked to make sure it’s clean), this one is supposed to lean more into the romance than The Prison Healer. It follows two orphan friends who are now competing with each other for the top spot in the dragonriding fleet. It also has a lot of political intrigue woven throughout. This sounds like the kind of fantasy book I’m really going to enjoy.
Of Blood and Fire by Ryan Cahill
I love Brandon Sanderson, but I have a hard time getting into other epic fantasies. I don’t know when I’ll give up on them and stop choosing one for my yearly TBR list, but apparently it isn’t this year. Of Blood and Fire sounds like your typical epic fantasy, but has really good reviews and is supposed to lean into the characters, which is something I really like. It also has dragons. I guess we’ll see with this one.
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
The Unmaking of June Farrow is a fiction with magical realism that takes place in North Carolina. The main character June is attempting to solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance years before and uses her ability to see and hear things that aren’t there to do so, falling in love along the way.
The Queen’s Gambit by Beth Brower
Like many others, I’ve been very into Beth Brower’s Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion. I’ve heard her other books are equally good and am very excited to try this one. The Queen’s Gambit is a YA science fantasy with a slow start, but the same writing style you’ll find in the Unselected Journals.
Olivetti by Allie Millington
Olivetti is a middle grade mystery from the perspective of the family’s typewriter. I’ve heard it has some hard hitting family drama and lots of emotion, just up my alley (especially when it comes to middle grade). When Olivetti, the typewriter, learns that the mother of the family has mysteriously gone missing, he believes he can help find the mother and begins communicating with the mother’s boy. I tend to love middle grade books dealing with grief, so I think this one will be a book I love, though I’m not sure how I’ll feel about the type writer being the main perspective.
A Study in Scarlet by Stephanie Baudet
This is a middle grade adaptation of Sherlock Holmes A Study in Scarlet. I’m excited to start this children’s collection of Sherlock Holmes and to see if it’s a series I would want to read with my kids.
Blood in the Water by TIffany D Jackson
Blood in the Water is a middle grade thriller, a genre I’m not sure I’ve ever read before. The main character Kaylani is from Boston, but is spending her summer on Martha’s Vineyard when a body shows up at the beach. Kaylani is determined to solve the mystery and change her life in the process. I love thrillers and murder mysteries and I love middle grade, so I’m really excited for this one.
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
I really loved The Inheritance Games and am excited to be reading another book by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. The Naturals is a YA thriller following a seventeen year old girl who can read people exceptionally well. She gets recruited by the FBI to help them with cold cases with a group of other young people–which turns into a game of cat and mouse.
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
I own The Thursday Murder Club and plan to read it this year as well, though when I added this book to my list, I didn’t realize they were by the same author. We Solve Murders follows a retired investigator and a private security officer team up to solve a murder in a race around the world. The description is a little vague, but it sounds fun and has a lot of good reviews.
Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston
Anatomy of an Alibi is an adult thriller that sounds so fun. Two women help each other out to spy on a man named Ben to get some answers–only he ends up dead. They both need an alibi, but only one of them has it. This one has really good reviews and I’m excited to read it this year.
The Redgraves Murders by Al Sowards
The Redgraves Murders is an adult historical mystery. The main character starts looking into her family’s past when someone attempts to kill her or her father–and has she uncovers more secrets, it only gets more dangerous.
Everyone is Lying to You by Jo Piazza
Everyone is Lying to You is an adult thriller described as a tradwife murder. This thriller has social media influencers, murder mystery, and secrets from the past as the main character’s college best friend goes missing.
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristin Perrin
How to Solve Your Own Murder is a cozy mystery about a woman who tries to prevent her own murder only to be murdered 60 years later. The book follows her great-niece as she tries to solve her aunt’s murder, even if it means putting herself in danger.
The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter
The Blonde Identity is an adult mystery book following a woman who wakes up in Paris with no memory of who she is or how she got there. As people keep trying to kill her, she discovers she is the twin sister to a rogue spy. This book is supposed to be a lot like Donovan Finlay, which I really enjoy.
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T Kingfisher
A Sorceress Comes to Call is a retelling of the fairy tale Goose Girl (I love the retelling by Shannon Hale!). This is a YA horror fantasy, a genre I’ve been dabbling in recently (fantasy with horror elements isn’t generally too much for me the way adult horror books can be). I plan to read this in October for Halloween vibes.
Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan Henry
Once Upon a Wardrobe is set during the time that CS Lewis lived. It follows two siblings, a younger brother who is homebound with illness and wants to know if Narnia is real, and an older sister who finds CS Lewis to find out for him. It interweaves real stories from Lewis’s life with the sibling narrative. I’ve heard it is charming and I can’t wait to read it (I’m saving it for Christmas time)!
So that’s my TBR list for 2026! I am very excited for my reading this year and all the books ahead of me. What are you planning to read in 2026? I’d love to chat about books in the comments section below!
I cannot believe we are already five days into 2026! Last year went by so quickly, it feels like it just disappeare. I read some really great books in 2025 and it was hard to narrow down my favorites. To help me pick just ten (with a couple bonus!), I give myself some categories to pick from each year (like a favorite book that made me cry or a favorite new release).
Here are my top 10 favorite reads of 2025:
Favorite New Release
Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping released in April, right after I had Leah, and I had such a fun time reading it. While I loved a lot of new releases in 2025, Vera Wong is my favorite! I loved the first book in 2024 and this sequel was such a delight. I don’t know how much I’d like Vera Wong in real life, but I could read about her all day long. I also love the other characters around her and the relationships they all form with Vera and each other, as well as the mystery. I’m hoping this author writes another Vera Wong book (I’ve read the Auntie books by Jesse Q Sutanto and enjoyed them, but I like Vera more).
A Favorite Book that Surprised Me
The Key to my Heart by Lia Louis
The Key to my Heart is a contemporary romance dealing with grief–Natalie’s husband died two years ago and she’s having a hard time moving on. It was on my 2025 TBR list, so you would think I was expecting to enjoy it, but I kept putting it off and was reluctant to try it for some reason. As soon as I started it, though, I was hooked. I loved the romance in this and especially the love triangle. The friendships and relationships were very well done as was the foreshadowing. There was music involved, as she was a pianist, and a little mystery around the music, which was really fun and I didn’t see the resolution of that coming. It felt a bit like a Sophie Kinsella book, but a little more serious. Overall, I was surprised by how much I ended up loving it.
Favorite Nonfiction
Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft
I love to read nonfiction and this year, I set a goal to read at least one nonfiction book a month (I hit that goal plus some). I read some really good ones and it was hard to pick just one (the runner up was Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss). I learned so much from Why Does He Do That? and was able to understand situations both in my past and that I’m close to currently in a new way. I think it’s a must read, especially for girls as they start to date seriously (my husband and I want all our daughters to read it when they are older). The book is very well-informed, but also very accessibly written and well organized, making it easy to read and also easy to go back to as a reference.
Favorite Spontaneous Read
The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall
The Secret Bridesmaid could have also been put under a book that surprised me–it’s another contemporary romance following Sophie, whose job is a “professional bridesmaid”. People hire her to be their bridesmaid, to both plan the wedding and pretend to be their friend for the wedding, as their bridesmaid. She gets hired by the parents of a rich and spoiled girl to be a bridesmaid, but the girl doesn’t want her and does everything she can to make Sophie’s life miserable. I loved the hate-to-friendship relationship there and of course, the romance that made the whole situation even more tricky. I also appreciated how clean the book was.
Favorite Christie Book
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie
I read at least one Agatha Christie book a month, so she’s a big part of my reading every year. I love to pick a favorite by her and this year, it was Death Comes as the End. This one also surprised me (I guess I had a lot of those this year!) with how much I liked it, because it is a bit different than Christie’s typical murder mysteries–it is a historical mystery set in Ancient Egypt. Because of that, the names and setting are quite different from most of her books, but the richness of the characters and the murder mystery that keeps you guessing until the end were the same. I ended umep loving the mystery and the themes of this book and was so sad when I finished it.
Favorite Series Book
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion is a very hyped series and for good reason. I was seeing it all over and tried the first in the summer. It was an okay read, cute but a little slow. I’d heard from others though that the series took a couple of books for them to get into it. Book two, I already liked much more than book one and by book three, I was fully invested and loving it. I’m so happy that there are going to be so many books in the series, even if it will be hard to wait for them all to be released. The book series shines with its characters (there are characters you simply love and characters you simply love to hate) and their relationships with each other. It also has the most charming little town as a backdrop that I wish I could live in!
Favorite Recommended Book
Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon
Mother-Daughter Murder Night was my favorite read in October. Lana Rubicon gets cancer and moves in with her daughter and teenage granddaughter as she goes through treatment, when they get wrapped up in a murder. It was a fun whodunnit mystery, but my favorite part was the relationship between the three–the grandmother, mother, and daughter. There was a different dynamic between them all and we got to see each of their perspective throughout the book. They all played a role in solving the mystery and their relationship with each other grew in a really satisying way.
Book that Made me Cry
What Does it Feel Like? Sophie Kinsella
What Does it Feel Like made me bawl. Sophie Kinsella is the author of Confessions of a Shopaholic (among other books) and this is her final, semi-autobiographical book that she wrote. A successful novelist, the main character Eve wakes up in the hospital after having had a brain tumor removed, but with no memory of it. The book is short, but so emotionally charged. I have the hardest time with mothers who have cancer and this book was no exception. But I also loved it. I devoured it in one sitting. At the time that I read it, Sophie Kinsella was still around, but a few months later, she passed away. I’m really sad for her and her family. I am so glad she wrote this book, and her others, before she died.
Favorite Read Aloud Book
One Wrong Step by Jennifer A. Nielsen
One Wrong Step is a middle grade historical fiction about climbing Mount Everest in the 1920’s. Jennifer A. Nielsen is one of my favorite authors for middle grade historical fiction and this was one of my favorites by her. We actually listened to this one in the car together on a long trip (it was a 7 hour drive, round trip) and everyone in the family was very invested in the story, including my husband–at one point, he had to run inside a store and had us pause the book while he did so he wouldn’t miss anything. The reader was fantastic, the story and characters were amazing, and we all learned a lot. My favorite part of it was the next day when Ben and I were doing the NYT Mini together (back before they put it behind a paywall) and there was a prompt about Mount Everest–because of listening to the book, we knew the answer! It made me happier than it probably should have.
Favorite Book by a Favorite Author
Exiles by Jane Harper
Jane Harper was an unexpected favorite author for me. She writes character-driven thrillers set in Australia and I have loved every single one of her books. Exiles is the third in a series, but you could read it without reading the others (I read the other two so long ago, I was having a hard time remembering what happened in them, and it didn’t affect the book much at all). The book follows Aaron Falk as he visits some old friends on the weekend of the one-year anniversary of a woman’s disappearance. Jane Harper does a good job of mixing current tension with mysteries from the past, and layering all of that with relationship dynamics that draw you into the characters’ lives.
Bonus:
Favorite Reread with the Kids:
Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
I had to add in two bonuses this year, because I reread Anne of Green Gables as I read it aloud with my girls and it was so fun! I loved sharing Anne’s world with them and especially seeing how much my girls all loved the book and the movie. Every night as we were reading, they begged me to keep going when it was time to stop. Then as we watched the movie together, they fell in love with Gilbert, noticed the differences from the book, and anticipated all the best parts (knowing what was coming because of reading the book). It was such a fun experience together.
Favorite Reread:
These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
My main rereads during 2025 were the Little House books and it was so fun to revisit them! My favorite of the series was These Happy Golden Years. I actually remembered very little of the book, as I hadn’t read it since I was maybe 8 or 9. I don’t remember what I thought when I was a child other than I loved all things Little House, but as an adult, I absolutely loved seeing the romance between Laura and Almanzo bloom. It was heartwarming and sweet–now this year I want to reread all the Little House books with my girls and introduce them to the TV show!
Those are my picks for my favorite books I read in 2025! I had such a great reading year and am looking forward to 2026. What were your favorite reads in 2025? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
Wow, September was a great reading month for me! I participated in both 30 Books in 30 Days and in Series September (two different reading challenges I love). With so many books, I didn’t love all of them, but so many of them were such fun reads!
I read 33 books (including some novellas/short stories) in September and 6,720 pages, for an average of 203 pages per book. I read 27 books by female authors and 6 by male authors. I borrowed 20 of the books and owned 13. I read 11 physical books, 14 eBooks, and 9 audiobooks. 19 were part of a series, and I started 4 new series and finished 6 series I am currently in the middle of. I had 8 stand alone reads. I read 7 middle grade, 3 YA, and 20 adult books. I read 3 new releases. I shared 8 read alouds with my kids. I read 2 books from my 2025 TBR list and DNF’d one, bringing the total read/DNF’d to 25/33, with 8 remaining to read. I read 12 five star reads, 13 four star reads, 6 three star reads, 1 two star read, and 1 one star read.
It was hard to narrow down my favorites to just 5 this month, but here they are!
The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion by Beth Brower
This is maybe cheating just a little, because I read volumes 2-5 in September and just loved them all–each one got better. If I had to pick just one, I’d pick volume 5. These books take a little bit to get into, in my opinion, but the characters are so well done and the feel of the books is so fun, even while they handle deeper issues of grief.
What Does it Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella
I bawled (like I do anytime there is a mom with cancer, it’s hard for me to contemplate a mom leaving behind children). I loved the way this was formatted and was riveted the entire time. It’s short and sweet and based on the author’s real experience, which only made it better.
The Song of David by Amy Harmon
Another book I bawled through. I listened to this one and couldn’t put the audiobook down. I love the narrator and the characters. The ending drove me crazy (there’s a question throughout much of the book that gets left open to interpretation at the end, which is not my kind of ending) but I loved the rest of the book enough that it was still a favorite read.
I Think He Knows by Katie Bailey
Katie Bailey is one of my favorite clean rom com authors and this book was super fun! I love “friends with a famous actor” plotlines and I also fell in love with the main character’s daughter Legs (and her extended family) in the previous book. I highly recommend any of Katie Bailey’s books for no or low spice rom com lovers!
Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Casimino
This is the newest release in the series (and is book 5). I have to admit that I really loved book 4 and thought the series should have wrapped up there, so I was hesitant in reading this one. I was pleasantly surprised in how much I loved it! It felt like it pulled back and slowed down a little again, and while what happened in past books didn’t disappear, it was almost a fresh start for the plot, which I really liked. Their neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, was the best part of the book, she is a riot!
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Those were my favorite books of the month of September! What did you read last month? What is a book you read and loved recently? I’d love to chat books with you.
August was quite the month. Trying to juggle a baby with older kids (summer activities, home school, extra curriculars, friends, all of it) is exhausting. I did get some good reading in though and really enjoyed a lot of the books I read!
In August, I read 17 books and 4,737 pages in August, for an average of 278 pages per book. I read 15 books by female authors and 2 by male authors. I borrowed 6 and owned 11 of the books I read. I read 4 physical books, 5 eBooks, and 8 audiobooks. I read 7 middle grade, 1 YA, and 6 adult books. I shared 6 read aloud books with my kids and read 5 new releases. I had 5 rereads and 12 new reads. I read 2 “new to me authors” and 10 previously read authors (not including rereads). I read 1 book from my 2026 TBR, bringing the total read or DNF’d to 23 of 33. I read 4 books in a series, finishing 2 series and starting 0. I read 10 five star reads, 2 four star reads, 4 three star reads, 1 two star read, and 0 one star reads.
The Good, the Bad, and the Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto
I have loved the few books I’ve read by Jesse Q. Sutanto so far! I started with Vera Wong (my favorite so far) and this series is my second by her. I really loved the first book, but the second was just okay. I was very happy to find that I once again loved this third and final book in the series! It is wacky, but in the best way.
The Blackbird Girls by Annie Blankman
This middle grade historical fiction was different than I was expecting, but in a way that I loved. I was totally gripped by the characters and by the two main characters’ friendship. I learned about history and really enjoyed the “overcoming abuse” plotline. This would be a really good read for slightly older middle grade readers.
Rebel Summer by Cindy Steel
Cindy Steel is one of my favorite clean rom com authors and this book did not disappoint. It had a fun premise, a great “hate to love” romance, and characters that I loved reading about. I liked the way the author incorporated some of the heavier topics like emotional abuse into the light hearted romance.
These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
This was technically a reread for me, but I haven’t read it since I was a young girl, so a lot of it felt new to me. This has been my favorite of the series so far. I love Laura and Almonzo and seeing their relationship develop throughout the book is swoony in the best way.
One Wrong Step by Jennifer A. Nielsen
This was my final read of the month and I listened to it with my family in the car on a roadtrip (we listened to it in one day, there and back) and everyone loved it. The kids were begging to keep listening anytime we had to stop it and laughing at all the right spots and even my husband had us pause it when he ran in to grab some food somewhere because he didn’t want to miss it. It was educational, fun, and moving. I loved the theme of being able to let go of the past so you can move forward in your life and felt it was very well done. It got us through a long day of driving in the best way possible.
What did you read in September? What book have you read and loved recently? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
I have loved fairy tale retellings as long as I can remember. The first “real” novel I read was Harry Potter, but the second was Ella Enchanted. I was off track from school and walked through the snow to a daycare everyday instead of school while my mom was at work. One day, I got there and couldn’t find the book anywhere! I was devestated, because it meant I couldn’t finish the book, and I was right at the part with the balls. The next day as I was walking, I found the book sticking out of a snowbank! The cover was ruined, but the book itself was just fine and I was able to finish the story–which I loved. Char was my first “book crush” and I’ve reread Ella Enchanted more than probably any other book.
Today I wanted to share some of my favorite fairy tale retellings! Let me know some of your favorites–I’m always on the lookout for some new fun ones!
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Ella Enchanted is a book most people have heard of, but it is my most favorite retelling (and the first I ever read!), so it had to be included. It is a Cinderella retelling. One of its biggest strengths is the way it goes deeper on some superifical aspects–like the relationship between the prince and Cinderella before the ball–in a way that makes it feel very real. I highly prefer the book over the movie and will always be in love with Char.
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
Fairest takes place in the same world as Ella Enchanted, though it follows comlpetely different characters (and actually takes place in a different country). I love the themes of beauty and self confidence in this Snow White retelling.
Just Ella by Maragaret Peterson Haddix
Just Ella is a sort of retelling of Cinderella–I say sort of because it picks up after the original story and explores what it might be like for Ella as she moves to the castle for her “happily ever after”. Needless to say, things aren’t all as they appear or as she expected. I love the way it plays on the original story and the love story in this one.
Palace of Mirrors by Maragaret Peterson Haddix
Palace of Mirrors is the companion novel to Just Ella and while it isn’t a direct fairy tale retelling, it’s very fairy tale-esque with the princesses and plot. Haddix’s writing style is fun and easy to read, making these fairy tale books very enjoyable.
Cinder by Mariss Meyer
Cinder is a science fiction retelling of Cinderella and it is so fun! It is a great read even if you don’t normally enjoy science fiction. There are four books in the series and each is a fairy tale retelling that follows a new character, but that builds on the book and plot before it. After Cinder comes Scarlet–a Little Red Riding Hood retelling, Cress–a Rapuinzel retelling, and Winter–a Snow White retelling. It’s such a fun series with a lot of tie ins with the original fairy tales but enough uniqueness to really bring the story and characters to life.
Princess of Shadows by A.G. Marshall
Princess of Shadows is a fantasy Princess and the Pea retelling that was really fun to read! I really enjoyed the characters, the romance, and the world building. It was also fun to read a retelling of a less commonly found retelling.
Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston
Bookish and the Beast is also part of a YA retelling series that each follow a different character (and different fairy tale) in the same world. This is the third and my personal favorite, as it is a beauty and the beast retelling and focuses heavily on books–both things I love. The first is Geekerella–a Cinderella retelling, and the second is The Princess and the Fangirl–a Prince and the Pauper retelling. This series is clean when it comes to sexual content, but does have more language in it.
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Princess of the Midnight Ball is a sweet retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, great for younger readers as well. While it has romance in it, it has more of a “middle grade” feel to it than YA. The characters and plot are really fun and because I’m a dancer, I always love retellings of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
Princess of Glass is the sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball and is a loose Cinderella retelling. I loved seeing the ways this one differed from the traditional Cinderella story and all the shenanigans that take place alongside the romance.
The Stolen Kingdom by Bethany Atazadeh
The Stolen Kingdom is an Aladdin retelling with a really fun twist on the Jinni. The main character was especially fun to follow as she was proactive and strong, and I fell in love with Caden, or “Aladdin”, but my favorite character was the Jinni. This is the first of a series of retellings that are all fun, and it has a spinoff series that follows the negative arc of the main antagonist.
The Thirteenth Princess by Diana Zahler
The Thirteenth Princess is a Twelve Dancing Princesses middle grade retelling with a fun twist–the main character is the “thirteenth” princess. It is a fun, fast read that has particularly fun twists on the original fairy tale.
The Otherworld by Abbie Emmons
The Other World has loose Little Mermaid retelling vibes. This YA book has a love triangle and explores family relationships versus independence. I loved characters, the way the plot went, and the way everything resolved.
The Sweetest Spell by Suzanne Selfors
The Sweetest Spell is a very loose retelling of the Ugly Duckling. This middle grade book is so sweet and so enjoyable. I fell in love with all the characters, especially the main character Emmeline–she is so resilient, works through her doubts, and stands strong in the midst of terrible circumstances. The plot is really fun too, with great twists that I didn’t see coming.
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
The Goose Girl is one of my very favorite retellings, of a less-well known fairy tale also titled The Goose Girl. I absolutely love the world, the characters, and the character arcs of this story. The magic in it is very unique and fun and Shannon Hale’s writing style is captivating. This book is great for both middle grade and YA.
Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett
Rapunzel Untangled is obviously a Rapunzel retelling. It has a fun premise that the author does a great job delivering on. The retelling aspect of it is unique and the story is charming, great for a younger audience.
Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale
Rapunzel’s Revenge is a fun graphic novel retelling! This book has a unique take on Rapunzel–rather than the typical protagonist, you get to read about a proactive, cowgirl-style Rapunzel going on an adventure to escape her tower. There is a sequel–Calamity Jack–that is a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk and finishes off the story. Both are really fun reads.
Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke
Mighty Jack is another fun graphic novel retelling, also retelling Jack and the Beanstalk. It ties in with Zita the Spacegirl (not a fairy tale retelling, but an awesome graphic novel series). My kids love this series and I, as an adult, also loved reading it with them.
Seeking Persephone by Sarah M. Eden
I don’t know if the regency romance Seeking Persephone is meant to be a retelling, but my favorite part of it was the “Beauty and the Beast” vibes throughout. It also has tie-ins with Greek mythology. The romance is so sweet, I loved how their relationship developed and the slow burn of it. It’s one of my favorite regency romances, especially with the fairy tale retelling vibes.
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Gail Carson Levine
This is not necessarily a “fairy tale retelling” but it has fairy tale vibes and is based off of The Princess Bride, if Buttercup went out to serach for Wesley on her own after he left. I love the fairy tale vibes of this fantasy book, the sweet romance, and the plot twists along the way!
These are some of my favorite fairy tale retellings! What are you favorite retellings? I’m always on the lookout for some new good ones and would love to hear from you!
Looking back at my reading year is one of the best parts of a new year! I’m sure you can relate. I had a great reading year. I read a lot of books (probably more than I have since I was a young teenager!) and enjoyed so many of them. It was hard to narrow it down to my favorites, but this is my attempt to do so.
I read 230 books in 2024 and 71,113 pages, for an average of 309 pages per book, an average of 19 books per month, and 5,926 pages per month. I read 108 five star reads, 76 four star reads, 37 three star reads, and 9 two star reads. I read 66 fantasy books, 47 mystery books, 50 contemporary, 22 historical fiction, 20 nonfiction, and 16 classics. I read 97 middle grade, 25 YA, and 107 adult books. We had 52 read alouds (including books we listened to as a family). I read 84 eBooks, 43 physical books, and listened to 104 audiobooks. I read 170 books by female authors and 68 books by male authors. 163 books were new reads and 62 were rereads. I bought 71 physical books and donated 4, and I bought 206 eBooks, 107 audiobooks, and 49 picture books. It was a great year for reading and buying books!
And now, here are my favorite reads of 2024! I like to use categories to help myself narrow them down.
My Favorite New Release
I read quite a few new releases in 2024 and loved them, but this one was a favorite! It follows Butch Cassidy after he tries to get out of the outlaw life. A lot of the book takes place in Utah, which was fun since that’s where I live. I really loved the romance, the character development, and the ending (especially after being worried that I would hate the ending). Amy Harmon continues as a favorite author!
A Book that Surprised Me
I grew up loving Anne of Green Gables but never read anything else by her (and in fact, haven’t ever read most of the books in the Anne series, something I want to remedy soon!). I did not know what I was missing out on! I had never even heard of The Blue Castle until the eBook was on sale, but I bought it and then promptly devoured it. The characters had so much to them and the romance was adorable and I loved seeing Valancy grow in confidence and find herself. It was a hidden gem, and you can be sure I’m going to read more books by L.M. Montgomery this next year.
Runner Up: A Book that Surprised Me
This might be cheating a little–putting an extra book in this section, but I simply couldn’t narrow it down. I had read another book by Jane Harper a few years ago and liked it, but I kept putting this one off because it didn’t really sound like my kind of book. When I finally read it, I surprisingly couldn’t put it down. It was a character driven thriller, and I loved both the characters and the mystery in it.
Favorite Nonfiction
I didn’t read a lot of nonfiction this year, but I did read some that I really liked (runner up for this one would be The Anxious Generation). This parenting book wasn’t ground breaking for me–I’ve read a lot of parenting books, so I’ve heard everything already that was laid out in this book, but it was a much needed and great reminder. I loved the way the author talked about boundaries, how it’s never too late or too early, emotions in kids, and the way she gave permission to trust your child to learn what they need without a lecture from you.
Favorite Spontaneous Read
I have a big backlog of books to get through and love planning out my TBR, but I do throw in some spontaneous reads every once in a while. This was one of those and I loved it! I tend to enjoy middle grade mysteries, and this was a fun twist–a middle grade kid working with the FBI. The characters and friendships throughout the series are fun and well done as well.
Favorite Agatha Christie Read
Because I read an Agatha Christie book each month (at least one), I started just making this a category until I finish off her books. I loved so many of her books this last year, but The Clocks was my favorite. It’s a Poirot, though he’s actually not as involved in the mystery as most of his books. Despite that, the characters are just brilliant, and the mystery is a very fun one with a satisfying conclusion.
Favorite Book in a Series
I try to keep up with series that I start, so I end up reading a lot of books that are parts of series. This one is the start of an unfinished series, but can work as a stand alone. It was one of my top favorite books of the year! It was a quirky contemporary with a bit of murder mystery thrown in. I absolutely loved the main characters, especially Vera, and the ending was just my cup of tea! I can’t wait for the second one to come out!
Favorite Recommended Book
This book/author was recommended by one of my favorite book bloggers Everyday Reading. I love regency romances, but it can be hard to find ones that are really well written, but this one definitely was! It had a really great hate-to-love relationship with a marriage of convenience during the second half that was really fun to read. I loved the characters and the relationships they had with each other throughout.
Favorite Book That Made Me Cry
I have always cried easily during books or movies, so this gets its own category. The Sugar Queen was a really riveting read for me. The big twist at the end was pretty obvious, but I think it was supposed to be and I actually liked that it was. I loved the way the relationships ended up as well.
Favorite Read Aloud
We had a lot of great read alouds together, but this for sure took the top spot! I loved the book (in fact, I read it on my own first and then listened to it with the girls just a few weeks later). The kids all loved it so much that they wanted to listen to it again as soon as we had finished it. We listened to it together three times total in the year (usually on car trips, because it was a good length for that) and bought a physical copy for them to read on their own or for me to read aloud to them this next year more. It has a fun mystery, great characters, and jokes that even my five-year-old can understand and appreciate.
Favorite Book by a Favorite Author
Some of these categories have overlap, but that’s okay. One of my favorite authors is Katherine Center–I love the way she handles romcoms, with fun and quirky characters while keeping some substance in her books as well. In this one, I loved the “writing a rom com” plot line and the romance really worked for me. This didn’t take the place of my number one favorite Katherine Center, but it’s up there!
Bonus Category-Favorite Reread!
My main rereads in 2024 were Cosmere books by Brandon Sanderson–I talked about my plan in this blog post and managed to reread them all! It was tough to pick just one favorite, but I ended up picking Way of Kings. My favorite in the series is actually Oathbringer, but I just loved rereading Way of Kings this time, even more than Oathbringer. It never dragged for me the way it sometimes has in the past and the ending is just so great. If I got to pick a runner up, I would have picked Mistborn, but I would have had to pick the entire series.
Those were my favorite books this year! I had a great reading year, it was hard to narrow it down. What were your favorite books you read in 2024? I’d love to hear from you!
July was a fun reading month for me! I had some reads that surprised me with how much I enjoyed them and read one that I missed as a child but loved as an adult.
In July, I read 21 books and 6,203 pages, for an average of 295 pages per book. I read 7 eBooks, 12 audiobooks, and 2 physical books. I borrowed 10 books and owned 11 of the books I read. I had 7 rereads and 14 new reads. I read 9 middle grade books, 1 young adult book, and 11 adult books. I read 2 new releases. I read 2 books that are part of a series, starting none and finishing 1. I read 11 five star reads, 6 four star reads, 4 three star reads, and 0 two or one star reads.
Today I am sharing the books I read last month that I loved the most. I would love to hear what your favorite reads from July were!
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
The Lost Man is a character-driven thriller that takes place on a cattle ranch in the outback of Queensland. It didn’t feel like it would be my kind of book, but I devoured it and hated to see it end because then I couldn’t keep reading it.
The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
The Night Diary is a middle grade historical fiction about a half-Muslim, half-Hindu girl and her family as they try to find their place in the world as India gained independence from Britian and divided into two countries. Throughout, the main character Nisha is writing to her dead mother. It was a beautiful and heart wrenching story.
Dead Man’s Folly by Agatha Christie
I honestly just love most of Agatha Christie’s books, especially the Poirot ones. This one took a bit to get into for some reason, but once I did, it was a winner!
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
This middle grade was a fun read, but also hit on some deeper issues that I loved reading about. Zoe Washington’s father is in jail for murder and her mother doesn’t want her to have any contact with him, but as she starts writing letters to him, she realizes he might be innocent. The friendships and the family relationships in this one are very well done and the main character is one you want to root for.
That Fine Line by Cindy Steel
This was a fantastic hate-to-love romance with pranks and character growth and cute family ties. It was a lighthearted, closed-door romance and it exactly hit the spot for what I was wanting to read at the time.
Empty Smiles by Katherine Arden
This is the finale to the Small Spaces series and was a fantastic ending to it all. I found the series to be creepy, but not too much for me to handle, and I loved the friendships that developed throughout.
Emily of New Moon by LM Montgomery
I grew up reading Anne of Green Gables as a child, but somehow missed this one. I found Emily to be just as charming and fun to read about!
The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner
This was not what I was expecting going in, for some reason, but I devoured it. The mystery of what was going on and then the fallout of the confrontation and earthquake kept me hooked. I especially loved the female relationships that formed and the theme of motherhood that ran throughout.
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
This was a reread for me as I was reading it aloud to my kids. My girls (ages 9, 8, and 6) absolutely loved it and it was such a joy to share it with them. I loved hearing them laugh at all the appropriate spots and I also just loved revisiting this family and all the antics they get up to.
The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson
This was one of my Cosmere rereads for the month (since it’s shorter) and I had forgotten just how good it is! Despite it’s shorter lengths, it’s one of my favorites my Sanderson.
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
This was my main Cosmere reread for month. I was surprised to find as I started it that I was having a hard time actually wanting to reread it. As I got into, I enjoyed it, but it’s not my absolute favorite by Sanderson. The one thing I do LOVE about the book is the romance. I love that as a reader, I want the main characters to be together before they even meet in person.
Those were my favorite reads from July! What are some of your favorite books that you’ve read recently? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
Sarah Adams has been a favorite author of mine since I picked up her first book. I found Sarah Adams when she was writing her regency novels. When she came out with her first rom com, I read it and loved it and was hooked! I’ve read every one of her novels since except her newest book, The Rule Book (because it’s open door and I personally don’t read those).
I’ve loved all of the books I’ve read by her! They have all been 4 or 5 stars for me. Today I wanted to share how I rate her books, going from my least favorite to my favorite.
Practice Makes Perfect
While this is my least favorite of her books, I still really enjoyed it. I loved the characters and setting and she always writes amazing chemistry in the romance.
One reason this isn’t my favorite of her books is because it is heavily focused on the fact that the love interest has tattoos–I know that’s a big selling point for some people, but it isn’t really a thing for me, so I didn’t click with it. Another reason it was not my favorite is because it pushed the bounds on a “closed-door” romance for me more than any of her others (and in fact, she added an optional open-door epilogue after publication). The thing that bothered me the most was that the characters slept together without committing to each other and it has a more descriptive lead up scene to that. I still enjoyed the book overall, but because of those things, it was less enjoyable to me and made it my least favorite of her books.
When in Rome
This is the prequel to Practice Makes Perfect and is one of her latest books. One of my favorite things about Sarah Adams’ books is her characters and I really liked the main character in this one. The sexual content in this book (although it is closed door) did bother me some and for some reason, it didn’t click for me as much as some of her others. Like the previous book, though, it was still a solid 4-star read for me.
The Cheat Sheet
This was a fun book, with great characters and really fun friendships (especially within the football team). It wasn’t my favorite of her books as I’m not really into sports or football and the plot dragged a little more for me.
The Temporary Roomie
One thing I love about all of Sarah Adams’ books are her female leads–I think I love every single one of them, including the one this one book! They have such fun and individual personalities and are very relatable. I found myself laughing out loud with her throughout the book. I also loved the focus on pregnancy in this one. The plot didn’t leave as much of an impression for me, but I rated it 5 stars and really loved reading it!
To Con a Gentleman (and her other regency romance books)
Before Sarah Adams wrote rom coms, she wrote two regency romances as well as a novella, all connected. I very much enjoyed the characters and romance in these, as well as how clean they are (since they are regency).
While I love her regency books, I really fell in love Sarah Adams as an author when I read her first rom com. She really has a gift for rom coms!
The Match
This was Sarah Adams’ first rom com and it was a true delight to read! I loved the main characters, their chemistry, and the deeper plot surrounding her epilepsy and his daughter. It was still a fun, light read, but it was nice to have that depth to the characters. I loved the book from beginning to end and it got me hooked on reading rom coms!
The Enemy
This is the sequel to The Match and my number one favorite book by Sarah Adams! I loved everything about it, from the donuts to the characters to the romance to the relationship between the female main character and her mom. It is probably my favorite rom com I’ve ever read. And while (like I said before) I like every female lead Sarah Adams wrote, this one was my favorite. I loved her quirkiness and individuality and just loved reading her story!
Have you read any books by Sarah Adams? Which were your favorite/least favorite? I’d love to hear about them even (or especially) if your opinion differs from mine!
It has been a really good reading year for me so far. I’ve not only been able to read a lot of books, but I’ve also enjoyed so many of them!
Today I am sharing my favorite book each month and I would love to hear some of your favorite reads so far from 2023!
Tress of the Emerald Sea
Because I knew this book was a different style than Brandon Sanderson’s other books (and whimsy is not always my favorite style), I was little wary that I wouldn’t like this one as much. I’m happy to report that after reading it, this is now one my favorite novels by Brandon Sanderson!
I love Tress so much. She is such a fantastic character with such great growth. I love the crew she gets to know and the love story in it. I also really loved the ending, it blew my mind and wrapped everything up exactly right. I know some people don’t love Sanderson’s humor (I’ve seen people complain about it in Stormlight as well), but I actually love it. The humor in this book was sometimes juvenile (because of Hoid and how he was in this book), but that didn’t bother me and I did laugh a lot.
The Downstairs Girl
This is an historical fiction following 17-year-old Jo Kuan who works as a lady maid while secretly writing an advice column to a local newspaper.
I absolutely loved this book from start to finish! I loved the themes, the characters, the Miss Sweetie plotline, the romance, and strong ending.
What Alice Forgot
This is a Chick Lit with a thriller feel. It’s main plot revolves around an unreliable narrator who has amnesia, and I thought it was so well done.
I was one hundred percent committed to Alice’s life and marriage. I loved seeing how losing her memory helped her reconnect with her separated husband and struggling oldest daughter. I loved the side plots of her sister’s infertility and her adopted grandma’s romance. I was very worried that I would hate the ending, but I actually loved it.
The False Prince
I had previously read some of Jennifer A Nielsen’s historical fiction and loved it all. As a fantasy book, this was very different but just as good.
The book was fun from start to finish. It felt a little like Anastasia meets the Selection, but with boys, and it was such a fun ride. The plot twist at the end was a little obvious to me, but that did not lessen my enjoyment at all.
The Unknown Beloved
This is one of my favorites by Amy Harmon so far! The time period was very well done, the mystery/thriller aspect kept me hooked, and I loved the romance. I also really loved the aunts and how well their personalities came through. My favorite part was that it felt like a cleaner thriller (while it has some violence and language and a fade-to-black scene, it has very little language and sexual content than most thrillers I try).
There is some description of how “the Butcher” cut up his victims (it is based on a real serial killer). I am a wimp and cannot handle gore usually, but this didn’t bother me at all.
I would highly recommend to anyone who loves historical thrillers, especially with some romance thrown in.
The Screaming Staircase
I watched the adaptation on Netflix, loved it, and then when I found out it was a book, I immediately put it on hold at the library. I liked the adaptation more overall, but the book was very well done and, in some places, better than the show. I am glad I read it and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
I am a little wimpy, so I appreciated that it was never too scary or grotesque for me while also having a spooky atmosphere and tension. The show felt a lot scarier to me. It’s also very clean (no sex, scant swearing, not a lot of violence considering its kids fighting ghosts), which is something I appreciate.
It was fun to see the differences from the show, but it is very similar plot-wise, so if you have watched the adaptation, there won’t be a lot of surprises for you
I have loved the books I’ve read so far this year and can’t wait to read more in the remaining months!
What have been some of your favorite books so far this year? Let me know in the comments below!
