books by s.r.

It’s that time of year again, friends — the reading wrap-up!

2020 was a WILD ride, if I may say the understatement of the year. My reading was definitely all over the place and for the first time in a while, I didn’t reach my goal of 50 books. However, I believe that’s okay, as 2020 was a year of adjustment, plot twists, and (hopefully) learning and growing as human beings. There were things that needed to take precedence over books, and I’m thankful that I was made aware of them so I could learn more about them.

2021 is going to be another wild ride for Hubby and I as we prepare to welcome our baby girl in the next couple of weeks. Because of this, I’ve severely reduced my reading goal to 12 books, as I want to make sure I’m focusing on the new addition to our family and not stressing myself out with goals I can’t meet. We’ll see how this year’s reading goes. 🙂

But, you’re still waiting on my 2020 wrap-up! Without further ado…

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Je Te Veux by Me
• Villager by Me
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
• Smoke and Mirrors by Me
• Servant, Mercenary, Brother by Selina R. Gonzalez
• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
• The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
• Caraval by Stephanie Garber
• Legendary by Stephanie Garber
• Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• Tell Me Three Things by Jennifer Buxbaum
• Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
• Finale by Stephanie Garber
• Awakening Shadows by Sydney Hawthorn
• This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Rook Di Goo by Jenni Sauer
• The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
• Fade to White by Tara K. Ross
• Daughter of the Deep by Lina C. Amarego
• Successful Self-Publishing by Joanna Penn
• Hope and Other Punchlines by Julie Buxbaum
• Thief by Me
• White Wolf and the Ash Princess by Tammy Lash
• Letters from the Dragon’s Son by Tammy Lash
• Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell
• The Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman
• The Sh!t No One Tells You About Pregnancy by Dawn Dais
• A List of Cages by Robin Roe
• How to Market a Book by Joanna Penn
• Merry Men by Me
• Wild Blue Wonder by Carlie Sorosiak
• The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
• Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
• The Raven Cycle Series by Maggie Stiefvater
• What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff
• The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner
• City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
• Under the Mountain by Nicole E. Tawney
• Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan

Best Reads of 2020:

Okay, and here’s the official section where I get to FANGIRL to all of you about some of the best reads ever!!!

Daughter of the Deep by Lina C. Amarego automatically takes top prize as my favorite read of the entire year. Full of pirates and high stakes and swoon-worthy characters, I couldn’t put this book down, and I can’t wait for the sequel to release on April 17th! If you’d like to read my review on it, you can find it HERE.

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller is another amazing book that I basically binge-read. Alessandra was a top-notch main character, and the romance in this book was exquisite. The plot kept me guessing, and the only thing I was disappointed about was when it ended. I wish this wasn’t a standalone so I could spend more time with these characters! If you’d like to check it out, you can find it HERE.

Rook Di Goo by Jenni Sauer — I will champion this sci-fi Cinderella retelling with amazing characters, a great plot, and happy endings until the day I die. If you’d like to check out my review for it, you can find it HERE.

Last by certainly not least, Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan! You can find the summary for it HERE, but be on the lookout for my personal review here on the blog in the next couple weeks!

Books that Surprised Me:

This section is for books that I didn’t expect to enjoy, just knowing my personal reading preferences, but ended up loving with my whole heart and then some! I cannot recommend these books enough, and I do hope you’ll check them out!

Fade to White by Tara K. Ross — I took a chance on this YA Christian fiction book, and it completely changed all of my preconceived notions about the YA Christian Fic genre. This book has a lot of anxiety rep that I appreciated, as someone who struggles with it personally, and the characters are relatable and raw. Highly, highly recommend. You can find my personal review HERE.

White Wolf and Letters from the Dragon’s Son by Tammy Lash — My friend CS Taylor has been begging me to read these books, and things fell into place when Tammy approached me about helping her with proofreading. Guys, you all know how I don’t cry when I read books? Well, BOTH of these books made me cry. Historical Christian fiction with a sweet romance… They were absolutely amazing. You can find their summaries on Goodreads: White Wolf and Letters.

Under the Mountain by Nicole E. Tawney — a vivid, stunning Christian fantasy debut that took my breath away. I couldn’t put this book down for anything, and I’ve literally raved to the author about how wonderful it is, bless her. The plot is intense and keeps you turning the pages, and the romance between the princess and her guard is exquisitely done. I’m normally not a fan of more insta-love romance plotlines, but this book challenged that notion, and I have since recommended it to quite a few friends. You can check out the synopsis HERE.

Books I was Disappointed With:

I wanted to note really quick that just because I was disappointed with these reads doesn’t mean you won’t find them enjoyable! They just ended up not being my personal cup of tea. 🙂 For the most part, I was blessed to read a ton of wonderful books this past year, so this section is pretty short.

Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins stands out the most. I absolutely love The Hunger Games movies and this was my first time reading through the whole book series… I was just severely disappointed with the writing style and how the series ended. It all felt rather bland and unsatisfying to me. However, I’ll continue to love the movies and I stan #TeamPeeta. 🙂

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald — I love The Great Gatsby so much and hoped this book would be more like it, but alas, it wasn’t. There’s a lot that I feel went over my head, a lot that I didn’t understand, a lot that felt like it was the author’s tangents instead of an actual story or something the main character would think/feel/do. That being said, I discovered one of my all-time favorite writing quotes in it: “Every author ought to write every book as if he were going to be beheaded the day he finished it.” Gives me chills every time.

What was your favorite read of 2020? What books are you looking forward to reading this year? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!