Recent Reads | My 2019 favorites

It's been a hot minute since I've participated in Steph and Jana's Show Us Your Books link up and its the perfect time to do so, since today we are recapping our yearly favorites. 

I was honestly shocked that 2/5 of my favorite books of the year were historical fiction, and that I only had one thriller make the list this year. Especially considering mystery/thriller was the biggest genre category that I read from in 2019. Regardless of genres, these five books were absolutely wonderful and I am so glad that I read them this year. 

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This was a historical fiction, interview style novel telling the story of the most famous collaboration/band of the 70s, Daisy Jones and The Six, their rise to fame, and the group's private, never-before-discussed split that occurred in the middle of their most popular and sold out tour. This was incredible. It was like reading a VH1 Behind the Music episode. I loved that TJR made this unique choice with writing style, and thought it was so interesting to hear vignettes from different band members, all recounting different sides to the same story. I loved this and read it in one sitting. I highly recommend this book to music lovers. 

The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah. This is a historical fiction novel set in World War II Nazi-occupied France. It tells the story of 2 sisters and their lives during the war. Both sisters have very different experiences, both very shocking and humbling, and the stories are told so beautifully. It is the first WWII book that has truly kept me interested, intrigued, and invested in years. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy reading about this time period but want a different take on it. I really think it should be required reading in school.  

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekannen. This book really spoke to the psychology lover in me, as it is rooted in a psychological experiment on morality and choices and explores the relationship between a psychologist and her experiment's participant. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and I'm pretty sure I read this in a 24-hour time span. This one was a page turner, for sure and by far the best thriller I've read all year. 

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams. I decided to pick this up from my library on a whim after 4 months of not finishing anything, and I am so glad I did. I flew through this book and got out of my reading slump thanks to it. This is a story about married couple Gavin and Thea, who are currently separated and possibly pursuing divorce after years of not communicating. Gavin is obviously devastated so his friends bring him into their secret book club - a book club where all the men read romance novels to help with their relationships. This story was so fun. We not only got excerpts of the historical romance novel that the book club was reading, but also the beautiful second chance love story of Thea and Gavin and how they worked on their marriage. Gavin gave it his all to win his wife back, and I loved every minute of this story. I laughed out loud so much, and I was more than thrilled when I heard that my favorite character- smartass, hilarious entrepreneur Mack- is getting his own sequel, featuring his love story with Thea's younger sister, Liv. I will definitely be picking up this sequel as soon as it comes out. In case my gushing wasn't obvious, I gave The Bromance Book Club 5/5 stars.

The Simple Wild by KA Tucker. I adored this book.. it's probably my #1 favorite of the year. Canadian city girl Calla learns that her estranged father- who she hasn't heard from since she was 12 years old- has cancer. She decides to visit him in Alaska before he begins his treatment and so, off she goes to the Alaskan bush, worlds apart from her Toronto home and way of life, all in an effort to get to know the man who is her father. I loved everything about this book- how Calla grows up so much throughout the course of the story, the setting of Alaska, the pilot lifestyle, seeing Calla and Wren get to know each other as father and daughter, Calla and Jonah's relationship, the side characters, the ending.. basically everything. I laughed, I cried, I smiled, I worried... it was SO good.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas, and an even better reading year! I read the most I ever have this year (only a whopping 30 books- but still!) and I am so happy that reading has made such a comeback into my life. Cheers to 2020, new books, and new authors to look forward to. Thanks for reading! 

Linking up with Steph.