Can you believe 2021 is over? We are already quite a few weeks into the new year and it’s been interesting to say the least. But I’m still thinking about my absolute favorite reads from 2021!
Check out my Top 10 reads of 2021 here!
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My First Read
The Roommate by Rosie Danan
The Roommate by Rosie Danan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a fun, sexy read and I loved the business Clara and Josh founded (with Naomi – can’t wait for her book). Josh does some extreme groveling at the end when I felt Clara needed to do a little more than he did. 🤷🏻♀️ Overall, I really enjoyed this one. A great start to 2021 reading! My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
My Favorite Romance Read
The Good Girl’s Guide to Rakes by Eva Leigh
The Good Girl’s Guide to Rakes by Eva Leigh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Omg, what a fun, sexy, empowering read. I’m obsessed with everything about this one. I love that we get two MCs who like to go out and be a little wild and getting their HEA doesn’t stop them from having that fun. ❤️ With a whole lot of dirty talking and a dash of guyliner, Celeste & Kieran are relationship goals.
My Favorite Children’s Read (…that isn’t Middle Grade)
Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds
Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love both of these creators and they’ve combined to make something really special with this one.
Despite everything, 2021 was an excellent reading year for me. These books all come highly recommended from yours truly.
My Favorite Middle Grade Read (…that isn’t my favorite read)
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Simply WOW. I don’t even like sci fi and could not put this one down.
My Favorite Audiobook
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book took me months to listen to, but every time I started playing the audiobook, I was immediately engaged. This book shows how NOT united the founding fathers were and gives plenty of insight not only into the life of Alexander Hamilton, but the lives of his friends, family, and political rivals. Fans of the musical will love hearing lyrics they are familiar with in letters and quotations from historical figures. This is a very lengthy read or listen, but so worth it, and the narration in the audiobook is very well done. I listened to it at 1x – the speed and rhythm was perfect.
My Favorite Reread
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
So here’s the deal: I’m going to be honest from now on. When people ask me my favorite book, I won’t name this adult novel or that classic. Yes, I love those too. But since I was nine, Ella Enchanted has been my favorite.
This is a middle grade read, and even as an adult it has it all: beautiful prose, a badass heroine, a feminist plot, whimsical magic, memorable secondary characters, amazing world-building, and a sumptuous romance. Char is my ideal man to this day, about twenty years since my first of many reads. And Ella is still one of the most relatable heroines.
While this is a book for kids in late elementary/middle school, the language is stunning. I learned so many words on my first read in 1999: desolate, corrosive, chicanery… The author introduces these SAT words so seamlessly.
If you like middle grade, fantasy, fractured fairytales, and/or romance, you need to read this book.
Favorite quotes:
Why did he think it was fine to talk about me as though I were portrait instead of a maiden?
If I thought of a joke, I wanted to try it on him. If I had a serious idea, I wanted his opinion.
I trust you to find the good in me, but the bad I must be sure you don’t overlook.
I hadn’t loved him as long, perhaps, but now I loved him equally well, or better. I loved his laugh, his handwriting, his steady gaze, his honorableness, his freckles, his appreciation of my jokes, his hands, his determination that I should know the worst of him. And, most of all, shameful though it might be, I loved his love for me.
My Final Read
Cookie Count: A Tasty Pop-up by Robert Sabuda
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is just gorgeous.
My Absolute Favorite Read
Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
As a garlic-loving, witchy vegetarian with anxiety, I couldn’t NOT vibe with this book. A short, fun read.
