I read a lot of books. Like, a lot. Currently, I have read 110 books in 2021. Some of them were rereads of my favourite books I’ve read in years past and some were new releases that I was super excited for. There was a month where I only read one book and there was a month where I almost read twenty. It’s been a journey since January and I wanted to share my top read in each month of 2021!
January – Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas
Heir of Fire is the third book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas. I read the series in its entirety this year for the first time, and I was such a huge fan of it! Heir of Fire is where the plot really takes off and everything changes (the only other example I can think of is the Harry Potter series after Goblet of Fire). The main love interest is introduced and the heroine has to work hard to overcome her foibles and be the hero that she needs to be. I loved this book and rated it 5 stars. I have linked it right here on Goodreads.
February – A Court of Mist and Fury & A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas
Sarah J Maas is definitely one of my all-time favourite authors. Her new book came out in February and I reread the entire series to enjoy it to the fullest extent. ACOMAF is my favourite book from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series (by far) but I also enjoyed the new book. A Court of Silver Flames focused on Nesta, the protagonist from ACOTAR’s sister. She had a hard journey of recovery and it was a well-written book. I recommend and I have linked it right here on Goodreads.
March – Crush by Tracy Wolff
The Crave series is nostalgic for me because it reminds me of Twilight (and not just because it has vampires and werewolves). I read it for the first time in 2020, right after the second book in the series, Crush, came out. I reread the series again this year in anticipation for Covet, the third book. Spoiler alert, I was not the biggest fan of Covet. Crush, to this day, is still my favourite book in this series and my favourite book that I read in March. I have linked it right here on Goodreads.
April – A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
I’ve heard loads of great things about this book series! I was able to read it for the first time in April and managed to snag the Bookish Box exclusive edition of the third book in the series (which came with exclusive dust jackets and was signed by the author!). The first book in the series, A Curse So Dark and Lonely, was the one I liked best. I enjoyed the characters and the pacing of the book. It’s linked right here on Goodreads!
June – Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
This is in my top five reads of all-time. Whenever I’m in a reading slump or want to enjoy a phenomenal book that is perfect in every way, this is the book I pick up. I think I’ve read it three or four times since I read it for the first time in 2020 (which I have no regrets about!). If you only read one book from this list, read this one. I mean it. You will not regret it. It’s amazing and funny and witty and never fails to bring a smile to my face. It’s right here on Goodreads!
July – The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon and Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
July was a great reading month–so great that I couldn’t choose which book was my favourite! Rachel Lynn Solomon is one of my auto-buy authors (I recommend everything she’s ever written!) and I got to read her new rom-com about a girl who works at a radio station and falls in love. It’s quite well-written and it’s linked right here on Goodreads. My other favourite for the month was Vampire Academy, a book I haven’t read in almost a decade. I watched the movie whilst on a flight and ended up reading the entire series (for some reason, I had only read the first one in 2014). It’s linked right here!
August – Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Serpent and Dove has a cult-like following and for good reason. It’s an amazing book, with all of the best tropes: enemies to lovers, one bed, forced marriage, mutual pining, and a witch falling in love with a witch hunter. I read the second and third book in this month too and I enjoyed both! The ending was very fulfilling and satisfying. You can find the book right here on Goodreads.
September – These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan
This was a book that surprised me more than anything. I received this book in my Fairyloot box and it was absolutely gorgeous. It has a love triangle trope, which is one of my least favourite tropes (I’m looking at you, Twilight). However, this book might be the best love triangle trope I’ve ever read. It was quite well-done and there were moments throughout the book that I was rooting for both love interests at different times. Not to mention the plot twist at the end of the book? Jaw dropping. I’ve linked it on Goodreads.
October – A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Another book that surprised me! This book and the subsequent series are a bit on the darker side, so please check content warnings before reading. I had heard wonderful things about this series and decided to read it on the flight home to visit my parents and I didn’t put the book down for the entire flight. It hooked me from the very first page and was completely original–I had never read anything like it. I highly, highly recommend it and you can find it linked right here.
November – The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
My November was mostly dedicated to NaNoWriMo, so only finished one book and started another. The book that I finished was an eARC that I didn’t really enjoy, so my favourite book of the month is the book I started reading on November 30th. The Hating Game is another book that I fell in love with in 2020. I’ve reread it three times now and actually just watched the movie adaption that just came out! There were a few things that were different (I will not shut up about the elevator scene. Ever.) but overall it was well done. I have linked the book right here on Goodreads!
December – Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
This just might be the year of rereads. Twilight is an old favourite and I was feeling nostalgic a few days ago. I’m still reading it, so it’s automatically gets the December title! There’s a few weeks left, so it might change by the New Year. Either way, Twilight is amazing and everyone should read it. I can’t remember if it was the first “big” book I read in elementary school (it might have been Order of the Phoenix, which is substantially longer), but I distinctly remember that I reread this book so many times because I loved how long it was. I read extremely fast and it was one of the only books that I didn’t finish in record time. I will always love it. It’s linked here.
This was a hard list to put together! I had to look over my spreadsheet a few times to make sure that I was truly choosing the best books for each month. Have you read any of the same books? What did you think? Do you have any recommendations? Let me know in the comments! And, as always, thank you so much for reading!
Love,
Kaitlin
Kaitlin H Powell 