Well, tomorrow is my 32nd birthday, so I thought it would be fun to share my favorite reads for 31! Now, I am writing this post a week before my actual birthday, so it is possible another title will catch my eye, but I think I’m close enough to the actual date that I can risk it. So without further ado, here are my favorite books I read as a 31-year-old.
10. I Dream of Popo by Livia Blackburne, illustrated by Julia Kuo
I Dream of Popo by Livia Blackburne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Casually crying at work again no big deal.
9. Milo Images the World by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson
Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Crying at work again. Such a good book.
8. 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.
Read my full review here.
I won’t say that The Last Cuentista is unpredictable. If you’re familiar with dystopian fiction, then you’ll recognize the plot. Petra and her family flee earth with a number of scientists and their families as a comet comes hurtling in their direction. Other scientists will care for them while they are frozen in sleep. When they wake, they will inhabit a new planet. But something goes wrong when Petra is prepared for sleep. When she wakes up in the future, the ship has been overtaken by the sinister Collective. Everyone looks the same, and they are no longer like the humans they are awakening. Petra wants to find her family, if they are still on the ship, and to escape the Collective. However, she’s the only human with any memory of Earth. Everyone else’s mind has been wiped. Through storytelling, can Petra remind the other humans on the ship about their past and help them to escape? And are all the members of the Collective truly dedicated to their cause?
7. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book so much and cried on the desk a number of times while reading it. (Thankfully the part that made me all out sob was read at home.) I was sucked in from the first page. Nora is a great character, and her relationship with Libby was done so well. I don’t have any siblings and still felt that sisterly love to my bone, it was that well written. I loved how Charlie loved Nora for who she was, and how through her relationship with him and Libby’s actions she was able to live for herself by the end of the book and still get her happily ever after. Also VERY here for 30-something love stories where the communication is ON POINT and the representation of not wanting kids. (Marriage and children epilogues always bother me, LOL.) Finally, while most of the book doesn’t take place in NYC, Nora’s thoughts on it throughout the book are truly a love letter to the city (or at least Manhattan and Brooklyn lol).
Read my full review here.
I loved how much Charlie and Nora had in common and how he saw her for her and loved her for who she was. Nora and Libby’s relationship was also stunningly done. I’m an only child and I still felt the sisterly love to my bone. Nora always took care of Libby, and while Libby appreciates that and even can’t imagine life different, she wants to help her sister too and really does so in this book. I loved that through Nora’s relationship with Charlie and Libby’s actions, Nora was able to live the life she wanted instead of living to care for others – and received her own happily ever in the process.
6. Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade
Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This might be the best in the series! Lovers to friends to lovers. Maria and Peter have a one night stand before finding out they’ve been cast to play roles opposite one another for six years on a quiet island. While they butt heads at first, they quickly become friends who are hesitant to give back in to the deep attraction and developing love between them until the show wraps. But then, they both have some shit from their past to work through before they can compromise, grow, and give one another the happily ever after they deserve. I loved the body positive message in this one. The hero and heroine are both tall, strong, healthy, fat, and hot, because none of those things are mutually exclusive. And Maria is a sexy modern heroine who doesn’t like to remove her body hair and stands by that despite pressures to do otherwise in her career. As always, the Game of Thrones references were so fun and the epilogue – SO ON THE NOSE and hilarious.
Look out for my full review closer to the release date.
5. The Duchess Hunt by Lorraine Heath
The Duchess Hunt by Lorraine Heath
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Simply *wow* – I truly loved this one and everything about it. After Scoundrel, I was so excited to see these two together, and Heath did not disappoint.
Read my full review here.
Simply wow. This book starts off as a slow burn, and burn it did. I was rooting for these two to just kiss already from page one. Once they did, they couldn’t stop, and it was a pleasure to read. While the secrets were a little convoluted and I wasn’t pleased with Kingsland’s initial reaction to Penelope’s, ultimately these two loved one another to be supportive and make it work. I was swept up in this emotional story about two smart, efficient people who thought they knew what they wanted in life only for them to have their plans turned upside down by love. Besides, there’s something about thinking of these characters by their last names for most of the book that just does something for me.
4. A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adrianna Herrera
A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was lovely! The chemistry between Luz Alana and Evan was on point from their first meeting, and I loved her friends – can’t wait to read their books. I love the marriage of convenience trope, I love strong heroines, and I am *so* here for “actually diverse” historical romance after the popularity of Bridgerton.
Read my full review here.
Luz Alana and Evan meet at an exhibition in Paris. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and though Luz had no plans to marry, it becomes apparent that a marriage of convenience between the two would sort out both of their problems. Luz Alana could get her inheritance, currently under the control of a third party unless she marries or convinces him otherwise, and Evan would inherit his distillery as per his mother’s will. The two agree to a temporary marriage of convenience with benefits, though the love between them is evident and neither looks forward to leaving the other.
3. Much Ado About Dukes by Eva Devon
Much Ado About Dukes by Eva Devon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a great book! I devoured this romance. Beatrice is a feminist who plans never to marry. Will is a duke and an excellent example of an ally, always willing to listen and lift the voices of others, always willing to have his perspective challenged – except about love. He refuses to give in to emotion. Beatrice believes she won’t like Will, but once they meet, a friendship is quickly formed – with a spark, of course. When Beatrice finds her fortune is lost, she knows she needs to marry. Poverty is not an option, especially when she funds so many women and organizations. Will proposes, and the two enter a marriage of friendship and convenience, agreeing to never fall in love. But of course, they quickly do. Will has to accept that it’s alright to have emotions, and while Beatrice will stand for nothing less than his love, his brothers help him come to his senses and realize that love – between family, between partners, between friends – is a beautiful emotion and worth the risk of pain.
Read my full review here.
When Beatrice refuses to accept anything other than love from her partner, his brothers help him see that love – between family, between friends, and between romantic partners – is a beautiful emotion everyone deserves to experience.
2. Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen
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.
Read my full review here.
What charmed me so much about this story is that it was the first time I read a book where a character was not loved solely in spite of her anxiety but also for it. I love that we see how anxiety makes Garlic more empathetic and also a high achiever. Her motivation for confronting the vampire is based on extreme worry for others as well as a need to prove herself to Carrot, who believes in her. We have such a silly, whimsical story that does a great job showing anxiety beyond the surface level and the traits and values it can instill in a person in only a few chapters.
1. A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall
A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The best romance novel I have read in years.
Read my full review here.
What an emotional read. The first third of the story is pure hurt/comfort goodness and I could not stop crying every few pages. Once our hero and heroine worked out how they could remain in one another’s lives, if only temporarily, the tone cheered up a little, but there was still plenty of angsty romance goodness. And as I am led to believe is common for this author, the side characters added so much heart and humor to the story. This emotional, romantic read is my favorite romance of 2022 so far and I rate it 5 stars.
31 was a fabulous reading year, and I look forward to even more great books at 32!
