Happy 2018! In honor of the new year, I thought I’d talk about the best of the best of last year. Here are my top ten reads from 2017. I know I always say “in no particular order,” but this time, they are in descending order. This was such a hard decision because, for the first time in quite a while, I had way more than ten five-star books to choose from!
Coming in at #10 on my list is Infini by Krista & Becca Ritchie. Has a book ever ripped my heart out quite so much as this one? Luka Kotova is still in my head all these months later. I’m honestly tearing up just thinking about him.
At #9 is The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman. Hoffman is an amazing storyteller and, here, she perfectly captured the ambiance of New York with a little magic. The book is at times heartbreaking, at times funny, and always enjoyable.
I’m happy to put Operation Prom Date by Cindi Madsen at #8 on this list. This book was cute and fluffy and left me wondering why I’d never found a boy like that when I was in high school. I’m eagerly anticipating Cindi’s next YA release.
Next up, at #7, is Turtles All the Way Down by John Green. I’m sure this book is on literally everybody’s “Best of 2017″ lists, but it certainly deserves its spot. This book was about anxiety more than anything else, and I have to applaud it for portraying the nitty-gritty details and not just the cute, quirky bits that often make their way into YA novels.
Book #6 is Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. I flat-out devoured this book. It’s such an interesting concept for a YA book and was so well-executed.
Rounding out the top five is Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. This was my only re-read of the year and I absolutely adored it. Like, even more, the second time around.
It’s getting hard to rank these books, but #4 would have to be Anything You Can Do by R.S. Grey. This was the first book of hers that I ever read and it still stands as my favorite.
We’re getting close to the end, and heading off the top three is The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. This just barely got the edge over #4 on the list because of the resolution at the end.
#2 on my list is My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. This book was just so much fun, so engaging, and never once felt like it was nearly 500 pages. I cannot wait to read their next Jane book.
Finally, at #1, is The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I am still in utter shock that this was a debut novel. Angie Thomas masterfully described race relations in America without ever once sounding pushy. This book should be required reading.
The Bibliophagist 