Let me start by saying that this is one of the most difficult posts I have ever had to write. How can I narrow down a whole year’s worth of reading to only 10 books?! Throughout this year, my world has been opened up to more genres, more authors, and more characters than I have ever been exposed to before. I read a total of 79 books in 2020, so to narrow down the top 10 is quite a difficult feat, but here is what I came up with:
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10. In A Holidaze
Genre: Holiday Romance
What I loved: This book is just a lot of fun. This is the perfect holiday read with so many fun Christmas traditions. It has snowball fights, Christmas tree shopping, eggnog, you name it.
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9. The Guest List
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
What I loved: This is a fast paced thriller that takes place in a remote island off the coast of Ireland. There are many plot twists, multiple POVs, and a nonlinear timeline; definitely my cup of tea.
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8. The Devil and the Dark Water
Genre: Thriller / Historical Fiction
What I loved: Stuart Turton is one of my favorite authors. His detailed writing style, mini-cliff hangers, and unpredictable plot twists are just some of the reasons why I loved this book so much!
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7. The Grace Year
Genre: YA Dystopian
What I loved: I have not met one person who did not love this book. Combine The Hunger Games trilogy with The Handmaid’s Tale, plus its own unique thriller/romance plot, and you’ve got yourself one amazing read!
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6. Dark Matter
Genre: Sci-fi
What I loved: This fast-paced sci-fi reads very similar to a thriller novel. This book was impossible to put down and really leaves you with a heavy book hangover once you are finished!
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5. The Vanishing Half
Genre: Historical Fiction / Contemporary Fiction
What I loved: I think this is probably one of the most popular reads of 2020 and that’s for a very good reason. This story delicately and intentionally delves into some difficult topics that need to be addressed. This book is not only unputdownable, but it also gives a fresh perspective through each character in the story that is worth reading.
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4. Layla
Genre: Paranormal Romance
What I loved: This story hooks you right away and will keep you reading until the late hours of night. This book is dark and twisted and absolutely addicting from beginning to end.
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3. The Silent Patient
Genre: Psychological Thriller
What I loved: This was probably my favorite thriller of 2020. I did not predict the plot twist or the ending at all! This was only my second read of the year and I am STILL thinking about it!
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2. The Book of Lost Names
Genre: Historical Fiction
What I loved: Kristin Harmel is one of my favorite authors and this is my favorite book by her. I hardly ever cry while reading and this book gave me ALL THE TEARS. I fell in love with the characters and with the purpose of the story. To anyone who enjoys historical fiction or is wanting to try reading historical fiction for the first time, you need to pick this one up!
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1. Recursion
Genre: Sci-fi
What I loved: This story BLEW MY MIND. I literally felt like my brain was exploding because of how incredible the plot was. I felt like there was no way the author, Blake Crouch, could wrap up the story and yet he did, and he did it perfectly. I am not much of a sci-fi reader, but this story also includes romance, thriller, and action. It is the first book I recommend to anyone and everyone.
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Phew! That was a challenge! Did any of my top 10 books also make your top ten? Share in the comments below!
Happy reading in 2021!
XOXO
Alaina
