My Favourite Books of 2016

We're 11 days into 2017 and I know I'm posting late but a Bitch has been working Eleven hour shifts and doing Four days straight leaving me no time to actually get things written up and planned out. Hopefully 2017 is the year I'll finally manage time to produce some great posts for you guys. To myself it seems rather fitting that my first post of the year is all about the books I truly loved in 2016. Did I think 2016 was a great year for books? Nope, absolutely not. However, I did read a few books that instantly became a favourite of mine and I feel like you guys deserve to know about them.


THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR BY NICOLA YOON

I had read Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon before it first came out as an e-Arc and really enjoyed it: the writing was beautiful and the characters lively, so I knew what to expect going into The Sun is Also A Star. Except I didn't. I never knew that one book could break my heart into a tiny pieces. I never knew how much of an affect on me it'd truly have until I read the last sentence of the book. I never knew just how powerful words truly were until I experienced the lives of Natasha and Daniel and the people all around them. It made me question society and how we live life. How we choose to live life not really thinking about how our actions can affect someone else. The Sun is Also A Star was an experience to read and I enjoyed every second of it.



THE ROSE SOCIETY & THE MIDNIGHT STAR BY MARIE LU


I had hesitantly read The Young Elites back in 2015 and ended up staying up until 2am to finish reading it, then I put off reading The Rose Society that same year because I wasn't sure if it could live up to the expectations I had built up. It did. In fact it blew all expectations out of the park and then got even better in the last instalment of the series, The Midnight Star. Marie Lu went darker, darker, darker with this series creating twists and turns that no one could have expected. The Rose Society gave us new characters, new loves and a whole lot of messed up and it all came to a beautiful conclusion. Adelina's story was a brave one and I'm so happy I gave it a chance. The fact that Adelina is an Antagonist may put people off it but she's a character with heart. Plus we all love to hate a Villain.


BAD FOR YOU BY ABBI GLINES

I never went into Bad For You expecting anything more than smutty romance and sweet filthy sex, however, Abbi Glines threw a curveball and wrote something so special and empowering. The characters learn so many life lessons during their story and seeing them tackle them on their own and as a couple was something that I feel like so man
y New Adult books leave out. Honestly? I should have been reading Because of Low since I had only read the first book in this series but Krit and Blythe's story captured my attention to the point where 'I'll just read a few pages' turned into me reading the whole book.




THE WRATH & THE DAWN BY RENEE AHDIEH

I finally gave into the hype of Renee Ahdieh and her writing and it was so worth it. The Wrath & the Dawn is simply stunning with such vivid characters that just have mundane problems. Essentially I thought the story would have a lot more of a fantasy element to it, however, it had enough in there to satisfy my needs. I lived and breathed the novel the entire time I read it. When I was in work my mind was going to when I could go on my break or lunch so I could read a chapter more of the story I was becoming to love. Even when I was sleeping I was thinking about the book: I was dreaming that Khlaid actually had an older brother who was gay but because of society's opinions he was in hiding. I was a servant in the story and fell in love with Jaaeh. Of course it was just a dream and no such brother actually exists but I was so inspired that I imagined so many novellas following different characters in this series.



What were some of your favourite books of 2016?
Let me know!

ARC Review: The Sun is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

Title: The Sun is Also A Star
Author: Nicola Yoon
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Corgi Childrens
Published: November 3rd 2016
Page Number: 384
Rating: 5/5

Summary:

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?  

REVIEW

 

How do you review one of your favourite books of 2016? It's answer: You don't. Well you do write a review but it will never do the book justice, especially when it's written by one of my now favourite authors, Nicola Yoon.

 

The story itself is....different. Now when I say different I don't mean it badly, in fact I mean it in probably one of the best ways possible. Essentially this book isn't told by two protagonists. It's told by many. Our main focus' are of course Daniel and Natasha but then we get little chapters from people they meet along the way in their journey of falling in love with each other. Whether that be one of the security guards Natasha sees at one of the offices she visits or it be the depiction of the word love. We get details to in sense create a love story that goes beyond the legal measures of love.

 

When I first started the book I initially just completely felt for Natasha. She's a protagonist that's very easy to love. Not only that but you garner a shit ton of respect for her. She's 12 hours away from being deported back to a place that's basically foreign to her, she's losing the friendship she's made since she came to America but most of all she's losing out on her dream. And if I'm being honest I did expect her to just let it get to her. Did she? Nope. She went out of her way to try everything so that her and her family could stay. She pushed and pushed and pushed until she got somewhere. And along that path is where she meets Daniel. A wannabe poet whose parents just want him to go to a great school and have a successful life where he won't need to worry about money like they both did.

 

Sadly Daniel never really understood that. He just saw it as his parents wanting him to do something that wasn't for him, especially as his brother had just failed at his first year. And while Daniel being the wannabe poet he's also a lot of a hopeless romantic. When he falls in love, he falls deep. And he falls deep in love with Natasha. Despite her hesitation.

 

I just honestly want everyone to read this book and love it like I do because it's a book I know I will treasure for a long time to come. I'll have that pull to reread it and I know I'll feel the exact same way I felt when I first read this book but only on a bigger scale. It's smartly, beautifully written and so good I want to shout it from the rooftop of my house.

 

 

 

Buy the book (Wordery) | Buy the book (The Book Depository)

 

 

A copy of the ARC was sent to me for a honest review.

 

Debut Novels | Top 5 Wednesday

Top 5 Wednesday was created by GingerReadsLainey

 

 

 

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

 

I honestly think that Cassandra Clare is a genius, she can do no wrong for me. City of Bones is her introduction to the incredible Mortal Instruments and I think it's one of her best books. I'd have never gotten into reading if it wasn't for this book. THANK YOU CASSANDRA!

 

 

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

 

I love Katie McGarry, but Pushing the Limits is easily my favourite book by her, and it was her debut novel. It's beautifully written, with a deep meaning. I was compelled by it.

 

 

Slated by Teri Terry

 

Slated is mind-blowingly good. It's intense, fast paced and filled with action. I honestly thought that Teri Terry had written and published a few books before this, but she hadn't. I'm still mind blown over this series.

 

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

 

I think everyone has read Gayle Forman's first book, If I Stay. It was made into an incredibly stunning movie, but the book is just as good. It's a slow read, but still very haunting. It's glued to the back of my eyelids.

 

 

 

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

 

This is a 2015 Debut, and I can easily say it's a great read. The premise is new, fresh in the YA genre and I know it's going to break a lot of hearts. Just stunning!

 

 

 

What are some of your favourite debut books?

Let me know in the comments.

 

Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

"Everything, Everything is a novel about first chances. First chance at life, first chance at love and first chance at finding out who you truly are. I absolutely adored it!"

Title: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Corgi Children's
Published: August 27th 2015
Page Number: 304
Rating: 4/5

 

Summary:

 

Madeline Whittier is allergic to the outside world. So allergic, in fact, that she has never left the house in all of her seventeen years. But when Olly moves in next door, and wants to talk to Maddie, tiny holes start to appear in the protective bubble her mother has built around her. Olly writes his IM address on a piece of paper, shows it at her window, and suddenly, a door opens. But does Maddie dare to step outside her comfort zone?

 

REVIEW

I had zero idea that this book was being published until I was browsing Goodreads about 3 weeks back and stopped when I saw the beautiful cover. It was eye-catching and simple, yet had an extra dimension to it. And then I read the summary and I knew I had to read it.

 

Everything, Everything tells to the story of two unlikely characters who experience their first chances. Their first chance at life, love and finding out who they truly are. Madeline has lived a recluse life because of her illness and her over protective mother. She's only known life inside her bedroom, reading book and watching everything from her window. Ollie only knows that he dislikes the life he lives, he dislikes the fact his mother won't stand up to his father. So when these two characters came together, they created something worth fighting for.

 

Luckily this story is actually a very quick read. It's not always told in a story, but as documents from Madeline's perspective. Daily feeds of Ollie's family: when they leave the house, when they come back, who they're with. We also get spoiler book reviews that are short and spunky in attitude, it adds this extra dimension not just to the story, but to Madeline's character as well.

 

About 60% into the book I did take a break because I found it to be a little boring, but immediately it picked back up and I found myself really getting more into it. Was the ending perfect? No, I don't think we'll ever get a perfect ending from a book. But it was a satisfying ending that made me smile. I cannot wait for the world to experience this beautiful, beautiful novel.

I received an E-ARC of this book from the Publishers


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