Top 5 Books I've Read in the last Year

Out of the many books I've skimmed through since 2019, here's an overview of the ones I enjoyed the most :)

"the world belongs to those who read." -Rick Holland

The past couple of years I've been reading a lot because I had access to the library at my school. Freshman year I borrowed a book almost every day and came back for more constantly. A lot of them I've admittedly already forgotten, but a few are really good and I go back to get them so I can reread sometimes. (Yes, I'm one of those people who rereads books.)

1. The ACOTAR series - Sarah J. Maas

Wow. I LOVED this series. Sarah J. Maas' writing really made me feel something when I was reading, especially in the sad parts. I wouldn't have started reading the series if my friend hadn't forced me to read it, but I don't regret it. The story is about this girl named Feyre who is brought into a land of powerful fae beings and she has to undergo a lot of challenges and obstacles in order to bring peace to her country and to be able to stay with the fae High Lord who she meets along the way. Some of the scenes honestly made me cry, but I really, really enjoyed reading all the books and I've reread them all multiple times. Feyre is really empowering in how independent and determined she is, she really brings the whole idea of being your own person, as a woman, to life. the character development is really good, especially for the two main characters (Rhysand and Feyre) and it was really touching to see their relationship develop too.

2. I'll Give You the Sun - Jandy Nelson

This book was touching in all sorts of ways and did crazy things to my heart. I cried a lot reading it, maybe because it was well written or maybe because it's just really relatable. I'm not quite sure yet. The story is about these twins who's mother dies in a car accident in the middle of a lot of family drama. The book follows their lives as they grow up into teenagers, and they have a lot of emotional issues which makes the book feel very real. The girl goes through a lot of dating problems and rebellious phases while the boy struggles with his sexual identity and falling for his best friend. They drift apart throughout the book but in the end they realize that they need and love each other, which made me cry. I would definitely recommend it.

3. Love And Gelato - Jenna Evans Welch

Romance novels. I honestly love them with a passion. I adored this book, I read it at least three times because wow it made me feel things. It's this adorable book about a girl who moves to Italy and meets this boy who shows her around the city. It's not sad at all and its so cute, their story is so much of a rollercoaster but I loved them together. Welch really made their relationship the stuff that girls dream about.

4. the Caraval Trilogy - Stephanie Garber

Hooked. When I started reading this I was hooked. I couldn't stop reading it and the characters' emotions and adventures felt so real it kept me up for hours finishing the books. The whole series is about two sisters who have to make it through a magical festival that is based on illusions and magic. Obviously, they both meet the loves of their lives in the midst of life-threatening adventures and end up in a whirlwind of plot twists and relationship problems, which are actually thrilling and sometimes heartbreaking to read. Yes, I cried multiple times but I'd say that means Garber wrote the books well.

5. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender - Leslye Walton

This book was stuck in my head for days after I read it! It's so sad but touching at the same time. It's about the timeline of generations of the Lavender family, from Ava's great grandmother to her. The family's pasts overlap into Ava's present and try to save her from something that will inevitably happen to her. Ava is a teenage girl who wants to hide rather than be seen because she was born with wings, an abnormality that she's ashamed of until the end of the books, when she realizes that even though they caused her heartbreak and pain, they make her unique. Definitely a chilling read, I had the storyline playing through my head for weeks afterwards.