It’s time to gush about my favorite books of the year!

I look forward to make this post every year! And I think a lot of us look forward to reading everyone’s favorites. My list is definitely all over the place this year but I had such an amazing reading year.

I had more 5 star reads than ever before and because of that I couldn’t even fit them all in this list. So I’m starting off with –

5 honorable mentions

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You might be shocked to see House of Earth and Blood in the honorable mentions. I’m honestly shocked too 😅 Especially considering my review starts with “My favorite book of 2020”. But I read so many good books this year and this one just didn’t stick with me. I still loved it! It just didn’t quite make the official list.

Without further rambling..

Here are my 11 favorite books ranked in order from “least” to most favorite!

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11. The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

This was one of my first 5 star reads of the year and it’s stuck with me ever since. This is a YA dystopian about a society who believes that women are cursed and send them into the woods on their 16th birthday for 1 whole year to get the evil out of their system. This book was so much more (darker, more intense, gorier) than I had anticipated. And Kim Liggett’s writing blew me away. I can’t recommend this one enough!

10. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

This book was a huge shock and I nearly put it on my Most Surprising of the year list. But I loved this so much I just knew I needed to include it here. This is hands down the best YA mystery I’ve read to date. And the audiobook production was outstanding! I loved how the interviews and recordings were done with sound effects and different voice actors. It really brought this story to life!

9. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Riley Sager is definitely a favorite thriller author! I’ve enjoyed every book of his I’ve read but this one was so creepy and atmospheric! I loved the haunted house vibes, story within the story, and unlikeable characters. I was so caught up reading I never spent a moment theorizing – which made the ending even more impactful.

8. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Another audiobook favorite! This M/M rom-com was so funny and sweet. This has some of my favorite tropes – fake dating and enemies to lovers! These main characters were so different and flawed but I fell in love with both of them. And even though this book is quite long I absolutely flew through it!

7. The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

This was another shocking favorite that could have gone on my Most Surprising. I had no idea what to expect going into this horror debut. But what I got was a dark, atmospheric witchy story that I can’t stop thinking about (or recommending!). I loved the themes, the characters, the style, and really dark twist this took. I can’t wait for more from this world and author!

6. Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Aiden Thomas took the book world by storm with this amazing debut! I absolutely fell in love with these characters. I can’t remember the last book that had me so invested in a characters’ development and well-being. I sobbed so many happy tears at the end.

5. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

This book was another surprise. I’d heard amazing things about this book but I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the style/number of characters. This historical fiction follows 2 families across multiple generations. I was blown away by how quickly I cared and grew attached to each new character. I was so invested in every single perspective. This book hit me so hard and it’s one I recommend everyone pick up.

4. Legendborn by Tracey Deonn

The best YA fantasy I read this entire year! I cannot stop screaming this book’s praises. This is a twist on Arthurian legend that absolutely blew me away. It’s such a unique twist to the classic and I loved everything about it. I love the characters, the themes, the magic, the slightly love triangle. And that ending! Omg I can’t wait for more in this world and author.

3. Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis

Another HUGE surprise. This book wasn’t even remotely on my radar until the publisher reached out to me. I decided on a whim to give it a read since the premise sounded cute and fun for summer. But this book is such a hidden gem. So much was packed in here – romance, self discovery/love, friendship, etc. And by the end I was sobbing my eyes out.

2. Beach Read by Emily Henry

This was the front runner for my favorite book of the year for a majority of the year. I read this in late spring and was blown away by how hard this adult romance hit me. Not only did this have one of my favorite romances of all time, but the other messages in here were really impactful. I cried so hard while reading this. I can’t wait to read more adult romance from Emily Henry.

1. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

This might actually be my new favorite book of all time. I can’t believe how absolutely beautiful the writing in this was. There were so many lines and passages that I had to reread multiple times simply to bask in the beautiful language. I know V.E. Schwab has said this is the book she was always meant to write and I totally agree with her – this book was fantastic. I loved the characters, the stylistic choices, literally everything was perfection in my opinion. And another ending that had me reading through tears. I already want to pick this up again.

Just a side note – I don’t know if I’ll ever review this. I have a really hard time reviewing books that I love as much as this. Anyone else?

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What was your favorite book of the year?!

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