Let me start this post by saying this, I love to read. Reading has been one of my outlets to decompress and a hobby I've genuinely enjoyed since I was a kid. This year, one of my major struggles has been making time for myself to decompress and have hobbies, so this list is much shorter than I'd hoped it be.
That being said, the fewer books that I've read this year as compared to year's past were really good ones -- some of my favorite books ever. With the year winding down, I've been making it a priority to read more as well. Between being on trains in the city more, starting to carry a book with me in my bag when I'm out and about, and making it part of my unwind routine to take a bath at least twice a week to manage my stress with a book, I'm starting to get back into the habit.
But without further adieu, here is everything I read in 2021.
By: David M. Rubenstein
Biography Politics Business Non-fiction Self-Help B
How to Lead was an interesting look into the minds of some of the most formidable change makers in our day and age. From multi-billionaire CEO's to some of the people writing groundbreaking policy. How to Lead pulled back the curtain of the persona and into the mind of the person. This book would be a great gift for a college grad!
If I Had Your Face By: Frances Cha
Fiction Female Friendships B+
If I Had Your Face tells the story of four young women living incredibly different lives in the same apartment building in Seoul, South Korea. From an artist, to a "salon girl", to a hair dresser, to a hopeful mom-to-be, I found this book and it's characters to be fascinating. It is artfully constructed with beautiful attention to detail of each of the women and their lives. I highly recommend.
Normal People By: Sally Rooney
Fiction Romance Coming of Age
A
Normal People was easily one of the best books that I read this year. Marianne and Connell seem to have a magnetic field around each other, with not much in common outside of the forces that continue to bring them together. Marianne enters the story as a loner, a bit eccentric, with a complicated family. Connell is popular and well liked. As they age, roles change and they continue to cross paths and old habits die hard. A must read.
The People We Meet on Vacation By: Emily Henry
Fiction Romance B+
The People We Meet on Vacation is quite literally the perfect beach read. It's a fun friends-to-lovers romance that features a travel blogger based out of New York City, her recently rekindled friendship, and a new adventure on an old tradition. It's a great escapist novel for the middle of winter or to read on a vacation of your own.
It Ends With Us By: Colleen Hoover
Fiction Thriller-ish
B [Trigger Warning: Abuse]
It Ends With Us was my first entry into the literary world of Colleen Hoover. So many people rave about her books so I was excited to jump in. It Ends With Us follows Lily, a young woman living in Boston, from her adolescence to present day. She finds herself living a life she's always dreamed of, but all might not be what it seems.
Meet You in the Middle By: Devon Daniels
Fiction Romance Politics C-
I'm not sure what I was hoping for when I picked a romance book about two enemies on different sides of the aisle that fall in love, but I found myself wanting to know more about the main characters professional life than her personal life.
Ace of Spades By: Faridah Abike-Iyimide
Fiction Thriller A
The best description I've seen of this book is to take Get Out and mix it with Gossip Girl and you get Ace of Spades. Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo are two students at a prep school chosen to be.prefects. When an anonymous person called Aces begins sending out text messages spilling their secrets to the whole school, their lives get turned upside down. This book was SO good, full of twists and turns, and a surprising end that I did not see coming! I can't recommend it enough.
The Midnight Library By: Matt Haig
Fiction
B+ [Trigger Warning: Suicide]
Can one moment of your life truly change everything? Nora is at a pivotal moment of her life showing that one moment, and one decision, truly can change everything. Frustrated by how her life has gone and dismayed about its trajectory, Nora makes the decision to take her own life and finds herself in the "in-between", a library full of books about her life, each varying by one small degree, one decision, and how her life could've been different.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Fiction Hollywood Romance A+
Old Hollywood. Salacious romance. Twists and turns. Truly, what more could you want in a book? The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a new classic, absolutely riveting, and a page turner in the truest sense of the phrase. I absolutely loved this book and am very much looking forward to the screen adaptation, coming soon. This book is tied for my favorite book of the year.
Red, White, and Royal Blue By: Casey McQuiston Fiction B+
What would happen if the President's son fell in love with a European prince? This book answers that question through a storyline that starts as a fun enemies to lovers and then carries the weight of two of the world's most powerful nations. This was a fun read!
The Idea of You By: Robinne Lee
Fiction Hollywood Romance
A+
HOLY SHIT. You guys. This book. If there is one book on this list you absolutely MUST read, it's the idea of you. Solène Marchand is a sophisticated art collector and recent divorcee, who takes her tween daughter to see her favorite boyband. When they meet the band backstage, there's a spark of electricity between Solène and Hayes Campbell (essentially, the Harry Styles of The Idea of You). Then, an electric love affair is born. I devoured this book and found myself wanting more. This is tied for my favorite book of the year. An absolute MUST READ!
My goal for 2022 is to get back into the habit of reading at least two books a month. Here are a few currently in my cart.
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
Yolk by Mary H K Choi
Fake by Erica Katz
A Special Place for Women by Laura Henkin
Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner
The Hive by Gregg Olsen
The Soulmate Equation by Christina lauren
You can also find everything I read in 2020 here! Your internet BFF,
kylee p.s, this post has links that may offer affiliate commission, meaning I may earn a small percentage of the sale price at no cost to you. That helps power the content I create! Thank you for your support!
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