Top Ten Reads of 2018

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Happy New Year everyone!! ❤ I’m sorry haven’t been on much the past week or two. My mom surprised my brothers and I with a trip to Las Vegas for Christmas, which was such an amazing present 😍 I got back yesterday but while I was gone I had hardly anytime to go on my laptop. Since I’m a bit behind on my end of 2018/beginning of 2019 posts, I’m going to try to post a few over the next few days. I’m going to start with my top ten reads of 2018!

I’m not sure why, but I have a weird obsession with making lists and ranking my favorites. Naturally, my “My Favorite Books of 2017” post was probably one of the most fun posts for me to write and I’ve been looking forward to making one for the books I read this year for quite some time. So without further ado, here are my favorite books that I read in 2018…

 

10. Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

always and forever lara jean

I loved all three books in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy! Lara Jean is such a fun, quirky, honest narrator and I loved reading about her life and relationships (both with her family and with boys). There is some truly wonderful advice given throughout the trilogy that really caused my to reflect on my own life and choices. It’s very hard to say which of the three is my favorite, but I’m going to go with the third one. If it was hard to put the first two books down, it was impossible to put the third down. I also really enjoyed the conclusion of Always and Forever, Lara Jean.

 

9. Wildcard by Marie Lu

wildcard

Last year, Warcross was #4 on my favorites of the year list. I loved this sequel just as much so I think the fact that I’m ranking it #9 is less of a reflection on Wildcard, and more of a reflection on how many amazing books I read this year.

A lot of people seemed to be unhappy with Wildcard, but I honestly really enjoyed it. I admit that it was quite different from Warcross in that it was much less about the Phoenix Riders and gameplay and more about Zero and his past. However, it was even more packed with plot twists. This book kept catching me off guard and as a result I did not want to put it down. I loved learning about Zero’s history and thought Marie Lu concluded the duology nicely, although I do wish there was going to be a third book.

 

8. Broken Beautiful Hearts by Kami Garcia

broken beautiful hearts 002

This book was such an unexpected gem. The first time I read the synopsis, I wasn’t that interested. However, I had been listening to audiobooks a lot around that time so when the audio version of Broken Beautiful Hearts went on sale, I thought, “Why not?” I’m so glad I gave this a chance because I ended up really loving it. Not only does it do an amazing job of discussing abusive relationships, but it is packed with lovable characters. Owen is one of my new favorite book boyfriends, Peyton was so strong and independent, and her twin cousins were hilarious. Overall, this book was unique and eventful, and I highly recommend it.

 

7. Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry

heretics anonymous

This book was just so unique. It definitely focused more on religion than any other YA book I’ve ever read. As it is about an atheist who is forced to attend Catholic school, it mentions a lot of Catholic beliefs and traditions. The fact that I was able to understand these references and relate to some of the characters’ experiences just amplified my enjoyment of the story, but I think you can still fully appreciate it regardless of your knowledge of the Catholic religion. There are messages in this book for everyone and it is undeniably the funniest book I’ve read this year.

 

6. You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon

you'll miss me when i'm gone

This was an absolutely amazing debut novel. You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone was the first book I read this year and it has really stuck with me. It discussed so many serious topics beautifully and included well-written characters with complex relationships. Tovah and Adina felt so real to me, and the division between them because of Huntington’s disease broke my heart. Both of the main characters underwent such wonderful character development and although their experiences were incredibly sad, they were gripping to read about. I’m so excited for the release of Solomon’s debut novel, Our Year of Maybe!

 

5. Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke

nice try jane sinner

This was another amazing debut novel and after Heretics Anonymous, it was definitely the funniest book I read this year. It is written in diary form and reflects on Jane’s experiences while on House of Orange, a student-run reality TV show that takes place at the community college Jane attends after being expelled from high school. Not only does it include hilarious sarcastic commentary, but it also gives insight into Jane’s struggle with depression. Overall, this story was so unique and incredibly enjoyable.

 

4. Scythe by Neal Shusterman

scythe 001

Ranking the top four books on this list was incredibly difficult as I thought they were all damn near perfect. The concept of Scythe is so unique and fascinating and I adore Shusterman’s writing. This novel was full of twists and it kept me fully engaged. I’m the worst and still have 100 pages left of its sequel, Thunderhead, but its already so wonderful that I’m confident it will make my 2019 list.

 

3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

seven husbands

After reading this book, I realized I needed to read outside of my comfort zone more often because this is not something I would have usually picked up and obviously I ended up adoring it. I also want to read more books by Taylor Jenkins Reid because The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was so incredibly well-written. This book was so interesting and I loved learning new pieces of Evelyn’s story.

 

2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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This was such a hard decision. Originally, I had Six of Crows as #1 on this list and if I rewrote it tomorrow it might very well be #1 again because I keep going back and forth between the top two. I loved everything about this book, especially the characters and the complicated, twist-filled plot. This book was so incredibly well-thought out and Bardugo is one of the queens of writing.

 

1. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

a court of mist and fury

This book was so fantastically spectacular. The reason I’m ranking it #1 is because on top of having the things Six of Crows has, from the lovable characters to the intriguing plot, it gave me all the feels – one moment I was swooning and the next I was having a heart attack. The romance in this novel is my favorite of all time and the ending absolutely shocked me. I can’t wait to finish the rest of the ACOTAR series and then start Throne of Glass!

 

So those are my top ten reads of 2018! It’s been a pretty amazing year as far as the books I’ve read and I hope 2019 is even better! 🙂 Let me know which books were your favorite and if you loved any of these as much as I did!

 

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