Halfway Top 10
I love writing my monthly and yearly wrap ups, but my favorite post of the year is always my Halfway Top 10. I love going back to January and seeing what I’ve read so far this year and where they all fall in terms of favorites. It’s also a great opportunity to reflect on my reading habits, what books i’m picking up, and I’m prioritizing. So far, atmospheric and unputdownable reads with characters I connect to have been the books that have stayed with me most! Come December, it will certainly be interesting to see if any of these remain on the list…
Let me know your top 10 reads of the year so far!
Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
I LOVED this beachy second chance romance. I gobbled it up on a cold day in March and it was everything I needed. It’s told in dual timelines and you’ll fall head over heels for the characters.
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
While this book wrecked me emotionally, I still loved it. I’ve never seen the way my anxiety manifests so accurately represented in a story and it totally won me over.
Chef’s Choice by T.J. Alexander
The! Most! Charming! Book! Of! The! Year! I freaking loved this book. It’s another book I read in one sitting on a cold snowy day and my goodness did I love these characters and their stories.
Happy Place by Emily Henry
I am an EmHen girly and I’m not sorry about it. Loved this book, loved the setting, LOVED Wyn and Harriet.
Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
Becky Albertalli is one of my favorite authors and I think this is my new favorite book by her. I loved the friend group, I loved the self discovery, the dialogue, the fun. It’s SO good. Technically YA, but the characters are in college.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
I could not. put. this. book. down. At all. My eyes were glued to it until I finished it. It was thrilling and anxiety inducing and relevant to my work as a reviewer/person on the outskirts of publishing. It’s so good.
Will They Or Won’t They by Ava Wilder
I flipping love Ava Wilder and her ability to tap into the mind of an actor. This is a love to hate to love trope as well as a celebrity romance and it was so good. I adored the characters and the CW esque show they were on.
The Daydreams by Laura Hankin
A year of celebrity stories apparently! This isn’t a romance, but it does have some romantic storylines. However, as someone who still holds a grudge against her parents for not letting her audition for the Disney Channel, I loved every second of this book.
The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forrest
I need more love for this book!!! It was SO fun to read on audio on a road trip and I cannot wait for Kristina’s next book to come out.
This book surprised me in the BEST ways. I thought it would read like a Beth O’Leary novel, which don’t tend to be my cup of tea, but it was so witty! The banter, the spice, the aching romance! It’s about a woman who after a break up, moves in with her elderly neighbor. After her neighbor’s death, she wants to reunite some of her ashes with the great love of her life. It’s a road trip romance with forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine and plenty of small town hijinks. I loved it.