Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke & The Bookish.
My Top Reads of 2015 so far!
Yay! I always love the top ten reads of the half year/year posts. Not only because I get to share all the amazing and wonderful books I have read so far this year. I also love it because I usually find a ton of amazing books to add to my own TBR pile.
I've read 66 books so far in 2015 so picking just ten turned out to be a lot harder than I thought. It also made me realise how many reviews I need to write, as I haven't wrote reviews for any of these yet, except for one book this year and the two I read and reviewed last year,
The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough
WOW!!! No other word describes this beautiful book better. It is absolutely wonderful and I highly recommend it. I really wish this book was getting way more attention because it absolutely deserves it. It tells the story of Love and Death, and the game they have been playing for centuries. They each choose their players, set the rules and see who comes out on top. Death has always won! Henry and Flora are the players that are picked. Flora has dreams of becoming the next Amelia Earheart and sings in jazz clubs during the day, and Henry is guaranteed a bright future by his wealthy adopted parents. It's set during the time of the Great Depression and has everything I could have asked for - fascinating and diverse characters, fantastic writing, a beautiful romance, LGBTQ themes and heartbreaking moments that had me sobbing. I highly, highly recommend. Especially to anyone who was a fan of The Book Thief or similar books.
P.S. I will be posting a gushing review of it very soon, and also including a giveaway and possible author interview.
I really need to hurry up and review these books. I actually can't describe to you how much I loved these. When Half Bad came out, I'd seen mixed reviews and it had made me so nervous to get to this series. I shouldn't have worried, I read it and it became one of my top reads of the year. It has magic and witches, not to mention this also has diverse characters and LGBTQ themes too. I adored every moment of reading these books and I am so desperate to get my hands on the third book. I met Sally Green and totally had to stop myself fangirling and hounding her with questions about the third book. I know there were many people who just couldn't get into this series, but I adore it and it's become a top favourite series of mine.
The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
I was actually surprised by how much I absolutely loved The DUFF. I don't know why, I just wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did. It turned out to be such a gritty and real young adult romance, one that had so much more to offer than just the romance storyline. I really connected to the main character, Bianca, she had such a dry, sarcastic and witty humour and I really loved that about her. I also really got behind the romance in this book as well. I am now eager to get to my ARC of the companion novel. I'm posting my review of the book and the movie this Thursday.
I was really not expecting Rebel Belle to be a five star read for me. I thought it would just be an okay read, but nothing particular special. I was so very wrong! It was a fast-paced, action-packed read that I found almost impossible to put down. You can breeze through this book in a few hours because the action doesn't stop the whole time your reading it. It's such a fun paranormal YA book, a genre that I don't read very often, and it's made me willing to try more from the genre. It also has the added bonus of having a really cute romance aspect added in. My only negative is the fact that I have now continued the series and the sequel was rather disappointing in comparison.
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
I read and reviewed Red Rising last year and it got all of the stars. That book impressed me so much!!! I was soooo nervous to get to Golden Son because I was so sure that it wouldn't be able to live up to my expectations. Sequels, especially middle books in trilogies, can often be quite disappointing. But Pierce Brown gave me and even more action packed and jaw-droppingly shocking read than the first book. This book shocked and surprised me, and also exceeded all of my expectations - and those expectations were very high! You can read my full review for Golden Son here.
Last Year's Mistake by Gina Ciocca
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
I was a big fan of To All the Boys I've Loved Before when I read it last year. There is only one word to describe that book and that is adorable! It was just so sweet and cute and awwwww worthy. Plus, if you read that book then there is no way that you didn't fall head over heels for Peter K! Lara Jean and Peter K make the cutest couple ever. I was really excited to get to the sequel and see their relationship progress. Even though I didn't think this was as good as book one, and little aspects of it annoyed me - like the introduction of a pointless love triangle - I still really enjoyed it and thought it was a great sequel to one of my favourite books of 2014.
Unteachable by Leah Raeder
This book had been on my TBR for quite some time and I finally managed to get the time to actually read it. I wasn't disappointed, I completely agree with all the glowing reviews I have seen for it. I am not one of those people who is bothered by the whole teacher/student forbidden romance stories, not when it's between characters who are basically both consenting adults and to me that's 16+ - which is the age of consent here in the UK, I'd seen wonderful reviews for this and was really curious and ended up really enjoying it, even though it's not my usual kind of read.
I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
It's really hard to be as torn over a book and what to rate it as I am with I'll Meet You There. There was so much that I loved about this book, so much that wanted me to proclaim it a 5/5 read. But then there were things that I found it so hard to get past and get over as I read it. It's a romance between two people who are both dealing with their own set of problems - Skylar might have to give up going to college, and Josh lost his leg fighting in Afghanistan and is still trying to come to terms with everything he went through out there. It was a book I really struggled to put down and I did want to love it because their romance was really well done.... BUT I am really looking forward to writing my review for this so I can discuss the one problem I had with it. Josh comes across as a total homophobe at times and says some truly offensive things that I find it hard to forget or forgive. How can I truly enjoy the book when I kind of want to drop kick the guy in the face? I am still confused!! I'd be less confused if it felt like he learned from it or grew over the course of the book, but I am still unsure if he did. Some may love this, others may not being able to get passed the wanting to drop kick the guy in the face. I'm still undecided.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas
THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE BOOKS OF EVER!!!! I adore everything Maas writes and this was no different. It was INCREDIBLE! I read it last year but didn't post my review until very recently.... you can read all the gushing here.
This weeks topic is:
My Top Reads of 2015 so far!
Yay! I always love the top ten reads of the half year/year posts. Not only because I get to share all the amazing and wonderful books I have read so far this year. I also love it because I usually find a ton of amazing books to add to my own TBR pile.
I've read 66 books so far in 2015 so picking just ten turned out to be a lot harder than I thought. It also made me realise how many reviews I need to write, as I haven't wrote reviews for any of these yet, except for one book this year and the two I read and reviewed last year,
The Game of Love and Death by Martha BrockenbroughWOW!!! No other word describes this beautiful book better. It is absolutely wonderful and I highly recommend it. I really wish this book was getting way more attention because it absolutely deserves it. It tells the story of Love and Death, and the game they have been playing for centuries. They each choose their players, set the rules and see who comes out on top. Death has always won! Henry and Flora are the players that are picked. Flora has dreams of becoming the next Amelia Earheart and sings in jazz clubs during the day, and Henry is guaranteed a bright future by his wealthy adopted parents. It's set during the time of the Great Depression and has everything I could have asked for - fascinating and diverse characters, fantastic writing, a beautiful romance, LGBTQ themes and heartbreaking moments that had me sobbing. I highly, highly recommend. Especially to anyone who was a fan of The Book Thief or similar books.
P.S. I will be posting a gushing review of it very soon, and also including a giveaway and possible author interview.
I really need to hurry up and review these books. I actually can't describe to you how much I loved these. When Half Bad came out, I'd seen mixed reviews and it had made me so nervous to get to this series. I shouldn't have worried, I read it and it became one of my top reads of the year. It has magic and witches, not to mention this also has diverse characters and LGBTQ themes too. I adored every moment of reading these books and I am so desperate to get my hands on the third book. I met Sally Green and totally had to stop myself fangirling and hounding her with questions about the third book. I know there were many people who just couldn't get into this series, but I adore it and it's become a top favourite series of mine.
The DUFF by Kody KeplingerI was actually surprised by how much I absolutely loved The DUFF. I don't know why, I just wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did. It turned out to be such a gritty and real young adult romance, one that had so much more to offer than just the romance storyline. I really connected to the main character, Bianca, she had such a dry, sarcastic and witty humour and I really loved that about her. I also really got behind the romance in this book as well. I am now eager to get to my ARC of the companion novel. I'm posting my review of the book and the movie this Thursday.
Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins
I was really not expecting Rebel Belle to be a five star read for me. I thought it would just be an okay read, but nothing particular special. I was so very wrong! It was a fast-paced, action-packed read that I found almost impossible to put down. You can breeze through this book in a few hours because the action doesn't stop the whole time your reading it. It's such a fun paranormal YA book, a genre that I don't read very often, and it's made me willing to try more from the genre. It also has the added bonus of having a really cute romance aspect added in. My only negative is the fact that I have now continued the series and the sequel was rather disappointing in comparison.
Golden Son by Pierce BrownI read and reviewed Red Rising last year and it got all of the stars. That book impressed me so much!!! I was soooo nervous to get to Golden Son because I was so sure that it wouldn't be able to live up to my expectations. Sequels, especially middle books in trilogies, can often be quite disappointing. But Pierce Brown gave me and even more action packed and jaw-droppingly shocking read than the first book. This book shocked and surprised me, and also exceeded all of my expectations - and those expectations were very high! You can read my full review for Golden Son here.
Last Year's Mistake by Gina Ciocca
I saw the cover for this book and silently judged it. I liked the sound of the synopsis, but I just wasn't expecting very much from the book. I was proved wrong and I actually thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's made me want to buy a physical copy just to keep on my shelf for when I want a reread, because I know I will one day. This is one of those stories where a guy from the girls past suddenly comes back into her life, disrupting everything. It was just one of those books where it clicks with you and is the perfect read you need right at that moment. I was rooting for the two characters to get together the whole time, and getting frustrated with them the longer they didn't! I really loved it, it'll be a great summer read too.
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny HanI was a big fan of To All the Boys I've Loved Before when I read it last year. There is only one word to describe that book and that is adorable! It was just so sweet and cute and awwwww worthy. Plus, if you read that book then there is no way that you didn't fall head over heels for Peter K! Lara Jean and Peter K make the cutest couple ever. I was really excited to get to the sequel and see their relationship progress. Even though I didn't think this was as good as book one, and little aspects of it annoyed me - like the introduction of a pointless love triangle - I still really enjoyed it and thought it was a great sequel to one of my favourite books of 2014.
Unteachable by Leah RaederThis book had been on my TBR for quite some time and I finally managed to get the time to actually read it. I wasn't disappointed, I completely agree with all the glowing reviews I have seen for it. I am not one of those people who is bothered by the whole teacher/student forbidden romance stories, not when it's between characters who are basically both consenting adults and to me that's 16+ - which is the age of consent here in the UK, I'd seen wonderful reviews for this and was really curious and ended up really enjoying it, even though it's not my usual kind of read.
I'll Meet You There by Heather DemetriosIt's really hard to be as torn over a book and what to rate it as I am with I'll Meet You There. There was so much that I loved about this book, so much that wanted me to proclaim it a 5/5 read. But then there were things that I found it so hard to get past and get over as I read it. It's a romance between two people who are both dealing with their own set of problems - Skylar might have to give up going to college, and Josh lost his leg fighting in Afghanistan and is still trying to come to terms with everything he went through out there. It was a book I really struggled to put down and I did want to love it because their romance was really well done.... BUT I am really looking forward to writing my review for this so I can discuss the one problem I had with it. Josh comes across as a total homophobe at times and says some truly offensive things that I find it hard to forget or forgive. How can I truly enjoy the book when I kind of want to drop kick the guy in the face? I am still confused!! I'd be less confused if it felt like he learned from it or grew over the course of the book, but I am still unsure if he did. Some may love this, others may not being able to get passed the wanting to drop kick the guy in the face. I'm still undecided.
Best 2015 Reads I Read In 2014
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas
THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE BOOKS OF EVER!!!! I adore everything Maas writes and this was no different. It was INCREDIBLE! I read it last year but didn't post my review until very recently.... you can read all the gushing here.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
A beautiful, heartbreaking read that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. Feel free to read my review, where I gush far too much, here.
YAY! I've blogged so much this week that I actually have posts for this!!!
Top Ten Tuesday: My Favourite Top 10 Posts
Films for Thoughts on Thursday: Jurassic World Review
I haven't read any of these books myself, but a lot of them just look so interesting. I really do want to read the Half Bad series especially, and also the Jenny Han book. I am not too sure about Unteachable though, because I have seen a lot of mixed opinions on that one. I am looking forward to seeing your review on that one if you write one ^^
ReplyDeleteOh, and 66 books so far is quite the number! ;)
I hope to review Unteachable eventually, but we will see if it actually happens.
DeleteI read Half Bad and Half Wild this year too because the publishers sent me Half Wild. I hated HB, put me in a serious reading slump. HW was much better and I am interested in seeing how the rest of the series goes. Great list :)
ReplyDeleteMy TTT http://wp.me/p3ftwe-HH
That's why I read them too!
DeleteI have Unteachable on my Kindle and need to get to it still. I REALLY need to get PS I Still Love You because I loved the first so much. Great list!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Unteachable, a lot more than I initially thought I would.
DeleteThe Game of Love and Death and the rest look really good.
ReplyDeleteGreat list! Thanks for sharing.
Here are my Top 10 for the year
And here's a a $30 giveaway at Aamazon
Thanks :)
DeleteGreat list! Glad to know that P.S. I Still Love You was a great follow-up to the first novel (which I really enjoyed) :)
ReplyDeleteMy TTT
I preferred book one, but book two was good.
DeleteI haven't read any of these!! I'll have to check them out!
ReplyDeleteThey were all amazing ;)
DeleteACOTAR has definitely been my favorite this year! I really want to read I'll Meet You There and All The Bright Places. This is a great list! Here is my TTT
ReplyDeleteThanks! :)
DeleteI'm excited for Rebel Belle and I'll Meet You There! I actually own both of them but am always so terrible about reading books I already own lol. Glad to see you loved them!
ReplyDeleteMe too! I own hundreds I haven't got to yet, which isn't good.
DeleteYay for more Love & Death love! So glad you enjoyed The DUFF too, I only read that for the first time this year and loved it far more than I was expecting. I can't wait to read Rebel Belle either! Great list!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED IT! Was such a fun read.
DeleteOOh nice! Yay for ACOTAR! Even though it was read last year! LOL! I STILL need to read Rebel Belle! At this rate I might as well wait for next year so I can binge the trilogy! LOL! Loved Rachel's first trilogy and spinoff, so I do want to read this one soon!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my post!
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
ACOTAR IS AMAZING!!!! :)
DeleteACOTAR was my favourite read of 2014 as well. How could it not be?!
ReplyDeleteI purchased The Game of Love and Death when it was released. But as is the usual, I still haven't gotten to it. As much as I've wanted to though.
I also still need to read Half Wild. I loved Half Bad! Although I think I need to do a re-read since it's been a year and a half.
Last Year's Mistake was a surprise for me too. Definitely sooo good.
Unteachable! WooHoo! My love for that book knows no bounds.I love that now that it's been picked up by a publisher it is getting the love it deserves.
I'll Meet You There is definitely in my top three reads from this year. I adore it so much. I didn't have any problems with Josh. I did feel like he grew. BUT I really really need a sequel!
Happy reading!
Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life
I know, that book was incredible.
DeleteGet to The Game of Love and Death, that book is AMAZING!!!!
Yes, get to Half Wild as it is amazing and I think I prefer it to Half Bad. No, not true... I just love them both.
Nice list of books!! Thanks for sharing your favorite reads of the year so far with us!! I have some new to me titles to check out and potentially add to my ever growing reading wishlist!!
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to my TTT post for the week: http://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2015/06/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-books-ive-read.html
I hope you enjoy them all if you get to them :)
DeleteAHHH SO MANY AWESOME BOOKS!! I would really love to read A Game of Love and Death. Mostly for the title. OKAY! ALL BECAUSE OF THE TITLE. And I adored Half Wild/Half Bad (ajfdsklafd Nathan and Gabriel my little darlings) and Golden Son (although I preferred Red Rising) and ACOTAR and All the Bright Places and The Duff. XD So basically I want to read aaaall the others. Although Rebel Belle was a bit fluffy for me. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAGH. I don't even know what my best reads of this year have been. Probably The Darkest Part of the Forest and Unhinged and Vicious. XD
READ A GAME OF LOVE AND DEATH WOMAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DeleteYou've got a lot of books here that I need to read. So many of these are on my TBR list! Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier.
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking mine out too :)
DeleteI haven't read any of those but they're all on my to read list! Great list.
ReplyDeleteJackie
Thank you :)
DeleteYES to ACOTAR! I loved it so much!! But I haven't read any of the others on your list!
ReplyDeleteHere are my Top Ten!
Me too, what a wonderful read!
DeleteI need to bump The Game of Love and Death up my TBR. I think I will really enjoy that one.
ReplyDeleteYes you do, it was AMAZING!!! ;)
DeleteGreat list! I love PS I Still Love You and ACTOAR. They might be my number 1 favorite read of 2015. I enjoyed Unteachable and it's not my usual kind of reading material so that was fun. I need to read the other books on here. I really want to read Half Bad!
ReplyDeleteI definitely think ACOTAR would have been if I had read it in 2015 :)
Deleteahh yes! PS I Still Love You was on my list as well! LOVED that book so much, even more so than the first book in the series! great list this week!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wholly-books.com
I actually loved book one more, but I thought two was good.
DeleteYou have SO MANY great books on your list!! I still need to read Half Bad, The Duff, and Rebel Belle!! I am hoping that I can find time to read them all soon! :) Great list!
ReplyDeleteI hope you love them all when you do :)
DeleteGolden Son was phenomenal. I was afraid I wouldn't love it as much as book 1 because, you know, certain books just have that middle book syndrome down pat. But Pierce Brown really surprised me with this installment because it was just amazingly done - the suspense and the thrill were something else. And Unteachable by Raeder is definitely one of the best NAs I've read, and one that has an age gap nonetheless! It resonated with me so much. Glad to see some of my faves in your list :D
ReplyDeleteFaye at The Social Potato
Me too, but I was so surprised by just how much I loved it.
DeleteI haven't read any of those, but they all look great! I have The Game of Love and Death and All the Bright Places on my TBR. Hoping I'll get to them soon. (I'm actually afraid that ATBP will turn me into a sobbing mess.) :D
ReplyDeleteJulie @ Books and Insomnia
I hope you love em when you get to them!!! :)
DeleteHi - Can't say I've read any of these. Like you, I hadn't even heard of some, but I know how books can surprise you and be great reads even though they may not be all that well-known.
ReplyDelete@dino0726 from
FictionZeal - Impartial, Straighforward Fiction Book Reviews
If you ever read any then I hope you love them :)
DeleteI need to read Half Wild already! Though I do want the paperback since I have a very pretty version of Half Bad. And The Duff was very fun, and I really enjoyed it too. And Unteachable is definitely on my radar and I want to check it out!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it if you do read it! :)
DeleteIt really worked for me, I loved it. The love triangle doesn't take up much of the story, if that makes you feel any better.
ReplyDelete