Best of 2021 | My Favorite Reads

Happy Friday, friends! Did everyone make it through the first official week of 2022 with their sanity intact? We made it!

Today, I’m continuing my “Best of 2021” series by recapping my reading year. I used to list my favorite reads of the year in a “top 10” format, but last year, I opted to break down my favorites by category and do some superlatives (a la Sarah’s Book Shelves Live). It was a super fun way to recap my reading and I was excited to bring back this format again. Let’s dive in!

Overall Favorites

Favorite Overall Book

Know My Name by Chanel Miller – This book is a masterpiece. It is Chanel’s story about being sexually assaulted by Brock Turner, the ensuing trial, and the aftermath. During the trial, Chanel was known as “Emily Doe” and then her victim impact statement (<– give it a read, if you haven’t) went viral after it was posted on Buzzfeed. In this book, Chanel takes back her story and speaks her truth. It’s a hard, harrowing book, but I am so grateful to her for writing it and bringing us into the nightmare she endured. I listened to this one on audio, which I highly recommend, as Chanel has such a soothing voice. Naming this book as my overall favorite of the year was a no-brainer, truly.

Favorite Fiction

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune – I adored this book. I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did, as fantasy normally isn’t my jam. But everything in this novel just worked for me. The magical elements, the characters, the love story. It was all so sweet and with a message I can fully get behind. In this novel, Linus Baker, a case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youths, is sent to Marsyas Island Orphanage where six magical youths (who have been classified as highly dangerous) live. He must inspect the orphanage, meet the youths, and determine whether or not to shut down the orphanage. There are themes of acceptance and diversity and inclusion woven throughout the novel, and it was just one of those books that made me happy-sigh when I finished it. This book has definitely earned its place on my all-time favorites list, for sure.

Favorite Nonfiction

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson – This book is a stunning work of research, depth, and thoughtfulness. In it, Isabel Wilkerson posits that the United States is a caste system where Black people are at the bottom and white, wealthy people are at the top. Any Black person trying to scale into a higher caste is frowned upon, degraded, and sometimes even killed. Wilkerson deftly outlines how the U.S.’s caste system is similar to the caste systems of India and Nazi Germany with stories and facts and history. It’s a long read and I recommend taking it slowly, as there is so much to digest, but it will be well worth your time.

Favorite Romance

Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis – Oh gosh, what is there to say about this sweet love story? I tore through this book, reading the second half in one sitting, which is something I rarely do these days. Emmie completely stole my heart and I was so invested in her love story. I just wanted her to get her happy ending! She most certainly did (this is a romance, after all) and the journey to getting there was not without its tears or triumphs. The next time you need something light-hearted and sweet to read, pick this book up.

---

Favorites by Category

Favorite Literary Fiction

Writers & Lovers by Lily King – What a surprisingly wonderful read! I wasn’t expecting much from this book—literary fiction doesn’t always work for me—but it was an easy 5-star read. I listened to the audiobook, which was likely the way to go, and found myself completely immersed in Casey’s life. Her struggles with dating, jobs, writing, and money were something I could highly relate to, and her grief over losing her mom was so well-done. This one won’t work for everyone, but it was definitely the right book at the right time for me.

Honorable mention: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

Favorite Contemporary Fiction

The Guncle by Steven Rowley – I didn’t love this book while I was reading it. I liked it a lot! But I came into it with very high expectations—I was expecting a really silly but fun novel about a single gay uncle (Patrick) who has fun adventures with his young niece and nephew. While it has a cheery cover and title, this novel is not exactly cheerful. It is actually very heavy. It’s a story about grief, after all. The young niece and nephew are with Patrick because their mother has just passed away after a rough battle with cancer. Their father is in rehab. And their uncle is grieving not just the loss of his sister-in-law and best friend, but also a lover he lost years ago. There are moments of levity. Patrick is ridiculous in the best possible way. The setting is magnificent (Palm Springs!). When I finished this book, I felt like I had just been through an emotional journey. It made me laugh, it made me teary. Did it live up to my expectations? Not exactly. But the more I sat with this book, the more I realized what a phenomenal read it was. I read this book over the summer and I still think about Patrick, those kids, and their story. And that’s the mark of a truly great novel.

Honorable mention: One Two Three by Laurie Frankel

Favorite Historical Fiction

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler – This book was phenomenal. It was originally published in 1979, about a Black woman who is married to a white man and is celebrating her 26th birthday in 1976 when she is suddenly thrust back in time to the antebellum South. She continues to travel back and forth in time and the reason why is revealed within the pages—and it’s very compelling. This book was a hard read, as any book involving slavery is, but so well-written and poignant. One of those must-read books!

Honorable mention: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

Favorite Contemporary Romance

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez – This book surprised me! I have not been a huge fan of Abby Jimenez’s writing, but this one was the exception. It follows Sloan, who is grieving a significant loss and suddenly finds herself face-to-face with a puppy who jumps into her car one afternoon! The owner, Jason, is out of town and his girlfriend is supposed to be watching the dog. Jason doesn’t find out that Sloan has the dog until a few weeks later. Thus begins the sweetest meet-cute ever of Sloan not wanting to give up the dog and Jason wanting his dog back and some seriously flirty phone calls and text messages. I just adored this romance. I loved Sloan and Jason’s bantering. I loved Tucker, the dog. And I loved the way everything came together in the end.

Honorable mention: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Favorite Historical Romance

The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite – What a beautiful sapphic romance! I loved the emphasis on healing from trauma, women in science, and standing up for what you believe in. Lucy and Catherine were so much fun to read about, and my heart grew ten sizes as they realized the love they had for one another. There wasn’t a single thing I’d change about this book, even all of the astronomy sections.

Honorable mention: A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare

Favorite YA

This Is My America by Kim Johnson – This was a stunning debut, and I honestly cannot believe it is Kim Johnson’s first novel! It was so well-written, propulsive, and poignant. The novel centers around 17-year-old Tracy who has been sending letters to Innocence X (a law firm that specializes in exonerating people who have been wrongfully convicted) since her father’s wrongful conviction seven years ago. He has less than a year before he will be executed, so her pleas are becoming more and more desperate. Meanwhile, a white teenager is found murdered, Tracy’s brother becomes the prime suspect, and he goes on the run. It’s a novel filled with twists and turns with an explosive finish, and I just couldn’t get enough of it! (Note: Bahni Turpin reads the audiobook and she’s excellent!)

Honorable mention: Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean

Favorite Mystery/Thriller

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton – This book was so fascinating and I finished it completely awed by what the author had accomplished. The story is about a man named Aiden who has been tasked with solving the death of Evelyn Hardcastle. The only problem? Every day he will wake up in the body of someone else, reliving the day over and over again until he learns who the murderer is. I loved the setting of the novel—a creepy mansion—and all of the unique characters. It felt like real-life Clue! The novel was filled with twists and turns, and I’m still not sure how the author connected the dots as perfectly as he did.

Honorable mention: Thirteen by Steve Cavanaugh

Favorite Memoir/Essay Collection

When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Novel by Patrisse Khan-Cullors – It’s hard to describe how important this book is. How essential to understanding what it is truly like to be Black in America, to be Black and queer in America. Patrisse Khan-Cullors, one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement, takes us through her past—the painful moments, the horrifying ones, the traumatic memories—that led to where and who she is today. This book impacted me on a deep level, and it’s one you should definitely add to your antiracism reading list.

Honorable mention: The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

---

Superlatives

The Most Disappointing DNF

The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary – I abandoned this book around page 100, unable to handle the silly characters or over-the-top plot. Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare was one of my favorite reads last year, and I had such high hopes for this book! It was such a disappointment. (It has a 3.64 rating on Goodreads, compared to The Flatshare’s 4.08, so I guess I’m not alone in my dislike!)

The Most Disappointing Book I Read

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry – Ughhh, this book. I honestly do not understand it’s 4.08 Goodreads rating (which is higher than Beach Read, a book I much, much prefer to this one). I didn’t love the characters, hated that the entire plot centered around miscommunication (my least favorite trope), and felt like the entire reading experience was a slog.

The Book I Was Most Surprised to Love

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab – I was so delighted by this book! I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, considering it’s a fantasy novel and pretty long (450 pages). Perhaps it was just reading a book at the right time, but I was fully invested in the plot, the characters, and even the fantasy elements.

The Book I Thought I Would Love More Than I Did

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – This book is clearly beloved. So many of my trusted sources gave it 5 stars and I expected to love it just as much! But it just didn’t work for my reading taste. While it is a fantasy novel, so a suspension of belief is a given, there were parts of this novel that felt too far-fetched (how does one woman have SO many fascinating “other lives”?). I also didn’t love the ending. It felt very, “Just be more appreciative of your life and your depression and suicidal ideation will go away!!!” Bleh.

Most Deserving of the Hype

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah – I am forever a Kristin Hannah stan, and this book was exceptional. I learned so much about the Dust Bowl era and what people had to do to survive during the Great Depression. While I wish she had ended the book differently, this is still a novel I am happy to recommend over and over again.

Least Deserving of the Hype

The Push by Ashley Audrain – This book was everywhere early in 2021 and I was glad to get my hands on a library copy quickly. But I just didn’t love it the same way other people did. Maybe the book was less impactful because I’m not a mother or maybe my expectations were just too high. Who knows!

The Book I Loved That Other People Hated

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware – This book has a low rating on Goodreads (3.54 on 137,000+ reviews) but I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a solid thriller and the creep factor was high. I was really satisfied with the ending, too, which isn’t always a given with thrillers.

The Book I Hated That Other People Loved

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson – I am pretty amazed at how much I disliked this book because it gets rave reviews from so many people! The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes covers the same topic (in fact, there is some plagiarism controversy with the two books, which I don’t personally buy into it) and I found that book to be so much more compelling and better written. This one just wasn’t for me!

The Underrated Gem of the Year

American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures, edited by America Ferrera – With less than 5,000 ratings on Goodreads, this book is an easy option as my underrated gem. This collection of essays brings together so many wonderful voices—immigrants, children of immigrants, indigenous people, etc.—to discuss what it’s like to be living between two cultures. Not every essay is a masterpiece, of course, but all of the stories deserve to be told and listened to.

Best Audiobook Experience

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds – This book is a novel in verse, so listening to it rather than reading it was really the way to go. It’s read by Jason Reynolds who is a spoken-word poet, so he really knows how to read the book in the way it’s meant to be read. It’s a powerful story of family and honor and trust, and so uniquely written, and I just had to give it my top audiobook spot this year.

What books were most and least deserving of the hype for you?