Top Reads of 2020

2020—what a year! So many things happened (covid, bedbugs, oh and some good stuff like boyfriend’s graduation and new jobs for both of us) but this post is about the books I read this year. There were 88 in total and so many good ones. I did highlights for my favorites and then followed up with some honorable mentions and extras just for funsies.

In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund

This is exactly what it sounds like—a story based on the board game Clue. It’s told from the teenaged perspectives of the 6 characters. (Fun fact: the inclusion of a POV character named Orchid surprised me until I looked online and found that she’d replaced Mrs. White in the newest version of the game.) This book had great writing that relied on you to make the connections for yourself and notice the clues that were being dropped, along with which questions did and didn’t get answered. It managed to have a lot of intrigue without being too creepy, which I enjoy in a mystery, and the characters felt distinct and fun.

Sky Without Stars/Between Burning Worlds by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell

These are the first two books in a trilogy that’s a Les Miserable young adult retelling set in space. It’s told from three perspectives—the teenaged equivalents of Éponine, Marius, and Cosette. To be honest, I don’t know if the first book alone would have made it into my top books for the year because I enjoyed it, but I feel like with the addition of the second book, you really get the chance to explore the character development and get into the secrets of the world(s). On Laterre, the main world, there’s a revolution trying to happen and a high-profile revolution leader who needs to get broken out of her prison on the moon so it can. That’s the background against which the three teens are trying to figure out who they are and what they want. By the end of the second book, one of them will make a sacrifice, one of them will face their innermost demons, and one of them will learn that they’re the key to the entire revolution. I can’t wait until the third book, Suns Will Rise, comes out!

Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo

Sugary, sparkly, happy. That is what this is, and I love it. A scandal-free K-pop star ends up on an impromptu, incognito day out with a boy who secretly works for the tabloids . . . although the longer Jack hangs out with Lucky, the guiltier he feels about exploiting her for his big break. In the tradition of every secretly-writing-a-[fill in the blank] story out there (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Hitch, 27 Dresses, etc.), this story is very cute and fun until the epic reveal/betrayal of trust, and then ends in a happy but also realistic way. What I liked most was Lucky as a character. She wants to eat everything in sight, she’s G-rated—okay, maybe a little PG at times—and is just genuinely comfortable in her own skin without making a big deal about it (sometimes when I read books, it feels like there’s an agenda behind a character being okay with who they are—like they need to prove why they’re okay with being X).

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Think Beauty and the Beast except the prince doesn’t turn into the beast until most of the way through the book, and also the girl was stolen from our world to break his curse, and also the girl has cerebral palsy, and also there’s a love triangle of sorts. On the love triangle, let the record reflect: I am Team Rhen. I liked this story because it took B&B and twisted it in really fun ways. Harper is fiery and doesn’t let her cerebral palsy slow her down. Prince Rhen comes across as snotty when you’re reading Harper’s perspective, but when you shift to his, you get how different his life experience is from hers and how that’s hurt and molded him. As for the third point of the love triangle—I’ll leave him out for now, but let’s just say that to learn more about him, you should read the sequel book, A Heart So Fierce and Broken. The third book comes out January 26th, 2021, and I—am—so—excited.

The Royal We/The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

I don’t usually go for adult reads, but I loved this duology. Basically, you are reading the fictionalized romance of William and Kate, Harry and Meghan, UK prince plus American girl. In this version, the prince is Nick and the girl is Bex. The book doesn’t follow real life, but it has that real life kind of a feel because it’s set in our world but with a fictionalized British monarchy. The first book covers years of Nick and Bex’s on and off relationship and their eventual path to the altar, and the second book answers the question, what now? Together, the books have secrets, tabloids, princess training, and more—an adult Princess Diaries kind of a vibe. I really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at royal life and relationships. More than anything, these books explore the sacrifices you make when you love someone and what you have to do to make a relationship work.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

I will warn you now—this is a sad book. Very sad. The reason it’s on this list is because it’s about the biggest tragedy in maritime history, which I didn’t even know about and I feel like I should have, and because the characters and the story-telling is crazy good. There are four main characters with distinctive voices, backgrounds, fears, and hopes. One of them turns out to be a sociopath. Not all of them will make it in the end. But even though this story makes you hurt for the horrors that war inflicts on innocent people, it ultimately ends in a hopeful, redemptive way that kept me thinking about it for days afterward.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

This sounds like a picture book, but nope! It’s about Eliza, who struggles with social anxiety but is the creator of a famous web comic, Monstrous Sea. The status quo of her world shifts when her biggest fan, Wallace Warland, transfers to her high school. She knows his online identity but he doesn’t know hers, and they slowly become friends. At the peak of the story, Eliza’s identity as the creator of Monstrous Sea gets revealed, and things go haywire as she tries to sort through the fallout and figure out if any of it—the comic, her relationships, life—is worth dealing with. Great commentary on social anxiety, online vs. in-person relationships, and the demands of a fanbase. It’s also fun to see Eliza and Wallace’s awkward in-person interactions paired with their snappy, flirty online dialogue. The book also includes art and story snippets from Monstrous Sea scattered throughout it, which is a fun addition.

The Iron Will of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee

This is a sequel, so read The Epic Crush of Genie Lo first, but this story picks up with Genie managing the demons living in her hometown, messing up her relationship with Quentin, and trying to figure out her future at college. Then it comes down the line that there’s a threat against heaven and whichever god defeats it will be the new ruler of heaven. Genie and Quentin jump in to help their favorite goddess with the task, but it turns out the problems are way bigger than they thought and someone will have to make the ultimate sacrifice if they’re going to save the world. I love Genie and Quentin in this book. They have such a unique romantic relationship and it’s fun to see them struggle with something as mundane as communication issues when they’re so capable of kicking demon butt. This book ends on a beautiful note that I didn’t see coming, which is an added bonus.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

What a book. This is a book that leads you to believe that a person is one thing and then twists them around into a new light so you can see that you were wrong. The story is that a bank robber attempts a poorly planned robbery at a cashless bank, panics, and ends up at an apartment viewing, holding the viewers (and one real estate agent) hostage. The POV shifts between the bank robber, the hostages, the two cops working the hostage situation, and the therapist of one of the hostages. I love how this book unfolded. By the end, it was hard to hold onto any of my assumptions about any of the characters and I felt so much for people in general, for all of us stumbling along in the world, making mistakes (some bigger than others—cough, bank robbery, cough). This book is about the anxiety that everyone deals with by being alive, and I loved it and everyone should read it.

Honorable mentions:

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

How It Feels to Fly by Kathryn Holmes

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer

Just for fun:

Weirdest book I read this year: Bobby Sky: Boy Band or Die by Joe Shine

Oldest book I read this year: The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope

Best audiobook I listened to this year: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Favorite reread of this year: The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen