Thursday, January 7, 2021

My Favorite & Least Favorite Reads of 2020

Hey, guys!

This year was full of so many books that I enjoyed, but only 14 made it to my true favorites list from the year. If you've followed me for very long, you'll know that I usually would have done a "top 20 of 2020" sort of situation, but it just didn't fit this year. There are quite a few runner ups for 2020, so stay tuned for that toward the end of the post. 

If you've read my long blurb about 2020 from my 2020 Wrap Up post, you'll know that 2020 was my year for historical romance exploration, but I decided that I would only choose two total HR titles from the 30+ that I had managed to read. It was hard to pinpoint, so stay tuned.


Here is a glimpse of my favorite reads, but here we go!

When I make these lists, I have a hard time making them in any sort of order. I usually know my favorite of the year, but that's about it. Sometimes the favorites are so close that I just pick a top 1-3 books, but this year's pick was just so definite in my mind. 


While creating this graphic, I attempted to narrow down my favorites in a pyramid shape to see how they rank in my mind. Here we go!

✨The Top 3✨



House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas
5 stars
Date read: March 13

cw/tw: suicidal ideation, grief, loss of a loved one, drug use, blood, gore, violence. There are also explicit discussions surrounding sex and sexual content.

My #1 -- my all-time favorite read from 2020 was House of Earth & Blood by Sarah J. Maas. Who's surprised? Sarah J. Maas is one of my top 3 favorite authors. That will never change. HoE&B was such a phenomenal read. I cannot wait to reread it this year (before CC#2, maybe? I doubt it'll come out this year, but a reread is going to happen). 2021 is the year for rereading SJM's work and annotating. It's going to be wonderful.

CC was everything I could have hoped for. It was my last read before I was officially quarantined, before I went online for my last semester of college, and before my official romance reading marathon began. It. Was. Perfect. (for me). I know that this book didn't work for a lot of people, but it really spoke to me and I adored it. It means so much to me. I really want to reread it before I fully review it though. Stay tuned!

A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3) by V.E. Schwab

5 stars
Date read: October 27

cw/tw: abuse, torture, abduction, slavery, captivity, talk of suicide, violence, gore, heavy blood descriptions, abandonment, grief, PTSD. There is also a sex scene.

This was everything. I absolutely adored revisiting A Darker Shade of Magic in 2020 and finally continuing on with the series and finishing it. I'm so obsessed with V.E. Schwab's writing skills, her style, and the characters she creates. Her attention to the line between good and evil is so genius and her morally grey characters are my absolute favorite. I cannot wait to continue reading more from V.E. Schwab/Victoria Schwab because she is just quickly becoming an all-time favorite.

A Reaper at the Gates (Ember in the Ashes #3) by Sabaa Tahir

5 stars
Date read: October 2

tw/cw: physical abuse, paranormal possession, violence and warfare, torture, captivity, PTSD

I'm so glad that I picked up An Ember in the Ashes again. I hadn't realized how little I had remembered from my first read when it first came out. I think I loved it even more than that first read-through. It still read like a debut (which isn't a bad thing at all), but it was so much fun to listen and read to these books, see Sabaa's writing style improve this book was full of so many twists and turns. I'm so freaking jazzed to finish the series in 2021. I had planned on marathoning the last book on the day of its release, but I had had to work and I had managed to start three books before the release. 

Sabaa Tahir is such a gem of a writer!


✨My Other Favorites!✨
(in no particular order)


A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

5 stars
Date read: February 22
 
Trigger/Content warning: Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, physical/verbal harassment, parental abandonment

This is a must-read. You won't regret picking this one up. It was everything I had hoped for when it comes to a hard-hitting YA contemporary. The characterization was spot on, the discussions that it inspired were phenomenally executed, and I think that this is one of those books that needs to be circulated through schools. I would love to teach kids about this book -- and I don't even want to be a teacher. 

Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

5 stars
Date read: October 11

Heartstopper is absolute perfection. I adore Alice Oseman's writing style, but her art style is just one of my favorites ever. Her soft characters give me the best feelings. I cannot wait to read more volumes of Hearstopper in 2021.

It was so delightful to get a glimpse into Charlie and Nick's love story and I cannot wait to see how it progresses. 

Take A Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2) by Talia Hibbert

5 stars
Date read: July 29

This book was my favorite of the Brown Sisters series so far! I adore Chloe Brown, but Dani took my heart. 




Spinning Silver
by Naomi Novik

5 stars
{goodreads link}
Date read: August 15

This was such a phenomenal read. The audio experience was perfect and the care and detail that the audio narrator put into their performance were just flawless. Naomi Novik is a masterful writer and I cannot wait to read more from her backlisted works. I cannot stress enough that you should absolutely pick this book up.

Well Met (#1) by Jen DeLuca

5 stars
Date read: March 22

cw: this does contain sexual content, a pirate in leather, and a swoon-worthy man in a kilt

This book was so swoon-worthy and lovely. 



Bringing Down the Duke (#1) by Evie Dunmore

4.75 stars
Date read: March 27

The first historical romance novel that I actually adored! This was such a fun concept! I cannot wait to read more from Evie Dunmore! 




Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

4.75 stars
{goodreads link}
Date read: July 20

This was such a wonderful m/m romance! This made me feel all of the feels. 

Check out my review {here}!

The Tea Dragon Tapestry (Tea Dragons #3) by Katie O'Neill

5 stars
{goodreads link}
Date read: July 29

This was a beautiful conclusion to the Tea Dragon series. Katie O'Neill is such a masterful artist and writer! I cannot wait to buy my own copies of the entire series. 

My series review can be found {here}!


Beach Read by Emily Henry

4.5 stars
Date read: April 15

This book has some pretty polarizing opinions surrounding it, but I really loved it. It really kicked my butt into gear to get back to writing and to start drafting a risky literary fiction piece. I'm really glad that I read it and I really loved the characters and the romance. 



Ninth House (#1) by Leigh Bardugo

4.5 stars
Date read: April 8

cw/tw: drug use, overdosing, murder, death, loss of a loved one, rituals, gore, PTSD depiction, grief depiction, self-harm, bloodletting, rape, child (12) rape (it is only two pages, but it is very graphic), statutory rape (15), sexual assault, forced sexual assault on video, talk of suicide, blackmail, physical abuse, a magical date rape drug, forced eating of human waste (to a rapist), and racism (always in a negative light)

This book took me quite a long time to read, but wow oh wow did I enjoy it. While this read quite slow, it's only because horror/mystery novels aren't necessarily my usual cup of tea. However, there were so many elements to this story that didn't make it just a horror/mystery novel. I adored the fascinating characters, the paranormal elements, and the constant shifts in time throughout. This was an excellently crafted novel. I need book 2, please.

The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) by Tessa Dare

4.75 stars
Date read: April 25

cw/tw: for abandonment, emotional abuse, talk of past war themes, and just for the main character that has very low self-esteem, who is constantly belittling himself.

Last but not least! Tessa Dare's The Duchess Deal had to make it to this list. This was the book that fully pushed me into the historical romance genre. This book -- the entire series really -- is a work of art. Tessa Dare is a fabulous historical romance author and I'm patiently and impatiently waiting for the final(?) installment to the series. 

If you're interested in checking out some historical romance titles, start with Tessa Dare!

✨The Runner-Ups✨

There were so many books to sift through -- so many wonderful, excellent books that I can't stop thinking about, so here are my seven runner-ups! 


    1. City of Brass (The Daevabad Chronicles #1) by S.A. Chakraborty
      • 4.5 stars
      • Beautiful mythology, intriguing characters, fabulous twists, and turns.
    2. The Okay Witch (#1) by Emma Steinkellner
      • 5 stars
      • Witchy lore, family-focused story, focuses on bullying and feminist ideals, and a fantastic art style.
    3. A Kiss at Midnight (Fairy Tales #1) by Eloisa James
      • 4 stars
      • Fantastic writing, hilarious moments, Cinderella-inspired historical romance
    4. Work For It by Talia Hibbert
      • 4.5 stars
      • Grumpy softy searching for self-confidence x Cynical softy searching for self-love; m/m romance, powerful friendships, and love
    5. Woven in Moonlight (#3) by Isabel Ibanez
      • 4.5 stars
      • Bolivian-based folklore and mythology, arranged marriage trope, masked vigilante
    6. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
      • 4.5 stars
      • Parallelled story between an interviewer and a famous actress, Evelyn Hugo. Powerful, romantic, originally written.
    7. Wayward Son (Carry On #2) by Rainbow Rowell
      • 4.5 stars
      • Full-on feels! This was so much fun to read! I love Simon and Baz's stories so much. I need to know how it ends!

    ✨Most Disappointing 


    There were quite a few just-okay reads this year, but there were only 5 that were true disappointments. 

    2 stars
    ~ This was just so bland and boring. The characters weren't who they were developed as in Bring Me Their Hearts. There was so much telling rather than showing the reader. It was just wholly disappointing. 

    2.75 stars
    ~ I wanted to love this story, but I was just so bored. The pacing was all wrong and the romance seemed forced. It was steamy and electric, but it wasn't my favorite.

    2 stars
    ~ This was one of the biggest letdowns. I was so underwhelmed and disappointed by this book. It definitely did not live up to the hype that was in my heart. I absolutely adored Kiera's previous novels. The Selection series is one of my all-time favorite series and I will love them forever, but The Betrothed was just a whole lot of nothing. 

    RM: 3 stars
    DM: 2.5 stars
    Unfortunately, these were just not as good as the first three books. It just felt like the writing has just not lived up to my expectations. Shatter Me, Reveal Me, and Ignite Me were just so fantastic, but these were just a letdown. The writing just wasn't on par compared to the previous books. They didn't seem like complete drafts.


    What were your favorite and least favorite reads of 2020? Let's discuss!

    Happy reading!
    Olivia
    Liv the Book Nerd ~

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

2020 Reading Wrap Up

Hey, all! 

I know this is going up quite late -- especially in comparison to my later years of blogging. However, here we are! This year was quite a good year for my reading. However, the books that I read -- the good majority of them -- were romance. I'm not mad about it, but I definitely read more than I usually would read in a given year. This year was my year for romance, particularly historical romance. I've broken down my read genres for the year (marking down the number of historical romance reads as well), so if you're a stats person, that's for you (and me). 

This year was hard. I'm not going to sugar coat it because I'm pretty sure it wasn't the greatest for anyone. This year, a lot of things happened. I'm very sure that you're aware. However, this year and the events that occurred were pretty unprecedented... and my mental health took a dive. I was hella depressed and my anxiety was the worst it's been since I was 18-19. I'm fine, truly, but I had to learn new ways to cope and I found new things that really helped me stay in a better headspace -- or at least escape for a while. One of those things was romance novels. I love them. They're so nuanced, there's something for everyone, and doing a deep search and experimental dive into the different writing styles, subgenres, and tropes in the romance genre was so invigorating and so incredibly fun. 

Since my first romance novel of the year, I've found so many new favorite authors and even more books and authors that I want to read in 2021. Stay tuned for that. 

I also solidified my preferences for adult content in the literature I consume. While I still love a YA novel, I've found that I've really begun to veer towards the adult content that I never thought I'd love. Examples are Victoria Schwab (also a YA author), Jay Kristoff (another author who writes YA), Talia Hibbert, and many more authors with titles that I have yet to explore. Stay tuned for more adult novels in 2021! They're so much fun!!!

Below is my breakdown of all the books I've read in 2020! I've read 138 full -length novels, novellas, short stories, graphic novels, manga, etc. 

Which of these books have you adored? Are you interested in reading any of them in 2021? 


* ~ for review

January

  1. Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur
  2. Steven Universe: Just Right (Volume 4) by Rebecca Sugar
  3. Steven Universe: Find A Way (Volume 5) by Rebecca Sugar, Grace Kraft, and Rii Abrego
  4. Tweet Cute by Emma Lord*
  5. Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams*
  6. Sadie by Courtney Summers
  7. Little Bird: The Flight for Elder's Hope by Darcy Van Poelgeest and Ian Bertram
  8. Ark by Veronica Roth
  9. Ouran High School Host Club Volume 2 by Bisco Hatori
  10. Ouran High School Host Club Volume 3 by Bisco Hatori
  11. What He Doesn't Know by Kandi Steiner
  12. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
  13. Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibanez
  14. Sea of Strangers by Lang Leav
  15. Ouran High School Host Club Volume 4 by Bisco Hatori
  16. Koko Be Good by Jen Wang
  17. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
  18. Find Me Their Bones (Bring Me Their Hearts #1) by Sara Wolf*
January Reading Wrap Up: {click here}


February

  1. Circe by Madeline Miller (reread via audio)
  2. Beyond the Shadowed Earth by Joanna Ruth Meyer*
  3. Beezer by Brandon T. Snider (Audible exclusive)
  4. Their Eyes Were Watching God 
  5. Meg, Jo, Beth, & Amy by Rey Terciero, Bre Indigo, and Louisa May Alcott
  6. [DNF] Foul Is Fair by Hannah Capin*
  7. Sick Kids In Love by Hannah Moskowitz*
  8. Go With the Flow by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann
  9. A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
  10. Stargazing by Jen Wang
February Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

March

  1. Obsideo (The Illuminae Files #3) by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman
  2. Paula Spencer by Roddy Doyle
  3. Restore Me (Shatter Me #4) by Tahereh Mafi
  4. Shadow Me (Shatter Me #4.5) by Tahereh Mafi
  5. Defy Me (Shatter Me #5) by Tahereh Mafi
  6. Reveal Me (Shatter Me #5.5) by Tahereh Mafi
  7. House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1) by Sarah J. Maas
  8. Highland Conquest by Heather McCollum*
  9. [DNF] Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco*
  10. Once Upon An Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices edited by S.K. Ali & Aisha Saeed*
  11. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  12. Well Met by Jen DeLuca
  13. Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
  14. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
  15. Anna K by Jenny Lee
March Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

April

  1. Room by Emma Donoghue
  2. Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
  3. Boss Man Bridegroom by Meghan Quinn
  4. Dark Lover by J.R. Ward
  5. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
  6. The Alien's Ransom by Ella Maven
  7. Beach Read by Emily Henry 
  8. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
  9. Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
  10. A Princess In Theory by Alyssa Cole
  11. The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
  12. Guarding Temptation by Talia Hibbert
  13. The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
  14. Theirs For the Night by Katee Robert
  15. The Governess Game by Tessa Dare
  16. Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare
  17. His Bride for the Taking by Tessa Dare


May

  1. Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey*
  2. A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare
  3. Once Upon A Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare
  4. The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare
  5. How to Catch A Viscount by Tessa Dare
  6. A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare
  7. A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane
  8. Why Don't You Dance by Raymond Carver
  9. A Lady By Midnight by Tessa Dare
  10. Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare
  11. Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare
  12. Lord Dashwood Missed Out by Tessa Dare

May Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

June

  1. The Betrothed by Kiera Cass
  2. Conventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert*
  3. Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 1 by Gene Luen Yang, Brian Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Gurihiru 
  4. Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 2 by Gene Luen Yang, Brian Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Gurihiru 
  5. Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise, Part 3 by Gene Luen Yang, Brian Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Gurihiru 
  6. Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi, written by Tracey Baptiste, Coe Booth, Dhonielle Clayton, Brandy Colbert, Jay Coles, Lamar Giles, Leah Henderson, Justina Ireland, Varian Johnson, Kekla Magoon, Tochi Onybuchi, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Liara Tamani, Renee Watson, and Rita Williams-Garcia
  7. The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty
  8. The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
  9. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
  10. The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole
  11. [DNF] The Never Have I Ever Club by Mary Jayne Baker*
  12. Fake It For Daddy by B.B. Hamel
  13. The Tea Dragon Tapestry (Tea Dragon #3) by Katie O'Neill
  14. Kat & Juju by Kataneh Vahdani
                      June Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

                      July

                      1. (reread) Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
                      2. Dreams from Many Rivers by Margarita Engle
                      3. An English Bride in Scotland by Lynsay Sands
                      4. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins
                      5. Stay Sweet by Siobhan Vivian
                      6. [DNF] The Lost City by Amanda Hocking*
                      7. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall*
                      8. Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
                      9. Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
                      10. Riden's Chapter (Pirate King #1.5) by Tricia Levenseller
                      11. Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller
                      12. (DNF) Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller
                      13. The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner
                      14. Take A Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
                      July Reading Wrap Up: {click here}


                      August

                      1. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
                      2. King of the Libertines by Pam Godwin
                      3. What Happens in Scotland by Jennifer McQuinston
                      4. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
                      5. The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare
                      6. Say Yes to the Marquess (Castles Ever After #2) by Tessa Dare
                      7. A Kiss at Midnight (Fairy Tales #1) by Eloisa James
                      8. Storming the Castle (Fairy Tales #1.5) by Eloisa James
                      9. When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James
                      10. [DNF] The Summer We Found Baby by Amy Hest*
                      11. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
                      August Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

                      September

                      1. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
                      2. A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
                      3. The Switch by Beth O'Leary*
                      4. Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams*
                      5. The Happily Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

                      October

                      1. A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
                      2. Love in the City by Jen Morris*
                      3. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
                      4. A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
                      5. [DNF] Simmer Down by Sarah Smith*
                      6. Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
                      7. The Girl the Sea Gave by Adrienne Young
                      8. All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Byrne*
                      9. Her Accidental Highlander Husband by Allison B. Hanson*
                      10. One Year at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks
                      11. The Duke & I by Julia Quinn
                      12. The Duke & I Epilogue II by Julia Quinn
                      13. The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
                      14. The Viscount Who Loved Me Epilogue II by Julia Quinn
                      September & October Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

                      November

                      1. An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn
                      2. An Offer From A Gentleman: The Second Epilogue by Julia Quinn
                      3. Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks
                      4. Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
                      5. Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The Second Epilogue by Julia Quinn
                      6. Wrapped Up In You by Talia Hibbert
                      7. Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh
                      8. One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London
                      November Reading Wrap Up: {click here}

                      December

                      1. Work For It by Talia Hibbert
                      2. My Fake Rake by Eva Leigh
                      3. The Roommate by Rosie Danan
                      4. Loveless by Alice Oseman
                      5. The Prince & the Troll by Rainbow Rowell
                      6. The Princess Game by Soman Chainani
                      7. Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

                      Genre Break-Down:
                      • Nonfiction: 2
                      • Graphic novels: 16
                      • YA romance: 2
                      • Adult romance: 64
                        • Historical romance: 33
                      • YA mystery: 1
                      • Adult horror: 1
                      • Manga: 3
                      • Classic:  3
                      • YA fantasy: 20
                      • Adult fantasy: 8
                      • YA contemporary: 5
                      • Short stories/novellas: 7  
                      • Poetry: 2
                      • Adult contemporary: 4
                      • Middle grade: 1
                      Number of Pages Read:  40,351
                      Number of Books Read: 138
                      Number of Books DNF'd: 6
                      My 2020 average rating: 3.5 stars

                      Shortest Book: Riden's Chapter (12 pages)
                      Longest Book: House of Earth and Blood (803 pages)

                      Average book length: 292 pages
                        
                      Most popular: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (2,756, 561 readers on Goodreads)
                      Least popular: Steven Universe: Find A Way (Volume 5) by Rebecca Sugar, Grace Kraft, and Rii Abrego (168 readers on Goodreads)
                      Highest Rated: The Tea Dragon Tapestry by Katie O'Neill (4.58 stars)


                      Thanks for tuning into my reading wrap up and thank you for sticking with me this year. I know I've dropped the ball when it comes to reviewing and updating this blog, but I promise that I will do better in 2021!

                      Happy reading & Happy New Year (late)!
                      Olivia
                      Liv the Book Nerd ~